Tutoring | Appeal Your Award

I never do this, but I wanted you to look over my shoulder for this client conversation about the anti-Israel protests.  Actually, this is a mash up of three-four similar conversations I've had in the past few days with Class of 2024 families.

The gist of the conversations:  I'm reluctant to put down a housing deposit at [college] because of the out-of-control, anti-Israel, antisemitic protests.  What do you think?

Obviously this is guesswork, but I'll share my thoughts.

First, I hope and suspect that, as the academic year winds down and ends and college kids return home, the protests at most colleges will organically peter out.   I would guess that the summer reprieve will give college administrations time to discuss and implement actions to ensure order on campus in the fall, unlike what's happening at Columbia.

This may be a bit of a leap, but I don't think we'll see as much strife on campus next year. But of course...

Tutoring | Appeal Your Financial Aid

Yesterday morning, on our weekly show College Coffee Talk, I covered the story about Harvard and CalTech ending their experiments with allowing students not to submit their SAT or ACT.  I suggested (for the umpteenth time) that this seems to be part of a slow trend for Ivy and other elite colleges -- and less elite --see College of The Ozarks a/k/a Hard Work U (go Bobcats!).

Today Cornell University said See ya, wouldn't want to be ya, to test-optional policies, citing familiar reasons for reinstating testing requirements:

They're helpful predictors of academic performance in college. 

Another interesting bit of information:  42% of students who submitted scores were admitted. Yes, I understand that students with stronger scores tended to submit them, but still.

I don't know if you're a betting man or woman, but were I placing a wager, I would bet big that this trend is picking up steam.  Which means...

Good morning!

Come join us this morning if you can -- 10:00am EST --  for College Coffee Talk, our live show about college admissions and financial aid news that you can use!  

Here's what's on tap for today:

• Another blow to test-optional;
• The latest on student loan "forgiveness" developments;  and 
• Your questions, we'll be live and chatting!

Tune In!

Grab a cup of joe and we'll see you at 10am EST (recorded if you can't make it)

- Andy Lockwood

Tutoring | Webinar

It seems like more colleges abandon their test-optional policies every week.  Last week it was Harvard and CalTech.  I believe we're still in the beginning stages of a standardized testing comeback.

Why?  Mostly because rampant grade inflation makes it super hard for admissions officers to gauge the college readiness of applicants. When everyone has a 94 average, how to you separate the wheat from the chaff?  

A full discussion of that topic would take too long, but it appears that that the (new, digital) SAT and ACT are back to help resolve that issue.    

The SAT changed formats earlier this year, switching from paper to digital.  Reviews were mixed, to put it mildly, making it more confusing for students wondering which one to prep for, and take, in order to boost their chances of getting accepted to the colleges they want to attend...

...and clean up with fat, juicy scholarships :)

That's why, tonight,...

Tutoring | Webinar

So there have been two official brand new, digital SAT exams already and the reviews are, ahem, "mixed." 

But here's the thing...

That makes it a wee bit harder to figure out whether the SAT or ACT is The One.  Especially in the new era of test-optional policies, which are still with us, but appear to be waning.

That's why, tomorrow night, we're running an SAT and ACT preview class, walking you through each and every section, to help you determine "Which Test is Best?"   We'll help you figure out which one is right for you (your kiddo) if:

• You're a fast test taker

• You're a slow-to-medium test taker

• You're "bad at math"

• You're good at math

• You "hate science"

• You have high grades but you're a "bad standardized test taker"

Wait!  There's more...

• Tips to overcome test anxiety

• Hidden, score-killing "landmines" lurking in the SAT and ACT for hapless, unsuspecting test takers

• Grammar section tips

• More -...

Good morning!

We're hitting the airwaves this morning -- 10:00am EST --  for College Coffee Talk, our live show about college admissions and financial aid news that you can use!  

Pearl is away on special assignment, so I will do my best to pick up the slack. Today's show topics:

Oddball FAFSA fails and a new grounds for appealing your award. Plus, what's the deal with the parent "Brag Sheet?"

Tune In!

Grab a cup of joe and I'll see you at 10am EST (recorded if you can't make it)

- Andy Lockwood

I'm going negative with this email.  Apologies in advance.

I just tweaked my presentation for tonight's live, local (not live streamed) presentation I'm running at the Bryant Library in Roslyn NY.  Most of the material, as it turns out, is about mistakes.  Easily avoidable, self-sabotaging mistakes. 

Some mistakes are of the commission variety -- things you affirmatively do -- that hurt odds of college acceptance or merit scholarships. 

Some are mistakes of OMISSION, meaning things you do NOT do, but should.

If you're local to the Long Island area, and you want to avoid costly errors that can severely impact your/your children's chances of getting into competitive colleges...

...as well as gaffes that could hurt or eliminate your ability to get merit aid or financial aid, then tonight is a terrific, unprecedented opportunity to learn up on all this stuff -- for free --- for reelz...

...that you definitely will NOT ever, never ever hear a...

From the FAFSA Sh*t Storm Files:

Over coffee early this morning, Pearl told me a shocking story, one that we've experienced a few times already this year.  Let me pass it along to you as a cautionary tale:  it goes a little sumthin' like this:

Family files FAFSA.  Family hears back from college financial aid office. 

Message:  no soup for you.  Pay full price.

But here's the thing...

On a courtesy call with a financial aid office, the officer reveals that the FAFSA indicated that the family's income was more than $400,000.

But the family's actual income, filed with the IRS for 2022:  $250,000 and change!

Why the 150K+ artificial penalty?

Just another glitch!  Too bad, so sad.

Apparently 10% of all FAFSAs filed this year have inflated family's income, wiping out millions of potential eligibility.  

This glitch is, of course, part of the FAFSA "simplification," designed to streamline the process.  Nice job, guys.

The most...

Tutoring | Local Workshop

**No College Coffee Talk this morning:  I'm on the road, depositing my daughter back in college after her break (public transportation is beneath her, apparently**

Well, it's that time of year when most colleges are issuing estimated financial aid awards. Many parents are staring at these offers and wondering, "Where's the beef?"

Here are the top three categories of appeal (I call it "negotiating", but that's definitely NOT the term used by financial aid officers).  Note:  no matter what your argument is, you must present new information that the college didn't have, previously. 

1. Drop in income.   Financial aid eligibility is heavily dependent on income. But that income is from two years ago.  Example:  if you have a Class of 2024 student, your 2022 Adjusted Gross Income is the most heavily weighted factor.  But if your income dropped in 2023, maybe because of a layoff, or your business income...

Roslyn Workshop

This past Tuesday I was back to back on client calls, especially with Class of 2024 students, bragging about their college acceptances.  That's fun!

But they don't all go that way, unfortunately.  Part of the job of college advisor involves consoling and doing post-mortems on "what went wrong."  

But here's the thing...

Just because someone doesn't get into a particular college doesn't mean that something "went wrong."  Even if other, supposedly lesser-qualified students managed to get accepted to the same college.

It's never One Thing that gets a child rejected, or admitted, even though our tendency as humans is to attempt to find an obvious answer, whether or not based on actual data, instead of feelings.

I'm not writing this note to suggest that we change our way of thinking, or wiring.  This pattern recognition trait is probably what got us out of the Serengeti and to the top of the heap of the animal kingdom, so who am I to...