Helpful College Info Website

Greetings everyone!

Let me first apologize for my absence from my own blog for the last couple of weeks. As all of you in the middle of the college application process know, it is extremely busy right now! However, I hope to be a bit more active going forward.  As we race to the end of this year, I know most seniors and families are stressing a little bit as we get ever-so-close to ED and EA decisions. Some have already been sent out, but most will be delivered a few days before Christmas. Unfortunately, with nation wide Common Application issues, some schools have pushed back their notification dates to the New Year. Whether you have heard already, will be hearing soon, or haven't applied yet, there is still a ton of time to work on applications and choosing colleges. The research for colleges, programs, and scholarships should never stop, and I wanted to share a helpful website to you all. It is called College Week Live, and is good for counselors, students, and parents. There is a ton of information on colleges and financial aid options, and there are live videos, where professionals will discuss various topics. From what I can tell it is free, so check it out, create a registration and enjoy!

-Mr. Joseph Korfmacher, MA

Social Media in College Admissions

I wanted to share an article from the New York Times on college admissions and social media. By no means does every college search all of their applicants online, but studies are showing that more and more admissions counselors are spending sometime searching applicants on social media outlets. As the article states, of close to 400 admissions counselors surveyed, 31% visited an applicant’s Facebook page or some sort of social media page. This percentage increased by 5% from the previous year. Please click on the link for the entire article: NYT Article

My advice would be to take as much precaution as possible when posting things online. If posting inappropriate remarks or pictures doesn’t negatively affect you during the college process, it may during the job search process (only 4 years away for many seniors!) Make sure you review everything that goes online, take a moment to think before posting something in the heat of the moment, and make sure you have all of the up-to-date privacy settings. Being accepted into college is competitive enough, and you do not want to give selective universities any reason to deny you. Enjoy the article, and be safe out there in the social media world!

-Joseph D. Korfmacher, MA

Paying for College...Time to Get Started

As you are all aware, this is both a stressful and exciting time in your lives as seniors and parents of seniors. Many of you have applied to colleges, and others are working on submitting their applications in the next couple of months. Now there is quite a bit of time between waiting for an admission decision, discovering the financial aid package, and selecting the college you will attend. In many cases, a big part of selecting a college will depend on the ability to actually pay for that school. Although most private colleges and universities will average anywhere from $40,000-$60,000 per year in total cost of attendance, the financial aid they offer will vary greatly from next to nothing, to a whole lot of dough.

In order for families to be considered for any type of financial aid, families must complete the FAFSA (more information on this below) after January 1^st. Many schools also require families to complete the CSS Profile, which can be completed now. Both of these systems will allow colleges to assess how much need a family has for paying for college. It’s simple, if you do not fill out the FAFSA and/or the CSS Profile, the student will receive zero financial aid. It is still possible they will receive merit scholarships, but they will be given no money in financial aid (grants, work study, loans).

It can often take a long time to receive each school’s financial aid package. To get a good idea of where you might stand now, you can check out two different sources. The first is called the Net Price Calculator (NPC), and is a free tool on each college’s website. The NPC will give a close estimate for the family’s total cost of attendance after financial aid and merit scholarships. The second is called the FAFSA4CASTER, which can be found by clicking the link. This will give the family an estimate of their total Expected Family Contribution (EFC), the number colleges will eventually use to determine how much they will give in financial aid. Although none of these are perfect, it is important to research as much beforehand, to help with the college decision process.

For more information on financial aid, please read the following:

FAFSA  - January 1st is the official start date to complete and submit the FAFSA to colleges. Many colleges have deadlines (that are not that far away) to submit the FAFSA, so make sure this is finished soon! Most people have heard of the FAFSA, which stands for the FREE Application for Federal Student Aid; however some families choose not to take the time to apply because they do not believe they will receive any aid. Although this is a family decision, we really do urge all families to complete this form. This is one of the only ways a student can receive government aid (also check out the CSS Profile, which some colleges use to calculate financial aid.) Schools receive the FAFSA report that gives them the EFC (Expected Family Contribution), and colleges will decide how much financial aid they will give to families. So please, take the time to get this application completed and sent to all of the schools you apply to!

Online Scholarship Finder Websites- There are a multitude of online sites available to find scholarships to college. For many of these, all you need to do is put in your basic information, and it will find scholarships that match your criteria. The three that come highly recommended are: CollegeBoard, Fastweb, and FinAid. Also check out www.collegescholarships.org. Just click on the links, and start applying!

Loans- Although it is ideal to avoid loans, it is not always possible. Here are two websites that help out with understanding and getting started with federal loans: www.direct.ed.gov and http://www.studentloans.gov/

Project on Student Debt -  This has a list of schools that have made the pledge to limit or eliminate student loans from financial aid packages, which reduces cost of college for students and their families. It may be too late for seniors, but juniors should definitely look at this list and see if there are any schools of interest.

Call College Financial Aid Departments- Often families will receive financial aid reports from colleges and will feel that they are not receiving nearly enough of aid for their income and family situation. Since on the FAFSA you are using the previous year’s tax return, it is very possible that there have been some changes in parents’ job and income situation. Also, there may be some special circumstances that financial aid counselors at colleges are not aware of (i.e. high medical bills). You have every right to call the counselors at the colleges and explain your situation. Schools will respond differently, but some may very well give you more financial aid, so it is definitely worth a shot!

Finally, please check each college’s website in which you were accepted and see if there are any additional merit/need-based scholarships you can apply to. Remember to apply to as many scholarship opportunities as possible, because every dollar will help!

Joseph D. Korfmacher, MA

College Counselor

New Common Application Tips

The Common Application is new and there have been problems. This is no surprise. Hopefully, these following trips can help over the course of the next few weeks when many students are submitting their applications. 

Early Decision agreements and outside recommenders: If you are applying to a school via early decision, you, a parent, and your counselor must approve this through signing an electronic document. This is done through the ‘assign recommenders’ section of the member school part of the CA. You will indicate that you are applying ED to one school, and then you will invite a parent. Make sure you accurately input their name and their email address. Then when you are done, you must assign the parent. Both of these steps must be done in order for the ED agreement to be sent. As long as you do your part on the CA and indicate on Naviance that you applying ED, your counselor will be able to submit his portion of the agreement.

For additional outside recommenders, the same process is necessary. You must invite each one, and then assign them. If you forget to assign a recommender, they will not be able to complete the recommendation. If your school uses Naviance e-docs, you will not need to invite your counselor or teacher recommenders. You only do this for additional, outside recommenders.

Reporting test scores: A new addition to the Common Application is that if the student decides to self-report the scores, then he will need to indicate all test-date scores, which is contrary to College Board’s ‘score choice’. Self-reporting is optional on the Common Application, and regardless what you do here, it is mandatory to submit scores through College Board or ACT Student directly to each college. My advice here is to not self-report scores on the CA. It is unnecessary, and if you have a test date you do not want to send to schools, there is no reason to show them the scores on the Common Application.

Inputting the college essay:  Please do not type the essay in the text box of the writing section. Complete all of your edits and revisions in a Word document.  Keep the formatting simple and at the end of each paragraph, you should hit the ‘enter’ key twice. There also is no need to indent the essay. Once you input your essay, you can go through the text box, and make sure it looks good.  At times, you may need to move the first word in some lines to the end of the previous line. Before you submit the application, you can review a PDF of the entire application, including the essay. Make sure the essay looks correct in this PDF. If it doesn’t, you can go back to the text box and make the necessary edits.

Do not wait until the last minute to submit the CA: It is well known that there are many problems with the new Common Application. I cannot predict the future, but I am going to go ahead and guess that the millions of people around the world who will be waiting until 11:59 on the last night before the deadline to hit “submit” may encounter some technical difficulties. Do not be one of these people. Please give yourself at least a full 24 hours before submitting the CA. That means reviewing all of the information on the CA and for each of the member school supplemental questions, and assuring everything is correct. Also, many schools are pushing back their 11/1 deadlines back a week. Don’t think that you should now wait to apply on the 7^th. Give yourself time, and if any problems arise, then you will be able to fix them, instead of starting to freak out.

Pay once and SIGN your name: In order for the application to be complete and uploaded by colleges, the student must pay for each application (unless they have a fee waiver) and sign their name electronically. It is widely known that payment has been a problem with the new CA. For now, pay once and wait. It can take up to 48 hours for payment to be confirmed. If it has been 48 hours and you still have not received a confirmation for payment, then go to the Help Desk and inquire if there is a problem. Also, you MUST sign your name at the end. This sounds simple, but it is a step often skipped. Your application will not be reviewed unless you have signed it. When you are ready to submit applications, you do so through the Dashboard section on the CA. You must pay and submit each school individually. If you are unsure if the application has been received by the colleges, feel free to contact the admissions office and confirm that everything is in. 

-Joseph D. Korfmacher, MA

Teacher Recommendation Letter Tips

This information should be helpful for all students, especially seniors in the middle of the application process. Almost all colleges will require at least one teacher recommendation, as a crucial part of the application process. When deciding on which teacher to ask, remember these important tips:

Stick to a junior or senior year teacher…possibly a sophomore year teacher. Students have changed from freshmen year and admissions counselors want to see the type of person and student they will be receiving and the more recent the evaluation the better!

Ask a teacher who really know you. Don’t just ask the teacher that you received an ‘A’ in, but the teacher that you were able to connect to. It’s OK if this class wasn't the highest grade you received, but if the teacher can talk about your learning style, participation, work ethic, ability to work with others, leadership, and other important qualities in a way that really brings you to life, will lead to the most effective recommendation. Take time in deciding who to ask, and feel free to ask the teacher if they believe they know you well enough to write a helpful recommendation.

If you know your major, request a teacher recommendation from a class in that subject area. For instance, if you are planning to apply to the engineering department, it would be helpful for colleges to hear from a high school math or physics teacher. This will help counselors determine your ability to perform in that field.

Give your teacher a heads-up! Teachers do not have to write these recommendation letters, but do so to give their students the best chance in the college application process. Students should never ask a teacher for a recommendation right before the deadline. Give your teachers at least one month before the college deadline. This will result in a happy teacher and a much more positive recommendation!

Do not over burden admissions offices with extra recommendations. Admissions counselors read thousands of applications and recommendations each year. If students start sending in extra recommendations, this will often annoy and frustrate the counselors, which may not be good for the student hoping to impress the counselor. Stick to the school’s requirements and you will be fine!

Joseph D. Korfmacher, MA

SAT/ACT Information and Procedures

Testing season is back…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), the majority of colleges do need to see a score report from one of these tests. 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!

For seniors, you have a few more opportunities to improve your scores. Test dates still available are:

SAT
October 5th (Late registration-9/20)

November 2nd (Register by 10/3)

December 7th (Register by 11/8)

ACT
October 26th (Register by 9/27)

December 14th (Register by 11/8)

If any of your colleges require subject tests, please make sure you register for them and get that taken care of! Some schools require up to 3 Subject tests. Usually, colleges will accept one ACT score in place of a Subject test, but you should follow-up with the college to be certain.

Applying Early

If you are applying early action or early decision (most often with 11/1 or 11/15 deadlines) and you plan on taking the November SAT/Subject tests to improve your scores, please alert the school of this. On the Common Application, you will be able to indicate future test dates. However, it is best to contact admissions representatives directly and alert them of this, so hopefully they will wait until they receive those scores to make a decision.

In case you are still wondering if you should take one of these tests, please read the following information:

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, MA

SJU Now Test-Optional

Because Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia is a popular school around here, I thought it would be helpful to alert everyone that they are now a test-optional school, starting for students applying for fall 2014 admission. This means you are not required to send in SAT/ACT scores as part of the admissions process. This is helpful for students who do well in the classroom, but struggle on standardized testing. If you go this route, college admissions counselors will only consider your GPA, strength of schedule, extracurriculars, and the rest of your general application and essay. However, if you have solid scores, then you should go ahead and submit the scores. It is a great idea to consult with your high school counselor before deciding on going test-optional or not. Also, please visit The Test-OptionalWebsite, for all of the current colleges and universities that do not require testing scores for admissions.

Joseph D. Korfmacher, MA

Student Debt Help

As we all know, student debt in college, graduate school, and post-grad programs is a bit outrageous, intimidating, and all-around scary. Unless you have a rocket for an arm or can jump through the roof, receiving that full scholarship is not easy. Although the cost of a school should not be the only determining factor in college admissions, it should definitely be a big consideration. The cold hard truth is that most college students will graduate in debt. However, the range of debt can vary thousands and thousands of dollars, so it’s important to be smart with your decisions before and during college. From a paid internship to closely monitoring your expenses to choosing the right loans, your decisions will have a direct impact on your wallet. Take a moment to visit: http://www.debt.org/students/

This is a very comprehensive website with a ton of information and tips on ways to reduce or eliminate student debt. Also check out these pages from the website: 

debt.org/students/college-budgeting-101/

debt.org/students/parents-pay/

debt.org/students/loan-forgiveness/ 

debt.org/settlement/vs-consolidation/ 

debt.org/students/internship/ 

Joseph D. Korfmacher, MA

August Checklist for Seniors

With the start of senior year only a few weeks away, take a moment to review the following list to put yourself in a good position to begin the college application process!

Continue to visit schools: If you are able to get to college campuses during the school year, that is great, but it is not always possible. Although high school does not begin until September, many colleges start during the last week or two of August. It is best to see the school in session, and get the feel of the student body and what the school has to offer. Make sure to contact the undergraduate admissions office prior to the visit, to see if they offer an information session or guided tour while you are there.

Work on narrowing down your college list: With application deadlines right around the corner, it is now time to eliminate some colleges from your list. You should end up with about 8-10 colleges on your list. Make sure to have at least 2-3 colleges that you are certain you will be accepted into, often referred to as safety schools. Safety schools should still be schools that you have investigated and would be happy attending.

Research school specific application guidelines: Colleges differ across the board on application procedures such as how to apply (Common Application or their own), deadlines for regular decision, early action/early decision, priority, and rolling decisions, and application requirements such as SATs, subject tests, and additional supplements. Be sure to have all of the requirements and deadlines organized in one centralized location to reference.

Finish admission testing: You may be satisfied with your SAT and/or ACT scores, which is great! However, many students need to retake these tests in hopes of higher scores. For the SAT, there are testing dates in October, November, and December, which most likely are the latest ones you can take. For the ACT there are testing dates in September, October, and December. Also, if any of your colleges require subject tests (SAT II), remember to sign-up during one of these test dates.

Begin the Common Application: The Common Application opened August 1^st. Feel free to create an account and begin working on the application. There is no need to rush this, but it will be helpful to get familiar with the application and see what other supplements are needed for schools. Also, if you haven’t done so already, start writing the main CA essay, and feel free to send it to your college counselor to help with editing.

Keep in touch with your counselor: If you have any pressing questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to your college counselor. Also, once school begins, make an appointment to see your counselor and talk about a plan to apply to schools.

Joseph D. Korfmacher, MA

Schools for the Performing Arts Database

For students who are interested in pursuing a college degree in the performing arts such as acting, directing, playing an instrument, etc., there is now a comprehensive database out there that can provide a ton of information and direction for these types of schools. This website will be run by Playbill and can be used by students and parents to help search for these types of programs and colleges. Check the following site out and enjoy: PlaybillEdu

Mr. Joseph Korfmacher, MA