College Tour Departure!

40 Prep juniors will be leaving bright and early tomorrow (4/24) at 6 am to travel to 5 colleges and universities in the Boston area. After a few years of Prep-run college visits not being held, these tours were brought back to life in 2011. Last year was a one-day trip to 3 colleges in the Philadelphia area. With that trip being such a success, the annual college tour was expanded to a two-day, one-night trip to 5 colleges. The schools on the college tour this year are Emerson College, Boston College, Boston University, Northeastern University, and the College of the Holy Cross. Students will tour campuses, listen to information sessions, and get a chance to meet the admissions representatives that may be reading their applications a few months from now!

The Prep College Counseling Department plans on continuing these college tours in the coming years, so be on the look-out for future tour dates and registration instructions. The college trips usually fill-up within a few days, so act quick! Also, as there are hundreds and hundreds of colleges and universities in driving distance, if there are any schools you would like to see as a part of a future college tour please e-mail Mr. Joseph Korfmacher at korfmacherj@spprep.org

Once Mr. Korfmacher and the Prep students return, please visit the blog to get insider news on the trip and helpful information about each school we visit!

 Joseph Korfmacher, MA

Getting the Most out of Financial Aid

Students have been receiving decisions from colleges and universities for awhile now, and with those acceptances, come financial aid reports. Many private colleges cost around $35,000 in tuition and another $10,000 in room and board. This is a cost of attendance (COA) of $45,000, which is certainly not rare. As financial aid reports come in, students and parents may be happy to see that they received $5,000 per year in merit scholarships and another $5,000 in financial aid. $10,000 a year is great…but that leaves $35,000 per year to possibly pay out of pocket, which comes to $140,000 for a four year education. For most families, this is a very scary sight and if a student is in love with a school, many parents will do whatever it takes to make sure their son or daughter is able to attend.

Loans often come into play, either through the school or privately, and although this is certainly not ideal, in many cases this is the only option. However, as most high school students apply to multiple colleges, they will receive multiple acceptances and multiple financial aid reports with various financial assistance figures. One procedure many schools of higher education offer is to request for additional funds. Basically, families can send in their financial aid report from school B that may be giving significantly more money than school A, to school A’s undergraduate/financial aid department. Families can highlight the difference in reports, and some schools will try to match the other school.

It is entirely up to each individual school if they will consider matching what other colleges provide in financial aid, either in merit scholarships or with financial aid assistance, such as grants. However, it is certainly worth a shot, as many students have had success with this in the past. If you plan on doing this with a college, make sure it is not done in a “pushy” way. All that needs to be done is a short e-mail kindly asking the admissions department to compare financial aid reports, and to express to the school that it is still a top choice. Explaining that the student still has a strong desire to go to the school, but it would be much easier if the financial aid report was closer to those of other colleges can work at many schools. As May 1^st gets closer and closer, give this procedure a chance, as it surely can’t hurt!

One final bit of advice…as FAFSA reports are most often completed with the previous year’s tax returns, if anything significant has changed over the year, let financial aid offices at colleges aware of this. They certainly are not mind readers and most schools are willing to work with families in case of major changes in family income including loss of a job or unexpected medical bills. Please do not be afraid to get on the phone and give them a call if anything should happen!

Underclassmen and parents…check out this website, which is run through the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. This website provides a really helpful online tool that will provide financial aid statistics, and estimates for out of pocket, cost of attendance. It will allow you to compare up to three colleges at a time.

Joseph D. Korfmacher, MA

May 1st Deposits!

April is going fast and May 1^st will be here sooner than you can write a $500 check! Speaking of checks, most colleges have a May 1^st deadline for sending in your deposit (usually about $500). This deposit needs to be in by the deadline to ensure you have a spot in next year’s freshmen class. When doing this, carefully look over and complete any paperwork that needs to be sent in to the colleges with the deposit. DO NOT assume that everything is automatic. If you plan on living in the dorms, make sure you acknowledge that somewhere in the paperwork.

            For students who have been put on the waitlist, also known as purgatory, to one of your top choices, it is understandably a stressful time. Most colleges do not accept students off of the waitlist until well after May 1^st, sometimes deep into the summer. Although it is not a great situation, students want to make sure they have a spot at some college. So even if you are a student who is still holding out for your top school where you were waitlisted, pick your top choice from one of the schools you were accepted into and send your deposit there. Never assume you will be accepted off of the waitlist! As many of you will find out, the deposits for colleges are almost always non-refundable. Meaning, if you do eventually get accepted off of the waitlist after May 1^st, and do choose to attend the school, you will be out of the $500 you sent in to one of your other choices. There is no way around this, and can be a tough decision, but it is better to know this before. Good luck with final decisions, and parents…get used to writing those big checks for the foreseeable future!

Joseph Korfmacher, MA

The Importance of College Visits!

As April seems to be flying by, and May will be here before we know it, that means one thing—most colleges will be ending their scholastic year with students going home for summer. This does not leave too much time for high school students and their parents to visit college campuses, with the student body still there.

Visiting colleges and universities is one of the most important parts of the college search process. Obviously academics, majors selection, internship opportunities, and reputation are important factors to selecting the right school, but the overall “feel” one gets at a college should be near the top of the list of deciding factors. With advances in technology, most colleges have elaborate websites where there are hundreds of pictures of the school and even virtual tours one can take. Although this is better than nothing, it does not have the same effect as actually walking the campus, watching students interact, sitting in on a class, talking with school faculty, and just listening to your gut reaction to the overall collegiate environment. Every school will be a little different, and the absolute best way to truly know if you will be happy at a certain college is by physically being there and soaking everything in. Also, although it is not always possible, try and visit the school while the college is in session full-time. For most colleges this will be from late August to early May. While visiting a college, you can only gain a true gut feeling and perspective of the school life when students are there and the campus is vibrant with the personality of its students.

The following list contains a few helpful hints and strategies when planning on visiting different colleges on your list:

--As mentioned earlier, try to visit college when school is in session, as that is when you will get the true feeling of the environment.

--Call the undergraduate admissions office at the college you will be visiting to set up a guided tour. This way you will have someone with extended knowledge of the college explain the school’s layout and will be able to answer any questions you may have about the school.

--Think of questions to ask while visiting the college! You will most likely be living at the college you choose for 4-5 years, so it makes sense to do your research on everything about the school and its surroundings. Questions ranging from activities available for students, housing availability, food services, the amount of students that stick around on the weekend, internship opportunities, service opportunities, intramurals, community surroundings, and much more should all be on your list to ask admission representatives at each school.

--If you are traveling far to visit a college, plan ahead and see if there are any other schools that you may be interested in and can stop at on the way. You won’t have that many opportunities to visit colleges, so make the most out of each trip!

--Try to schedule a time to sit in on a college class, and if you know what you want to major in, try to sit in on a class in that field.

--Again, if you know your major, try to schedule a meeting with a professor in that field. This will give you a better idea of what to expect in that major and overall field.

--Take pictures and notes! Hopefully, you will be visiting multiple college campuses. In order to avoid getting schools mixed up, snap some photos and jot down a few notes to keep everything fresh in your mind!

--Soak it all in and have fun! There is no getting around the fact that the college search process in an important part of your life, but most of you will only be doing this once in your life (unless you go to graduate school), so try to live in the moment and enjoy visiting some very beautiful and exciting college campuses, which very well could be your next home!

                                                                                                                    -Mr. Joseph Korfmacher, MA

Reminder:Junior Parent College Planning Night

This is a reminder that the junior parent college planning night will be held Tuesday, April 10^th at 6:30 pm. The presentation will be held in the O’Keefe Commons, and there will be breakout sessions for parents with their son’s counselor, where specific questions can be posed. If you are unsure of your son’s counselor, make sure you ask him before the presentation. Topics that will be addressed include college application timelines, standardized testing, importance of visiting colleges, introduction to financial aid, creating a realistic college list, parent and student responsibilities, decision plans, and much more! We will also introduce Naviance to parents and demonstrate how to navigate the system and which tools to use. Parents will be given their son’s transcript with their own personal Naviance code to get started. This is a very important night for all parents of juniors at Prep, so please make every effort to attend if you are free!

-Mr. Joseph Korfmacher, MA

Juniors-Make sure you register for SAT/ACT

This is just a quick reminder that the May 5^th SAT registration deadline is quickly approaching. The regular deadline is Friday, April 6^th. All juniors should take at least one SAT or ACT before the summer break, however it is strongly recommended to take two of these tests before the start of senior year. Also, students who are planning on applying to more selective colleges and universities should look into SAT Subject tests. There are a multitude of tests to take, but they are not all offered each testing date. The SAT subject tests offered for the upcoming May date are: Spanish, French, Math 1, Math 2, U.S. History, Physics, Chemistry, Biology E/M, and Literature. For the June SAT date all of these subjects will be offered in addition to Modern Hebrew, Latin, German, and World History.

It is very important that students do not wait until their senior year to take either the SAT or ACT for the first time. Although this can be done, senior year can be extremely busy and preparing and sitting for the standardized tests is not something you want to just try to “fit in” during your senior year. Also many early action/early decision/priority deadlines are in November and early December of senior year. This will not give students planning on applying early, enough time to receive SAT scores. So do yourself a favor and if you have not done so already, go online and register for the SAT and/or ACT. If you believe you may qualify for a fee waiver, please do not hesitate to contact your school counselor.

To register for the SAT, please click here.

To register for the ACT, please click here.

-Mr. Joseph Korfmacher, MA

Spring Suggestions for Seniors

Here are a few reminders for seniors and their parents in the never ending month of March:

1)      Be patient and try to stay calm as those regular decision e-mails of notification begin to roll in. Many have just been sent out and others will be sent out at the beginning of April. Because of the amount of applications, this process sometimes is delayed a few days…try not to freak out…the undergraduate admissions office has not forgotten about you and they are not trying to play a trick on you. You will have an answer soon enough, so try to relax and keep yourself busy, maybe even with your senior year course work?! This leads me to reminder number 2…

2)         You have heard these two words for three and a half years now, but I will tell you again… 'Avoid Senioritis’. We understand that most students have heard a positive answer from at least a few of their schools, and that the weather is unusually warm and inviting to do anything but high school homework right now. However, you must try to muster-up the strength to keep taking a serious approach to your studies and keeping your grades where they have been. As a counselor, I understand the importance of down-time, fun, and relaxation, and I am not saying you shouldn’t relax and be excited about the next step in your life. However, there needs to be a balance, and the commitment to your high school work must continue until graduation. Although it is rare, if there is a drastic decline to your senior year grades, schools reserve the right to rescind your acceptance. Also, it would be a shame to waste 3 ½ years of hard work, which has gotten your cumulative GPA to where it is, with one bad semester. Finish what you started and end on a high note! I can assure you that you will have a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction if you give it your best effort throughout your four years of high school.

3)      Make sure you follow-up with deferrals and once you select a school to attend, notify the other schools of your decision. If you have been deferred from a school or placed on the waiting list and you are still interested in that school, make sure the colleges are aware of your continued interest and update them with any new accomplishments on your part. As talented as college admission counselors are, they are not mind readers. If the school is still high on your list, send admissions an e-mail explaining your high interest in their school. Also, once a decision is made on your part on which school you will attend, and out of courtesy, notify the other schools that you no longer need to be considered for admission or that you will not be attending their institution in the coming fall.

4)      Be excited for all of your acceptances, but be aware that your peers may not have heard great news from some of their choices. It is great to celebrate getting into your colleges, just be mindful of others during this process, and be supportive of your friends, whether they were accepted or not from their schools. Also, be mindful that a “safety” school for you may be a “reach” school for your friend. Try not to compare colleges, but celebrate all acceptances!

5)      Keep your counselors informed about decisions and show your gratitude to your teachers, who wrote letters of recommendation. Your counselor has been working very hard with you throughout this entire college process, and we truly do want to hear about the responses from all schools. Just keep us updated either by stopping by the office or sending an e-mail…it’s that easy! Also, teachers are not required to write you a letter of recommendation and they certainly do not get paid to do so! Take a few minutes out of your day to write a short ‘thank-you’ note to the teachers who spent some of their free time writing a recommendation letter. This is the right thing to do and teachers will surely be appreciative of the notes!!

6)      Keep searching for community/organizational scholarships. More and more scholarships will continue to pop up, and make sure you keep your radar on, so when they do appear, you can apply to them. Even if the scholarship is for $1,000, it is worth it to take the time to apply and give yourself a chance of receiving some extra money towards your education.

7)      And the final suggestion for students at the end of their senior year in high school is to spend time with family and enjoy these last few months at home. Most students will be going away for school and the time spent with parents and siblings will drastically decrease. College is an amazing experience, but life will certainly be different. Enjoy these last few months at home, and make time for your parents and siblings, making sure you are grateful for everything they have done for you up to this point.