To Save or Not to Save, That is the Question
October 26th, 2015Will saving for college affect a family’s ability to receive financial aid for their child’s college education?
According to Ron Lieber, a writer for the New York Times, the greater benefit comes with saving. Consciously diverting money away from college savings plans out of fear it will limit your ability to collect financial aid is not a sound investment strategy. In this article, Lieber breaks down the process for applying and receiving financial assistance and explains how the government looks at household income/savings in relation to aid distribution.
Article Published October 23, 2015
Written by: Ron Lieber
You should save money for college expenses if you possibly can. And if you’re worried about how that savings might hurt your child’s financial aid eligibility, then you’re thinking about it wrong.
That ought to go without saying, but there is a persistent and mostly mistaken belief that goes something like this: If we save, the colleges will just take it. And if we don’t, we will qualify for more help.
Read more at NY Times >>Tagged: College, Debt, Financial aid
Is Need-blind Admission Honorable?
October 20th, 2015The need-blind admission policy has long been considered the gold standard for selective universities, as this approach means that a college or university will look solely at a student’s talents without regard for their ability to pay for college tuition. But is this sufficient to diversify student populations socioeconomically?
Adam Falk, president of Williams College in Massachusetts, offers a different viewpoint on what need-blind means to the Williams community: he feels it’s the wrong ideal to target, as it may leave many outstanding students unidentified.
At Shrop Ed, we continue to believe that a need-blind approach is both equitable and desirable. We also believe, as President Falk suggests, that colleges should reach intentionally across the socioeconomic spectrum to identify talent, and fund appropriate students according to their need.
Click on the article link below to find out why President Falk believes that need-blind admission is a “narrow and misleading construct.” Then let us know what you think.
Article Published October 12, 2015
Written by: Nick Anderson
Prominent colleges are debating how to recruit and enroll more students from low-income families. That led recently to the emergence of a coalition of more than 80 big-name schools that wants to create a new application process with a stated goal of finding disadvantaged students with academic talent.
Read more at The Washington Post >>Tagged: College, Financial aid
Seismic Shift Ahead for College Applications
October 13th, 2015Look out, Common App! A group of selective colleges and universities called the Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success is introducing an alternative in the spring of 2016, and it’s shaking up the college admission world. The Coalition plans to reshape college admissions by helping students store examples of their academic work and extracurricular accomplishments online, then allowing for upload to applications when the time comes. The end result, ideally, is a more thoughtful approach to college planning and preparation, a goal we certainly support at Shrop Ed. We’ll be paying close attention to Coalition developments as announced, helping our students understand this option and decide whether/how best they’d like to utilize it.
Article Published September 30, 2015
Written by: Eric Westervelt
TO: America’s colleges and universities
FR: America’s high school students
RE: Please make the college admissions process less daunting and more collaborative, creative, engaging and in tune with the Digital Age. Oh, and while you’re at it, try to level the admissions playing field between rich and poor.
Read more at NPR >>Tagged: Applications, College
College Essays: It’s Not Too Late to Start!
October 8th, 2015While many seniors have already completed their college essays, others are still brainstorming and writing. Some students wait to get started until deadlines are nigh; some have a hard time clearing a roadblock to reach a finished product. If you’re still working or waiting, this article posted by US News may be helpful. Author Devon Haynie gives us a look into essays from two students who were admitted to Johns Hopkins University. Haynie expresses important components to consider when writing your essay and gives detailed opinions on why she believes the two students’ essays were successful.
Article published September 9, 2015
Written by: Devon Haynie
Writing a college essay could very well be the most high pressure part of the college application process.
At some point, there is little students can do about grades, extracurricular activities and what will and won’t be said in their recommendation letters. The essay is the one component of the application students can control fully, and provides one last chance to leave a lasting impression.
Read more at US News >>Tagged: Applications, College, Essays
