Index

Academic Excellence Scholarship, 39

adjunct professors, 194

admission prospects, maximizing, 5;

private school advantage, 61–63;

school counselor, recommendation from, 76–77.

See also college application, essential components of a successful

admission-related myths:

applicants’ social media pages, 55;

college ranking, 55–56;

community service and volunteering, 54;

dropping admission rates, 53–54;

excellent grades and test scores, 57–59;

letters of recommendation, 52–53;

number of application forms, 54;

personalized letter from the dean of admissions, 53;

standardized test scores, 56–57;

well roundedness, 52

admission-related truths, 128–30

admission strategy:

relevant electives, 64;

types of courses, 63–64.

See also Advanced Placement (AP); extracurricular involvement in college application; SAT Subject Tests

Advanced Placement (AP), 5, 62–64, 145–46;

AP participation and college performance, relationship between, 65;

basics of, 64;

credit policies, 66;

number of courses taken, 64–66

Alumni interviews, 106–9

Alumni Networks, 41–43

American job market, 7

American University, 166

Amherst College, 32

application mistakes:

achievements, 110;

professionality, 109;

redundancy, 110;

tales of overly involved parents, 110;

typos, 109.

See also college admissions process

Arizona State University, 38–39

banks, high-power, 181–82

Barrett Honors College, 39

Baruch College, 43

Bates College, 32

Baylor University, 46, 163

Beloit College, 129

bilingual college grads, 19

Bologna declaration, 155

Boston College, 67

Boston University, 39, 163, 184

Bowdoin College, 32

Brigham Young University, 184

Bruni, Frank, 3

Bryn Mawr College, 32, 100

Bucknell University, 56

Buridan’s ass, 12–13

career services, 44–45

Carleton, 33

Carnegie Mellon College, 124, 174

Case Western Reserve University, 163

Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), 186

Claremont Consortium, 32

Claremont McKenna College, 32, 56

Clark University, 129, 163

Colgate University, 74

college, selection factors for, 41–45;

Alumni Networks, 41–43;

career services, 44–45;

geographic diversity, 85–86;

importance of location, 43.

See also colleges to avoid

college admissions process, 2–3, 207–8;

avoiding inconsistencies in your college application, 110–12;

college costs, estimating, 134–35;

deferral and, 119–21;

disclosure of a LD, 116–19;

dual enrollment, 147–48;

in elite colleges and Ivy League schools, 83–85;

evidence-based understanding of, 3;

in a foreign country, 153–56;

getting into elite institution, 122–25;

questions to consider before applying early decision, 89–92;

waitlist, 121–22.

See also application mistakes; college application, essential components of a successful; essay topics to avoid

college application, essential components of a successful:

letter of recommendation, 74;

National Honors Society (NHS), 73;

participation in sports, 73–74;

pay-for-award programs, 74

college costs, estimating, 134–35

college credits during high school years, benefits of, 145–48, 210

college degree, choosing factors for, 12–16;

context of student’s career and life goals, 16;

entry-level employment, 15–16;

financial returns, 26–30;

graduate school, 15–16;

highest-paying college majors, 14–15;

lack of planning, 13–14;

passion, 14

college graduates:

advantages for, 7–8;

earnings for, 8;

job satisfaction, 8;

versus high school grad, 7–8

College Level Examination Program (CLEP), 147

College of Charleston, 37

The College of New Jersey, 38

College of the Holy Cross, 163

college prestige and professional success, 5

college’s priority financial aid deadline, 138

colleges to avoid, 45–48;

out-of-state public schools, 47–48.

See also college, selection factors for

college summer programs, 70–73

Colorado State University, 129

Columbia University, 71, 125, 171

Cooper Union, 82

Cornell University, 124

cost-free programs, 73

Covey, Stephen, 11

crafting an effective college application, 5

CSS Profile, 136–38

Dale, Stacy, 27

Dartmouth College, 33, 171

demonstrated interest, 78–83;

importance of, 78–79;

steps to show, 79–80;

types of colleges emphasizing, 79

disciplinary violations, 113–16

double major, 179

Drexel University, 39, 129

dual degree engineering programs, 171

dual enrollment, 147–48

Duke University, 46, 71, 105–6, 161, 163

early decision (ED):

case for applying EA and rolling admissions, 94–97;

colleges offering ED II, 95;

distinct advantages of applying, 97;

II programs, 92–95;

questions considered before applying, 89–92;

versus regular decision (RD) acceptance, 92–93, 96

educational debt, impact of, 8–12;

career as waiter and waitresses, 11;

on career flexibility, 9–10;

on future education, 10–11;

on lifestyle, 10

elite colleges:

applicants acceptance, lesser than 20%, 213–14;

college admissions process, 83–85, 122–25;

elite engineering schools, 172;

elite law schools, 167;

elite medical schools, 162;

MBA programs, 185;

PhD program, 192–94;

tech institutes, 175.

See also Ivy League colleges

Emory University, 56, 67, 84

engineering education, 169–73

engineering mind, 169

essay topics to avoid, 101–4;

final thoughts, 103–4;

grandiosity, 102;

sexual encounters or drug use, 101;

sports glory, 103;

stream-of-consciousness thoughts, 103;

travel experiences, 101–2.

See also college admissions process

The Evergreen State College, 38

Expected Family Contribution (EFC), 136

extracurricular involvement in college application, 69–70, 112

FAFSA, 135–39

financial aid planning:

formulas, 139;

for law education, 168;

for medical education, 164;

for psychology education, 187–88;

for teaching education, 179–80

financial analyst, 180–87

financial realities of college education, 4

financial safety school, 132

flagship universities, 47

Fordham University, 166

foreign language skill, 19

fourth year of math and science, advantage of, 63

freshman English, 113

Furman University, 166

geographic diversity and college admissions, relationship, 85–86

George Mason University, 100

George Washington University, 37, 56, 68, 142, 166, 184

Georgia College, 37

The Giver (Lois Lowry), 1–2

The Glass Menagerie, 111

GPA scores, 27, 37, 51, 65, 84, 91, 100, 124, 140, 142–43, 149, 154, 161, 166

guaranteed scholarships, 143

Harvard name, 30–31

Harvard University, 34, 71, 166;

iconic status of, 34;

versus Pomona undergraduate education, 32–33;

undergraduate education, 30–31

Harvard-Westlake School, 62

Harvey Mudd College, 32

Haverford College, 32, 35

Hayes, Rutherford B., 30

Hendrix College, 36

Hofstra University, 129

honors programs, 38–40;

class size and number of, 38–39;

cost considerations, 39;

and living arrangements, 39;

top, 40

in-state tuition, 151–53

intergeneration continuity, 83

International Baccalaureate course, 63–64, 146

Ivy League colleges, 33–34, 58, 66, 89, 128, 161;

private school education and admissions advantage at, 61–63

Johns Hopkins, 67–68, 121, 161, 191

Kaplan Test Prep, 59n2

Keats, John, 106

Kennedy, John F., 30

Kentucky Derby analogy, 25, 29

The King of Kong, 142–43

Krueger, Alan, 27

law education, 164–69

Lawrence University, 129

legacy applicants, 81

legacy status:

advantages, 83;

primary versus secondary, 81;

stats on, 81–82

less-popular major maneuver, 124–25

Lewis & Clark College, 129

liberal arts colleges, 34–36, 42;

private colleges, 35–36;

public colleges, 36–38

list price of a prospective school, 130–32

Lowry, Lois, 1–3, 5n1

Loyola University of Maryland, 47, 79, 129

LSAT score, 166

Macalester, 33

Marietta College, 171

MBA programs, 183–87

MCAT score, 161

medical education, 160–64

merit aid, winning, 140–42

The Metamorphosis, 89

Miami University, 184

Middlebury College, 32

Midwest Student Exchange Program, 152

Millersville University, 178

MIT, 62, 71, 111, 116, 161, 171, 174, 191;

legacy status, 82

National Association of College Admissions Counseling (NACAC), 64

National Honors Society (NHS), 73

need-based aid, 135–40;

long-term and short-term strategies for getting, 139–40

net-price calculator (NPC), 134–35

net price of a prospective school, 130–33

New College of Florida, 37, 129

non-need-based merit aid, 143

optional statements, 105–6

O’Shaughnessy, Lynn, 3

out-of-state costs, 150–51

out-of-state public schools, 47–48

out-of-state tuition, 151–53

paradigm shift, 127

pay-for-award programs, 74

Pennsylvania State University, 3, 42, 47, 89, 125, 177–78

PhD program, 192–94

Pitzer College, 32

Pomona College, 32–33, 35

popular careers, roadmap to:

in academia (professor), 191–95;

doctor, 160–64;

engineering, 169–73;

financial analyst, 180–87;

lawyer, 164–69;

psychologist, 187–91;

software developers, engineers, and programmers, 173–77;

teaching, 177–80

primary legacy, 81

Princeton University, 7, 33, 62, 84

private scholarships, 148–50

psychologist, 187–91

PsyD, or Doctor of Psychology degree, 190

Public Liberal Arts Colleges, 36–38

public speaking skill, 18–19

quality financial safety school, 132–34

quantitative analysis skill, 20

Reason, Tom, 64

recommendation letters, 52–53, 74–76;

counselor-written letters, 77;

importance of, 75;

number of, to be submitted, 76;

potential recommenders, 75–76;

requirements, 76;

when to ask, 75

Reed College, 129

returns to selectivity, 26–30;

institution, context of, 27;

personal characteristics versus college selectivity, 27–28;

relationship between college prestige and income, 27–28;

1990s, 26;

selective institutions versus nonselective school, 28–29;

U.S. News rank, 29.

See also Harvard University

Rickey, Branch, 11

Robinson, Jackie, 11

Roosevelt, Franklin, 30

Roosevelt, Teddy, 30

Rutgers University, 43

SAT scores, 27, 31, 34, 57, 61, 82, 84, 98, 128, 134–35, 143–44, 154.

See also SAT Subject Tests

SAT Subject Tests, 66–69, 100;

choosing a test, 67;

in foreign language, 66;

institutions recommending, 67–68;

preparation for, 68–69;

in special situations, 68;

when to take, 67.

See also SAT scores

school counselor, 76–77

Schreyer Honors College, 39

Scripps College, 32

secondary legacy, 81

selective colleges, applicants acceptance:

extremely, fewer than 40%, 214–15.;

moderately, fewer than 70%, 216–18.;

very, fewer than 60%, 215–16

self-disclosing an incident, 115

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey), 11

Shidler, Jay, 42

Skidmore College, 36

skills for employment, 16–20;

foreign language, 19;

public speaking, 18–19;

quantitative analysis, 20;

writing, 17–18

software developers and programmers, 173–77

Stanford University, 71, 161, 174

Stevens Institute of Technology, 171

St. John’s College, 36

St. Mary’s College, 37

St. Olaf College, 166

SUNY Geneseo College, 38, 129

Swarthmore College, 31–32

teaching, 177–80

tenure-track assistants’ and associate professors’, 194–95

test-optional schools, 57, 98–101, 144;

impact on merit aid, 100;

most selective, 99;

reason for, 98;

versus test flexible, 100

top-college guidebooks, 46

transfer plan, 122–24

Trinity School, 62

Truman State institution, 37

tuition fees, way to lower, 142–45

Tulane University, 56, 142

UC Berkeley, 58, 124, 166, 191

ultra-selective schools, 26

University of Arizona, 129

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), 42, 47, 163

University of Chicago, 67, 191

University of Connecticut, 47

University of Delaware, 68

University of Florida, 129, 166

University of Georgia, 39, 166

University of Illinois, 42, 184

University of Maryland, 129, 184

University of Miami, 68, 84

University of Michigan, 42, 82

University of Minnesota, 38

University of Mississippi, 38

University of North Carolina (UNC), 38, 58, 65

University of Pittsburgh, 106, 163, 166, 178

University of South Carolina, 39

University of Tampa, 46–47

University of Texas, 186

University of Virginia (UVA), 58, 67;

Admission Liaison Program, 82

University of Washington, 43, 163

U.S. News, 29, 57, 104, 165–66, 171

Vanderbilt University, 67

Wake Forest University, 142

Washington State University, 41, 43

Washington University, 171

Wesleyan College, 32

West Chester University, 178

Western Undergraduate Exchange, 153

Western Washington University, 43, 174

West Virginia University (WVU), 143

Wheaton College, 129

Whitman College, 186

“Why this college?” essay topic, 104–5

Williams College, 32

Women in Science Project, 34

writing skill, 17–18

Yale University, 33, 62, 161, 166