It is National Scholarship Month, which means high school seniors are being exhorted to scoop up free money for college.

What they are often not told is that scholarships won from corporations, nonprofits and other “outside” sources can reduce — dollar for dollar — the grants and cost-reducing financial aid they might get from colleges.

Students with financial need should be aware of this potential disincentive before they spend countless hours pursuing scholarships that may leave them no better off. The same scholarships could, however, benefit affluent families by reducing the amount they have to pay or borrow.

Casey Lu Simon-Plumb, a sophomore at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, won more than a dozen scholarships during her senior year of high school, including a $20,000 Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation award.

She thought her winnings would dramatically reduce the $60,000 annual cost of attending the school.

Instead, the outside money replaced other aid Swarthmore had offered her, leaving her family’s contribution about the same.

Federal rules require schools to reduce need-based financial aid when students win outside scholarships to ensure that their total financial aid does not exceed their costs by more than $300.

Read the whole post: http://www.startribune.com/college-scholarships-are-not-free-money/352032061/

Before You List Colleges on Your FAFSA, Read This

The rules are changing this year, but the schools you list and the order you put them in can still affect your financial aid.

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You probably know that yourincome and assets are important factors in determining your eligibility for college aid. But did you know that the schools you list on the Free Federal Application for Financial Aid, or FAFSA, can also play a role?

When students file the online FAFSA, they can list up to 10 colleges that they’re interested in. Most students list them in preference order.

Statistically, students who are admitted to the college they list first on the FAFSA enroll there about half to two-thirds of the time. For the college listed second, about a third of students will enroll if they’re admitted. For the college listed third, about 10 percent will enroll if admitted.

It’s an open secret that some colleges used this insight in their admissions and financial aid decisions. For example, if a college wasn’t listed in the top three, it might just reject the student to try to improve its “yield,” which has an impact on some college rankings. That led to anomalous situations like a student being admitted to an Ivy League institution but rejected by less selective colleges. (No college has confessed to using FAFSA position in its admissions decisions because it is illegal under federal privacy rules concerning FAFSA data.)

To prevent future abuses, starting with the 2016-17 FAFSA, the U.S. Department of Education will no longer share your list of colleges with the schools receiving your FAFSA data. But your list will still be available to state aid agencies, and some states require that students list an in-state public college first to qualify for state aid. So the order in which you list your colleges remains important for financial-aid purposes.

Read the whole post: http://time.com/money/4124705/fafsa-listing-colleges/

Understanding the 2 Types of College Financial Aid

My family and I just returned from Charlotte, North Carolina, where my two boys competed in and won their first Jiu-Jitsu tournament.  On the ride home, one asked if he could get a college scholarship if he continued to win tournaments.

That reminded me how important financial aid is for most families. Almost all parents can benefit from understanding their options before their children apply.

Let’s explore the two different types of financial aid.

Read more: http://www.nasdaq.com/article/understanding-the-2-types-of-college-financial-aid-cm546836#ixzz3sznVfBT3

Why German-Style Education Is Coming To America

Minnesota State Senator Terri Bonoff gets a lot of requests to attend ceremonial openings. But when Swiss-German manufacturing company Bühler asked her to cut the ribbon at its new apprenticeship program, it sparked her interest. Based on the German dual system, Bühler’s apprenticeship program brings in trainee-hires as full-time employees with benefits, and partners with a local college to provide its trainees with classroom instruction – alongside the experience they are gaining on the job.

Health sciences is one of the four key areas in the PIPELINE project

It was the first time she’d heard about the dual system – which seamlessly combines education and real world work – but on a subsequent trip to Germany, Senator Bonoff found out more. In the German dual system, students spend a significant amount of time in the workplace before they even graduate from high school. After high school, many students transition directly into jobs at companies where they’ve already apprenticed; the result being that they enter the job fully versed in the necessary technical skills, soft skills and familiarity with the workplace culture.

Read the whole post: http://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholaswyman/2015/11/22/why-german-style-education-is-coming-to-america/

Experts Weigh In On Common College Application Mistakes

A lot of high school seniors are applying for college right now, and some of them are likely making mistakes on their applications that are sending them straight to the trash.

Most colleges recommend high school students start thinking about the college application process as early as their freshman year.

“The whole college admissions process, the application process, everything has changed dramatically. A lot of people think that it’s just the GPA or it’s just the SAT score, but getting into the college of your choice goes well beyond that,” teacher Deann Scherer said.

New research from the National Honor Society finds that a majority of college admissions officers say participating in extracurricular activities gives students a competitive edge, but that doesn’t mean just sports.

They’re most impressed by students who’ve done long-term volunteer work in their community.

View the whole post: http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2015/11/19/experts-weigh-in-on-common-college-application-mistakes/

What Is a Research University? Part I

If you are hoping that your children ultimately attend a university, the schools on your dream list are probably all research institutions

Universities with the best-known brand names fall into this category. If you look at the top 50 national universities in U.S. News & World Report’s rankings, for instance, it’s likely you will recognize the names of all or nearly all of them. At the top are Princeton and Harvard and roughly 50 spots down are schools like Boston University and Tulane. You surely recognize those names too.

In contrast, it’s unusual for most Americans to recognize the names of any liberal arts colleges. Perched at the top of U.S. News’ liberal arts college rankings are Williams and Amherst colleges, which you’ve probably heard of. But the name recognition disappears quickly on this list. Schools making the top ten list include Bowdoin College (ME) and Carleton College (MN) while at the 50th spots are Denison (OH) and DePauw (IN).

It would be an unfortunate mistake, however, to assume that because research universities are better known and more popular that they will automatically be the best option for your children.

Before you can determine whether a research university is the best choice for your child, you need to understand what these institutions offer.

Read more at the original post: 

http://www.thecollegesolution.com/what-is-a-research-university-part-i/

FAFSA filing dates are changing, beginning with the 2017-2018 academic year, and that could affect parents' finances Now that college application season has begun, it’s time for students and families to consider college costs and how they’re going to pay them. The key to college financing is the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which every school, both public and private, uses to calculate how much aid is available for a particular student and which all government student loans — for students and parents — require before dispensing any funds. “Everyone should complete the FAFSA,” Mark Kantrowitz, Publisher of Edvisors.com, a website offering advice on planning and paying for college, and author of six books on the topic. Even returning students who didn’t get any financial aid the previous year should complete the FAFSA, says Kantrowitz, explaining that changes in student assets or parents’ income could impact the amount and type of financial aid available. “You can’t get money if you don’t apply, so always apply,” says Kantrowitz. “Even if you don’t qualify for aid, FAFSA is a prerequisite for unsubsidized federal Stafford loans and federal PLUS loans, which are available without regard to financial aid.” (Related: 15 Best Paying Jobs for College Business Majors: 2015) In a far-ranging webinar on “Filing the FAFSA,” Kantrowitz laid out some tips on filing the FAFSA and updates on changes that students, their families and financial advisors should be aware of: File the FAFSA ASAP. 1. File the FAFSA ASAP. This year, that means as close to Jan. 1 as possible – the first date the latest FAFSA will be available. Even if you don’t know where your child will be going to college and haven’t filed your tax return for the previous year, file early, says Kantrowitz. “The earlier you file the FAFSA the better off you will be,” he said. You can update the income data after your income tax form is filed. There are several reasons to file sooner than later, all related to the early bird getting the worm. “Nine states offer aid on a first come, first serve basis until the money runs out, three states have February deadlines, and 11 states have March deadlines,” Kantrowitz explained. In addition, he noted, colleges get a fixed allocation for federal supplement education opportunity grants and federal work study. “When the money runs out, there’s no more.” And some colleges have two deadlines for financial aid – a preferred deadline and regular deadline. File by the preferred deadline because more money will be available then. “Students who file the FAFSA in January, February and March tend to receive more than twice as much grant dollars as on average as students who file later, and they get more money the earlier they file, in January instead of February, in February instead of March, etc.” said Kantrowitz. The final deadline is June 30. File Two FAFSAs in 2016 2. File two FAFSAs in 2016. The federal government has changed the starting date for filing the FAFSA beginning with the 2017-2018 academic year, moving it back from January 1 to October 1 of the previous year. In 2016, then, families can file the FAFSA for the 2016-2017 academic year as early as January 1 and the FAFSA for the 2017-2018 academic year as early as October 1. The earlier October 1 start date reflects a change in the base tax year used in future FAFSA filings. Instead of reporting the previous year’s income on the FAFSA, families will report the income from two years ago starting with the 2017-2018 academic year. They will no longer need to update their filing with the actual data from their tax return because they will be using a tax return that has already been filed. That has implications for how parents handle their finances. Adjust income for the new, earlier FAFSA filing date 3. Adjust income for the new, earlier FAFSA filing date. Since FAFSA will look back two years instead of one, parents of high school juniors this year should try to minimize the income they report on their tax return. “Offset capital gains with losses or don’t realize any more gains that you can offset with losses,” Kantrowitz advises. “In the future don’t make changes during [your kid’s] junior year but in the sophomore year of high school” because of the new income reporting lookback. Kantrowitz also advises parents to pay down debt, maximize retirement plan contributions, defer income and retirement distributions until after your student graduates — whatever can be done to reduce reportable assets. And he warns against setting up trust funds to reduce reportable income. “Trust funds mostly backfire even if they include restricted access to principal,” says Kantrowitz. Use the IRS Retrieval Tool to report income 4. Use the IRS Retrieval Tool to report income. Not only does this save time but it also reduces the odds of delays because the numbers won’t be subject to verification, says Kantrowitz. In the meantime for the upcoming 2016-2017 academic year he advises that parents estimate income using their latest tax return filed or 2015 pay stubs, then update that data with the IRS Retrieval Tool after the 2015 tax return is filed. Get an FSA ID 5. Get an FSA ID. Before parents or students can file a FAFSA they need a Federal Student Aid ID, which can be obtained at the fsaid.ed.gov website. This ID replaces the PINs that students and parents used previously because it is not tied to Social Security numbers, birthdates and other personal data and therefore considered more electronically secure. Double-check everything. 6. Double-check everything. “Nothing will delay a FAFSA faster than errors or omissions,” says Kantrowitz. Use legal names for parents and students, check social security numbers, addresses, etc. And note that every reference to “I” or “You” refers to the students, not the parents or FAFSA preparer, if one is used. File the FAFSA Electronically 7. File the FAFSA electronically. This allows parents and students to receive results in a few days which will include the Expected Family Contribution that schools base financial aid on and that government loans require. The FAFSA can be sent to a maximum 10 schools; after that, schools can be switched out with more names. Starting in the 2016-2017 academic year, FAFSA will not share the list of colleges on a student’s FAFSA with other colleges they have applied to. That could help students qualify for admission and financial aid because some colleges have used the list of students’ preferred schools when considering their applications. Since some college ratings lists consider the percentage of accepted students who then enroll, a college was more likely to turn down a student who ranked it a low priority. --- Related on ThinkAdvisor: 15 Best Paying Jobs for College Business Majors: 2015 30 Best Paying College Majors: 2015 15 Cheapest Colleges With Best Job Value Top 13 Colleges Whose Grads Earn the Most: 2015 Close single page viewReprintsDiscuss this story Bernice Napach By Bernice Napach Senior Writer ThinkAdvisor @Think_Napach Share this story

Posted from: http://www.thinkadvisor.com/2015/10/25/college-planning-7-steps-to-filing-the-fafsa?page_all=1

FAFSA filing dates are changing, beginning with the 2017-2018 academic year, and that could affect parents' finances

Now that college application season has begun, it’s time for students and families to consider college costs and how they’re going to pay them. The key to college financing is the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which every school, both public and private, uses to calculate how much aid is available for a particular student and which all government student loans — for students and parents — require before dispensing any funds.

“Everyone should complete the FAFSA,” Mark Kantrowitz, Publisher of Edvisors.com, a website offering advice on planning and paying for college, and author of six books on the topic. Even returning students who didn’t get any financial aid the previous year should complete the FAFSA, says Kantrowitz, explaining that changes in student assets or parents’ income could impact the amount and type of financial aid available.

“You can’t get money if you don’t apply, so always apply,” says Kantrowitz. “Even if you don’t qualify for aid, FAFSA is a prerequisite for unsubsidized federal Stafford loans and federal PLUS loans, which are available without regard to financial aid.”

(Related: 15 Best Paying Jobs for College Business Majors: 2015)

In a far-ranging webinar on “Filing the FAFSA,” Kantrowitz laid out some tips on filing the FAFSA and updates on changes that students, their families and financial advisors should be aware of:

1. File the FAFSA ASAP. This year, that means as close to Jan. 1 as possible – the first date the latest FAFSA will be available. Even if you don’t know where your child will be going to college and haven’t filed your tax return for the previous year, file early, says Kantrowitz. “The earlier you file the FAFSA the better off you will be,” he said. You can update the income data after your income tax form is filed.

There are several reasons to file sooner than later, all related to the early bird getting the worm. “Nine states offer aid on a first come, first serve basis until the money runs out, three states have February deadlines, and 11 states have March deadlines,” Kantrowitz explained. In addition, he noted, colleges get a fixed allocation for federal supplement education opportunity grants and federal work study. “When the money runs out, there’s no more.” And some colleges have two deadlines for financial aid – a preferred deadline and regular deadline. File by the preferred deadline because more money will be available then.

“Students who file the FAFSA in January, February and March tend to receive more than twice as much grant dollars as on average as students who file later, and they get more money the earlier they file, in January instead of February, in February instead of March, etc.” said Kantrowitz. The final deadline is June 30.

2. File two FAFSAs in 2016. The federal government has changed the starting date for filing the FAFSA  beginning with the 2017-2018 academic year, moving it back from January 1 to October 1 of the previous year. In 2016, then, families can file the FAFSA for the 2016-2017 academic year as early as January 1 and the FAFSA for the 2017-2018 academic year as early as October 1.

The earlier October 1 start date reflects a change in the base tax year used in future FAFSA filings. Instead of reporting the previous year’s income on the FAFSA, families will report the income from two years ago starting with the 2017-2018 academic year. They will no longer need to update their filing with the actual data from their tax return because they will be using a tax return that has already been filed. That has implications for how parents handle their finances.

3. Adjust income for the new, earlier FAFSA filing date.  Since FAFSA will look back two years instead of one, parents of high school juniors this year should try to minimize the income they report on their tax return. “Offset capital gains with losses or don’t realize any more gains that you can offset with losses,” Kantrowitz advises. “In the future don’t make changes during [your kid’s] junior year but in the sophomore year of high school” because of the new income reporting lookback.

Kantrowitz also advises parents to pay down debt, maximize retirement plan contributions, defer income and retirement distributions until after your student graduates — whatever can be done to reduce reportable assets. And he warns against setting up trust funds to reduce reportable income. “Trust funds mostly backfire even if they include restricted access to principal,” says Kantrowitz.

4. Use the IRS Retrieval Tool to report income.  Not only does this save time but it also reduces the odds of delays because the numbers won’t be subject to verification, says Kantrowitz. In the meantime for the upcoming 2016-2017 academic year he advises that parents estimate income using their latest tax return filed or 2015 pay stubs, then update that data with the IRS Retrieval Tool after the 2015 tax return is filed.

5. Get an FSA ID. Before parents or students can file a FAFSA they need a Federal Student Aid ID, which can be obtained at the fsaid.ed.gov website. This ID replaces the PINs that students and parents used previously because it is not tied to Social Security numbers, birthdates and other personal data and therefore considered more electronically secure.

6. Double-check everything. “Nothing will delay a FAFSA faster than errors or omissions,” says Kantrowitz. Use legal names for parents and students, check social security numbers, addresses, etc. And note that every reference to “I” or “You” refers to the students, not the parents or FAFSA preparer, if one is used.

7. File the FAFSA electronically. This allows parents and students to receive results in a few days which will include the Expected Family Contribution that schools base financial aid on and that government loans require.

The FAFSA can be sent to a maximum 10 schools; after that, schools can be switched out with more names. Starting in the 2016-2017 academic year, FAFSA will not share the list of colleges on a student’s FAFSA with other colleges they have applied to. That could help students qualify for admission and financial aid because some colleges have used the list of students’ preferred schools when considering their applications. Since some college ratings lists consider the percentage of accepted students who then enroll, a college was more likely to turn down a student who ranked it a low priority.

College Admissions: 5 Majors You Need to Choose Before You Apply

http://www.golocalprov.com/lifestyle/college-admissions-5-majors-you-need-to-choose-before-you-apply

Cristiana Quinn, GoLocalProv College Admissions Expert

If you want to major in the Health Sciences, you would be smart to make that decision before you begin applying to college. Photo: Emory University

While many students will apply to colleges with a major designation of “undecided”, there are pitfalls to doing that. In larger universities, it can be VERY difficult to switch from the colleges of arts and sciences into the business or engineering college. Other times, a major like nursing or physical therapy may be filled and not have openings after freshman year. Occasionally, students will not even think when they are applying to a college that the school does not offer some of the majors that they may want to pursue. For instance, very few colleges have architecture at the undergraduate level. Thinking all of this through is critical before you finalize your college selections and fill out your apps. Here are some of the majors that usually require you to apply as a freshman or you will miss out.

Engineering

Engineering is usually found at full service universities as opposed to liberal arts colleges, so targeting the right schools is important. Most universities have a specific college of engineering to which you must apply as a freshman. Many will allow students to enter as an undecided engineering major and then determine an exact discipline after taking the introduction to engineering class.  So, while you usually don’t need to know if you want to specialize in civil, mechanical, electrical, biomedical or industrial when you  apply, you do need to know that you want to be an engineer. Math SAT scores and GPA are very important in the engineering admissions process. Most programs are also looking for students with calculus and strong biology, chemistry and physics grades. Some programs also require SAT II Subject Tests.

Architecture

Undergraduate architecture programs are few and far between. So, if you think you may want to pursue architecture, your college list needs to be focused on those colleges. Many of the programs require a studio art portfolio and prefer high school calculus and high SAT Math scores. Sitting for the AIA exam does require a Master’s degree today, and some universities offer a 5-year streamlined program.

Health Sciences

If you have aspirations to become a nurse, physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech pathologist or pharmacist, you usually need to decide that before you apply to college. While you may be able to pursue these professions later at a Master’s level, most undergraduate programs require that you apply as a freshman. It is usually very hard to transfer into one of these majors once you have matriculated at a large university. Most programs in these areas are highly selective and look for strong math scores on your SAT. Some require a math and/or science SAT II Subject Test. Keep in mind, that many of these professions (with the exception of nursing) require a Master’s degree, and some universities offer combined programs which can shorten the total number of years you spend in school. Check with each college before you apply to understand the duration of the program, the degree you will receive and your total costs.

BFA Programs

If you want to major in studio art, music, theatre or dance, there are two options, a BA or BFA program. A Bachelor of Fine Arts degree is considered a terminal degree whereas a Bachelor of Arts degree is often followed by an MFA (Master of Fine Arts). BFA programs are very rigorous and are typically more selective than BA programs. They usually require an audition or portfolio review for acceptance. Students audition or submit portfolios during the admissions process, and the exact requirements vary from college to college. This means that students need to hone their craft for several years before applying, create an artistic resume of their accomplishments, and spend the summer after 11th grade putting together audition or portfolio materials.

Business

Larger universities usually have a college of business. While some allow students to transfer in after freshman year, others have very few spots open sophomore or junior year. That means that your best chance to pursue a business degree is by acceptance to that major as a freshman. Keep in mind that many business colleges within a large university are more selective than the college of liberal arts.  Admission committees are usually looking for a higher GPA, high school calculus and strong SAT scores.

Cristiana Quinn, M.Ed. is the founder of College Admission Advisors, LLC which provides strategic, college counseling and athletic recruiting services for students.www.collegeadvisorsonline.com.

3 Ways U.S. Colleges Evaluate Applications

​"It was confusing." 

That's how Rinat, a third-year gender studies student from Almaty, Kazakhstan, described his experience preparing applications to U.S. universities. "Every university had different applications, different deadlines, different things I had to send to them."

Rinat's impression of the U.S. university application process is not unique to international students. U.S. high schools students can also be confused by the differing requirements and processes involved in a college application. The complexity of applications, and the processes that universities use in reviewing applications, is as varied as the nearly 4,000 institutions of higher education in the U.S. 

[See the 2016 U.S. News Best Colleges rankings.]

It can be helpful to understand why applications can differ so much from one university to the next. Typically, a university admissions office tries to answer a key set of questions when reviewing an application.

​First, they want to know that there's evidence that the student has the academic readiness to undertake studies at that school. Second, they want to know that the student's educational and growth goals are aligned with the missions, goals and ethos of the particular university. Finally, the university tries to determine if the student's presence on campus will provide a positive contribution to the university's learning environment and ​community.

These factors are extremely specific to each institution, and universities in the U.S. have developed several admissions models to help answer them.

There are three common models of admissions employed by U.S. universities: open admissions, threshold admissions and holistic admissions.​

Open Admissions Model

The open admissions model does not require standardized test scores such as the SAT or ACT. Nor does this model ask applicants to submit personal statements or recommendation letters. This admissions model is most commonly used by community colleges in the U.S.

"Open admission exists for those institutions with a mission to provide equal access to a variety of educational backgrounds," says Dawn Wood, director of international programs at Kirkwood Community College in Iowa.

Woods points out that colleges with open admissions models provide higher education opportunities to students who may require additional academic preparation, students who are seeking vocational or technical education, or students interested in reducing the costs of a four-year degree through transfer partnerships with bachelor's-degree-granting universities.

[Watch out for five college admissions mistakes international students make.]

Threshold Admissions Model

Universities which use threshold admissions models are those who publish very clear standards of admission. They tend to provide a minimum required GPA, SAT or ACT score for admission, but will likely not request a personal statement, essay or letters of recommendation. This admissions model is used by many U.S. colleges and universities, and is common among public institutions.

Chuck May, director of admissions at the University of Missouri, believes that transparency in the admissions process is the hallmark of threshold admissions. "We are a selective university, and in making our admission criteria very clear, we're able to be open with students as to their likelihood of admission, from the start of our communication with them."

May says this model allows his admissions team to begin to explore whether or not the university is a good fit for a prospective student at a much earlier point in the college search process, "because we are most likely to receive applications from students who have already researched our academic standards for admission, and know where they fit in relation to those measures." 

[Take this quiz and see if you're ready to apply to U.S. universities.]

Holistic Admissions Model

Selectivity is also a tenet of the holistic admissions model. Where this process is employed, a university is more likely to provide the average academic profile of the previous year's admitted class. This gives some insight into what GPA and standardized test scores may be competitive for admission.

Additionally, holistic admissions will often require that applicants provide an essay and recommendations from teachers, counselors or other community leaders.

Seth Walker, associate director of international admissions at Indiana University—Bloomington, feels that the holistic admissions approach allows the school to consider the broader experiences of an applicant. "When we read an application, we hope to get a sense of what's brought that student to where they are today."

Walker says this model allows their admissions team to compose a class that is both strong in academic ability and diverse in experience.

Students can get a sense for which model of admissions will be used to review their application by visiting the admissions website of a university. It's important to know that many universities will employ some combination of these models.

Rinat offers this wisdom he received from his uncle, who suggested he think of his college applications like going on a date: "You ask questions, they ask questions, in the end you both have to decide if it's a match."

Rinat says that was the best advice he received. 

9 Ways to Find the Best College for You

From: http://time.com/money/4025938/find-the-best-college-for-you/

Build your own personalized college rankings using these important criteria.

Lots of magazines and websites publish lists of the “best colleges.” But those general purpose rankings may not put enough emphasis on the factors that are most important for you.

Finding a college that will be the best value for you is a little like choosing the best-value car. It won’t necessarily be the cheapest. It’s the one that will take you where you want to go in life at the most reasonable price.

MONEY’s annual Best Colleges list ranks schools based on 21 factors in three key categories: educational quality, affordability, and the career success of graduates. You can use many of these same criteria to identify the schools that will provide the best value for your particular student and financial situation. Here’s how and where to find the information you need.

QUALITY OF EDUCATION

1. Check on graduation rates. Research shows that graduation rates are the single best indicator of a college’s quality; students who don’t receive adequate support or don’t think they’re getting their money’s worth are more likely to transfer or drop out. Colleges are required to report their six-year graduation rates. Look for a rate of no less than the median for similar schools: 48% at public colleges and 58% at private ones.

HOW TO FIND IT: Collegeresults.org allows you to compare 4-, 5-, and 6- year graduation rates for your target college and similar schools. If your target college isn’t in the top half of the Collegeresults.org comparison, consider some schools that are above it.

2. Compare class sizes. Research shows that personal attention from professors pays off: Students who are mentored by a professor are 50% more likely to thrive in their careers, according to Gallup research. One good indicator is the percentage of each school’s classes with 20 or fewer students.

HOW TO FIND IT: Look up your colleges on Collegedata.com. Click on the academics tab.

3. Look beyond test scores. The average ACT or SAT scores of incoming freshmen will help you see how you’d stack up academically compared with other students. But even more important than those numbers is how well the college helps its students exceed expectations, given their academic and economic backgrounds.

HOW TO FIND IT: The MONEY College Planner gives each school a “Value Added” grade. A’s or B’s generally indicate better graduation rates and alumni earnings than other schools with similar students.

AFFORDABILITY

4. Maximize your merit aid odds. More than 90% of colleges give some merit aid. Your chances of getting a substantial amount will be best at private colleges where your grades and test scores put you in the top 25% of applicants.

HOW TO FIND IT: Collegedata.com provides information on the number and size of different kinds of aid awards. The premium search filters on theMoney College Planner allow you to build a list of schools that meet your criteria and are generous with need-based and/or merit-based aid.

5. Know your real cost. Don’t pay too much attention to the college’s official cost of attendance. Nearly 60% of students pay less than that. What you want to focus on is net price.

HOW TO FIND IT: Use the net price calculator on each college’s web site for an estimate of what you’ll have to pay based on your family’s income and resources. If you want to compare several colleges’ net prices at once try CollegeAbacus.org.

6. Calculate the full cost of a degree. Look beyond freshman year to calculate what each college would cost you for the four, or possibly more, years it could take to earn a degree. The best colleges graduate students in 4.5 years or less.

HOW TO FIND IT: The MONEY College Planner shows the average net price of a degree at 700+ colleges, based on factors including how long it takes students to graduate.

STUDENT OUTCOMES

7. Expect strong job help. An active, well-staffed career services office can help students write résumés, practice for job interviews, and connect with influential alumni. Colleges should have at least one career services staffer per 1,000 students, and follow industry standard best practices.

HOW TO FIND IT: Call or visit the career services office to ask.

8. Investigate internships. The best colleges help students get internships, which not only provide real-world experience but also increase the odds of landing a good job after graduation. Students who have had paid internships, research shows, are 70% more likely to get a job offer than those who had no internships or who had only unpaid internships.

HOW TO FIND IT: Call or visit the career services office to ask what it does to help place students. Also ask how many internships—especially in your major—are paid.

9. Check up on alumni earnings. The salaries of recent grads are a good indicator of how much employers value a degree from a particular school.

HOW TO FIND IT: Payscale.com lists average early and mid-career earnings for the graduates of most large colleges. Generally, your choice of college has greater impact on early career earnings than on mid-career salary, so that’s the more important number.

When it comes to applying for college, it seems like everyone who has ever attended college thinks that they're experts on everything pertaining to the matter. They want to give you advice on everything from where you should apply to how you can write the perfect essay.

While we appreciate our parents’ glowing testimonies about our value as potential students, we can’t really write an entire essay with them. Depending on the number of colleges that you are applying to, it is very likely that at least one of your choices will use the Common App. Here are five tips that will make for a spectacular essay and a stress-free collegiette.

1. Pick a prompt that speaks to you

If you have to write an essay, you might as well pick the one that you will feel the least inclined to fall asleep while writing. Of the five prompts, there is sure to be one that you can make your own. Here are the 2015 Common App essay prompts:

• Some students have a background, identity, interest or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
• The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success. Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
•  Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?
• Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma-anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.
•  Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.

Out of the entire application, the essay portion is the best place to showcase your uniqueness and let your personality speak for itself. It is important that the prompt that you choose to write on is the best reflection of who you are as opposed to who you think you should be to impress the college. “Students should approach the Common App essay with the knowledge that it’s the one chance that the students are going to have to get themselves noticed and differentiate themselves from their competition,” says Dan Lipford, an Educational Consultant at Score at the Top Learning Centers & Schools. What might seem ordinary or unimpressive to you might just be the thing that sets you apart from the thousands of other applicants and give you a beneficial edge.

2. Take risks with your opening  

From writing stories in elementary school to writing essays in high school, we have always been taught that the first few lines are the most important in grabbing the attention of the reader. When writing your Common App essay, the importance of having a riveting introduction is magnified. Judi Robinovitz, the founder and co-owner of Score at the Top Educational Centers & Schools, emphasizes the importance of starting off strong. “Zing ‘em with the opening," she says. "Forget the topic sentence – put it further down in the essay. Avoid at all cost a bland opening statement.” An exciting opening not only ensures that the reader will be interested, but that they will read your essay in its entirety.

“The typical admissions officer who's going to tasked with reading a given student's app is also going to be tasked with reading hundreds, if not thousands, of other students' apps, and if that officer's attention isn't caught almost immediately with the essay's opening, he or she's not going to read it with any enthusiasm and might not finish reading it at all,” says Lipford. Be the essay that the admissions officer looks forward to reading until the end.

3. Show don’t tell                   

                              

The “resume” portion of the Common App already showcases your academic achievements, community service and extracurricular activities. Therefore, try to give the reader new material. As important as your AP classes and 10 years of ballet are, it is also important to hone in on what you are passionate about.

In the essay portion, you are free to be as creative as you would like to be in answering the prompt and relaying your story. “Sensory details make an essay come to life and bring out your keen eye and other personality traits," says Robinovitz. Descriptive, colorful essays are memorable and it is better to “share through vivid imagery and show, rather than tell, a story," according to Andrea Nadler, the Associate Dean of Admission at Hofstra University. Be imaginative in the way that you communicate your life outside of the classroom.

4. Focus on the how, not the what

As previously noted by Judi Robinovitz, it is perfectly fine to put a topic sentence further down in an essay if it means making the opening sentence powerful. However that means that following your opening, you must elaborate and explain the significance of what you have written about. In the Common App essay, it is more beneficial to focus on the how instead of the what. “Don’t concentrate as much on whathappened, but rather on the impact on your thinking, outlook, feelings, spirit, etc.,” says Robinovitz. The details will reveal your enthusiasm and passion for the topic even if you don’t come right out and state it.

5. Answer in full   

This one seems like a no-brainer, but sometimes we get so wrapped up in talking about one part of the prompt that we completely forget that there is a second part to it. While a couple of the prompts just ask you to describe a specific accomplishment or personal event, most of them have multiple questions involved that you need to answer. “Be sure to answer the whole question,” says Nadler, in order to avoid an incomplete response. Once you have finished your essay, it doesn’t hurt to re-read the prompt and your essay to make sure that you have answered it in full. Don’t detract from a stellar essay just because a piece of the prompt wasn’t accounted for.