The Importance of College Visits!

Football season is well on its way, the weather is getting cooler, and the leaves are beginning to change. This means two things…the November 1^st early action deadline is right around the corner, and there is still tons of time to visit college campuses! Unless you are accepted into an early decision plan for your college, you most likely will have 7 months to decide where you want to go to school. You should be visiting colleges now and once you receive your acceptance letters, if you still haven’t decided, make sure you get back to the campuses and do your due diligence in deciding which environment is the best for you. Remember you will be living at your college for at least 4 years, so you want to make sure it is the best all-around fit for you!

Visiting colleges and universities is one of the most important parts of the college search process. Obviously academics, majors selection, internship opportunities, and reputation are important factors to selecting the right school, but the overall “feel” one gets at a college should be near the top of the list of deciding factors. With advances in technology, most colleges have elaborate websites where there are hundreds of pictures of the school and even virtual tours one can take. Although this is better than nothing, it does not have the same effect as actually walking the campus, watching students interact, sitting in on a class, talking with school faculty, and just listening to your gut reaction to the overall collegiate environment. Every school will be a little different, and the absolute best way to truly know if you will be happy at a certain college is by physically being there and soaking everything in. Also, although it is not always possible, try and visit the school while the college is in session full-time. For most colleges this will be from late August to early May. While visiting a college, you can only gain a true gut feeling and perspective of the school life when students are there and the campus is vibrant with the personality of its students.

The following list contains a few helpful hints and strategies when planning on visiting different colleges on your list:

--As mentioned earlier, try to visit college when school is in session, as that is when you will get the true feeling of the environment.

--Call the undergraduate admissions office at the college you will be visiting to set up a guided tour. This way you will have someone with extended knowledge of the college explain the school’s layout and will be able to answer any questions you may have about the school.

--Think of questions to ask while visiting the college! You will most likely be living at the college you choose for 4-5 years, so it makes sense to do your research on everything about the school and its surroundings. Questions ranging from activities available for students, housing availability, food services, the amount of students that stick around on the weekend, internship opportunities, service opportunities, intramurals, community surroundings, and much more should all be on your list to ask admission representatives at each school.

--If you are traveling far to visit a college, plan ahead and see if there are any other schools that you may be interested in and can stop at on the way. You won’t have that many opportunities to visit colleges, so make the most out of each trip!

--Try to schedule a time to sit in on a college class, and if you know what you want to major in, try to sit in on a class in that field.

--Again, if you know your major, try to schedule a meeting with a professor in that field. This will give you a better idea of what to expect in that major and overall field.

--Take pictures and notes! Hopefully, you will be visiting multiple college campuses. In order to avoid getting schools mixed up, snap some photos and jot down a few notes to keep everything fresh in your mind!

--Soak it all in and have fun! There is no getting around the fact that the college search process in an important part of your life, but most of you will only be doing this once in your life (unless you go to graduate school), so try to live in the moment and enjoy visiting some very beautiful and exciting college campuses, which very well could be your next home!

-Joseph D. Korfmacher, MASC

Getting the Most out of Financial Aid

It’s only September, but it’s never too early to start thinking about paying for college and financial aid options! Many private colleges cost around $35,000 in tuition and another $10,000 in room and board (and don’t forget about additional fees, including books). All of this equals a cost of attendance (COA) of $45,000+, which is certainly not rare. When financial aid reports come in, students and parents may be happy to see that they received $5,000 per year in merit scholarships and another $5,000 in financial aid. $10,000 a year is great…but that leaves $35,000 per year to possibly pay out of pocket, which comes to $140,000 for a four year education. For most families, this is a very scary sight and if a student is in love with a school, many parents will do whatever it takes to make sure their son or daughter is able to attend.

Loans often come into play, either through the school, federally, or privately, and although this is certainly not ideal, in many cases this is the only option. However, as most high school students apply to multiple colleges, they will receive multiple acceptances and multiple financial aid reports with various financial assistance figures.

One procedure many schools of higher education offer is to request for additional funds. Basically, families can send in their financial aid report from school B that may be giving significantly more money than school A, to school A’s undergraduate/financial aid department. Families can highlight the difference in reports, and some schools will try to match the other school.

It is entirely up to each individual school if they will consider matching what other colleges provide in financial aid, either in merit scholarships or with financial aid assistance, such as grants. However, it is certainly worth a shot, as many students have had success with this in the past. If you plan on doing this with a college, make sure it is not done in a “pushy” way. All that needs to be done is a short e-mail kindly asking the admissions department to compare financial aid reports, and to express to the school that it is still a top choice. Explaining that the student still has a strong desire to go to the school, but it would be much easier if the financial aid report was closer to those of other colleges can work at many schools.

One final bit of advice…as FAFSA reports are most often completed with the previous year’s tax returns, if anything significant has changed over the year, let financial aid offices at colleges aware of this. They certainly are not mind readers and most schools are willing to work with families in case of major changes in family income including loss of a job or unexpected medical bills. Please do not be afraid to get on the phone and give them a call if anything should happen!

-Joseph D. Korfmacher, MA

U-CAN...Visit One More Website!!

Although I am sure that the parents out there with children in high school have heard of all of the college search websites including CollegeBoard, Naviance, and College Prowler, and you may not want to see another option with even more information, but part of my job is to get AS MUCH information out there as possible…so here is another extremely helpful college search resource: U-CAN. U-CAN stands for University and College Accountability Network.

What makes U-CAN different from other college search sites is that it is exclusive to the nation’s private, nonprofit colleges and universities. Since there are far fewer schools this resource concentrates on, they are able to provide much more detailed and up-to-date information on independent colleges and universities. On the profiles for each college, U-CAN provides parents and students information points across the following areas:

• ·         Admissions
• ·         Enrollment
• ·         Graduation Rates
• ·         Most Popular Majors
• ·         Price of Attendance History
• ·         Financial Aid
• ·         Loan Debt
• ·         Specific class room size numbers
• ·         And Others

The other really cool feature to this website is that each college profile provides around 26 links to specific pages on the college’s website. This is extremely helpful, as it is often difficult to navigate college websites and find the information you need. Finally, this site provides the latest news stories on choosing a college…which I encourage you all to read…as long as you continue to visit this blog too! Enjoy the site and visit it by clicking on the U-CAN website.

-Mr. Joseph D. Korfmacher, MASC

Striving for Fit: What to Look for during the College Search

‘The importance of fit’, when it comes to choosing a college to attend, is an expression that students and parents will be accustom to hearing during the college search process. But what does ‘fit’ really mean and why is it so important when choosing a college? As students in the college search process, you all want to find the right college, but this is often harder than it sounds. There are a multitude of elements and factors that should go into choosing a college, but often students and parents will look over some or all of the factors that need to be addressed. Instead, students may choose a college purely based on ranking, how good their sport teams are, if there significant other attends the school, and many other reasons that should not be a part of a very important decision.

1 in 3 students who enroll into college will transfer at some point during their time at college. This is an alarming statistic and although in some cases this cannot be avoided, many times this does not need to occur and would not occur, if the student spent more time researching colleges. Avoiding a transfer to another college will save a student and family time, money, and energy. Very early on in the college search process, students need to examine within themselves and start discussing with their parents and counselors about their own personal skills, interests, and values. Understanding what they may be can greatly help students connect to certain schools out there, which match who they are as an individual. Remember, it is not about the best college, but the right college for you!

When discovering who you are as an individual, and finding colleges that meet your needs, you most likely will discover that there are multiple colleges that are right for you. This is a good discovery! When finding these colleges that are a right fit for you, not only will students be happier there, but chances are, they will have a better shot of being accepted! If you follow these five considerations while searching for colleges, you will be in great shape when it comes to making the final decision in spring of senior year!!

1) Academic Rigor- When searching for and applying to schools, students need to explore the classroom and academic environment specific to that college. Students must try to find the colleges that provide a style of instruction that is best matched to the way the student learns. If you are an individual who strives in the most competitive of environments, working on your own at most times, and rise to occasion when working with the toughest of teachers/professors, then look for similar collegiate programs. However, you may be someone who needs a little more guidance and support from professors, and do much better with courses that are not so competitive. You know who you are, and this is perfectly OK, but you want you realize this before attending a school in the fall.

2) Geographic Location - Get to know the campus and surrounding area of possible colleges. Realize that for the most part, this is where you will live for the next 4 years of your life! So it would make sense that you should be happy with the location of where you go to school. Are you happier in the city or in a rural environment? Would you prefer going to a college with 45,000 students or one with 1,500 students? Would you like to be less than 2 hours away from home, so you can come home whenever you like, or are you adventurous and would like to live out on the West Coast for awhile? We all have our preferences on where we are happiest and no one is wrong here! You may find a school that meets all of your other needs, but if you absolutely love the city, a school in the middle of Idaho, most likely will not make you happy! So make sure you are honest and accepting with where you are happiest, and visit the colleges you are most serious about! All schools look warm and welcoming on the internet, but you can only get a real feel by visiting colleges!

3) Major/Program Offerings- It is extremely important to apply and eventually attend a school that offers a program that matches a student’s interests. It is perfectly normal not to know what you want to do for a career in high school, but you can surely breakdown your choices to a few that best interest you. Make sure the college offers numerous majors you may see yourself doing, and this will surely help in the process.

4) Cost of Tuition/Financial Aid- Far too often, students will find a college that is really great for them, but find out in March, that they just are not receiving enough financial aid and the college will just cost too much to attend. Taking out loans is definitely an option and may be inevitable, but do yourself a favor, and create a list of schools that have a wide variety of cost of attendance. I think it is best for all students to apply to 6-8 schools, for many reasons, but one reason is that some colleges may help out financially much more than others. So if you research schools diligently and apply to 6-8 colleges that you love, the deciding factor may come down to money. If this is the case, it may make it much easier to choose the school that will not have you in debt until you have grandchildren, because you have done the research and you love the school!

5) Chances of Admission- You must be realistic when it comes to applying to colleges. Students should all be applying to 2-3 safety schools, 2-3 target schools, and 2-3 reach schools. If your list contains all reach schools, you may be in trouble come March. I  absolutely think all students should strive for ‘reach’ schools, but there needs to be schools on the list that students are confident they will be accepted into. So you should not only be making sure you apply to the schools that are right for you, but be realistic with your chances of getting in!

So, remember, there are a multitude of factors that need to go into making this life decision. Students and families should not focus solely on any one factor, but the combination of all of them. College is not just about going to the classroom, but is about growing and living in the right environment and community. Please try to remember these basic ideas when searching, applying, and eventually settling on the college that is the right fit for YOU!

-Joseph D. Korfmacher, MASC

Testing Season: SAT or ACT?

Testing season is just around the corner…for seniors you are taking final shots at the SAT or ACT in hopes to raise your scores, and juniors you most likely are just beginning to plan your attack on which tests to take and when. Although there are many schools that are test-optional (meaning they do not require SAT or ACT scores for students to apply—please  click on the link to see a list of these schools), the majority of colleges do need to see a score report from one of these tests. Later in the year, I will be discussing the reasons these tests exists, and the pros and cons, but for now, I think it is helpful to give a few more helpful tips about each test, so you can decide which will be the best representation of you when it is time to apply to college!

As you will see the main differences between the two tests deal with format, timing, and scoring.

SAT  (http://sat.collegeboard.org/home)

• Length: Standard time of 3 hours and 45 minutes, consisting of 10 sections.
• Format: The test is broken up into 3 math sections, 3 critical reading sections, and 3 writing sections. The tenth section is experimental, will not be scored, and will be either on math, critical reading, or writing. Although this section is experimental and will not be scored, students are unaware of which section is the experimental one. All sections are comprised of multiple choice questions, however, the writing section also includes an ESSAY and the math section also includes student response questions. The essay will always come first, with the rest of the sections to follow randomly.
• Scoring: Each section is scored out of 800 points; therefore the highest possible score one can receive on the SAT is a 2400. The essay portion is scored 2-12 and is included in the overall writing score.
• Guessing Penalty: There is a guessing penalty on the SAT, which means if you get a multiple choice question wrong; you will be deducted ¼ of a point. You will lose zero points for leaving a question blank. However, student response questions on the SATs should all be attempted, because you will lose points for either getting it wrong or leaving it blank.
• Reporting Scores: Because of score choice, you can choose which test dates you report to colleges. You cannot choose an individual section to send (i.e. June math section), but if you send multiple tests dates, most colleges will super score the results, giving you the highest score possible for your report.

ACT (http://www.actstudent.org/)

• Length: Standard time of 3 hours and 25 minutes, consisting of 4 sections with an optional writing section (30 minutes long).
• Format: The four sections are English, Math, Reading, and Science Reasoning. There is only one section for each subject area, so the sections are longer with fewer breaks than the SAT. The writing section is optional on the ACT, but some schools do require this part, when submitting the ACT scores.
• Scoring: Each section is scored on a scale of 1-36 (36 is the best score one can receive). Overall, there is one ACT composite score, which is an average of all four sections.
• Guessing Penalty: There is no guessing penalty on the ACT meaning you lose the same amount for an incorrect answer and a question left blank.
• Reporting Scores: You have the option of sending or not sending any of the test date scores to colleges. However, because of the scoring methods, you cannot combine or super score ACT scores from multiple test dates.

 Quick differences between the SAT and ACT

• Science section: SAT- NO / ACT-YES
• Trigonometry in math section: SAT- NO / ACT-YES
• Multiple choice: SAT-mixture / ACT-ALL
• Guessing penalty: SAT- YES / ACT- NO

It is also important to know that although both tests will focus on what you have picked up in high school, the ACT is more knowledge-based. Therefore, one easy way to decide which test is best for you is to look at your GPA and PSAT scores. For those who have a high GPA and low PSAT scores, the ACT may be the way to go for you. Regardless of GPA, for those who did well on the PSAT, then you might as well keep going with what worked for you!

So, in the end, how will you choose which test to take? Well luckily you don’t have to choose, because you can take both as often as needed! My advice is always to take the SAT at least once in junior year, and see how you do. If you do not feel comfortable and your scores are low, then look into the ACT option. Although the two tests are similar in some ways, as you have read there are many differences and students may perform better on one than the other. All schools will take both tests with equal validity, so find the one that best suits you and show yourself off to the colleges of your choosing!

-Mr. Joseph D. Korfmacher, MASC

Welcome!!!

Welcome everyone to the recently established Mr. K’s College Knowledge Blog! I hope to provide you with knowledge on everything to do with college admissions. The target audience for this blog is anyone going through the college search and application process. The blog is here to assist students and parents during the process with college admissions trends and updates, reminders, leading research on college admissions and just overall helpful information. I also would like to use this blog as a place to assist students and their families on the emotional and psychological transition into college. Leaving home for the first time and being away from family can often be a stressful time for everyone involved, and I hope to provide helpful tips and strategies to aid the entire family in dealing with this change. The goal of this blog is to simply get as much information out to you as possible on a weekly basis.

Before you start reading my blog, let me introduce myself. My name is Joseph Korfmacher and I am the head of college counseling at a private high school in Manhattan. I have my Master’s in school counseling and have worked in the college counseling scene for the past four years. Through my time as a counselor, I have seen how stressful and time-consuming this process can be for both students and parents. There is so much information on this topic available, and the time seems to fly by for most people. It is this blog’s mission to give clear and concise information on the happenings in college admissions as often as possible. Please check out this blog if you are looking for helpful tips, strategies, or are just hungry for as much information possible on this subject. I hope to be an accommodating stopping point on your road to attending college. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions at joe@jdkcollegeconsulting.com.

 -Mr. Joseph D. Korfmacher, MASC