I'm so shocked (open for more sarcasm)

Tonight's Webinar for 11th Graders

One of the dumbest college-related news stories I've seen repeated in the past week:

"Top colleges settle claims they favor wealthy students for admission."

Is that really news?  This story covers a lawsuit against Yale, Georgetown, Northwestern, MIT, Dartmouth, among others, that alleged that these colleges favored applicants who could pay full price for college, despite the colleges' agreement to be "need-blind" (not consider whether the applicant needs financial aid).  My take...

Seriously.  This is news?  Or do some people think things work differently, like there's a level playing field.

Second:  is this a bad thing?  At virtually every college you've heard of, full-pay families subsidize all the other families.  In other words, their full boat dollars help colleges afford to give aid to families who need it.

Ditto for "development list" families who donate seven and eight figure amounts to colleges.  (Most do not have a child currently applying to that college, by the way.). My business partner Don Betterton, who served on Princeton's admissions committee for 30 years, told me that 50% of these donations went to the need-based financial aid budget.  This enables families with lesser resources to attend colleges with prices out of reach.

Even if a college does consider whether you need aid ("need-aware"), that factor is merely ONE in 25-odd considerations.  It's not likely to be make or break.

A Big Picture Thought

It struck me that most parents (and guidance counselors and other college consultants) either overlook this or have no idea about all the ingredients that go into the pot for admissions officers to evaluate in a college application.

Which makes sense, because most counselors rely on limited tools like Naviance (or SCOIR), or are deathly afraid of discussing third rail, politically incorrect factors that colleges care about like race and ethnicity.  I don't blame them in either case:  the first is a resources issue, the latter could lead to shaming, virtue signaling and career suicide.

Well, neither of those issues has ever concerned me, which is why I'm running a brand-new presentation tonight:  Late Stage College Planning for High School Juniors.

I'll cover all the stuff that goes into a winning college application --- essays, extracurriculars -- how to create a balanced, strategic college list and more.  More specifics:

* The surprising percentage of families who pay Full Boat at any given college

* The latest strategies re:  Test-Optional policies  -- To Submit or Not to Submit?

* Why do students with lower GPAs and SAT/ACT scores get into elite colleges while academically superior ones fail?

* So many lame college admissions and financial aid jokes for one evening.  Too many (non-refundable, free webinar)

* How to stand out in a "Sea of Sameness"

* How to write a compelling essay even if you lack an overly dramatic, Lifetime Network backstory of adversity and triumph

* Which extracurricular activities "sell"?  Which ones bore?

* How to negotiate with a college

* More.  (This message is already pushing the outer limits of my attention span.)

Here's where to tune in:

*** Late Stage College Planning Workshop for 11th Grade Families ***

(Btw, not a terrible idea for families with younger 'uns to join either.)

See you later,

Andy "Star of Late Stage and Screen" Lockwood

P.S. Please feel free to send this invite to anyone who is getting stressed out and anxious about whether their kiddo can get into a decent college, how to even pull a list together in the first place, what needs to be done when, etc. etc. etc.  

They'll feel better after they join us tonight.

P.P.S.  This is live and we're not planning on doing a replay.