What to Do During Spring Break
With many students across the nation starting their spring breaks this week, I thought it would be a good time to review ways to maximize your vacation period. I want to first remind both students and parents that spring break should be a time for rest; burning out now will hurt you a lot in the long run. But there are still things you should be doing this week to keep on the college track.
For Freshman: If you haven't started to keep a list of your activities and accomplishments, do so now. When it comes time to write your resume for college, having a list of your greatest achievements in one, centralized source will make your 'brag sheet' much easier. It will also ensure that you leave nothing out. You should also start looking into scholarships you could apply for. Writing a simple 2-page essay could net you a quick $500 for college, and the money adds up really quickly if you commit do doing this for the next four years. Consult with your high school's counselors or with a website like FastWeb.com to find these opportunities.
For Sophomores: In addition to everything a Freshman should be doing, you may also consider starting a preliminary list of colleges that interest you. Keeping in mind the 10 things to think about when picking a college, develop a list of about 15-20 schools that interest you. You don't have to do a huge amount of research on each university just yet, but having this list will at least prepare you for some of the steps you will have to take in the future. You can always add or subtract colleges as you learn more.
For Juniors: In addition to the Freshman and Sophomore activities, you should spend your spring break gearing up for the SAT or ACT if you have not yet taken one. You don't need to enroll in a test prep class just yet, but consider a book like The Official SAT Study Guide
For Seniors: Hopefully by now you have received a few college acceptances. Though many will not notify you until mid-April, having a college acceptance or two in hand by now is incredibly comforting. Keep up with scholarship applications, and schedule tours at the colleges that have accepted you to test them out. Many universities offer an "admit day" during spring break to meet with deans, staff, and faculty. Now is also a good time to finish planning your summer. Will you be taking a Summer Early Start program? Perhaps take a few preparatory community college courses? Get a job and earn some practical work experience and money? The choice is yours, but hammering out your plans now ensures that your summer is as productive as possible.
For more tips on how to plan your spring breaks and high school years, read my Action Plan Calendar.
Have a question or comment? 1 person does.The Easy ‘A’ vs. the Honors ‘B’: The Myths and Lies of High School Class Selection
Reader Jason S., a high school Junior soon selecting classes for his Senior year, asks:
I have to choose between two classes, one that is IB/AP and will be really challenging, and one that's much easier and I'm sure I'll get an A in. People keep telling me that I should always take the hardest classes I can, but my GPA can really use a boost, and I'm afraid that if I don't get an 'A' in the class I pick, my GPA won't be good enough. What should I do?
Excellent question, Jason, and one almost every student has had to face at some time in their schooling. If anyone ever tells you to, "always take the hardest class," you're getting bad advice. Similarly, if anyone ever tells you to, "get the guaranteed 'A'," you're getting bad advice. The right answer, unfortunately, is "it depends."
There are two considerations you must make: balancing the numbers game of the college admissions process and the academic expectations the colleges will have. Which side of the balancing scale you put more weight on depends on your current status as a student and the college you want to get into. In general, if your target university has a particularly competitive application pool, it is more likely that the admissions officers will expect to see greater academic rigor. In these cases, they are already looking at a lot of very successful candidates, and need to use the strength of an academic program to further compare students.
In other words, if a specific college will deeply consider all applicants with a GPA above 3.6, it may prefer a student with a 3.8 who took rigorous courses over a 4.0 student who opted for an easier route. This, however, is no consolation for another applicant with a 3.4 and a history of great academic rigor who was rejected in favor of the 3.8 student who took an easy load.
You should absolutely not automatically register for the hardest classes available. Rather, you must know your scholastic capacity and move to the next reasonable, appropriate level of rigor for you personally in each academic discipline.
In practical terms, this means you should be comparing your GPA with the 25th and 75th percentiles of accepted students at the colleges you are interested in attending (these statistics are usually published by the admissions department and are available online). Let's say a hypothetical college has a 25th percentile admitted GPA of 3.42 and a 75th percentile GPA of 3.76. If your GPA is currently 3.8 (something above the 75th percentile number), you should aim to take the most challenging courses available to you, because a slight drop in GPA will not significantly hurt your chances. If, however, your GPA is 3.3 (under the 25th percentile), you should switch to an easier load to raise your GPA and make you more numerically competitive. Finally, if your GPA is somewhere in-between the two numbers, you should balance these two interests and aim to earn a GPA as close as possible to the 75th percentile while also maintaining a reasonably challenging course load.
Don't forget, though, that part of high school is about preparing yourself for the rigors of college. Wherever you end up going, you will likely find that academic expectations exceed what you were used to in high school. By constantly increasing the difficulty of your high school classes, the step up to college will be more comfortable. Not only does this make for a smoother first year, but it also increases your likelihood of a higher college GPA.
So, Jason, I wish I could say that there was an easier answer to your question. Naturally, I must suggest that you take the harder class and strive for an 'A' as this would be the most preferential outcome, but I understand that it might not be feasible. You must look at your own situation and consider your current competitiveness at your selected universities. Only then can you devise a plan which maximizes your chances for admission at each. Good luck!
Have a question or comment? 2 people do.Don’t Worry About the Money: Why Stressing About Student Loans is Unnecessary
I find that students worry about money far more than they should. These worries start during the applications process when the high tuition price tag leads many to make admissions decisions on the basis of finances. Don't do this. Every college in the nation has plans set up to help you afford its education. For most students, educational loans are a necessity. And these types of loans should never frighten you.
Student loans are very different than other types of loans. While you may be seen as a credit risk if you hold $1000 in outstanding credit card debt, carrying twenty times that or more in educational debt does not have the same financial stigma (assuming you make your minimum monthly payments, of course). These types of loans are considered "good debt" because they represent an investment. Further, students loans are incredibly common. 65.7% of graduates go into the real world with loan repayment beckoning and with an average debt of $19,237.
Colleges loans common and harmless, and may even help you financially as well if you're smart about repayment. Consider these comments from John of FreeCollegeBlog.com:
If the student loan is subsidized, chances are that your best bet is to make the monthly minimum payments and forget about it. Most investments, even safe ones like government bonds, can get a better interest rate than what you're paying to the student loan. It might just be 1 or 2% difference, but over the life of the payments you could earn thousands more from investing than you saved by avoiding the almost non-existent interest fees.
In other words, you might actually be able to make money by intelligently investing the capital you've earned as a result of your education. Read the rest of John's investment analysis in his Pay off students loans, or invest? article.
The major point to take away is that educational loans are not scary. It may be daunting now to look ahead to the future and see an eventual debt of $30,000 and a repayment plan stretching 10 years after graduation, but this should never influence your ultimate application decisions. Notice that in my 10 things to think about when picking a college article, I never once mention the cost. Pick a school that you love without worrying about the money. You never know when a handsome financial aid package will be dropped in your lap, even potentially after you've already become a student.
Have a question or comment? 2 people do.10 Ways to Fail the FAFSA
You may have already submitted your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) -- and if not, you really should -- but have you reviewed your submission to make sure that it is free from errors? One out of every seven FAFSAs contain a mistake which can delay processing and may even result in your form being returned.
Now that your eyes are fresh and you don't have to focus on the nitty gritty numbers, return to the FAFSA website to review your form. You have until September 22 to submit any corrections. To help you, fellow college guide College Tidbits published 10 common errors students make:
- Leaving fields blank - Many students skip fields when the answer is zero or if the question is inapplicable. Do not do this. Instead, write in a zero. A blank response will be interpreted as a mistaken omission.
- Using W-2 information for income - The FAFSA requires the information that is found on the 1040 federal tax return (or 1040A or 1040EZ forms), not the W-2. Make sure that you and your parents have entered this information correctly. If you or your parents have not filed taxes this year yet, you may estimate the values and then submit a correction later.
- Forgetting to report all income - Things like Social Security, child support, and Aid to Dependent Children (ADC) income sources are often neglected. Some scholarships will also need to be reported. Don't forget about other assets like bank accounts, stock portfolios, or retirement accounts either.
- Neglecting to sign the application - This is one of the big mistakes that will result in having your form returned. If you're a dependent (even if you're living away from home and even if your parents don't fund your college education in any way), both you and your parents must sign the FAFSA. If you file online, you may use your PINs. Your parents should have received a PIN as well.
- Waiting on your parents - You may be great about getting your taxes done on time, but many adults will get as close to April 17th as they possibly can before filing. If your parents are one of these types of people, don't wait for their taxes before submitting your FAFSA. Always make your best guess for now and correct it later.
- Filing late - The priority deadline has already passed, and so have a few state deadlines. It's not too late to file your FAFSA if you have not done so already, but aim to get it done as close to the January 1st opening as possible.
- Forgetting to file every year - Many students forget that the FAFSA has to be completed and submitted for every year you plan to be a student. Doing it once is not enough.
- Read more tips at College Tidbits.
If you have questions, consult the FAFSA's FAQ section on their web site, or call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED AID (1-800-433-3243).
Have a question or comment? Leave me one.Three Days Until FAFSA Financial Aid Priority Deadline!
If you want to receive financial aid during the 2008-09 college year and have not yet filed you FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), do it today. March 3 is the deadline for priority consideration, and you definitely want to meet this mark. While your aid application may still be submitted after March (and all the way until June 30), you will need to file before this priority deadline to increase your likelihood of receiving maximum consideration for all sources of aid.
Also note that many states have March state-specific deadlines including: California, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Tennessee, West Virginia, and others (consult the official FAFSA website for state filing deadlines).
Leap-year may have bought you an extra day, but take this weekend to complete and submit your FAFSA online if you have not done so already. Even if you are waiting for information like your W-2s, your parents' W-2s, or other financial or tax information, you should fill out the FAFSA with your best guesses and then submit a correction later.
Last year, an estimated 2 million students who lost out on free money. Don't make that same mistake. Begin filling out your application at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov.
Have a question or comment? 1 person does.Can I Take a Year Off Before College?
A 'gap years' or 'bridge year' both refer to the increasingly common choice to take a year off before going to college. What once was the realm for slacker, drifter teenagers has now become a viable option for almost any student. As such, I can reply to the titular question with a resounding 'yes'.
In a new article, I explore the types of students that benefit most from taking a year off, and also explain several possible activities for the gap year. If your parents are averse to the idea, make sure to read it with them.
Full article here: The 'Gap Year': When It's a Good Idea to Take a Year Off Before Starting College.
