Going Merry: Making College Scholarships Easier

A big part of the college process for most families is finding a way to pay for the cost of tuition, room and board, meals, books, travel, and other expenses. If the total cost of college isn't terrifying enough, the search and application process for scholarships certainly is daunting, to say the least. Most colleges will offer merit scholarships to students just for applying to college and getting accepted, but for the majority of students, there is still a gap that needs to be met, and financial aid does not usually cover all of that. So because of that, most students are forced to sift through hundreds of outside scholarships, find out which ones they are eligible for and then spend hours completing the scholarship application, often requiring a ton of personal information and writing samples.

This hard work often can result in receiving free money to use toward's college expenses, but in general, the entire process is arduous, time consuming, and students often give-up before they really even begin. I hear about this frustration all of the time, that is why I was excited to have the opportunity to talk with Charlie Maynard, the co-founder of Going Merry , which is an online platform that makes it extremely easy to search and apply for scholarships, all in one place, basically making it the CommonApp of scholarship hunting.

So what makes Going Merry so useful? When it comes down to it, it just makes everything so much easier...and here is why:

• Students make a profile once, and then the platform will auto fill the student's information for any future scholarship applications
• Students can apply directly to multiple scholarships, never leaving the main Going Merry website
• Every application has an estimated completion time and difficulty level, which helps students prioritize them
• Scholarships are grouped by essay to help minimize the amount of essays students need to write
• Going Merry will help match scholarships to students they are right for
• It is all free!

Going Merry is a very new organization, but they already have reviewed and approved close to a thousand scholarships, which can now be found (and applied to) on their website. I hope this can help and best of luck with the search!

Joseph D. Korfmacher

The Importance of Crafting the College List (2018 Admissions Report)

March Madness most commonly refers to that pretty big NCAA basketball tournament that catches our attention for a few weeks, but it can also describe this time of year in college admissions. The last two weeks of March is generally when most colleges send out their decision letters to anxious, yet hopeful seniors, dreaming about celebrating acceptances to their top choices. However, over the years, as more and more students apply to colleges with the ease of the Common Application and Coalition, not to mention an increase of international students, many colleges have become much more competitive. Schools that would have been a slam dunk admit in years past, are becoming as tough to get into as sinking a half court shot.

Because of this, and looking towards the future, knowing that it will most likely continue to become more and more selective, it is essential to find colleges that are less selective, but still have everything you need in a college to be happy. When crafting a college list, it is ideal to have about 8-10 schools on there. Of those schools, at least three of them should be schools that you are certain to be accepted into...but you would love to attend! In today's world of college admissions, schools that may be in your target range or those that are reach schools, are becoming less and less likely to work out. It is not because you aren't a great student and super involved...it is purely a numbers game. Colleges are receiving thousands and thousands of additional applications than in years past...but still accepting the same amount of students, therefore, driving down admissions rates.

In addition to securing three "likely" schools, always remember to show every college you apply to some love. Make sure their admissions counselors know you would absolutely love to attend, and give them some school-specific reasons why their college is the best fit for you. Really showing your interest could help in the end, especially if you are a borderline admit. With all of this said, I want to share with you the most recent admissions statistics for 2018 at a handful of schools. Although the colleges range in selectivity, one thing you will notice is that all of their applications are going up and their admissions rates are going down:

Boston College: This year, BC received over 31,000 applications for just 2,300 freshmen seats. This is an increase of 9% in applications, and they offered admission to just 8,400 applicants, which decreased their admissions rate to 27%. Their average SAT score for admitted students was a 1448 and the average ACT was a 33.

Duke University: This year, Duke received 33,300 Regular Decision applications, just about 3,000 more than last year. They hope to admit about 2,400 of these applicants, which represents a 7% admit rate...whereas their Early Decision admit rate this year was 22%.

Georgetown University: Last year, Georgetown had about 21,000 total applications...but this year that number increased to 23,000, and 3,312 of those students were accepted, representing a 14% admit rate.

UNC-Chapel Hill: UNC received a school record 43,000 applications this year, which is up from 6% last year.

Northeastern University: Northeastern, who continues to amaze us with their numbers, received over 62,000 applications, and will be offering admission to just 19% of their applicant pool.

Providence College: Providence College received just over 11,400 applications this year, and will be admitting 48.9% of those students. 34% of the Class of 2022 has already been enrolled to PC through Early Decision I & II.

University of Richmond: Richmond has their largest and strongest applicant pool in university history, with nearly 12,000 applications. Of those applicants, only 29% were accepted...who boasted a middle 50% SAT of 1360-1490 and ACT of 31-34.

Villanova University: Villanova isn't just dominating the NCAA tournament, they also had their best year ever in college admissions. They had a record high number of applications, with 22,727, which went up 7.65% from last year. For the first time ever, they offered Early Decision, and 24% of their freshmen class will be coming in through ED. The overall admit rate was 28%, which is down from 43.2%, from just two years ago! Their middle 50% for the SAT was 1380-1490 and for the ACT was 32-34.

Virginia Tech: Virginia Tech saw a historically large and competitive applicant pool with over 32,000 students applying for just 6,200 available freshmen seats. Although the last few years, VT's admissions rate was around 70%, this year it dropped to 56%.

Wesleyan University: Wesleyan received 12,788 freshmen applications, which is the largest number in school history, a 3% increase from last year. Just 1,779 were offered admission, just a 14% admit rate.

Joseph D. Korfmacher

Waitlisted? Read these Five Tips!

Being on the waitlist at one of your top choice colleges is never a fun time. Students have worked so hard, and have already waited so long for a decision just to hear that…they have to wait a little longer. However, if you have been put on the waitlist at your dream school, it is not the worst news in the world, and is better than being straight up denied. There are a few important things you should know about the waitlist, also known as the purgatory of college admissions…

1) Put a deposit elsewhere! You never quite know when or if you will hear that you have been taken off the waitlist. Often, you will not hear back from the waitlist until after May 1, which is national deposit day. Schools will see what percentage of the students they have accepted will be attending their school, and if the number reaches their freshmen enrollment goal, they will not reach into their waitlist. However, if their number is low, they will move to their waitlist and start notifying students they choose to accept. Unfortunately, because this typically happens after May 1, the student must put a deposit elsewhere to ensure he or she will be attending college somewhere! Even if you put a deposit elsewhere, you can still attend your waitlist school if you are pulled from the list. Most deposits are non-refundable, so you may lose out on the $500 or so deposit, but if that is your dream school and you are chosen from the waitlist, you can still attend.  

2) If schools ask you to complete various assignments to be placed on the waitlist, do them! Some schools will just ask for a yes or no if you want to be placed on the waitlist, but others will ask for additional writing samples, updated grades/scores, and even interviews. This is their opportunity to filter the students that are serious about attending their school from the not-so-serious.

3) Do not put all of your time, energy, and sanity into the school(s) you were waitlisted at. Chances are there are plenty of other fabulous schools that have accepted you and want you to be a part of their incoming freshmen class. Focus on those schools and see which one is the best fit for you. If you come off the waitlist, great, but it is very possible you will not. Do not put yourself through the agony of checking your email every day to see if you have been chosen. Begin moving on and focus on the positive!

4) Do not pester the admissions office for an answer! A great way to get pushed to the bottom of the waitlist is to call the admissions office for a daily update. If you have followed their instructions, they know you still want to attend their school. It will depend on the admission numbers that year, and calling them to investigate the process will not give you an advantage.

5) Let your counselor know if this is still your number one school. Your college counselors have relationships with colleges, and we would be happy to contact them on your behalf. We can give them support for your acceptance and talk to them about all of your positive qualities. Just let us know, and we will try our best to help!

Joseph D. Korfmacher  

Making the Case for a Liberal Arts Education

As a college counselor, I have the privilege of hearing about the goals and aspirations of young men and women, and trying my best to launch them to the next level of their educational journey. I often hear my students say that they must major in engineering, accounting, or business to land a “good” job after college. While these majors may be the right choice for some, I want to make the case for a liberal arts education, and the importance it holds in the job marketplace today and will continue to for years to come.

As a graduate of a liberal arts college, Saint Joseph’s University, I would not change anything about the courses I was able to take or the overall education I received. I have always loved learning about societies, groups of people, and how everyone interacts with each other, so I decided to major in Sociology, and it was an incredible experience. I am a strong believer in taking advantage of our fantastic American collegiate education, and that all students should pursue an education in a field or area they are passionate about. Not only is a liberal arts education crucial to developing well-rounded thinking and experience, it also prepares students for careers in almost any professional field. Contrary to popular belief, many employers actually actively seek students with a liberal arts background, as it signals creative, communicative, and problem-solving skills, which transcend all types of careers.

One crucial reason a liberal arts education can often be more helpful than a more specialized degree is because industries are constantly changing. As Director of Admissions at Seattle University, Melore Nielson told me recently, “A liberal arts education provides graduates the creative and critical thinking skills that will help them adapt to a changing world and economy, prepares them to communicate with individuals with diverse perspectives, and lays the foundation for making informed and ethical decisions.”

The intellectual curiosity within students with a liberal arts education is key for educational and professional growth, and their desire to think outside the box and draw thoughts from diverse schools of thought is what can make these students so attractive to employers. In a recent discussion with the President of Franklin and Marshall College, Dr. Daniel Porterfield, on the value of a liberal arts education, he discussed the importance of individuals who are willing to go this route in college, and why our society depends on it. He said, “The great problems and great opportunities of our era – from climate change to global security and from biomedical discovery to advances in technology – require well-educated minds who are agile enough to think imaginatively and respond to change. Liberal arts education promotes intellectual empowerment and freedom. It’s an American tradition of education that helps the one and the many.”

When it comes time to decide which path to take in college, there is no one right direction. That’s the beauty of American education. And though a STEM or more specialized degree may be the right fit for certain students, they are not the only option. If you don’t want to follow a specialized degree path or you’re still unsure which of your passions you’ll ultimately want to pursue, a liberal arts education can be a freeing and exhilarating option…and very often, will pay off in the end! 

Joseph D. Korfmacher, MA