Takeaways from Covid Admissions

Everyone involved in the college admission world would probably agree that the 2021 admission cycle was unlike any other.  At a recent gathering of educational consultants, we compiled a list of take-aways that will likely be important for the next few years.  Current juniors should keep these take-aways in mind while finalizing their own college lists.

1. Completely unpredictable—we all saw admission decisions that were unexpected. Students with exceptional credentials were turned away or waitlisted. Few students with lesser credentials were accepted at highly selective colleges.  This points to the fact that every student needs to have a balanced list of colleges. 

A balanced list consists of colleges that fit realistically into the student’s academic success and personal interest profile.  Some (2-3) can be more selective (reach) schools, but avoid unrealistic schools that will very likely disappoint over 90% of their very strong applicant pool. Denials from such institutions can be very hard for students to understand and accept. Most colleges on your list should be ‘possible’ schools, where your grades, scores and interests really ‘fit,’ and where you can thrive and be happy.  Be sure to also include a significant number of ‘likely’ institutions, whose acceptances will boost your confidence, and may even offer the financial incentive of ‘merit’ aid. 

2. Balanced list—those 2021 high school graduates who had very balanced college lists had the greatest number of college options at the end of the process.  Every school on your list should be one you would be excited to attend.

3. Test optional/ test blind—with so many students applying without test scores (a  trend expected to continue for at least one more year), colleges were forced to put more emphasis on other parts of the application.  The test optional policies also led to a great increase in the number of applications to highly selective colleges. For example, applications to UCLA increased 25% to 160,000 applications.

4.Personal stories— as in other years, students who were most successful in the process tended to share highly personal stories in their personal statements.  Essays that featured stories about how the student made a difference in some way were particularly valued.  College admission officers looked with favor on evidence of character.

5. Falling acceptance rates at the most selective colleges.  With the great increase in applications, the acceptance rate at the most selective colleges reached new lows. Harvard accepted about 3% of applicants, while Columbia, Princeton and MIT limited their acceptances to about 4%. This again points to the need for a balanced list—among all colleges, the average acceptance rate is 57%.

6. Out-sized waitlists—most applicants to highly selective colleges are now sitting on one or more waitlists—dragging out the college selection process through June or later.  

Getting Teacher Recommendations in a Virtual World

Letters of recommendation from high school teachers are a very important part of a student’s college application. Colleges that require letters of rec are looking to understand more about the student than their grades and activities. These letters address not just what you have accomplished, but who you are as a person and a student. 

Your counselor will tell you which of the colleges on your list require letters of recommendation. A good rule of thumb is to request them from two teachers: a humanities teacher, and a STEM teacher.

These letters represent the part of your application that makes you “real,” helps you stand out, and adds insights into your academic strengths and learning style. Recommendations provide an opportunity for someone to consider what you are like in the classroom. In order to provide your recommenders with more ways of getting to know you in the virtual classroom, here are some things to do now:

Turn on your camera when appropriate. Let your teacher recognize your face and get to know the person behind the voice.

Participate in the virtual classroom. Ask questions, interact and if there are online break-out groups, participate in a leadership role.

Let your teachers see that you are eager to engage and learn, however challenging the new environment feels.

Be respectful in the virtual classroom. Don’t engage in silly comments on the chat/conversation function.

Do more: ask the teacher for an after-class conversation about material that is challenging, offer to create an extracurricular club, ask for book or podcast recommendations to supplement the online materials.

COVID-19 has changed the typical manner by which students have historically obtained their all-important teacher recommendations. Many high school students have not sat in the classroom for most of 2020, and still now, in 2021, many are still not attending school in person.

In this case, your approach to gaining good recommendations must adapt. Your college counselor will provide you a “Brag Sheet” to fill out and give to your teacher recommenders. It provides good information to your teachers about things you have accomplished while outside the classroom and learning virtually, shed light on your career goals so your teachers can see your ambitions and why that matters, and tell them which colleges and majors you are applying to. 

You will need to submit your request for a recommendation by email so above all, be polite, use good grammar, spelling and punctuation, personalize each one and attach your Brag Sheet. We recommend that juniors reach out to teachers now and give them a heads-up that you hope they will be willing to write on your behalf.              

Majoring in Biology

If you are fascinated by the nature of living things, enjoy conducting experiments, and like math and science, a major in biology may be right for you. As a biology major, you will study the beginnings of both plant and animal life forms and analyze their structures, functions, and traits. The study of biology has many areas of specialization, allowing students multiple career paths in a wide variety of fields after completing the major.

The biology major consists of both lab-based and lecture-based courses. Students will typically spend the first two years forming a solid knowledge base in chemistry, biology, and calculus. They will often have to take multiple introductory level courses in topics such as ecology, evolution, biostatistics, genetics, biochemistry, and human anatomy and physiology. At a large university, these classes will typically have hundreds of students.

There will be a strong hands-on component to the major. Students will be required to conduct both individual and group research and lab projects throughout the course of the major. This will give them hands-on experience designing, conducting, analyzing and communicating the results of experiments. They will learn necessary collaboration skills as well as hone their abilities to accurately collect data, take detailed notes, analyze results, and participate in the scientific field.

As students progress, they will focus their courses under a concentration. Concentrations may include biotechnology, microbiology, bioinformatics, or molecular biology. Concentrations offered vary depending on the college program. 

Biology majors have many choices upon graduation. They may choose to continue their studies and obtain a graduate degree. This would be necessary for the student who wishes to become a professor or specialize in a field such as epidemiology. 

Students who wish to become doctors, pediatricians, veterinarians, or some other professional in the medical field will need to attend a post-graduate program. Biology is a common preparatory major for medical school as it provides students with a strong knowledge base and many skills required in the field. 

With further study, biology majors may become pharmacists, dentists, optometrists, physical therapists, or assistants or researchers in any of these fields.

Students may also choose to become high school or middle school educators, teaching biology or marine biology. If majors want to educate the public but do not want to work as a teacher in schools, they may choose to become health educators or community health workers. 

For graduates who are skilled in writing, there is demand for science journalists either at science magazines, newspapers, and journals or in the science section of general news. 

Students interested in the environment may find jobs as forest rangers, zoo workers or botanists. They may become environmental scientists or researchers focused on the environment. They may also find jobs at nonprofit organizations or in government agencies interested in environmental protection and management. 

Those who are enjoy lab work may become biological technicians, who aid in laboratory research in universities and research organizations. 

Others who enjoy designing products may enter the field of biotechnology. Biotechnologists design and improve existing technology in a vast array of fields. In medicine, they may design new medicinal treatments such as protein drugs. They may also work in agriculture to improve the production, quality, or preservation of various agricultural commodities, or in cosmetics designing new makeup or skincare products.

Finally, if students are interested in law, they can apply their major in a few different ways. They may become medical malpractice lawyers, using their understanding to determine whether doctors have acted ethically. They may also become lawyers fighting for or against environmental policies, using their knowledge of ecosystems.

Career paths for biology majors:

· Biologist

· Biomedical engineer

· Botanist

· Community health worker

· Dentist

· Epidemiologist

· Environmental conservationist / activist

· Genetic counselor

· High school science teacher

· Hydrologist

· Marine biologist

· Medical manager

· Medical researcher

· Microbiologist

· Nurse

· Pharmacologist

· Physician

· Physician assistant

· Quality control inspector

· Science writer

· Researcher

· Veterinarian

· Zoologist

Wallowing on the Waitlist

Adding to all the trials of the COVID-19 experience, colleges this year are expected to offer a record-number of waitlist spots to prospective applicants. While it has always been difficult for colleges to accurately estimate yield (number of students who accept an offer of admission), the number of applicants who have not visited campuses and other COVID-related issues is expected to result in huge waitlists.  And so, most applicants can expect to be offered one or more waitlist opportunities. You weren’t rejected, but you weren’t accepted either. The waitlist means the college likes you well enough, but they just don’t love you enough to accept you at this time, or they are just not sure of how many spaces they will have filled. 

They want to keep you hanging on until they find out if they’re loved back by the students they did choose to accept.  Now the ball is in your court—let’s consider your options:

1. Hopefully you received an acceptance from another college that you like even better. Easy decision – inform the college that waitlisted you that you’re no longer interested and have made other plans.

2. You were waitlisted by your first-choice school, and you’d sell your youngest sibling to go there. Easy decision – you make a deposit at one of the colleges where you were accepted and let your dream school  know that you’d very much love to remain on their waitlist.  Follow this up in any way they will allow. some colleges permit you to submit updates, others don’t.  Check the rules and follow them.

3. You can’t decide. Tough decision – you want to be done with this “college stuff” and know where you’re going next fall. But you’d really love to go to one or more of the colleges where you were waitlisted. You still need to make a deposit at one college where you were already accepted before May 1. You can choose to remain on one or more colleges’ waitlists.

Choosing to remove yourself or stay on a waitlist seems to be more of a psychological decision than a statistical decision. The waitlist conversion to acceptance numbers, particularly at the most selective colleges and universities, aren’t very encouraging.  Last year, Northwestern University only accepted 2.2% of students from the waitlist, while UC Berkeley accepted 27%.  Unfortunately, the past year’s statistics do not predict those of the current year.

Waitlisted students are not generally ranked.  Colleges use them to fill needed spots in their class— to make sure they have enough classics majors or journalists or oboe players, as well as full-pay students.

Students and families need to evaluate the impact of waitlist stress on the student at this point in the process. Some carefree students just want to find out and approach the decision in a matter-of-fact easy-going manner: “If I get in, great, if I don’t, that’s fine, too.”

But too many other students have already had their hearts broken once, or even twice, if they were first deferred and then waitlisted. Unfortunately, many students take college rejections and waitlists too personally and beat themselves up over it, sadly thinking they have disappointed their parents, or that this rejection defines who they are. It doesn’t. For many of these students, closure is a good thing.  Decide between the colleges that offered you a place and get excited about the new adventures that lie ahead.

Appealing Financial Aid Awards

If your first choice college offers everything you want but the price tag is making you waiver, don’t give up hope. Instead, consider appealing to the college’s financial aid office for more money.  Using their professional judgment, individual financial aid officers are empowered to make adjustments. 

If you plan to pursue an appeal with the financial aid office, be prepared with the following: 

First rule - if possible, try NOT to make a deposit until you’ve settled the financial aid discussion. Once they have your money, colleges will be less motivated to reel you in with a better deal. 

Be realistic. Gail Holt, Dean of Financial Aid at Amherst College (www.amherst.edu) shares, “Be realistic about what you – and the college – can contribute. Show the college that this is a partnership that you want to be part of, but need just a bit more assistance.” 

Know exactly what you CAN afford, but be honest here. If your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is more than the cost of tuition, then make sure that your request makes sense. Do your homework and negotiate in good faith. 

Be informed. Make sure you have researched the specific financial aid policies at each college before entering into a conversation with them. Nothing would be more damaging than contacting a college, touting your child’s fabulous grades, awesome SAT scores and requesting merit aid, only to find out that that school doesn’t award merit aid. End of discussion. 

If merit aid is available, check if the colleges you’re considering offer “preferential packaging” – it’s a practice whereby they will meet a larger share of financial need based on the academic stats of your child, i.e., stronger grades and test scores will receive more money. Take a look to see if your child’s GPA and/or test scores are in the “middle 50” or in the “top 25.” There will be more money at schools where their stats raise the school’s profile. You can also check out some fascinating financial aid statistics, including what percentage of need colleges typically meet, at College Data (www.collegedata.com). 

Be prepared. Colleges will generally reconsider awards for just two reasons:1) the EFC from the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) was incorrect due to a change in the family’s financial situation because of an illness, unemployment, etc., or 2) there is a competing offer from another college. If you plan to mention the competing offer, be prepared to fax a copy of the award letter to the financial aid office. 

Send a letter. Put all of your reasons down in writing and ask for a follow-up meeting, in person if possible, or by phone.  The college has already accepted you—now you’re just asking that they help make it possible for you to attend.

Colleges are prepared for an onslaught of financial aid appeals this year.  A new financial aid tool, SwiftStudent, is a free online service for anyone who wants to submit an appeal letter directly to their college’s financial aid office.  Access their website for detailed instructions on how to submit a letter of appeal and to view sample appeal letters that address a wide variety of financial circumstances.

The 5 "Ps" of Choosing a College

With over 3,500 colleges and universities in the U.S., deciding where to apply – and, ultimately, which college to attend – can seem overwhelming, especially as you begin your college search. The task can be less daunting if your family agrees on a game plan for sorting out the options.  The first step? Your Journey Ahead counselor will help you determine your priorities for your college search.

For most students and their families, college search priorities boil down to one or more of the “five P’s”: Place, Program, Prestige, Price, and Personal.  Let’s take a look at some of the questions you and your parents might ask yourselves in order to weigh the importance of each “P.”  As you read through these questions, answer those that seem particularly relevant to you.

Place:  Are you dreaming about attending college in a city? Is staying close to home important?  Is a particular part of the country calling you?  Do you prefer warm weather most of the year or want to experience all four seasons?

Program:  Do you already have a specific college major or career in mind? Are you hoping for strong advising to help you figure out your interests? Do you prefer a school with more flexible general education requirements or a more structured curriculum? Is studying abroad or access to internships critical? Do you need support programs for a learning disability?

Prestige:  Are “bragging rights” about the college you attend important to you? Will you only consider schools that rank high on published surveys? 

Price:  What is a realistic annual budget for your family for college expenses? Are you hoping for scholarships?  Are you willing to take on student/parent loans for a more expensive college?  

Personal:  Are you hoping to participate in certain extracurricular activities during college, such as athletics, music or Greek life?   Would you prefer to attend a religiously-affiliated college?  Do you want a school where students tend to be more liberal or more conservative, or perhaps a mix? Are there other characteristics you hope your future college will have?

Don’t be surprised if your priorities change as you begin to research, visit, and apply to colleges; changing your mind is part of the college search process.  As your list begins to take shape, revisit the 5 P’s to evaluate how each college fits your current priorities.

The “5 P’s” can also be a useful starting point for family discussions about college.  Students and parents can work through the list of questions individually and create their own ranking of the importance of each “P.”  Then, meet as a group to discuss how and why you’ve prioritized the five categories.  Often, you’ll discover ideas for your college search that you or your parents haven’t considered before. 

Searching for Scholarships

I tell client families that the best way to manage college cost is by building an effective list of colleges the family can afford. An effective list varies widely by family income and the student’s capabilities as a scholar, artist or athlete.

However, there’s no harm in searching for scholarships after a student finishes their applications. Keep in mind that scholarships can be very competitive, only be offered for one year, and some colleges will actually reduce your amount of aid by the value of the scholarship you earn.

Scholarships provide gift money that does not have to be repaid.  That makes scholarships an attractive way to help pay for college.  Federal and state governments, employers, credit and professional organizations, some private companies, foundations, individuals, and religious and civic organizations offer scholarships.  But how can you find out about these?

To search for scholarships, choose a couple of the free scholarship search engines described below.  And remember, any scholarship service that requests money to apply is likely to be a scam.

· FastWeb (fastweb.com) connects you to targeted scholarships based on your profile (strengths, interests, skills, groups).

· SRN (studentscholarshipsearch.com) matches students to appropriate scholarships based on strengths, talents, field of study, sports, achievements and background.

· College Resource Network (collegeresourcenetwork.com) also includes many minority scholarships in its database.

· School Soup (goodcall.com) allows users to search through thousands of awards with no fee or account signup required.

· Cappex (cappex.com) comprises a database of scholarships worth over $11 billion.

· BigFuture (bigfuture.collegeboard.org) offers a searchable scholarship database.

· Scholarships.com compares your background with its database and identifies good matches.

Happy searching!

Making Sense of College Rankings

Although this article is directed to students just beginning their college search, it will also be useful to seniors in making their final choice of college to attend. This is especially true this year since so many applicants have been unable to make an in-person campus visit.  

For many students and parents, one of their early college research options is to view those famous lists of college rankings. The assumption is that if a college is ‘ranked’ highly by this or that publication, it must therefore be a ‘good’ or even ‘great’ college. 

Higher education is intensely competitive and a university’s placement in the rankings is a huge force behind their many fiscal decisions, enrollment numbers and employment opportunities. When a college rises into the top 20-25 positions in the annual U.S. News and World Report, its application volume can and will increase by about 5%-10%. Even one simple step up the list can increase applications by about 1%. The clear correlation between national/global rankings and application volume is often reflected in colleges’ decisions on selectivity, standardized test scores and high school rank. Unfortunately, students are often the losers in this ‘game’, especially students of color and low-income applicants. 

In order to make sense of this academic ‘race,’ first understand how the rankings are created. In 1983, the U.S. News & World Report published its first list of “America’s Best Colleges” based upon college presidents’ responses to survey questions. Typically, they analyze the following: graduation and retention rates, academic reputation, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, and alumni giving. There are other ranking lists that also review the quality of the faculty, the volume of research, employer reputation, student/faculty ratio and international student/faculty ratio. 

  As an applicant, you must first know what matters to you during your college experience. For example, you may place great value on employment opportunities after graduation, but rankings rarely consider those numbers. You may also really want to focus on graduation rates and student debt, but don’t want or need to attend an expensive, albeit highly ranked institution, in order to achieve your goals. Dig deeper than simple rankings, compare them all and review methodologies.

You are choosing your new ‘home away from home’ and everything matters as you build your college list. Once it’s safe to do so, visit the campus in person, take a tour if possible, check course offerings, academic and social support opportunities, location and general ethos. If rankings are your first college research stop, don’t allow it to be your last.

  There is no harm in using the rankings to start your journey. The lists give you a great deal of data that you should carefully review in order to personalize your needs. Then, comparing apples with apples – in other words, you’ll learn that it’s not reasonable to compare the rankings of Yale University, currently ranked #3, with Eckerd College, currently ranked #140. Why? Because one is an outstanding national university and the other an excellent small liberal arts college. Does that mean Yale is better FOR YOU than Eckerd? No! Be clear on what you want, use the rankings as a way to learn more about options that fall within your personal and academic parameters - don’t simply focus on the beauty pageant lists but on what really matters to you.