Mr. Fiske made a number of good points in his presentation, especially addressing the growing crisis of access to higher education as more minority and first generation college students are headed to college. In fact, he stated that, “How colleges choose to deal with globalization will define their character for years to come.” But what really resonated with me was his idea of education as the ultimate consumer item. As Mr. Fiske noted, “If it’s anything we Americans know how to be is consumers.” He then went on to exclaim that attending the wrong fit college is like having a four-year jail term with a $100,000 + fine.

The room –jammed packed with fellow independent educational consultants — vigorously nodded their heads in assent. Although Mr. Fiske’s jail and fine comparison might seem depressing, he has nailed it. Because that’s exactly what it can seem like if students don’t spend the time on the front end doing due diligence in regards to investigating their options and asking themselves these 3 key questions: 1) Is this school an academic fit for me? 2) Is this school a social fit for me? and 3) Is this school a possible financial fit for me and my family?

In order to answer these questions, it is essential to be a good college consumer. Here are my tips for successful “college shopping”:

START EARLY
Because there is so much information to digest about college admissions, the best advice is to start early. Having the luxury of time to research and process all of the information out there is crucial. Waiting until the fall of senior year is just not enough time to do justice to the process.

CAST A WIDE NET
As you begin your search, do not rule out any options. Don’t be so quick to discount smaller schools or ones with lesser-known name recognition. Think about your needs — sometimes the more obvious (and bigger schools) simply won’t be able to give you what you need out of a college experience.

KNOW YOUR FINANCES
Have this conversation early. Parents and students need to be on the same page with regards to what the family can and cannot afford. Knowing your financial limitations at the onset of the search can save lots of family heartache and turmoil later on. I would start by using the net price calculator which is an application that each college must provide on their website in order to assist families with figuring out their net cost of attendance at that particular school. Although not perfect, it is a good place to start. Other good resources are fafsa.ed.gov and finaid.org.

VISIT
There is no better way to be an educated consumer than to personally visit the campuses. If visiting all schools on your list is not logistically (and/or financially) possible, then be sure to visit a good representation of them. In other words, don’t just visit reach schools. And be sure to visit schools where demonstrated interest is a must.

READ
Whether you prefer books, blogs or social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter, the theme is the same: read and read some more. Don’t rely on your best friend or neighbors for the inside track — read it for yourself. Some of my favorites inlcude:

Books:
• Admission Matters – What Students and Parents Need to Know About Getting Into College by Sally P. Springer, Jon Reider, and Marion R. Franck
• Fiske Guide to Colleges by Edward B. Fiske
• The College Solution by Lynn O’Shaughnessy

Websites/Blogs:
• The Choice – NY Times College Admissions Blog
• goseecampus.com
• unigo.com

The college search and selection process is an exciting and rewarding journey. Happy shopping!

10 Reasons Why Attending a College Fair Is a Good Idea

1. In-person research
College fairs are an excellent opportunity to do some in-person research. You will get immediate feedback to your questions and the schools will start “to come alive” for you as you talk with the admission and/or alumni reps at each booth.

2. Save money
Assuming you have a fair amount of schools already on your radar, it is too expensive to visit all of the colleges and universities you are considering. College Fairs give you the opportunity to visit a large number of schools all under one roof.

3. Explore new options
You may discover a new college(s) that isn’t on your radar until now.

4. Free advice
Admission representatives are often referred to as admission counselors; go ahead – ask them any question you may have. Perhaps you are wondering if you should take AP Psych next year or another year of science instead. Ask them their opinion.

5. Narrow your list of possible options
You will be able to identify which schools you are likely to make the commitment to go visit in person and which ones you may end up deleting from consideration.

6. Demonstrate Interest
Colleges want to know that they are wanted. Most keep track of student contact – attendance at high school visit sessions, College Fairs, and campus visits are all key contacts to make that will show the colleges you are serious about wanting to attend.

7. Find out about summer programs/opportunities
Many colleges now offer pre-college summer programs and experiences on their campus. They will have information at their booths about these programs.

8. Attend special information sessions
Sometimes a College Fair will feature an info session on a specialized topic like Financial Aid or Athlete Recruitment.

9. Practice your interview skills
Talking to college admission reps will help you when it comes time to interview. You will need to think of what questions you want to ask and then think “quick on your feet” to any questions asked of you in return.

10. Great preparation for the campus visit
If you can survive the College Fair – which is loud and chaotic – the campus visit will be a piece of cake. You’ll also already have practice for what questions to ask and have an initial feel for the college before you even step foot on campus.

Convinced that going is a great idea? Here is a list of area College Fairs this month. Click on the links for a list of college participants for that particular Fair.

• Tues, April 3: District 214 College Fair at Harper College (Wellness & Sports Center), 6-8:30 PM

• Mon, April 9: Barrington HS College Fair at Barrington HS, 6-8 PM

• Wed, April 11: Niles Township High School Fair at Niles West High School in Skokie, 6:30-8:30 PM.

• Thurs, April 12: The Glenbrooks College Fair at Allstate Plaza in Northbrook (*note: this is not Allstate Arena in Rosemont), 6:30-8:45 PM

Although it is true that many students have already heard from the majority of the colleges they applied to, there are plenty still waiting – somewhat patiently – for the rest of the admission decisions to come in. If you are one of those students eagerly anticipating the April 1 notification date, I am sending you good vibes and a list of tips to help you make the final college decision once you have all the admission decisions in hand.

Evaluate your financial aid package closely. Every financial aid letter is prepared differently. What you think may be a generous aid package, could be anything but that. And don’t forget to include transportation costs into the final equation, as many colleges and universities do not put this in the aid letter.

Visit. This is especially true if you haven’t had an opportunity to do so until now. Just because your sister/neighbor/cousin’s best friend’s boyfriend attends that college, does not mean that you will have the same “amazing” experience. Go to Admitted Student Day where you will be able to sit in on a class, eat in the cafeteria, and perhaps do an overnight stay if necessary. Don’t let Orientation Day in August be your first steps on campus. You may need to visit (or revisit) your top 2 or 3 choices in order to make a final decision.

Connect with other admitted students. Use Facebook and Twitter to find the admitted students groups and get to know other students who are trying to make the same type of decision.

Make a pro/con list of all the options. Evaluate certain aspects that are especially important to you like academic majors, location, size, school spirit, financial aid, etc. Give each category a score from 1-5 and see how they add up.

Ask yourself what you need versus what you think you want. We live in the Midwest, aka Big 10 Country, where many think that big schools + big sports = the “ideal” college experience. But maybe that’s not what you need. That smaller school your college counselor suggested might not have the same name recognition as Big State U, but maybe — just maybe — it has everything else you need which will help ensure your academic and social success at college.

Go with your gut. You are not going to make a bad decision. If you have done the research and considered each college equally, then you have to be at peace with making your final decision.

Don’t worry, the madness will end soon. . .

But what happens if your score still isn’t where you want it to be? Do you continue working with tutors and doing the ACT question of the day hoping and praying for a better score? Is there such a thing as taking the test too many times in the hopes of raising your composite score?

Although preparing for the ACT does yield results, over-taking the test is not the answer. I advise taking the test 2-3 times. And for my students whose ACT scores are not the highlight of their resume, I suggest looking at Test Optional Schools.

Test What?

Test Optional, as in no standardized tests (ACT or SAT) are required for admission.

According to the Fair Test website, over 815 colleges and universities subscribe to the philosophy that “tests do not equal merit”. Rather than relying on test scores, test optional institutions use a holistic review which takes into account other variables beyond test scores, like GPA, course selection, teacher recommendations, activities, and essay responses. In other words, these admissions offices want to understand the whole picture of each candidate and what he/she can bring to campus besides just a test score.

Last fall, I had the opportunity to meet personally with Admission Representatives from three test optional Schools: Augustana College, DePaul University, and Lawrence University. Augustana and Lawrence have been test optional for a few years and DePaul will implement the policy starting this fall. Augustana and Lawrence both report their decision to go test optional as being nothing but positive. Although the majority of applicants still report their test scores (Lawrence reports that 25% of applicants choose not to submit standardized test scores and Augustana estimates that just 5% of their applicants are not submitting scores), what is important to note is that the test optional policy does exist and that applicants are in no way disadvantaged for not reporting their scores. DePaul will become a test optional university in the fall because, like Lawrence and Augustana, they support the idea that an ACT (or SAT) score does not always accurately represent the accomplishments and potential of any given student.

Despite this growing trend, most state universities still rely heavily on test scores, as they are unable to conduct full holistic reviews due to the volume of applicants they receive each year. It is true that the majority of test optional schools are smaller schools, however, this movement is only gaining speed and more schools are converting to the test optional policy. For a full list of test optional colleges and universities, click here.

If you (or your child) suffers from test anxiety or just does not perform well on standardized tests for whatever reason, consider exploring test optional schools where the student’s accomplishments over four years of high school — and not just the result of a test taken on one Saturday morning — are what matters most.

Or is it that simple?

In theory, colleges and universities would be clamoring to heed Obama’s call for action. But in practice, maybe not so much. State-supported universities who rely heavily on state funding will find this a tough row to hoe. Because state funding has been cut (and cut again), most state universities have been left no other choice than to increase tuition and fees in order to offset what the state can no longer provide. Just last month, the University of Illinois announced a tuition increase which can be largely attributed to our state’s budget crisis.

Whether or not Obama’s plan will work remains to be seen, but undoubtedly this is not the last we have heard of this hot-button issue. And now that 125 colleges have crossed the $50K per year mark for tuition, room and board, and additional fees, it seems the term “college affordability” could be the next popularized oxymoron.

There is no doubt that the cost of higher education has spiked at an alarming rate. Many families perceive college, and especially private ones, as unattainable. And although the majority of the schools on the $50K list are private institutions, the reality is that many students are not paying the full price for tuition. Money generated from endowments, private gifts, and investment returns help offset the “sticker price”, which sometimes make private institutions as affordable (or even more so) than state institutions.

So what can be done now to deal with financing college options?

If you are a current high school senior (or the parent of one), make sure you file the FAFSA asap, and definitely by February 15. This will give you the best chance to receive funds should you qualify for them. If the colleges you are applying to require the CSS Profile, make sure you fill this out in addition to the FAFSA.

For underclassmen, pay attention to the financial information of the colleges and universities you are interested in. The more you understand about the process, the better. As of last October, all colleges and universities are required to have a net price calculator application on their website which can be used as a tool to begin to understand what will be the “net cost” of attendance (sticker price minus any award money). Due to the early stage of its use, the net price calculator is not 100% reliable, but it’s a good place to start the conversation on college affordability at a particular school.

For a crash course on the financial aid process, click here to read the first of a six-part interview with Mark Kantrowitz, a financial aid expert and founder of the web sites finaid.org and fastweb.com.

Obama has drawn much needed attention to this topic. Let’s keep the conversation going.

Due to the state budget crisis, it is no real surprise that there is an increase at the U of I’s three campuses (the University of Illinois-Chicago and the University of Illinois-Springfield will also experience price hikes). It is also not a shocker that the U of I is exploring the possibility of joining the Common App, where it will find greater exposure to non-Illinois residents, making the possibility of increasing the out-of-state student population (and, therefore, revenue) that much easier.

How will this effect Illinois residents? Obviously, students will be paying more money to attend our flagship state university. If UIUC does decide to join the Common App, then there will be an inevitable increase in out-of-state student attendance which makes it is a real possibility of fewer seats for Illinois residents in future classes. How fewer is difficult to predict and dependent on whether or not UIUC will increase the size of future freshmen classes.

This is definitely a key turn of events to watch unfold as the Class of 2013 begins their college search in earnest this winter. I always advise my students to cast a wide net when shaping their college list. Now that UIUC is getting more expensive, and perhaps even more selective, I encourage all current juniors to widen their search even more and consider schools that might not be on their immediate radar, but can offer them exactly what they are seeking in an undergraduate experience — academically, socially, and financially speaking.

With the new school year upon us, here are some tips that you can do to jumpstart the college application process (if you haven’t started already).

Tip #4: Write your résumé
Think about your accomplishments both inside and outside of high school and start compiling a list. Arrange them in order of importance to you, not chronologically. Don’t worry if you seem top heavy in certain categories, i.e. all of your activities center around community service. A major misconception is that a well-rounded student is deemed more desirable than a candidate with one or two main activities. In fact, colleges would much rather see students specialize in one or two areas and who developed a deep commitment/ passion for an activity instead of a student who signed up for every activity under the sun just to create a larger activity list.

Tip #5: Narrow your college list
I recommend applying to between 5-8 schools. This is not a numbers game – the more schools you apply to does not equate to a higher chance of admission at any of the colleges. In fact, the national trend of applying to more schools has created the opposite effect – lower admission rates. There are more students applying to schools than ever before, but not more seats in the freshmen class to accommodate all of the qualified applicants.

Tip #6: Scrutinize your list
Ask yourself why you are applying to these schools. Why do you want to go there? This is your first major life decision, so don’t compile your list based on reasons like my sister/boyfriend/cousin/ etc. attends there, so I’m sure I’ll like it. Yes, everyone will have an opinion on where you should attend from your parents to your neighbor’s best friend’s uncle. However, this is your college decision. Consider how the schools on your list stack up with your opinions on these factors:
• The academics match your interests/future goals.
• The size of the campus (whether large state school or a smaller private one) feels right.
• The location is ideal. (You want to be in a big city where the action is or you prefer to be in a more college-town setting).
• The social activities and club offerings are exactly what you are looking for on a campus.
• The college offers good financial aid, especially in the form of merit scholarships.
• The school is a realistic option given your academic profile.
• After a campus visit, it’s a gut feeling that this school is the right fit for you.

Tip#1: Retake the ACT and/or SAT (including Subject tests) if necessary.

If you’re not satisfied with your test scores, there’s still time to take them again. Also, some highly selective schools (Ivy League, Stanford, etc.) require SAT Subject Test scores in addition to the ACT. You can register online at http://act.org or http://www.collegeboard.org. Visit each college’s individual website for complete details on what tests they require for admission.

Tip #2: Create a Common App account

If you know you will be applying to at least one Common App school (https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/default.aspx), then go ahead and register as a new user and create a first-year student account. This will allow you to start the data entry for the online application and access the essay requirements for each school. I recommend applying to 5-8 schools. Your list should encompass an equal number of target, reach, and safety schools.

Tip #3: Schedule interviews (where appropriate) and continue college visits.

I strongly recommend that you take the opportunity to interview at every school that offers one… even if the college is not your top choice. Call the admissions office to schedule an interview at least two weeks in advance of when you hope to have it. Interview slots fill quickly and you may have to be flexible with dates and times. Inquire whether the interview will be informational or evaluative in nature. Some schools only offer alumni interviews in the Chicago area. Do still take advantage of this opportunity. The college visit is one of the most important parts of the college search process. I advise against waiting to visit all the schools until you find out if you have been admitted in the spring. Many colleges will document if a campus visit has been made, so it is crucial that you make a personal visit.