What about the 2064 “unknown” colleges. Which of these colleges are worth exploring?  When all is said and done, does it matter that much where one goes to college?  If you are not looking for a specific program only offered at a particular college, it matters less than you think. What really matters is what you do when you get there.

Some students realize that it might not be a bad idea to look at two-year colleges as well. And some of them are looking at two year colleges outside of the region in which they live. If there is a community college that is beyond commuting distance but has a specific program you are interested in taking, you can rent an apartment near the campus. Many colleges such as Greenfield Community College in Massachusetts or the Ivy Tech Community College system in Indiana, can recommend student housing for such students.

Occasionally I like to step back and look at the colleges whose offerings make them stand out. It does not mean they are right for you. But one or more of them could be.

Let me take you on a brief tour of just five of them now.

They are not in any particurlar order, but # 1 on the list is a two-year college. In fact, this two-year college is tougher to gain admission than is Harvard. Though they are shocked at first, I get a kick out of telling some extremely bright students that they will not have a prayer in being accepted to this college.  Here is why.   

1.)  Deep Springs College accepts only thirteen men into its two-year program each year. It is a rigorous admissions process including several interviews and multiple essays. (The average applicant’s SAT score is 2200.) It is a working cattle and alfalfa ranch but one with a rigorous liberal arts curriculum in the High Desert region of Southern California.

It was founded by an early California pioneer, LL Nunn in 1917 on his idea that the three pillars… academics, labor, and self-governance help young men prepare themselves for lives of service to humanity. The school’s 26 students, along with its staff and faculty, form a close community. The college operates on the belief that manual labor and political deliberation are integral parts of a comprehensive liberal arts education.

Plus, it is FREE. Each student attends for two years and receives a full scholarship valued at over $50,000 per year. Afterwards, most earn their undergraduate and graduate degrees at the world’s most prestigious four-year institutions. It is practically a “slam dunk” admission transition. Getting a first class education, and saving up to $110,000 in the process is not a bad way to invest two years. 

Now you know why I can say to some students that they will “not have a prayer” to being admitted. Ladies…that would be you. One intellectually curious young woman I shared this fact with, was undeterred. Because her goal is to become a college English professor, she saw that as way to be part of the Deep Springs community. (Professors from schools like Stanford, Harvard and Yale go there to teach periodically for a semester or two.)

But if you are a male and intrigued by the concept, why not take a college road trip like none other right now.   

2.) Another college that is respected for its’ philosophy of combining work with learning is The College of the Ozarks. COFO is committed to a five-fold mission of encouraging academic, Christian, cultural, vocational, and patriotic growth in its students.

All full-time students work rather than pay for their tuition. The college discourages debt and, like Hillsdale College, does not participate in any government loan programs. On the other hand COFO does participate in federal grant programs so the FAFSA will need to be filed, to determine eligibility. (Hillsdale does not use the FAFSA.)

Academic offerings are surprisingly broad as you can see here. This combined with the strong work program makes it a valuable experience and excellent preparation for a fulfilling life.

By the way, College of the Ozarks has been named a “Stone-Cold Sober School” by the Princeton Review for ten consecutive years.  Alcohol and drugs are strictly prohibited on and off campus. Therefore, a student who applies to the school with the nickname “Hard Work U.” and looks forward to spring breaks in Cancun, is unlikely to be a good fit for this college.

3.) In beautiful Southern California, high above the Pacific Ocean sits a relatively new college with a unique mission. Soka University  was founded on the Buddhist principles of peace, human rights and the sanctity of life, SUA is open to students of all nationalities and beliefs and is committed to diversity in its academic community.

Soka founders and faculty believe that student-centered education is the best way to promote peace and human rights by fostering a global humanistic perspective on the world in which we live. The university prepares students for graduate studies and the world of work in an increasingly diverse and global society.

In an age when the world is facing the prospect of perpetual war, this is a mission that mandates going beyond words, putting beliefs into action. Soka is a very small university with a big vision. If its core mission could be replicated in some manner by other colleges, that would be ideal. In any case, I believe Soka University is heading in the right direction.

Take a 360-degree tour of this incredible campus with buildings inspired by northern Mediterranean style architecture.  You will not believe what you see.  

4.) There are two St Johns College campuses one in Sante Fe, New Mexico and the other in Annapolis, Maryland. There is little difference between the two, other than the natural beauty of the Santa Fe campus and the rich historic setting of Annapolis.  

St Johns is a college that bases its curriculum on the great books. The all-required course of study is based on the reading, study, and discussion of the most important books of the Western tradition. There are no majors and no departments; all students follow the same program.

Students study from the classics of literature, philosophy, theology, psychology, political science, economics, history, mathematics, laboratory sciences, and music. No textbooks are used. The books are read in roughly chronological order, beginning with ancient Greece and continuing to modern times.

All classes are discussion-based. There are no class lectures; instead, the students meet together with faculty members, called tutors, to discuss the books.

If you are interested in becoming a doctor, there is no lack of solid science learning at St Johns either. You will be well prepared for medical school, and their approach is explained here.  

So, you might be thinking “That‘s nice, but what can I do with a degree based on the study of the ancient writings and philosophical musings of dead white males?” The answer is…anything you want to do!

Here is how valuable you will be to a future employer (even if you are self-employed) once you learn how to think critically, discuss ideas rationally and write interestingly.  

5.) I wish there were more Universities like Bastyr University. I have had a life long interest in nutrition and wellness. My dad was a physician who was trained in the Allopathic tradition but who spent his professional career focused on nutrition and disease prevention. That made sense early on to me.

If you are teenager who wishes to become a medical doctor or enter the health sciences because you have a strong desire to help people, I encourage you look at this university. In fact, many bright men and women have gone on to become Naturopathic or Homeopathic physicians after they earned Doctor of Medicine degrees. But that does not have to be the route one takes. Spend time in high school studying the merits of each. 

There are pluses and minuses with each approach. For instance, if you were hit by a truck, a hospital emergency room would be the best place to be, not having a Reiki treatment. But if you want to understand the true connection between “mind and body” as it relates to optimal health and prevention of disease, the first step may be a 90-minute appointment with a physician who has been trained in that approach.  

Regretfully, Johns Hopkins and Harvard medical school et al do not train physicians in that manner.  

Bastyr is recognized as a pioneer in natural medicine. It is the largest university for natural health arts and sciences in the U.S., combining a multidisciplinary curriculum with leading-edge research and clinical training.

Graduate programs include naturopathic medicine, acupuncture and Oriental medicine, nutrition, and nutrition and clinical health psychology.  

Look here to see what they are doing for the greater Seattle community. This is the kind of clinical training students at Bastyr take advantage of in their undergraduate and graduate years.  http://www.bastyrcenter.org/

With the cost of health care rising along with metabolic diseases of all sorts, does it not make sense to focus on genuine prevention of disease as opposed to treatment of disease? That is Bastyr’s mission.

In the future I will highlight five more sets of less known schools that have admirable missions.  I hope that you see in this sampling of five unique colleges opportunities to explore that go beyond the traditional path of a typical high school student.

Let us be your guides. Call for a free get acquainted consultation today. Or, if you are a student we are already working with, and have not had a review of your college strategy recently, email or call.

That is the  GOOD news. But there is BAD news too.
The BAD news is that such a test prep program is very hard to find.  But the real GOOD news is that we have found it for you!

It is EPrep.com. Check it out NOW.  Take the eye-opening ~ “light bulb above the head” FREE tour complete with 30 sample SAT questions. Then give us a call at (978) 582-0273 so we can discuss the best program (at special reduced prices) for you.

Best wishes for college acceptance to the colleges of your choice,
Eric Goodhart 
help@SmartCollegePlanning.org

In late winter and early spring  juniors with college aspirations are intent on preparing for the most important tests in the college planning process. The last half of the junior year is replete with tests; the SAT is not the only one.

SAT II Subject Tests, the ACT test, Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests may also be on a high school junior’s calendar, not to mention mid-terms, ‘POP’ quizzes (my favorite) and final exams. 

To make it more confusing, the College Board last year changed its’ policy as to SAT score reporting. Even with that new change, there will still be many competitive colleges that will want to receive ALL the test scores a student took, not just a self-selected few. (Check each college’s website using the AAA method to find out their policies.)

By the way, here is a graph that  compares the SAT scores in Reading and Math to the ACT. Some students may do better in the ACT if they have an overall higher GPA in all five core academic subjects. In addition, many colleges will except strong ACT composite scores in lieu of SAT II Subject tests.  

Reflecting upon my high schools years, Princeton was just the name of a University, not of a test prep organization. Today there are so many test prep companies, test prep tutors, books, and websites that one can be overwhelmed by the choices.

The question is which one, if any, should you invest your time and money? But the question is not “IF” anymore because high test scores do not only enhance admission chances, but could result in thousands of dollars in merit scholarships from some very good colleges.

That used to the big question until I found this one.  Ironically, it was created by two Princeton University graduates, Eric Barnes and Karl Schellscheidt. They have done a brilliant job in putting together a fun easy to follow method to prepare for not just the SAT, but the ACT and the Math II Subject test. 

Here is a summary of their philosophy on Standardized Test Preparation. It will reveal some of the reasons why students are getting 200 to 300 higher scores on their SAT after prepping with EPrep.com.     

If you would like to take advantage of one or more of EPrep’s programs give us a call and ask about the special discounts (up to 25%) we are offering through the month of February.  

If you have a junior or sophomore, call today! Time is on your side today and could mean literally thousands of dollars of toward college tuition costs tomorrow.

As I look at the February calendar, I am reminded of two things. One: This is not a Leap Year and we do not have an extra day to accomplish everything we want. Two: It is time to look at our College Planning Timeline to see what needs to be done now…or by now.

With college costs and student debt continuing to go up, we recommend to all families to complete a “Dry Run” as soon as the freshman year. (Step three in the timeline.) The biggest benefits of doing this early are that it will keep you out of the hospital (sticker shock) and lessen the need to borrow unecessarily for college. College financial aid policies are changing frequently. The middle and upper-middle income families are not helped by these changes.

Look at this announcement made this week at Williams College. Several other competitive colleges will be following suit. You will have more time to explore your options and understand the many different financial aid methodoligies college use, when you do a “Dry Run” long before high school senior year. 

Therefore, one of the steps that is paramount to high school planning is becoming aware of the true costs of college and taking realistic steps to ensure that the colleges on a child’s list are not only academically and socially suitable, but are affordable. If you have not done this yet, then what are you waiting for?  Student debt as shown in this recent study is out of control, college graduates need not graduate with a mountain of debt.

At a recent high school workshop I gave, a parent asked what is the most common mistake a family makes in the college planning process. Good question with an easy answer: Not doing a realistic estimate of the “bottom line” cost of the colleges on their child’s list.

The Dry Run is the first step on the way to a solution.

If you know a family with high school sophomores or juniors this is the best time for the former and a priority for the latter to complete a Dry Run with us now.  

There are 72 colleges in the country that have some sort of “no-loan” policies. But  colleges are making adjustments because money (credit)  is tight for them too. Loan and merit scholarship policies at most colleges in the last few years have changed. How those changes effect a family depends on the college and the profile of the applicant.  To learn how your student will be assessed by the college admissions committees at his or her colleges, call us today.

By Ashley Marchand

Williams College is eliminating its no-loan student-aid program that began in the fall of 2008, saying that it can no longer afford the policy because of its battered endowment.

The college in Massachusetts, which has a sticker price of $49,880 a year, was one of more than 40 in the United States that have no-loan or limited-loan student-aid programs, which eliminate or cap loans for students with demonstrated financial need and replace them with institutional grants and scholarships.

It is one of a number of selective private colleges—at the time buoyed by swelling endowments—that announced no-loan policies in quick succession in 2007 and 2008. Then the bottom fell out of the financial markets, and colleges’ endowments plummeted. Williams’ dropped from $1.9-billion in June 2008 to $1.4 billion a year later.

Now, in a letter dated Sunday, the college’s interim president announced that its no-loan program will end in the fall of 2011. “Williams is in a strong financial situation by virtually any comparison—except with that of the Williams of three years ago,” William G. Wagner, the interim president, said in the letter.

Current students and those who enter next fall will not be affected by the policy change. For students enrolling after the new policy takes effect, Williams will still cap loans using a formula based on the income levels of their families. Most lower-income students will not be given loans as part of their aid packages, while others will be expected to take on a moderate amount of debt.

Jim Kolesar, the college’s director of public affairs, said that about half of the financial-aid expenditures at Williams are covered by funds from the institution’s endowment. Dropping the no-loan policy should reduce the college’s institutional-aid budget by about $2-million. That money will be redirected “to protect educational programs,” said Mr. Kolesar.

A Dream World Vanished

Dan Lundquist, vice president for marketing and enrollment management at the Sage Colleges and the founding principal of the Education Consultancy, said that the world where the no-loan push originated no longer exists.

He expects more colleges and universities will eliminate their no-loan or limited-loan programs as they weigh the costs of cutting back core academic programs against eliminating student-loan debt.

“Places that were more than riding high half a dozen years ago are able to ask themselves the question a lot of us ask ourselves in higher education all the time,” he said: “Can we afford our values?”

Lauren J. Asher, president of the Institute for College Access & Success, which runs the Project on Student Debt, said that the no-loan and limited-loan pledges made by colleges like Williams sent a significant message to students about what it would really cost for them to attend a given institution. “These pledges are really welcome mats for lower and moderate-income students who might not otherwise see past the sticker price,” Ms. Asher said.

She said that though institutions with no-loan programs are an easier sell to students, a moderate-loan program, like the one Williams is moving to, is the next best thing. “They are, in fact, limiting loan expectations, which is heartening,” Ms. Asher said.

In his letter, Mr. Wagner said that Williams intends to remain affordable, but that there are new limits on what it can spend. “The college’s focus is on adjusting to this new reality in ways that will protect our core academic mission for the long run, keep Williams widely affordable and accessible, and value the great dedication of our faculty and staff.”

Chronicle of Higher Education

If you are a current college student, are you always being asked, “What is your major?” 

If you have one, why did you pick that one?  Does the question annoy you because you feel that you are going to have to explain your decision? Perhaps you are not even sure why, thus making you feel more uncomfortable. 

I completelly understand if you are. But if you have already completed our insightful self-assessment and still are not comfortable with your academic direction, return to that online link now. It is resource to access all during your college years. (Call me if it has been misplaced.) One of things that we help students with while they are still in high school is to identify their innate characteristics. That is, what are their natural strengths and weaknesses that make up their core personality?  

Personalities, (barring some chemical changes in the body) pretty much remain the same throughout our lifetime. Interests, aptitudes and attitudes change. So, why not understand and appreciate who you are and explore the possibilities that stem from there? 

Our educational system is set up to take us from secondary school, where we are supposed to get a solid grounding in the basic academic subjects, and then on to college where we get to pick the courses we want.  Assuming college is necessary, however, are you in college to learn what you want, or are you there to learn what someone else wants? Whether it is a well-intentioned parent or prospective employer in a field that you are told, “pays well”? 

Recent Stanford University graduate, Scott Keys, has shared what I believe to be a very helpful insight relating his observations and recommendations. Hopefully, you are getting the kind of advice from your college advisors as to choosing a major that is personal to you and not “cookie cutter”. 

As he says, choosing a major is an important decision and “students are right to seek outside counsel when figuring out what they want to study”. Give us a call or contact us at the right, if you want to explore the possibilities. It all starts with a FREE “get acquainted” conversation.

By Scott Keyes 

One of my best friends from high school, Andrew, changed majors during his first semester at college. He and I had been fascinated by politics for years, sharing every news story we could find and participating in the Internet activism that was exploding into a new political force. Even though he was still passionate about politics, that was no longer enough. “I have to get practical,” he messaged me one day, “think about getting a job after graduation. I mean, it’s like my mom keeps asking me: What can you do with a degree in political science anyway?” 

I heard the same question from my friend Jesse when students across campus were agonizing about which major was right for them. He wasn’t quite sure what he wanted to study, but every time a field sparked his interest, his father would pepper him with questions about what jobs were available for people in that discipline. Before long, Jesse’s dad had convinced him that the only way he could get a job and be successful after college was to major in pre-med. 

My friends’ experiences were not atypical. 

Choosing a major is one of the most difficult things students face in college. There are two main factors that most students consider when making this decision. First is their desire to study what interests them. Second is the fear that a particular major will render them penniless after graduation and result in that dreaded postcollege possibility: moving back in with their parents. 

All too often, the concern about a major’s practical prospects are pushed upon students by well-intentioned parents. If our goal is to cultivate students who are happy and successful, both in college as well as in the job market, I have this piece of advice for parents: Stop asking, “What can you do with a degree in (fill in the blank)?” You’re doing your children no favors by asking them to focus on the job prospects of different academic disciplines, rather than studying what interests them. 

It is my experience, both through picking a major myself and witnessing many others endure the process, that there are three reasons why parents (and everyone else) should be encouraging students to focus on what they enjoy studying most, rather than questioning what jobs are supposedly available for different academic concentrations. 

The first is psychological. For his first two years of college, Jesse followed his dad’s wishes and remained a pre-med student. The only problem was that he hated it. With no passion for the subject, his grades slipped, hindering his chances of getting into medical school. As a result his employability, the supposed reason he was studying medicine in the first place, suffered. 

The second reason to stop asking students what they can do with a major is that it perpetuates the false notion that certain majors don’t prepare students for the workplace. The belief that technical majors such as computer science are more likely to lead to a job than a major such as sociology or English is certainly understandable. It’s also questionable. “The problem,” as my friend José explained to me, “is that even as a computer-science major, what I learned in the classroom was outdated by the time I hit the job market.” He thought instead that the main benefit of his education, rather than learning specific skills, was gaining a better way of thinking about the challenges he faced. “What’s more,” he told me, “no amount of education could match the specific on-the-job training I’ve received working different positions.” 

Finally, it is counterproductive to demand that students justify their choice of study with potential job prospects because that ignores the lesson we were all taught in kindergarten (and shouldn’t ignore the closer we get to employment): You can grow up to be whatever you want to be. The jobs people work at often fall within the realm of their studies, but they don’t have to. One need look no further than some of the most prominent figures in our society to see illustrations. The TV chef Julia Child studied English in college. Author Michael Lewis, whose best sellers focus on sports and the financial industry, majored in art history. Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons, got his degree in philosophy, as did the former Hewlett Packard chief executive Carly Fiorina. Jeff Immelt, chief executive of General Electric, focused on mathematics. Indeed, with the Department of Labor estimating that on average people switch careers (not just jobs) two or three times in their lives, relying on a college major as career preparation is misguided. 

I’m not saying any applicant can get any job. Job seekers still need marketable skills if they hope to be hired. However, in a rapidly changing economy, which majors lead to what jobs is not so clear cut. Many employers look for applicants from a diverse background—including my friend who has a degree in biochemistry but was just hired at an investment consulting firm. 

That doesn’t mean that majors no longer matter. It is still an important decision, and students are right to seek outside counsel when figuring out what they want to study. But questioning how a particular major will affect their employability is not necessarily the best approach. Although parents’ intentions may be pure—after all, who doesn’t want to see their children succeed after graduation?—that question can hold tremendous power over impressionable freshmen. Far too many of my classmates let it steer them away from what they enjoyed studying to a major they believed would help them get a job after graduation. 

One of those friends was Andrew. He opted against pursuing a degree in political science, choosing instead to study finance because “that’s where the jobs are.” Following graduation, Andrew landed at a consulting firm. I recently learned with little surprise that he hates his job and has no passion for the work. 

Jesse, on the other hand, realized that if he stayed on the pre-med track, he would burn out before ever getting his degree. During his junior year he changed tracks and began to study engineering. Not only did Jesse’s grades improve markedly, but his enthusiasm for the subject recently earned him a lucrative job offer and admission to a top engineering master’s program. 

Andrew and Jesse both got jobs. But who do you think feels more successful? 

Scott Keyes is a 2009 graduate of Stanford University, where he majored in political science.   

Chronical of Higher Education

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Contrary to what you may have been told, the purpose of college is not necessarily “to get a good job”. Though that is the most common answer I get from a student I ask this question, it is not often the result. But the odds can be increased if certain steps are taken before the student enrolls in college.

Through a series of conversations and assessments, we try to identify what a “good job” is for the individual. What a “good job” is for one person is an awful job for another.  If college is indeed the next step after high school, then how does one’s future academic concentration (or major) prepare one for that good job?

The statistics seem to show that the average student changes majors more than twice during college years. How does one narrow the myriad of choices down to one…or two?

Many less competitive colleges are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of providing the kind of academic advising that are more matched to the individual student. They realize that with the cost of college not getting any cheaper, if they are to stay in business the curriculum needs to be more relevant than ever before.

Most parents plan for their children to follow a four-year course of study. Changing majors and spending more time in school will quickly drain college savings and contribute to debt. That is why we recommend all students take some time to do some serious self-reflection while they are still in high school.

“Yea, right!” I hear you say. “To get my son to sit down do some “self-reflection” is like telling our Shih Tzu puppy to sit still when someone comes to the door.”

Yes, it is a challenge; but one worth taking on. For more information on how to identify not only appropriate colleges, but academic concentrations as well, give us a call.