College Bound

The month of January is just about past us now, and the new year is lurching forward!   So grab a hot cup of java (or green tea!) and join us for this week’s roundup!

We’ve spoken about financial aid quite a bit over the last couple of weeks, both on our Facebook Page, here on the blog: “Infographic: Who Gets Financial Aid?“, and in other Weekly Roundup posts.

It’s the financial aid season, so to speak – with th FAFSA deadlines approaching (most experts say to file the FAFSA in Jan or early Feb), and many colleges also requiring the CSS Profile, the deadlines vary by state and school.

Our first article this week provides some great info on getting the most out of your financial aid applications.  Over at GoLocalProv.com, Cristiana Quinn penned, “College Admissions: 6 Steps to a Higher Financial Aid Package” – and her first point is a good one!  Unless you can sit down and write a check today for the full amount of your child’s college costs, you should file financial aid forms.  Good rule of thumb — and the rest of the article provides additional down to earth advice.

Over at the Washington Post Blog, Campus Overload (Jenna Johnson,  education reporter/blogger) we noticed a guest post by University of  Maryland student, Eric N. Harris, “Getting rejected from your dream school(s) isn’t a bad thing“.  Although I’m fairly certain it isn’t a good thing either, I like the perspective of a person that’s been through the process recently as the process is constantly evolving.  Check out this post, especially if you’re in need of the encouragement!

Lastly this week, we noticed a big ole’ photo of a big ole’ star over at TasteofCountry.com, in “Scotty McCreery Gets Accepted to College“, by Amy Sciarretto.  Scotty is currently on tour with Brad Paisely, but has taken time out to apply to East Carolina, North Carolina State, Belmont University and Tennessee State.  He’s already heard back from East Carolina with the proverbial fat envelope — accepted!  Isn’t it great to know that even great country music stars have to go through the anticipation of opening that college acceptance letter?

By the way, my wife and daughters just adored Scotty McCreery during the last season of American Idol.  Although none of us are genuine hard core country music fans – we do think both his voice AND personality are golden, and wish him the best of luck in his college endeavors – just as we do to all our readers!

Would love to have Scotty sing his version of “Happy Trails” to our faithful fans, and Scotty’s too!  Oh well, I guess we’ll just have to settle for good old’ Roy…

It’s infographic time…and this week we’ve brought you a great (and timely) infographic created by DegreeSearch.org.

Sure, you’ve been reading about how important it is to fill out the FAFSA form for eligibility for financial aid.  It IS important — and this infographic, and the data it refers to, will explain WHY it’s so important!

Here’s one quick fact:  Did you know that 80% of Full-time Undergraduates receive some type of aid, according to the National Center for Education Statistics and The College Board?

(click on image to see full-size)

The snow is finally here.  It’s sort of nice when it happens on a Saturday morning – not having to rush out to work (like Mrs. I getting to her first High School class at 7am!), being able to get cozy with a cup of hot java or tea….ahhhhh….

Back to reality!  Have to fire up the snowblower and trudge through the snow to get one of the cars out for a track meet!  Oh well…

In college admissions this week, we see a transition period and a waiting period.

Juniors and Sophomores are starting to think about searching for colleges (and parents are searching for ways to pay for it!), while Seniors are waiting for those acceptance letters coming this early spring.

Financial Aid is a big concern right now for a lot of American families – so our first news item focuses on that topic.

The NYTs, The Choice blog author, Jacques Steinberg appears with Matt Lauer on the Today Show, talking about the FAFSA and financial aid.  Also appearing are Monica Inzer, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Hamilton College, in upstate NY.  Read more about it, and watch the video at, “The Choice on ‘Today’: Tips on Fafsa, and Net-Price Calculators“.

Are applications to the countries’ top colleges slowing down?  Are students and parents not “taking a chance they’ll get in” amid high application fees and impossible odds?

In Bloomberg Businessweek‘s, “Applications at Top Colleges Retreat Amid ‘Impossible’ Odds“, by Janet Lorin, you’ll find some of the stats regarding the slowing down of applications – and some of the suspected reasons why.  Ms. Lorin provides an inside view of the recent application season, and how students and parents have handled applying to the top schools.

Kiplinger’s Best Values in Public Colleges was published this week, with UNC at Chapel Hill and the University of Florida taking the top 2 spots.  With filtering by state, you can check out the tool to find the best value schools in your state. Kiplinger also published “How We Rank the Top Public College Values“, which gives insight into how their list was compiled.  The categories “Cost and Financial Aid” and “Competitiveness” are the top factors in the ranking.

Scholarship money can make or break a decision to attend a particular college.  The NYTs, The Choice blog, in “MTV’s Latest Facebook App is About Scholarships, Not Snooki“, by Daniel E. Slotnik, is about a new Facebook app, My College Dollars, a joint effort between MTV, The College Board, and Get Schooled – funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.  The app is designed to match students with scholarships, and also make linking to the FAFSA form easy.

“A Facebook app?”, you say.  Aren’t they DANGEROUS?  Well, being the developers of a different Facebook app, bragTAG, designed to help students get into great colleges – we’d have to inform you, “NO!”.  Facebook apps are NOT inherently dangerous!  In fact, what’s dangerous is not locking down the privacy of your Facebook account, and letting college admissions officers see things they shouldn’t see!

While you’re researching your Facebook apps, we’re going to ride off into the snow – and wish you Happy Trails until next week!

Now that college admissions season is right around the corner – are you ready to take charge of your upcoming college visits?   The pressure is on, and a decision on your part is going to be both imminent and necessary!

So how does one “take charge” of college visits?

Easy. Peasy.

We can answer this with two words.

Information and Technology (…and apps & maps!)

Opps!  I guess that’s four words. :)

All the info you’d ever need about a particular college is online.  And it gets even better than that!

You’ll be able to access not only what the college wants you to see – but also what university attendees think – and possibly what professors and alumni think.

It seems these days it’s all about the apps – but there are many that do not use a smart phone, or would rather not!   If this describes you, fear not – many of the apps reviewed below are cross-platform, meaning they are available on your home computer as web apps – so just print your maps and info and go with paper and a notebook.  You can always enter your notes later if you so choose.

Planning Apps

Much of the planning process is all about setting up to-do lists and checking off completed items as you go along.  Here are two apps that will aid you greatly in planning your college visits.

Basecamp

37Signals is a company that has developed some of the most useful web-based applications on the planet.  Basecamp is their project management software, and it is chock-full of features that will make your college visit planning a snap.  Easy to use, pretty to look at and ultimately useful, there is a free plan which will allow you enough features to get your visits organized.

Basecamp works on just about any Web browser, and across all mobile devices (Windows Phone 7 users may have to use Kompass – a Basecamp app for Windows Phone 7).  Because the mobile app is an HTML5 web-based app, all your changes are synced between your home computer and your mobile device.

Plan and organize at home, then take your mobile with you!  What could be easier!

Remember The Milk

Remember The Milk or RTM is more of a traditional To-Do list with added features.

The web app is free to use, upgrade to the premium, for a price to use with mobile devices.  There are native iPhone, iPad and Android versions that will cost you $25 per year to use, but the avid users of RTM don’t mind the added expense!  They know how fantastic an app this is.

RTM is easy to use, almost intuitive in its simplicity – and will get the organizing job done!

Mapping Apps

As far as I’m concerned, there is only one app you’ll need for mapping out your trip. That app is Google Maps.

Whether you are travelling by rail, car, plane or on foot, Google Maps will get the mapping job done for you.  The Google Maps app will open on any computer in any browser, as well as work on just about any mobile device.  Check out the Google Maps mobile webpage for more info on what features are included on your mobile device.

If you are an Android user, you’re probably aware the Google Maps app on your device is also a turn-by-turn GPS navigation system in your hand!  On the iPhone and other mobiles you’ll be able to use Google Maps Street View to check out the actual locations you’ll be visiting.

The best way to use Google Maps for college visits is to bring up the app on your home desktop or laptop and search for the colleges you’ll be visiting.  When you find them, “star” them.  You’ll then be able to find the locations on your mobile device by listing your “starred” locations.

You can also use the “directions” feature to get door-to-door directions and distances to your colleges – AND include multiple points (colleges) – so you’ll get a great idea of the mileage and time it will take from college to college, and for the whole trip.

Once you’re on the ground, use the Google Maps “walking” directions to get to your exact locations on foot.

I know, crazy isn’t it…but this is the world we all live in now!

Note-taking Apps

Once you get to your colleges, you’ll want a way to quickly jot down notes so that you can remember the pros and cons of each visit.

Sure, you can use a pen and paper, but why not harness all that tech you carry around with you.

There are several cross-platform apps that will make it a joy to use your iPhone, IPad or Android phone or tablet to catalogue your notes for instant retrieval where ever you are!

Evernote

Evernote is a full-featured note-taking and “capturing” app which can be very useful for keeping track of the colleges you’ve visited.  There is a free version and a premium version.  I believe most users will find the free version to be more than enough to keep track of college visits – but if you start to use it for EVERYTHING you may want to upgrade!

I’ve used Evernote since 2008, which I realized in doing the research for this blog post!  All my notes from that year are still online, I find this to be remarkably helpful for cataloguing important items.

Think about using an app like this for college visits – and imagine if you have several children,  being able to go back and look at the notes you made for the older child!  Invaluable!

You can set up notebooks for each individual college you’re visiting, and then keep all kinds of notes in it.  You can include links to the college’s web site, review sites, forums dealing with the college – and, of course, your own visit notes which you can upload contemporaneously from your mobile device.

Evernote works in every browser, and also has native apps for Android, the IPhone/iPad, Palm, Blackberry  and Windows Phone 7 – really just about any mobile device.

SpringPad

SpringPad is a very, very smart note taking app.  Although slightly more complicated to use than Evernote, this is the app to use if you’re plugged in, wired up and ready to go!

SpringPad also works on the “notebook” concept – but the items you can add to the notebooks are varied and include contacts (you can connect your google or facebook contacts).

Once you add a college to your notebook as a contact, including the address of the college, you’ll have a google map attached to the entry – and can easily get directions (and all the other Google Map goodies) to the college.

Other types of entries include: check list, packing list, shopping list, alarm, event, task, bookmark – just about anything you can think of!  Your individual college notebook can contain all kinds of info about the visit, and the college.

Download the SpringPad app for your mobile, and you’ll have it all in the palm of your hand – add notes to the notebook while you’re at the college.  I always like creating an immediate “pros and cons” list – a very good way to sort out your first impressions.

Geo-location Aware Apps

Foursquare

Foursquare is a geo-location app that is experiencing unprecedented growth in popularity.  Some are even betting on Foursquare being as popular as Facebook and Twitter in the near future.

I like using Foursquare for both it’s social media features, as well as its mapping and “tips” features.

So what is geo-location and Foursquare?  Basically, users “check-in” at locations they arrive at, using a mobile device.  Foursquare is available on both the iPhone and Android platforms and syncs to the web-based version of the app.

Foursquare users are awarded badges for achieving various levels and locations, which makes it fun to use and popular with teens.  Colleges are just starting to get on the Foursquare service, but users often leave their own tips when visiting and attending colleges.

This is where the app becomes invaluable on college visits – even if just to find the favorite local burritto joint!

If you’d like to find out more about using Foursquare for college admissions check out the blog post I’d written over at StudentAdvisor.com,  How to Look for Colleges Using Social Media.

Facebook Places

Facebook has built location into both their mobile app and desktop app.  You can add a location to any photograph you upload – and you can check into location (much like Foursquare) on the mobile app.  If you tag a photo with the college you’re visiting (and the college allows tagging), your photo will appear on the college’s Facebook Page wall.

You can also add whom you’re with to the check in – so if you’re in a group,  you can tag your friends and relatives.

Using Tech for College Visits

You know you have the tech in your hands!  You have it in your Blackberry, your iPhone,  your iPad, your netbook – your desktop!

Harness this power for college visits – make them easy, fun and productive whether you’re a parent or student!

Parents, this is a chance to show your high school student just how cool you REALLY are (don’t worry they’ll never admit it!) – and students, here’s your chance to show your parents just how organized and together you can really be (don’t worry, your parents will still nag you!).

Take charge of your college visits, and you’ll be one step closer to making one that most important decision – which colleges you’ll apply to, and perhaps which one you’ll attend!

Enjoy your remaining college visits!  I’ll be monitoring the comments section below to answer any questions you may have.

Ahhhh…well into the winter season here in Northern, NJ – the cold has finally set in.  Nothing like a hot cup of java or tea on a cold and windy Saturday morning to warm the soul (better than chicken soup, in my opinion!).

Of course, the college admissions machine keeps rolling, and this week is no exception.  Financial aid, scholarships, acceptance letters, deferrals, and the like are on the minds of high school seniors and their parents.

Juniors and even Sophomores are starting to awaken to the college admissions process as well – we had good response to our own blog post – “How to Start Your College Search in 5 Minutes” – which was written specifically for those just getting started with college admissions.

There are many articles from all over the Internet this week. Here are a few that caught our attention:

On the website GoLocalProv.com, ”College Admissions: 6 Biggest Lies in College Admissions“, by Cristiana Quinn takes a stab at those catch phrases many admissions departments often use.  Phrases like “We look at the whole student” and other such phrases can often be code for something entirely different.  This is not a condemnation of all admissions officers and departments, but we’ve all heard these types of phrases at parent night presentations and other events.  In this article these “lies” are brought to light in an informative way.  Give it a read!

The NYT’s “The Choice” blog has published a six-part series of Q & A on filling out the FAFSA form which is replete with good advice from Mark Kantrowitz, founder of FinAid.org.  In “Part 1: Answers on the Fafsa, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid“, Mr. Kantrowitz tackles questions regarding deadlines, graduate program applicability and citizenship.  Part 2 tackles questions about divorce, parent education level and Fafsa history. Part 3 answers questions regarding unemployment, the accuracy of net price calculators and putting twins through college.  Part 4 addresses how inheritances and retirement plans might affect an expected family contribution (E.F.C.); how the Fafsa defines “assets,” and how applying early decision can affect financial aid.  Part 5 covers questions about privacy issues, when to file and the rules concerning tuition assistance from grandparents and other relatives.  And Part 6 will be published Saturday morning – and we are pre-writing this post (we usually don’t!) as we’ll be at our daughter’s track meet from 6am on…so we’re not sure what questions Mr. Kantrowitz will answer as of this writing!

And last (but not least!) over at the WSJ’s MarketWatch.com website in a published press release, “Go Daddy Awarding 10 College Scholarships“, you’ll find out all the info you’ll need to apply for one of 10 – $10,000 scholarships being offered this year by GoDaddy.com – the love ‘em or hate ‘em domain registration site.  Famous for it’s racy SuperBowl advertisements, GoDaddy has just gone through an acquisition and financial restructuring in a private equity deal.  The new partners promise not to tamper with the company’s “culture” – we haven’t yet figured out if that is a good thing or not!

Until next week…Happy Trails!