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Vol. 22 No. 4
December 2007
Student Aid Has Not Kept
Up
With Costs
THE GOOD NEWS: The amount of aid that college
students received from all sources soared by 82 percent over
the past decade. The bad news? This was not fast enough
to cover the increase in college costs over the same period,
according to new data from the College Board.
During the 2006-7 academic year, $130 billion plus was awarded
to students in grants, federal loans, Work Study and education
tax credits and deductions.
But the federal dollar no longer stretches as far as it once
did. Twenty years ago, Pell Grants covered 52 percent of a low-income
student's tuition, fees, room and board at an average public
four-year college. In 2006-7, Pell Grants covered only 32 percent
of those costs.
And, according to "Trends in Student Aid," students
borrowed $18 billion from state and private sources. Altogether,
federal loans accounted for less than half of all undergraduate
loans. Private loans accounted for nearly 25 percent of all aid,
up from 6 percent 10 years ago. For undergrads, that figure is
29 percent. These kinds of loans usually carry higher interest
rates.
Trends in Pricing
A second report from the College Board, "Trends in College
Pricing," said that once again the increase in college costs
out paced inflation. which has hovered around 3.5 percent nationally.
- But for the 2007-8 school year, in-state tuition at public
four-year institutions increased by 6.6 percent to $6,185. Throw
in the cost of books, room and board, transportation and other
costs, and the yearly total comes to an average of $17,336.
- For out-of-state students, the tuition increase was 5.5 percent,
to $16,640. Total costs now average around $27,791.
- At private four-year institutions, the tuition increase from
last year was 6.3 percent, to $23,712. Total costs average $35,374.
- At public two-year institutions, the tuition increase was
4.2 percent over last year to $2,361. Total costs now average
$13,126.
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Fall Enrollment
Trends
U. Michigan Minority Numbers. Last year, Michigan
voters enacted Proposal 2 banning affirmative action in admissions
at the state's public colleges and universities. So how did minority
students fair in this year's class? Much of the U.M. Ann Arbor
class was already chosen by January 10 when the ban went into
affect. Yet the number of African American freshmen increased
by a 1.2 percent over last year to 334. The number of Hispanic
students declined 2.6 percent and the number of Native Americans
fell by 4 percent.
Meanwhile, the number of white students rose by 9.8 percent,
the number of Asian Americans soared by 22 percent. Michigan's
freshman enrollment was expanded by 11 percent over last year.
That led the number of U.S. minority students enrolled at U.M.
Ann Arbor to fall from 12.7 to 11.4 percent.
International Study Growing. In 2005-06, more than 223,000
U.S. students studied overseas, up 8.5 percent over the previous
year, according to a new report from the Institute of International
Education.
And last year, the number of international students studying
at U.S. colleges and universities jumped by 3.2 percent to 582,984.
That is just 3,339 international students shy of the all-time
record. Experts say that increased recruitment from colleges
and fewer delays in the visa process contributed to the increase.
India, with 83,833 students, and China with 67,723 students
led the way with the most students sent to the U.S. They were
followed, in order, by South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Canada, Mexico,
Turkey, Thailand, Germany, Britain, Saudi Arabia, Nepal, Hong
Kong, Indonesia, Brazil, Columbia, France, Kenya and Vietnam,
which sent 30 percent more students.
The top destinations? The U. of Southern California, Columbia
U., New York U., U. of Illinois, Purdue U., U. of Michigan at
Ann Arbor, U. of Texas at Austin, U. of California at Los Angeles,
Harvard U., Boston U., U. of Pennsylvania, Ohio State U., State
U. of New York at Buffalo, Arizona State U. and Indiana U.
Getting Graduation Results. In keeping with U.S. Education Secretary
Margaret Spellings' call to pay greater attention to results,
colleges and universities are finding ways to try to boost graduation
results.
For example, the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education
has created a $25 million Double the Numbers Degree Fund to colleges
that increase graduation rates and two-year institutions that
improve transfer rates. And Miami Dade College is examining all
of its 2,000 courses to find ways to bolster 10 key skills it
wants its graduates to possess, including being able to clearly
communicate, think creatively and analyze data. MDC also plans
to start testing graduates on what they learned.
Dual Enrollments Promote Success. Students who take college
courses while still in high school are more likely to graduate
from high school, go on to college and succeed, according to
a new report, "The Postsecondary Achievement of Participants
in Dual Enrollment: An Analysis of Student Outcomes in Two States,"
issued by the Community College Research Center at Columbia University's
Teachers College.
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Early Returns
Chicago. The U. of Chicago has received a record
number 3,041 early action applications, up 42 percent over last
year, according to a recent Chicago Maroon, the school's
student newspaper. "We're almost certainly going to defer
more applications this year," said Ted O'Neill, dean of
admissions.
This is the last year that the U. of C. will use exclusively
its celebrated Uncommon Application. Next year, applicants will
be able to apply via the Common Application used by nearly 300
colleges and universities. But they will have to fill out a "substantial
supplementto answer our interesting questions," O'Neill
noted.
Georgetown. Non-binding early action applications to
Georgetown U. jumped by more than 30 percent to a record 6,000.
Overall, Georgetown is anticipating more than 16,000 applications
and an acceptance rate of about 18 percent, down from 21 percent
last year. SAT scores of this year's pool were up by 13 points.
"We are establishing some projects with executive faculty
on the main campus to zero in on early admits with the intention
of recognizing that they may be outstanding students," said
Charles Deacon, dean of undergraduate admissions.
With Harvard, Princeton and the U. of Virginia all halting
their early admissions program, Deacon believes that some of
the 8,000 to 10,000 students who might have applied there, turned
to Georgetown instead. 'The goal," he said, "is not
to drive down acceptance numbers to make Georgetown appear more
selective, but to ensure that qualified students apply in the
first place." But, he said, so many early students are "a
happy problem."
Middlebury. Early Decision I applications "resemble
last year's pool" of approximately 700 students at Middlebury
C. But according to Bob Clagett, dean of admissions, early and
regular applicants have grown over the past two years. Even though
statistics show that the admit rate is slightly higher for early
admit students, "the bar is raised for early decision applicants"
because the quality of the early pool "is superior"
to the regular pool.
Last year, Middlebury admitted about 38 percent of its new
class early. "I feel uncomfortable going higher than 40
percent," Clagett said, "because we don't know what
is coming in the regular applicant pool. We could easily admit
half the freshman class early, but if we were to do that, we
would be sending an even stronger signal to apply early."
U. of Notre Dame. According to The Wall Street Journal
November 14, the U. of Notre Dame "received 4,247 early-action
applications this year, up 12 percent from last year." Also,
Boston C. expected about 7,000 early-action applicants
this year, up 16 percent from last year. And MIT expected
it would see a 10 percent increase from 3,493 early applications
last year. "The elimination of early admissions at Harvard
University and Princeton University-effective this year-is helping
to fuel a rise in applications at other elite schools that offer
nonbinding 'early action' programs," the WSJ said.
"The trend will make it more difficult for top colleges
to predict how many of the students they admit will actually
enroll, admissions officials say."
Stanford. Some "elite" institutions did not
see a surge in early action applications this fall, according
to The New York Times November 28. Stanford U., for example,
received almost the same number of early-action applications
as last year, 4,574.
Yale U. The Ivy League school received 4,820 early
applications, "from Florida to Frankfort," a 36 percent
increase over last year. Because Harvard and Princeton eliminated
their early programs, there is speculation here too that the
admit rate of those accepted early at Yale may trail off. But
many high school counselors interviewed by Yale think that their
students are serious about Yale and the admit rate will not fluctuate
very much.
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THE COUNSELOR'S CORNER
The "Non-Recruited"
Student Athlete
HOW DOES A STUDENT
ATHLETE get noticed and into college? Joe Montano, athletic
director, and Fran Swift, director of guidance, at Red Bank Catholic
High School in New Jersey addressed this topic at the recent
NACAC conference in Austin.
Red Bank Catholic High School offers 23 varsity sports and
takes the student-athlete seriously, they said. "It
is important for students to be good students as well as good
athletes."
That's their first point to students and parents. The second?
Many parents believe they have a budding professional
athlete in their home and absolutely deserve an athletic scholarship.
Educating parents and students about the reality of recruiting
is required.
Red Bank Catholic begins counseling student athletes in the
spring of sophomore year. It invites parents to programs at 8:15
in the morning, the time most parents can come to school. But
the focus is on "students and their responsibility,"
said Swift.
They inform parents of the percentage of athletes who actually
receive scholarship money to go to college. About 75-80 of 265
seniors at Red Bank declare they want to play sports in college.
Of those, about five receive full rides, a few more partial scholarships.
Parents "are very disappointed," said Montano. But
to guide parents and students to the information they need to
pursue athletics in college, Red Bank Catholic prepared a booklet.
And Montano reminds parents there are different levels of athletic
competition, and opportunities in each one.
THE ATHLETIC
DIVISIONS
The NCAA Division I has status and the most scholarship
money available. But it is also the most competitive. Division
II schools, he noted, have less scholarship money. Division III
schools do not have scholarships, for the most part. But too
many parents and students fail to look into Division III schools.
Montano noted that these schools have upgraded programs, facilities
and coaching. "There are more schools in this division,
and more opportunity to play for love of sportor play two sports,"
he said, adding junior or community colleges may also have athletic
programs.
Though parents often want their child in Division I athletics,
Montano reminds them that the commitment is year round, the level
of playing hard work. He has seen his share of students burn
out after one or two years. He asks parents, "Is your son
or daughter this kind of kid?"
OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Check out and assess a student's athletic ability. Be realistic.
Coaches can help by telling parents, "Here is what I see."
2. Identity appropriate colleges--in the right location and
the right size. One of Montano's students picked a school because
"she loved the coach," he said. But the coach quit
after she got to the college and she ended up in a school where
she couldn't pursue the major she really wanted. "Evaluate
all areas," Montano said.
3. Contact college coaches. (And return emails.)
4. Prepare an athletic resume.
5. Go to showcase events and summer camps. For certain sports,
this is the only way an athlete may be seen.
SUGGESTED
RESOURCES
But according to Swift, no matter how talented, students
still have to compete in admissions and based on grades, the
strength of their curriculum, and test scores. Just because they
are athletes, they still need to be concerned with activities,
service and recommendations.
Red Bank Catholic's booklet shows students the step-by-step
process that they need to know to apply for college. It lists
websites and the school's website which links to about 150 other
sites. Swift reminds students not to overlook other resources
for information on colleges: coaches, family, friends, teachers
and counselors.
Swift uses the program Naviance which she feels helps students
gather information about the size of schools, costs, majors and
sports they want to play, with links directly to the schools
so that students "don't get lost on the Internet."
At school sites, students can find bios of coaches, a list of
schools in the division, and the roster. Other web sites Swift
uses: www.campuschamps.com,
www.admissionstracker.com,
www.collegedata.com
and www.linkathletics.com.
In addition, Swift advises high schools to check the NCAA
web site (www.ncaa.org) to
be sure that their courses are up to date and approved as they
need to be. She also recommends that student-athletes build a
resume and send a letter to coaches late in sophomore year to
introduce themselves and ask for information about the college
program. In junior year, students should send a letter with a
copy of the school game schedule for their sport and clippings.
But don't send videos or DVDs unless a coach asks for them, she
added. Coaches' preferences differ by sport. Students can ask,
"Do you want a tape or DVD?" and "What kind to
you prefer?" Is it a game tape? Highlights? Uncut?
"The process for student athletes isn't easier than for
other students," Swift said. "Besides finding the right
fit athletically, they must find the right fit academically so
they can continue to be successful student-athletes."
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COUNSELOR'S BOOKSHELF
New Career Guides. College Navigator: Find the
School to Match Any Interest from Archery to Zoology, The
Staff of the Princeton Review; fun facts in 282 lists include
"schools that don't give grades" to "schools that
allow pets." (Did you know, for example, that the U. of
Maryland has produced its own ice cream since 1924?) (Princeton
Review Press, 2007); 391 pages; ISBN 978-0-375-76583-4; $12.95.
21 Things Every Future Engineer Should Know: A Practical
Guide for Students and Parents, Pat Remick, Frank Cook (Kaplan
AEC Education, 2007); ISBN: 978-1-4195-3548-2;
So What Are You Going to Do with That?" Finding Careers
Outside Academia, revised edition, Susan Bassalla and Maggie
Debelius (The University of Chicago Press, 2007); ISBN-13: 978-0-226-03882-7;
$14.
The Chicago Guide to Landing a Job in Academic Biology,
C. Ray Chandler, Lorne M. Wolfe, Daniel E. L. Promislow; (The
University of Chicago Press, 2007); ISBN-13: 978-0-226-10130-9;
$14.
And People are Talking About Newsweek's "Standardized
Tests in College?: Why U.S. Universities are Implementing a No
Child Left Behind-style Accountability Program." See www.newsweek.com.
The October 9 New York Times article on the emerging
practice of student "Thank You" notes to admissions
officers for things such as interviews and tours. Some schools
such as NYU, MIT and Johns Hopkins read and toss. However, others,
Princeton and Williams, for example, put them in the student's
file.
And, the National Association of Independent Colleges and
Universities has launched a web site to help in the college search:
www.ucan-network.org.
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FINANCIAL AID FLASH
Grants Replace Loans at Prestigious Schools. Following
the trend set by Princeton, Harvard, Stanford and other elite
institutions, other prestigious colleges are following suite.
Williams C., for example, is replacing all student loans with
grants to help reduce the debt burden of its graduates. Colby
C. is replacing loans with grants to residents of Maine. And
Wesleyan U. is eliminating loans for students with incomes of
$40,000 and under.
Financial
Planners Helping Parents. But where can families looking
for help in financing a college education turn these days? According
to an article October 26 in the Chronicle of Higher Education,
public accountants and financial planners can help. The National
Institute of Certified College Planners, founded five years ago,
now has 1,200 registered members. Evidently the field is booming,
especially among families with incomes above $50,000.
According to some of these experts, the number one error parents
make is assuming that their son or daughter will not qualify
for aid. A second error is failure to ask for a review of the
college's initial award, especially when the family has a legitimate
claim like a lost job, unexpected medical problems or new baby.
Appeals should be in writing and signed by the student. In more
than a few cases, this leads to a larger aid offer.
"I've yet to find one college that won't consider an
appeal," Reech Aresty, author of How to Pay for College
Without Going Broke, 2007, Palm Beach Press, told the Chronicle.
Another strategy is to avoid brand name colleges and go to
a school where the student's high school academic record will
stand out and attract generous aid from the college.
Paying
for College Without Going Broke. That's also the title of
the 2008 edition hot off the press by Kalman A.Chaney, an independent
consultant, with Geoff Martz (Random House/Princeton Review.)
"Parents who understand how the aid system works and how
to apply for financial aid get more," said Chaney. Furthermore,
"What most families don't realize is that the most aid-whether
it be in grants, scholarships or loans-goes to those who are
savviest about applying for it, not necessarily those who are
the neediest." His book offers guidelines and strategies
including worksheets and sample application forms. ISBN: 978-0-375-76630-5;
$20.
Private
Higher Ed Financing Increases Internationally. The United
States is not the only nation where private funding of higher
education is catching up with public funding. According to a
recent study of 53 nations by the Institute for Higher Education
Policy, the expansion of higher education in many nations is
fueled by a new emphasis on private funding. Some call this "an
historic shift."
For example, enrollment in Chinese colleges and universities
doubled from 1998 to 2004, after the Chinese institutions became
tuition based. At the same time, public financing of higher education
fell from 99 percent to 53 percent.
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CURRICULUM
CAPSULES
Media Arts and Animation.
The Art Institute of Indianapolis has a new Bachelor of Science
in Media Arts and Animation, the seventh new program at the school
in the last 18 months. The newest degree "will help graduates
gain a foothold in the intersecting worlds of art and technology,"
said Madeleine Slutsky, president of the Institute. The degree
also aims to meet the new demands in film, television and gaming
as well as in manufacturing and architecture.
New Journalism Approach.
Northwestern U.'s Medill's School of Journalism is taking a leap
into the present. Given the decline of newspapers and magazines,
and the rise of new media, NU is putting a new emphasis on the
ability of students to use video Ipods and digital camcorders
to go along with the old reporter's spiral notebook. The new
curriculum combines old reporting skills, new high-tech skills
including web management and a new focus on "audience understanding."
Freshmen are also getting more writing experience in new writing
labs. Critics contend that the new approach blurs the line between
journalism and marketing. Medill officials say the new curriculum
is preparing students for what is really happening in the field.
To view Medill's new curriculum, go to: www.medill.northwestern.edu.
Christian Communications Options.
Regent U.'s School of Communications & the Arts has added
four new B.A. majors: animation, cinema-television, journalism
and theatre. Courses will be designed so freshmen and transfer
students can get involved. Regent's School of Communications
& the Arts has won over 160 film festival awards over recent
years. "Great new job opportunities are opening up for people
who have the knowledge, skill and talent at the cutting edge
of their professions," said Michael Patrick, the school's
dean. "We are committed to helping the next generation of
actors, filmmakers, screenwriters, animators and journalists
to get those jobs and make a difference."
Regent U., founded in 1978 by preacher Pat Robinson, calls
itself "the nation's academic center for Christian thought
and action," and enrolls 1,953 full-time students.
Odds and Ends. This fall,
the Board of Trustees at the U. of Dayton approved a new
bachelor's degree in human rights studies, the first in the country,
according to the university. Daniel Webster C. has a new
Bachelor of Science in Homeland Security. Students may pursue
aviation security, computer security or a custom-designed concentration.
The Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering has a new
Certificate in Engineering Program to enable students at Wellesley,
Brandeis and Babson to pursue engineering. The U.
of Maryland, College Park launched its new School of Public
Health last month. And California State University at San
Marcos announced on its web site, "We now offer a Bachelor
of Science degree in Applied Physics!"
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NEWS YOU CAN USE
Where Have All the Readers Gone? Only 30 percent
of 13-year-olds read for fun "almost every day," down
from 35 percent in 1984, according to a report from the National
Endowment for the Arts. And that carries over to college, where
65 percent of freshmen say they read little or nothing for pleasure.
Library
Habits. A few years ago, the U. of Rochester employed anthropologist
Nancy Fried Foster to study how students use the school's library.
What she found out was surprising and her report was published
this fall by the Association of College and Research Libraries.
Here are some of the findings, which appeared in a recent Chronicle
of Higher Education.
First, and perhaps most shocking, Foster discovered that parents
are still involved in helping students do school work. When assigned
to write a paper, many students contacted their parents to ask
what topic they should write about. Some parents were still editing
their child's work in college, as they had in high school.
Other discoveries include the fact that many students are
so overscheduled that they don't really begin their library work
until 9 p.m. when most librarians have left for the day. As a
result of the research, Rochester's library now holds an orientation
breakfast for the parents of new students.
AP
Audit. The College Board, which administers 37 Advanced Placement
(AP) tests each year, has reviewed 134,000 AP courses in 14,000
secondary schools around the world. About 840 college faculty
members were hired to evaluate syllabi at the schools. They certified
that two thirds of the courses met academic requirements. Teachers
of the third of courses that didn't meet immediate certification
have been invited to submit additional evidence.
The College Board report, released in November, concluded
that "college admissions officials, students, parents and
educators can have continued confidence that the AP designation
on students' transcriptions is only approved for syllabi that
have been approved by college faculty."
The AP Course Ledger can be found at www.collegeboard.com/apcourseledger.
College
Unhealthy? College students are getting too heavy, charges
the American College Health Association. ACHA estimates that
three out of 10 college students are overweight or obese. That
is reinforced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
which notes that the proportion of overweight 12-to-19-year-olds
has increased from 5 to 17 percent. More colleges are reporting
that more students are coming to campus with hypertension, Type
2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and high cholesterol and triglyceride
levels. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education,
some colleges are helping students learn how to live a healthy
lifestyle, but most are only dimly aware of the problem and the
potential consequences.
Jobs
Abound. College graduates found about 20 percent more jobs
offers from employers this year, according to the National Association
of Colleges and Employers (NACE). It noted that 2007 is the fourth
straight year in which job offers are up by double digits. Nearly
60 percent of the employers surveyed by the organization reported
that they planned to hire more new college graduates this year
than last.
NACE found that graduates received higher average starting
salaries in 26 of 29 majors it measured. Top salaries? $59,707
for chemical engineers, up 5.6 percent; $54,695 for mechanical
engineers, up 5.7 percent; $52,177 for computer science majors,
up 2.5 percent; $47,421 for accountants, up 2.7 percent; $46,966
for IT/data processing, up 4.9 percent; $44,048 for business
administration/ management, up 7.5 percent; $41,285 for marketing
majors, up 10.3 percent; $31,333 for Liberal Arts majors, up
1.2 percent.
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COLLEGE BOUND's Publisher/Editor: R. Craig
Sautter, DePaul University; Chief Operating Officer: Sally
Reed; Assistant Editor: Emma Schwartz; Illustration:
Louis Coronel; Board of Advisors: David Breeden,
Edina High School, Minnesota; Claire D. Friedlander, Bedford
(N.Y.) Central School District; Howard Greene and Matthew
Greene, authors, The Greenes' Guides to Educational Planning
Series; Frank C. Leana, Ph.D., educational counselor;
M. Fredric Volkmann, Washington University in St. Louis;
Mary Ann Willis, Bayside Academy (Daphne, Ala.).
|
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In This Issue
Feature Articles
Student Aid Has Not
Kept Up With Costs
Fall
Enrollment Trends
Early
Returns
THE COUNSELOR'S
CORNER
The
"Non-Recruited"
Student Athlete
COUNSELOR'S
BOOKSHELF
-New
Career Guides
FINANCIAL AID FLASH
-Grants
Replace Loans at Prestigious Schools
-Financial
Planners Helping Parents
-Paying
for College Without Going Broke
-Private
Higher Ed Financing Increases Internationally
CURRICULUM CAPSULES
-Media
Arts and Animation
-New Journalism
Approach
-Christian
Community Options
-Odds and
Ends
NEWS YOU CAN USE
-Where
Have All the
Readers Gone?
-Library
Habits
-AP Audit
-College
Unhealthy?
-Jobs Abound
COMING UP:
CB's
Annual National College Admissions Trends Survey...
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
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