When Should You Take the SAT or ACT?

A couple of years ago I listened in on a webinar about SAT strategies that impressed me. The guest speaker was Jeb Applerouth, who runs aneponymous test-prep firm that’s headquartered in Atlanta. Jeb gave me permission to share the following blog post where he discusses  whether there is an ideal time to take the SAT or ACT.   Lynn O’Shaughnessy

By Jeb Applerouth

March is the worst! Avoid it like the plague! Don’t you dare take October; that’s when the smart seniors are sitting. All the jocks take December, that’s the surest bet for a high score!

If you spend long enough in this business, you will hear chatter about choosing test dates strategically to garner a testing advantage.

One of my independent educational consultant friends recently reached out to me. She heard a rumor from another mom, while sitting in the basketball bleachers, that certain testsare considered “easier” based on the students takingthem at that time. She wanted to know if she should have her clients prioritize any particular date.

There is No Statistical Advantage

How wonderful would it be to have the insider track on picking the right test date!

Unfortunately, in spite of the allure of being “in the know,” there is no statistical advantage in selecting one test date over another. That’s simply misinformation, being spread like wildfire in basketball bleachers across America.

I must admit that I too have been a purveyor of this particular brand of misinformation, driven primarily by having too small of a data set to draw any legitimate conclusions. Years ago, when I started keeping tabs on my students’ performance, I noticed some trends.

Back in 2002-2003, poring over my excel spread sheet, I noticed something. My students’ March scores were abysmal, but their May scores were amazing! Going off my extremely limited data set, I advised all my students: “Take May! May is the Way!” A few years later I changed my tune, and I was proselytizing June!

These days our data set has grown considerably. As a company, Applerouth has always been results driven and data focused. In our current data set, we have over 7,400 official SAT and 2,900 ACT results. Our findings do not come from flimsy anecdotal evidence: we are working from a legitimate data set. And this data set quickly wipes away any notions of preferential test dates.

Is There No Variance in Difficulty?

Although there is no consistent pattern, year over year, it is true that certain tests are objectively harder than others, and within a given test, certain sections are much more challenging than others.

Having taken over a dozen SATs and ACTs, I’ve experienced this first-hand. I have been slammed by particular science sections on the ACT, flummoxed by Math sections on the SAT. But the statistical equating process the College Board and ACT Inc. use, it turns out, is effective. The harder sections and test are balanced out by a different curve.

Additionally, if you take this test long enough, you realize that these companies recycle their content. SATs and ACTs are very expensive to create and calibrate; the testing companies are wise to get as much bang for their buck before retiring a test.

When a testing form is finally administered on one of the test-return dates – October, January or May for the SAT – December, April, June for the ACT- that particular test, now externally released, leaves circulation. On the December 2012 ACT, I was given the exact test form that I had already taken in 2010. As test forms are recycled throughout the calendar year, the notion of easy and hard dates loses further credence.

The Data tells all

Individuals may give more weight to the most recent data- suffering from recency bias: “the last two October administrations sure were tough! Avoid October!” Or they may privilege emotionally charged data points: “Billy tanked on December, but went up 300 points in May! Everyone should take May!” We need to take a long view with a robust data set; only then can we circumvent these cognitive errors and come to a clear understanding of the trends.

To dispel the myth of differential test date difficulty, I’m going to lay out the full data set as an appendix to this article. But I’ll summarize the data here. All of these results are from official testing administrations, reported by our students and their parents.

As you can see, the notions of an easy or hard test date do not bear out. The test dates are quite consistent in their level of difficulty. The appendix charts go into more granular detail. The only instances in which our data show a real swing in test difficulty correspond with a smaller than normal sample. Sampling bias in effect!

A few notes on the data

There is a slight maturation effect/test-retest effect, as students taking the early fall tests are more likely to be seniors who have already taken the test than are students taking the early winter tests. This effect is relatively weak, because for every test date, we have students taking the test for the first time, others for the final time, some having prepped with us, others having gone in to the test without any prep.

5 things juniors can do now to make applying to college less stressful

It may seem early, but college application season will be here before you know it. The stories you may have heard about it being a terribly stressful time don’t have to be your story. Here are 5 things you can do to avoid a lot of unnecessary stress.

1. Work hard in your current classes. Your grades in your classes this year count – a lot. Junior year is a good opportunity to show colleges you have what it takes to succeed in college. So, do your best and get help if you need it. The better you do, the more options you’ll have.
2. Make sure your senior class schedule is rigorous. It’s a myth that senior year is your time to take it easy. Admissions folks look at how challenging your classes are because students who take rigorous classes tend to do better in college. Keep this in mind as you consider your classes for next year and choose the most challenging classes you can reasonably do well in.
3. Take an ACT and/or SAT this spring. Taking your first test in the Spring gives you the chance to experience what it’s like and find out which area(s) you may need to work on. That way you can use the summer to do focused test prep by taking a class, working with a tutor, practicing with a test prep book from your library or using the many free test prep resources online.
4. Get out of the house. Start looking for something to do this summer that will give you a chance to do something new or something that will allow you to develop new skills and have fun at the same time. You could get a job, volunteer in your community, take a class just for fun, help start a new project at your church, or take on a leadership role in an organization you belong to. The possibilities are pretty endless.
5. Plan to complete at least one college essay during the summer. It’s way easier to write an essaywhen you don’t have the burden of schoolwork as well. Most colleges that require essays have the prompts somewhere on their website. (Make sure it’s for the 2014-15 application, though.) If you’re not sure or can’t find it, just ask the college.

How students will benefit from the changes to the SAT

Beginning in 2016, high school students will complete a new version of the SAT. Other than having to adapt their test prep, why should students care? Because these changes will benefit them long-term, which is partially why these changes are coming into effect; they are meant to reflect learning that is clearly relevant to students’ lives, rather than seemingly arbitrary information that is only applicable to the exam itself. Students will gain tremendously from the updated SAT in two very important ways:

1. Increased accuracy – and honesty – in the admissions process
The SAT typically plays a central role in college and university admissions. Yet, over the years, higher education institutions have begun to cite a need for assessment measures that are able to better predict academic success with more reliability.

As an SAT tutor, I stress to clients that the current SAT is not an intelligence test. It is not a cumulative assessment of their high school years. It is an exam of strategy, often divorced from the realities of the American classroom. With these changes on their way, David Coleman of The College Board hopes to strengthen the test’s ability to determine how well students deploy the knowledge they learn in school. While strategy identification and application will undoubtedly continue to factor into students’ final marks, mastery of high school material necessary for college success will feature more prominently. The new SAT will, in theory, no longer represent an assessment measure with declining relevance to the admissions process where students with simply high knowledge of test-taking strategy fare better.

2. Consistency across all avenues of education
Though I possess two degrees and a secondary teaching certificate, in my 28 years, I have never utilized the term “compendious.” The same is true of “treacly,” though both words represent typical vocabulary selections on the SAT. These terms, in addition to various concepts that relate to grammar, mathematics, and paragraph composition, represent no context beyond the exam itself, and students who are familiar with them usually gain this knowledge outside the classroom – not within it.

Mr. Coleman hopes to alter this reality not only to reinvigorate the SAT’s importance within higher education admissions, but to align test content with educational standards. By truly standardizing what material appears on the SAT (as discussed above), as well as how it is presented and how it is solved, the exam becomes a holistic addition to American high school education, rather than a singular challenge with no direct correlation to the strategies and subject matter that college and university students require to succeed in higher education.

Ultimately, the actual release of the revised SAT in 2016 will be what proves whether or not its modifications can benefit high school-age individuals. Mr. Coleman’s and The College Board’s acknowledgements that change is necessary, however, represent an important first step.

High School Seniors' January - June College Admissions To Do's, Redux 2014

Seniors! If you're not completely finished with your college applications now, surely you will be very soon. There are a few more things you need to do before you say "buh bye" to high school. Since it's easy to forget about admissions details once applications are submitted, this blog will help you finish up your senior year knowing that everything that needs to be completed, turned-in, or checked-off is taken care of.

Here is what to do during the months of January through June:

JANUARY 
ED APPLICATIONSIf you received an Early Decision acceptance to a college, you need to cancel your other applications. Write to each campus to which you applied, letting them know about your desire to withdraw.

EA AND REGULAR APPLICATIONS
For students who applied Early Action and/or Regular Admission, be sure to remind your high school counselor to complete the Midyear Report forms. All of the information entered on the Common App School Report form is automatically transferred to the Midyear Report. Midyear Reports should be submitted as soon as possible after 1st semester grades are available.

REGULAR APPLICATIONS
Complete and submit any regular applications that are due after the first of the year.

FINANCIAL AID
Fill out and submit FAFSA and PROFILE financial aids forms, as well as any individual college financial aid forms. Note: you will need your parents' help with this, and they must have their 2013 tax return information available.

FOLLOW-UP WITH COLLEGES

1. For colleges that provide application information on-line, check the respective websites to make sure they have received all of your materials. Follow-through appropriately.
2. Alternatively, call each college on your list to see if they have received all of the required application materials. If the answer is yes, say thank you and relax. If the answer is no, find out what is missing and immediately get the missing materials to the colleges.
3. Through a letter or email, update colleges with any new information, including recent awards, athletic achievements, volunteer efforts, etc. If you have one, send them an updated copy of your activities resume.
4. Also, let them know if there are any changes in your academic record since you submitted your application (you changed schools, added or dropped a course or received a D or F in a course). This is particularly important for students deferred for Early Decision, or Early Action Single Choice applications.

ADMISSION INTERVIEWS
If a college offers you an admissions interview, by all means, do it! On my adMISSION POSSIBLE website there is information about "Exactly What to Say and Do for Admissions Interviews." Doing a little prep work ahead of time will help you put your best foot forward with the admissions reps.

FEBRUARY
FINANCIAL AID/FAFSA/PROFILE
If you are applying for financial aid, make sure that you meet each college's requirements and deadlines.

FOLLOW UP WITH COLLEGES

1. Send an updated copy of your school transcript that includes first semester grades to each college to which you have applied.
2. If you have not done it before, update colleges with any new information, including recent awards, athletic achievements, volunteer efforts, etc.

GRADES
Many colleges pay close attention to second semester grades. Whatever you do, don't slack-off! Some colleges actually rescind acceptances if a student's senior year second semester grades drop precipitously. Continue to do your best work.

HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELOR
Make sure that your high school counselor has mailed in the Midyear Reports to all of your schools, including those at which you were accepted Early Action or Restricted Early Action.

MARCH
COLLEGE VISITS
As acceptances start coming in, consult with your parents about last-minute college visits to schools that really interest you.

APRIL
FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

1. If you can, attend "Admit" programs offered by colleges to which you have been accepted. (These are on-campus programs offered to accepted students that provide more information about the schools and experiences with other accepted students. Colleges usually provide information about Admit Weekends when they send their acceptance letters.
2. Attend any local alumni receptions for admitted students. These events offer you the opportunity to meet current, former and newly accepted students who might be attending a college. They are very useful in getting a sense for whether a college is right for you.
3. Narrow-down the list of schools in which you are interested, reviewing and discussing the financial aid packages offered by the schools with your parents. If you need it, try to negotiate more financial aid from a college you want to attend, particularly if other colleges have offered you better financial packages.
4. If you have trouble deciding which college you want to attend, consult with your high school counselor, independent college counselor, teachers, parents/grandparents or other people you respect. You can also read my "Making Your Final Choice."
5. If you are on a wait list for a college you really want to attend, discuss what you can do to get off the list with your college counselor. Also have a look at my HuffPost blog, "Getting Off a College Wait List."

MAY
YOUR COLLEGE CHOICE

1. By May 1, send in your admissions deposit and notify one college that you have decided to accept their letter of admittance. Also, complete the housing preference forms for your chosen college.
2. Inform all other colleges that you will not be accepting their admissions offer.

RECOMMENDERS
Let your college counselor, teachers and other recommenders know about your college decision. Be sure to thank them for their help!

TESTING
Take your final AP/IB tests.

JUNE 
FINAL TRANSCRIPT
Make sure a final transcript is sent to the college of your choice. Also, send in any AP/IB test scores you have so that this information can be used by the college to determine which course levels you should be in.

ROOM, BOARD, TUITION
Note on your calendar when room and board and tuition are due for your college.

MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL
Have a great summer!

College Admissions: High School Classes Colleges Look For

At most schools, course selection for next year is around the corner--leaving many families wondering what the best choices are for college-bound students. How many years of a lab science or language are really necessary? What is the right balance of honors and AP courses? And do electives really matter? The truth is that state high school graduation requirements, and what top colleges want to see, are often two different things. Making the right choices now can affect your college acceptances later. So, here are a few things students should know in order to create a strong profile.

2 Years of Anything is Not Enough

While a state may only require 2 years of a lab science, history or a language—colleges want to see more. Competitive colleges either require or strongly recommend at least 3 years of the SAME language in high school (not counting middle school), 3 years of a lab science (biology, physics, chemistry) and 3 years of history (U.S., World, European, Western Civ., etc.). Many colleges will not consider environmental science, earth science or other sciences as a “lab” science—even if your high school does.

At the most elite universities in the country, top candidates will have 4 years of history, science and a language, in addition to the standard 4 years of math and English. Too many electives replacing these core courses can weaken how course rigor is perceived by an admissions committee-- or discount a candidate altogether.

AP and Honors Within Reason

While it is true that colleges like to see students challenge themselves and take a rigorous course load, you don’t need to be in all honors or AP courses—even for the nation’s top colleges. The general rule of thumb is that if you can get a B+ or higher without struggling, then you should probably be in an honors or AP class. However, competitive colleges still want to see A’s. So, it doesn’t behoove you to take an abundance of honors and AP classes if your grades end up being all B’s. For most students, it’s best to take higher level courses in your areas of strength and regular courses in subject areas that you find more challenging.

Many times, individual teachers in several subject areas will end up recommending a student for an honors or AP class without seeing the whole picture. The result is that the combination of 4 or 5 high level courses ends up tanking a student’s GPA and leaves the student exhausted and stressed. I recommend that strong students start out with one or two honors course in 9th grade, see how well they do, and then add one more high level course per year, if they feel that they can handle it.

Electives Schmelectives

Colleges base most of the academic portion of their decision on your 5 core courses each year (science, math, English, history, language). And while they don’t want to see you take basket weaving, your elective courses are really secondary and don’t usually go into the GPA that many top colleges calculate for candidates. So, don’t spend hours debating whether sociology or psychology will look better as an elective. Take what interests you and what will allow you to focus your study time on your 5 core courses. Colleges love to see students take art, music and theatre. So, if you enjoy those pursuits, by all means take them as electives. Most of all, colleges want to see students exhibit a passion for an academic area or an extra-curricular interest.

Picking courses can be stressful and confusing, but focus on your 5 core courses each year, select a balance or honors/AP and regular courses if you can handle them, and take electives that demonstrate your personal interests and passions. In the end, that will provide you with the strongest profile when it is time to apply for college.

How non-rich people can go to college

There are four types of undergraduate college in the USA and many more ways to get a degree.

I can't count how many roundtable discussions I've heard asking whether college is still worth the cost. They are important debates; college can be expensive. But most leave out an important point: There is more than one way to go to college.

I graduated college in 2008, and think I have a pretty good grasp of the challenges today's new grads face. The biggest reason I see so many young people getting frustrated with college isn't necessarily the cost. It's that they're doing college wrong.

Tradition says you graduate high school at age 18 and head straight to a university. I've found that less than 30% of 18-year-olds are emotionally prepared for college, and a smaller percentage have a reasonable idea about what they want to do for a career.

This sets legions of new students on a devastating path: Start college at age 18 studying your childhood dream. Change your major at age 19 when you realize it requires too much math. Change it again at age 20 when you encounter a mean professor, and once more at 21 to match your boyfriend's class schedule. Eventually stick with a major at 23, graduate at 24, and at 26, finally figure out what you really want to do for a career, which invariably has no relation to your degree.

I see this over and over again. In the end, college becomes a six-year self-discovery journey -- a worthy cause, but not one most people can afford to spend tens of thousands of dollars on.

The other problem I see in the "is college worth it?" debate is that all schools are lumped into one category called "college." That's wrong. There are four types of undergraduate colleges in America:

Community/junior

State four-year

Private four-year

For-profit

These are very different institutions offering very different services at wildly different prices. Picking which one is right for you -- or mixing and matching at the right times -- is one of the most important decisions you'll make in your college career.

I can't offer individual advice, because everyone has different goals, backgrounds, and financial means. What worked for me might not work for you, and what works for you might not work for someone else.

But if I had to come up with a blanket college plan for the average non-rich American graduating high school, it would look like this.

1. Don't start college right away. Get a job and see what the real world looks like.

One of life's cruel ironies is that people's confidence in how well they think they understand the world peaks at age 18. Eighteen-year-olds are unshakably certain about what they want out of life, what kind of career they want, and how they plan on getting there. Some truly have this down; most don't. I can count on one hand the number of 18-year-olds I've met who were ready to make rational decisions about their career path.

So, after you graduate high school, get a job. It'll probably be low pay for menial, boring work. That's fine. You're young. See what working 40 hours a week feels like. See what paying bills feels like. Learn what dealing with a boss is like, how to talk to customers, how to file taxes, and what your co-workers' lives are like. Take a road trip. You'll learn more than you can imagine doing this. Do it for a couple years, and the combination of aging and working will give you a better sense of what you want to do for a career than you had when you were 18.

2. Go to a community college for two years

No matter what you major in, you're going to need a bunch of general-ed requirements -- a course in basic writing, some level of math, natural sciences, humanities, and maybe a foreign language.

Get these out of the way at an accredited local community college. Most offer an adequate level of education at a rock-bottom price. Take Orange Coast College, one of the largest community colleges in California. Classes cost $46 per credit, which is less than $150 for a typical semester-long class. A full courseload will set you back $750 per semester -- let's call it $2,500 a year with books and other fees (this varies by state). Maybe you still need to borrow for this. That's fine; it's still a fraction of the cost of four-year schools.

Keep working throughout this period. I heard so many people say, "I can't work and go to school at the same time." Yes, you can. What you can't do is work, go to school, and have the social life of Paris Hilton. You might have to stay up late studying and wake up early to go to work. Welcome to the real world. The 20-year-old you who borrows tens of thousands of dollars to play beer pong five hours a day is despised by the 30-year-old you who has to accept a horrible job to pay it back.

3. Transfer to a state college

Once you have a real-world sense of what you want to do for a career, transfer to a state college to finish your degree. I found transfer students had a stigma, which made no sense to me; they were often the most responsible and prepared students I met. And no one looking at your resume ever needs to know you transferred. If you go to a community college for two years and then transfer to UCLA, your diploma will be from UCLA.

Most states have public universities that offer first-class educations at a fraction the price of private schools. Private schools can be wonderful if you have rich parents or a scholarship. For everyone else, grasp reality with both hands. For reasons I don't fully comprehend, the same people who understand why they can't afford a Ferrari think it's reasonable to attend Swarthmore. Accepting the reality of your financial situation will save you tens of thousands of dollars.

Pick a degree that you are both interested in and can provide the income you desire to be happy. If I picked a major based solely on what I found the most interesting, I would have studied military history or something. But there's not much hope for a career in that field, so I chose a major I found interesting and (I hoped) offered marketable job skills. This isn't abandoning your dream. I read a lot of military history books today. But one of the main reasons people think college isn't worth the cost is because they major in something they find fascinating (or easy), but that ultimately makes them no more employable than when they began. That's an expensive choice.

Keep working during this period. Network like crazy, and intern in whatever field you're heading into. You're about to enter one of the most competitive job markets of all time. Find a way to set yourself apart.

Maybe you disagree with all of this. That's fine -- this is just my perspective. But most people should be able to follow a similar path and obtain a bachelor's degree without a crippling debt load. When I hear horror stories about people graduating college with $120,000 in debt, I think two things: 1) That's unfortunate, and 2) you did it wrong.

The Big Mistake Students Make When Filling Out FAFSA

As the flurry starts to die down around applying to colleges, there is a new issue for students and their families to consider. Students may have to be just as thoughtful about filling out the FAFSA as they were about completing their college applications.
 The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) can be prepared annually by current and prospective college students to determine their eligibility for financial aid. The application is the access point of consideration for many federal student-aid programs, over 600 state aid programs and most of the institutional (college) aid available to help students pay for their education.
 The U.S. Department of Education begins accepting FAFSA applications on Jan. 1 for the upcoming academic year. Students can send the FAFSA to up to 10 schools at a time; when you complete it, you are asked to list the colleges to which you are applying. The Education Department then shares the information on the FAFSA with all of the colleges on the list. What most students may not realize is that the order in which they list those schools could influence their admission chances or their aid award. 
 Some claim the order in which a student lists colleges directly corresponds to the student's college preferences. That may not be true of all students, but there is some data that supports this assertion. Anecdotally, when I review a student's college list, I see that many do prioritize it automatically. It's the nature of making lists and rankings ... you tend to put your top choices at the top. It is even more likely for teens, who have just gone through one of the most stressful periods of their high school years. As they research and select colleges to apply to, complete applications and fill out many different forms, they seem to naturally prioritize their colleges. In fact, a number of colleges ask this same question on their own applications, and, although theories abound, no one really knows how they use this information.
 If students do, in fact, list schools based on how they rank them, then the list could prove valuable to college administrators and enrollment managers who are concerned with yield and distribution of institutional awards. Many college advisors, financial aid counselors and professional organizations express concern about this observation. "The student has no idea that this information is being used in this context," said David Hawkins, director of public policy and research for the National Association for College Admission Counseling. The federal government ... doesn't indicate it. And institutions certainly aren't telling students they are using it ... this is a concern from our standpoint." Hawkins thinks that mostly private colleges would be inclined to take the student's list into account, since they are trying to predict and improve their "yield" - that is, the percentage of applicants offered admission who decide to enroll. Although Hawkins declined to name specific colleges that are doing this, he maintains that some are. 
 Many have concerns about the lack of awareness regarding this practice, rather than the fact that it happens. If you are not aware, you can't formulate a counter strategy. Others may experience dismay or even outrage at the realization that colleges act like businesses. They can and do use data to enhance their own bottom line. Just because they are in the business of education does not make their behavior less rational, but it does sour those who are under the impression that institutions of higher learning prioritize the welfare of their students over their own financial health. 
 Aside from rejecting students who may put their institution lower on the list, some colleges may also offer smaller aid packages to students who list their institutions at the top - why provide an incentive to a student who is already likely to enroll? Many families tell me they are willing to 'do whatever it takes' to enable a child to attend their first choice school.
 It is unclear exactly how critical this situation actually is. Colleges have many ways of assessing student interest, including whether they visit the campus, write early and often for information, attend regional events hosted by the school, register for an interview and so on. From my perspective this is just one of many factors a college may take into account when making an admission or financial aid decision. 
 Due to the many who express concerns, the Education Department is looking into this matter to determine if change is needed regarding the information they release to colleges. For now, private college consultants (many of whom are just becoming aware of the issue themselves) are advising their clients who use the FAFSA to list colleges in alphabetical order to avoid having the list be used in decision-making. My own recommendation is when you fill out the FAFSA, list the in-state public institutions in priority order at the beginning of your list, since some states may require you to list state schools first to be considered for aid; then list the private schools right below them, in alpha order. This strategy demonstrates clearly to colleges that your list has been both categorized and alphabetized and helps avoid the use of these data for enrollment management purposes. 

10 tips to pay for college in 2014

College is still expensive and financial aid is still tricky to land, but help is available.

From crowdsourced student loans to tuition freezes, here are 10 ways to pay for college, reduce college costs, boost your savings and score more financial aid in 2014.

1. Look out for tuition deals

As the White House pushes higher education institutions to control their expenses, more colleges are seeking ways to help families understand and minimize their costs, says Daniel Reed, vice president of federal issues for the California Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators and senior financial aid officer for Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego.

"I think the trend is going that way towards freezing tuition or at least reducing the amount of tuition that increases by year," he says.

Several public school systems, including the University of California and Iowa State systems, have already proposed tuition freezes for the upcoming year. Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, is even going so far as to offer a full four-year scholarship to all admitted 2014 students.

2. Prepare for changes in federal aid

One financial aid change in 2014 will impact dependent children of unmarried and same-sex parents. Under 2013 law, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid -- the document that the federal government uses to assess financial need -- has based a family's financial aid package primarily on the income and assets held by the student and, if unmarried, the parent or legal guardian who claims them as a dependent. This means that in cases of unmarried parents and same-sex marriages that aren't federally recognized, financial information on only one parent has been assessed.

Starting with the 2014-2015 school year, the FAFSA will collect information on both legal parents, regardless of marital status or gender. Though the Department of Education states that "most students will be unaffected," the change could dramatically impact federal aid packages for some students to pay for college, says Barmak Nassirian, director of federal policy analysis for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, a research and advocacy nonprofit for approximately 420 public four-year institutions.

"When you factor in more aid resources, resources that have historically been excluded, you actually drive down the amount of aid eligibility that the applicant is entitled to," he says.

3. Keep the grades up

Federal aid may be harder to get for some students, but aid that isn't based on financial need is increasing. The National Center for Education Statistics reports that the proportion of undergraduates receiving merit-based aid more than doubled from 1996 to 2008 and the average merit award rose from $4,000 to $4,700. Some research and advocacy organizations like the Education Trust and the New America Foundation criticize the shift in merit awards as primarily benefiting wealthier students who have greater access to resources that can make them more academically competitive.

"There used to be twice as much need-based aid as non-need-based aid at public colleges and universities, and now they're about even," says Michael Dannenberg, director of higher education and education finance policy for The Education Trust.

For students of all income levels, increased funds for talented students to pay for college means an increase in the value of top-notch grades and academically challenging courses. To increase merit aid eligibility, students should keep their grades up, start the search for aid awards early and work with their academic advisers to build a rigorous high school curriculum.

4. Take income-driven assistance

With college costs increasing, it's no shock that many borrowers can't pay their student loans. The Department of Education reports that almost 15 percent of all federal loan borrowers default on their student loans within three years of beginning repayment. That's why the government is increasing its outreach to inform qualified borrowers of their income-driven repayment options.

"If you're going to miss payments and this program that exists is sitting there for you that could literally make the difference between you defaulting or staying current, I think that's a huge benefit for a family," says William Wozniak, director of marketing for ISM College Planning in Indiana.

Under the income-driven repayment plans, eligible federal loan borrowers can have their monthly student loan payments capped at 10 percent or 15 percent of their discretionary income and forgiven after 20 or 25 years of consecutive payments, though they'll have to pay taxes on the amount forgiven. Borrowers who work in public service professions will have their debt dismissed after 10 years of repayment without tax consequences. Borrowers can estimate their monthly income-based payments at StudentAid.ed.gov.

5. Read the 529 plan fine print

Changes also are afoot for some 529 plans. Regulated by individual states, the popular college savings vehicles all provide financial aid advantages and federal tax-free growth on funds, but each has its own fee structure and state tax incentives.

In 2014, some plans will undergo significant changes. For example, North Carolina will end the up to $5,000 state tax deduction it historically has offered to residents who hold in-state plans. Pennsylvania is lowering fees in its 529 plans while Wisconsin is considering a move to increase its state tax incentives.

If you're considering opening a 529 plan, read the terms carefully and do some comparison shopping, says The Education Trust's Dannenberg.

"(A family's) own state's 529 may not be the best choice for a family because of the different fees associated with different plans," he says.

6. Think outside of traditional lenders

Federal student loans almost always provide better interest rates and borrower protections, but if you need a private loan supplement, new crowdsourced funding sites could potentially provide lending alternatives or better loan terms than traditional financial institutions. While sites like PigIt.com provide a platform that allow "dreamer" college students to raise educational funds by offering incentives like work or gifts in return, Upstart.com offers crowdfunded loans in exchange for a percentage of the borrower's income over the next five to 10 years. The catch with crowdfunded finance is that not everyone gets their campaign fully funded.

"When people put out there that they want to be a doctor or they want to do this or they want to do that and they're at a strong school and they're going to do wonderful things and they have high GPAs, I think those students probably fare better in who's going to get money," says ISM College Planning's Wozniak.

Before starting a campaign, students should make sure to read the site's fine print and compare online financing options to loans offered through the federal government, banks and credit unions.

7. Choose your college carefully

"A big part of what your price will be is the college you choose, and right now college selection choices are too often underinformed if not irrational," Dannenberg says. "People would be well advised to not simply associate price tag with quality ... That's not true when it comes to higher education."

One of the easiest ways to score financial aid is to apply to schools that offer lots of it to students like you. The National Center for Education Statistics' College Navigator tool can help you find institutions that offer substantial aid packages to families in your income bracket while The Education Trust's College Results Online database can identify colleges that are similar to your dream school in net price and academic competitiveness.

8. Think ahead

With higher tuition prices and more student debt on the line, Point Loma Nazarene's Reed says that it's even more important for families to financially plan ahead. That means not only creating a college savings strategy early and taking advantage of compound interest, but also having a serious chat about how much debt the family can handle.

"A lot of people tend to think 'someday I'll pay this back,' but really should be thinking about 'should I take out this much money,' and seeing in my chosen career path what my starting salary is," Reed says. "I know that's a hard conversation to have with an 18-year-old traditionally coming into a college experience, but the more we can encourage students and families to think ahead, the better off they'll be on the repayment side."

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the average 2013 college graduate had a starting salary of $45,327, with humanities and social science majors ranking lowest with average salaries of $37,791 per year, while engineers bring home more than $62,000 annually. Students can find starting salary information for their majors at NACEweb.org.