While many students apply to more colleges in hopes of more admissions offers (see photo*), one fact doesn’t change: highly selective colleges have their pick of top-performing, full-pay students with exceptional extracurricular activities. Most students should not assume that they will get significant merit aid offers from these schools.
However, “full pay” can now mean spending upwards of $85,000 per year at some of these colleges. Several of my families followed the national trend, thinking more strategically:
Choosing an Honors College at a public institution
Understanding major trumps prestige when a student pursues a high-demand field
Opting for the community, connections, and mentorship of a small liberal arts college
Choosing large, less expensive public research institutions in general
What is the benefit of these options? Offers of merit aid for students who do not qualify for need-based aid. Three of my students were offered full-tuition rides and others were awarded anywhere from $5,000 to $41,000 per year. Most families who do not qualify for federal and/or institutional aid still prefer to spend less. If the goal is to save money on college, the key is building a smart list of schools that want your student and are willing to be generous.
Merit aid totals for 2023 were $903,000 for freshman year. Assuming that students do well and maintain a GPA that’s usually anywhere from a 3.0 to a 3.5, that totals to $3,612,000 over four years. (The real total is higher: not all students share this information with me.)
*Photo showing where 2023 students were admitted does not include American University and Cornell University. Total students admitted to each college is under-reported by the asterisks.
I was glad to see several students choose generous merit aid over prestige and others base their final choice on the strength of a particular major. Since many students applied to more colleges, they were admitted to nearly 100 schools (I haven’t actually counted, but I’ll be sharing that list next week).
Boston University
College of Charleston
The College of New Jersey
Cornell University
Drexel University
Fairfield University
Fordham University (2)
The George Washington University
James Madison University (4)
Marist College
Michigan State University
North Carolina State at Raleigh
Northwestern University
The Ohio State University (2)
Purdue University
Tulane University (2)
University of Colorado Boulder
University of Delaware
University of Florida
University of Michigan (2)
University of Rhode Island
University of Richmond (2)
University of South Carolina
University of Tampa
Vassar College
Villanova University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute (2)
Best of luck to all!
This week, I attended a National College Admissions Counselor’s organization webinar focused on applying to the USNWR 20 top-ranked colleges.
I’ve often expressed that the rankings are flawed. While some of my students apply to these schools, I honestly state that it’s a statistical anomaly if a student is admitted, and denied students must know that the denial has little to do with their qualifications (assuming they had the rigor, GPA, test scores, and extracurriculars required) and their ability to be successful at the colleges. It’s simply that too many qualified, full pay applicants apply as well as the institutional priorities that drive the admissions process.
What’s not surprising?
Students must have the highest possible rigor, GPA, and test scores (if submitted).
Life experience counts most, and a unique background can help as well.
Top 20 colleges want to see a growth mindset.
Academic curiosity (something I’m always harping about) matters as much as high grades, being a self-starter and a confident learner.
What matters academically?
Evidence of leadership in innovative research and teamwork. Princeton, in particular, prefers extensive research (one summer is usually not enough) and a strong graded writing sample. Getting published and showing you have really learned from your project matters. Students set on the Ivies are encouraged to seek out and apply to research programs and projects.
Take academic risks.
Even if you don’t have a major, express your identity and interests. A story was related about an Ivy admit who had not technically done research, but was a committed birdwatcher who accumulated her own data.
When you write the Why Us? essay, it’s preferable to have a major. Be able to answer: What are you looking for? What do you hope to accomplish? Where would you be if you could go anywhere in the world? Show the ability to connect to what you want to study.
What other skills are crucial?
Be a critical thinker and a strong, thoughtful communicator. Know yourself well enough to relax and have strong interviews. Extracurriculars should be sincere and focused on serving the community.
Reach for the Growth Zone...and show integrity.
