2015 Workbook- Win College Admission Acceptances

Here are our 5 keys to winning college admission acceptances. 1. Build your full student-package: While students pay more attention to their academic record, know that college’s value the human element of the applicant, such as leadership achievement, community involvement, volunteer service, diverse talents and special interests, and overseas experience. Building a full student package of value is key to winning admission acceptances. 2. Qualify colleges for good fit: Interest will only come from colleges for which you show qualifications for admissions. Match your qualifications to college standards for acceptance within a small variance and work the process from a point of strength. Matching colleges closely to your qualifications is key to winning admission acceptances. 3. Visit colleges early and meet the key decision-makers: Interest from colleges increases the better and longer they get to know you. The admission and scholarship decision is a human decision, not a computer decision. Get to know the people that can influence your outcome. Visiting college early and meeting the people is key to winning admission acceptances. 4. Have a plan for submitting applications along with a strategy for winning acceptances: This is not won by being a random process, rather make it your plan to submit 8-12 applications by mid-October and form your strategy to win acceptances and create options. Having a strategic plan for submitting applications is key to winning admission acceptances. 5. Express your vision and passion for college: Every time you enter a college-related environment, be it on a campus, at a college fair, on a call, or in an interview, you will have the opportunity to answer the question- “What do you plan to study?” Let them see the substance in you by providing a thoughtful response. The ability to express your vision and passion for college is key to winning admission acceptances.Here are the 3 top reasons qualified students lose out in the college admission process. # 1- students don’t recognize there’s an application process for which they should engage # 2- students remain unknown to the admission office and get lost in the mix # 3- students don’t put enough emphasis or effort on the writing pieces of the applicationTake ownership and affect your outcome by being involved, becoming known, and building value. 100

The CSS ProfileMany colleges require the parents of the applicant to submit the CSS Profile in conjunction withthe application. Without it, the application will be considered incomplete and may not getevaluated. Inquire with the college to see if it is a required form.The CSS Profile is used by the colleges in determining financial need, and if it is required, then itis not an optional form as it has nothing to do with the parent’s intention to apply for financial aid.Rather, it is a lengthy, complex, and fully comprehensive financial form required by over 400colleges. By the way, it stands for The College Scholarship Service Profile (although it has little todo with scholarships).The link is usually live on October 1st and shuts down on February 15th. It is our strongrecommendation to submit the CSS Profile by November 15th to avoid jeopardizing a delay in theprocess of the student’s application.Here are 6 Steps to filing The CSS Profile1. Go on https://student.collegeboard.org/css-financial-aid-profile2. Sign in for \"Fall 2016\"3. Sign-in using your College Board account log-in or register for a new account4. Click on the button titled- \"Register for PROFILE\", and fill out the registration page Note-for divorced or separated parents, the custodial parent(s) should complete the application.5. Gather the information below before filling out the Application: 2014 federal income tax return(s) W-2 forms and other records of money earned in 2015 Records of untaxed income and benefits for 2014 and 2015 Current bank statements Current mortgage information Records of savings, stocks, bonds, trusts, and other investments6. Complete the PROFILE Application and submit the completed application by the early priority filing date.Note- it costs $9 to submit the application and $16 for each college it is sent to. 101

Follow-up and Follow-throughWhile the rest of the country submits applications and waits out the decision process, you canbe different. You can affect and facilitate a favorable response with a simple call to youradmissions counselor to notify them that you submitted an application, seems logical, alongwith follow-up calls and email memos. And beginning immediately upon submitting theapplication is key. Timely follow-up is important to winning admissions acceptances and it’s sosimple, and yet it represents one of the most overlooked aspects of the college admissionsprocess. Here are two things you can do to facilitate an acceptance, see how simple it is. Hit the \"submit\" button one night. Follow-up with a phone call to your admission counselor within 48 hours to let them know you submitted your application; actually to have a high spirited contact point with them, which they will remember. “I have great news. I just completed my application and submitted it last night. Being admitted to your college is very important to me. Is there anything else I can do to strengthen my application and facilitate an acceptance?”Plan to call and/ or email your admissions counselor every time you have a personal achievementto report, such as higher grades, new SAT scores, and high school awards. You aredemonstrating interest and building a relationship with your admissions counselor by doing so.Secondly, plan to meet with an area representative for the college. For most colleges, you cansign up for that on their college website by clicking on the Undergraduate Admissions tab andfinding the registration link for interviews. This is considered an interview and should be treatedaccordingly. The goal is for the area representative to send positive feedback to the college insupport of your application.The strategy here is to make it easy for them to give you a checkmark for acceptance. Timelyfollow-up and follow-through can make the difference. 102

Filing the FAFSAEntire books and journals are devoted to FAFSA and Financial Aid. Here we want to cover afew basic elements essential to filing the form in a timely manner.FAFSA- Free Application for Federal Student Aid; is a federal form used to determine eligibilityof undergraduate college students to receive federal funds for financial aid, student loans, andwork-study programs. It is purely a form to be submitted at the parent’s option and desire topursue these available funds in paying for college. Federal Financial Aid is a program designedto help low-income families pay for college. Federal Financial Aid- also known as the Pell Grant, is an annual award based on the financial need of the family, as determined by submitting the FAFSA. It is a grant-in-aid, therefore it does not have to be paid pack. The program is run and funded by the Department of Education, as approved by Congress. The annual budget approximates $40 Billion. There are approximately 10,000 recipients each year for some piece of the award. The maximum award is $5,840 for the school year 2015 – 2016, $5,960 for 2016 – 2017; and $6,085 for 2017 – 2018. To be considered for the maximum, the student must be enrolled as a full-time student in undergraduate studies for the year. To receive an award, the EFC, Expected Family Contribution, must be less than the maximum amount made available for the school year. The amount of the award is primarily based on income (called the primary EFC) of the parents as reported on their 1040 tax return. In simple terms, known as the “Simplified Version”, a reported AGI on the 1040 of less than $30,000 is an automatic qualifier for the full award, while AGI over $50,000 is a non-qualifier. For people whose AGI exceeds $50,000, there are several complex adjustments taken into account (called the secondary EFC) that may apply and qualify a family for some portion of the award. The awards are federally funded and based strictly on federal laws that apply. They are not of discretion by the college. 103

Student loans- also known as the Stafford Loan, is an annual amount loaned directly to thestudent for paying college costs, and is offered only through submitting the FAFSA. Themaximum amount of loan available for dependent, undergraduate students is determined bythe year of college, as follows: Freshman- $5,500; Sophomore- $6,500; Junior and beyond- $7,500The cumulative loan limit for undergraduate students is $31,000. This is a loan, therefore it mustbe paid back by the student. The repayment schedule begins six months upon completion ofcollege as long as the student is enrolled at least half-time, with certain authorized defermentsavailable. The federal budget for Stafford Loans approximates $100 Billion each year.The loans are divided in two components, a subsidized amount and an unsubsidized amount.The unsubsidized Federal Stafford loan is not based on financial need. Interest on theunsubsidized loans begins accruing immediately upon taking the loan. The student will havetwo choices, one being to pay the interest each passing month, or two, defer the interest untilsix months after college, for which the deferred amount will be added to the loan balance.Graduate and Medical students are eligible for the unsubsidized Federal Stafford loan withdiffering limits.The subsidized Federal Stafford loan is based on financial need as determined by the FAFSA. Itrefers specifically to the interest due on the loan. Interest on the subsidized portion is paid for bythe federal government as long as the student is enrolled at least half-time in college. Interestbegins being applied upon the due date for repayment. There is an annual limit as follows: $3,500 for freshmen, $4,500 sophomores, $5,500 for juniors and beyond.The cumulative maximum for the subsidized portion of the Federal Stafford loan is $21,000;and the subsidized Federal Stafford loan applies only for undergraduate students.Note- students can qualify for the full unsubsidized amount without financial need. However, forfinancial need qualifiers, the unsubsidized amount available is reduced from the total availableby the subsidized portion. For example, if you qualify for the maximum subsidized portion of$3,500 as a freshman, then your unsubsidized portion will be $2,000 ($5,500 - $3,500). 104

Federal Work-study programs- known as FWS, is a federal program providing funds for part-time employment to help students pay for college. The FAFSA is used to determine eligibility ofthe students, who must qualify for financial need to participate in the program. The FWSencourages students to either work in their related field of study or perform some type ofcommunity service. The pay must equal or exceed minimum wage. The program is funded bythe Department of Education and the student is paid by the college, either as reduction off thecollege invoice or as a direct payment to the student.In most cases, the college will participate in payment of the student’s wage under the FWSprogram. To the student, that doesn’t matter. What matters is the opportunity to make someextra income while attending college. The amount of the income can fluctuate based on severalfactors, but it typically can approximate $3,000 – $5,000 for the year.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Here is the link to the FAFSA website- https://fafsa.ed.gov/Financial aid is typically a first-come, first-serve award of the colleges. The link usually goes liveon January 1st, so it is highly recommended to submit the FAFSA early in January. Even if youdon’t consider yourself a financial aid qualifier, it is still a good practice to submit the FAFSA asit does have a direct bearing on the Financial Award Letter that you will receive in March.Here are the 3 most common mistakes made in filing the FAFSA 1. People tend to think they have to wait until their tax return is done before filing; this is not necessary as you can estimate the figures now and adjust for the real numbers later 2- People tend to include information that is not necessary, such as the value of their primary home, the value of their retirement plan, the value of their small business; these assets are not used in determining financial aid on the FAFSA, so including them may jeopardize the award 3- People tend to judge for themselves whether they are qualifiers for financial aid and decide not to file the form; often times not factoring in the effect on EFC for the number of family members or having other children in college; there is no harm in filing the form and no cost in sending it to the colleges 105

Winning the GameCollege application acceptances: In following this program, you will have positioned yourselfto win the game, to win college acceptances from your preferred colleges while earning yourmaximum scholarship awards. One of the great challenges people face when confronted withlengthy processes like the college search, applications, and selection process, is they often waitto get involved at the end when the outcome is on the line. They are typically less prepared tocarry out the tasks and ill-informed of how it works, what it takes, and when things are to bedone. When you have done things right along the way, you can begin to expect the rightoutcomes. That doesn’t mean you will get acceptances from every college, far from it, but itmeans that you will create your own quality options. You will affect your own outcome along theway by being prepared, being involved, and being poised to win in the end.Our students and families understand well that it’s on them to make things happen, to have aplan for success, to search for qualifying colleges, to build value in themselves, to visit collegecampuses, to meet key decision-makers, to form a strategy for winning admissions, and tofollow through to their desired outcome.As you worked your way through this Workbook & Guide, did you stop and realize that all ofthese elements are things requiring a conscious decision, things you can choose to do ratherthan leave to circumstances? All of this is under your control. And considering how hard it is toget accepted into top colleges these days, and also how much college costs, it seems logical totake control, and better affect your outcome?At this point of the process, after having submitted a group of early applications and followedthrough with regular communications, all that’s left to complete the application process is toreceive their decisions. You will receive your fair share of acceptances. And with acceptances,you will receive the initial scholarship award as offered by the admission office. Along with theacceptances, you may receive some deferrals. Deferrals are not declines, rather, it reflects thatthe applicant is borderline for acceptance and the admission office wants to wait to gather moreinformation before awarding the acceptance. Students can affect the conversion of a deferral toan acceptance by doing a few things. Number one and of most importance is to do well in the 1stsemester with grades higher than your normal GPA, and report those immediately to theadmission office. Secondly, is to communicate with the admission office your serious interest ingetting an acceptance offered and your willingness for revisiting the college to meet the people. 106

By February, you will have received the admission decision from most of your early applications. “Early Decision” applications will have been decided upon and announced in December with their deposit checks due February 1. Most all of the “Early Action” application decisions will have been decided and announced by February 1, with deposit checks due May 1. “Regular Admission” applications will often times take longer for the school to process, decide upon, and announce; some will announce as late as in March with deposit checks due May 1. Colleges who have “Rolling Admissions” will normally announce their decision as they go depending on when the application was submitted, earlier submissions result in earlier decisions. Deposit checks will normally be due by May 1, but some schools have other dates. Revisit top schools: By February 1, it is time to identify a short list of the top 4 – 5 accepted colleges from which you will likely make your college choice. At this time, your job is to revisit the colleges during either February or March. In revisiting the colleges, you have two basic choices. One being you can decide to visit the school on a normal weekday, visit with admissions, financial aid, and your desired department of study. The other choice being to attend the college “Accepted Students Day”. The plan is the same with both visits, but the difference is in the personal attention you can get when you visit on a normal college day. Either way, *** this is the only time you have leverage! *** Their goal is to get you to enroll. Your goal is to negotiate your way to an improved scholarship award. Now that you are an accepted student, their incentive is to convert your acceptance into an enrollment. Besides trying to “wow” you with the college, the only real tool they have is the merit scholarship award. This is the time they can decide to increase your scholarship to get the enrollment. It’s not a lot different than the sales process for a car, in which they offered you a sticker price discount, and it’s up to you to work out a better deal before you sign the contract. So treat your initial scholarship award as a sticker price discount, and go in there asking for more, who knows, they just might give it to you. Again, this is the only time you have leverage, you have their interest, they are motivated to convert your acceptance into an admission, and you have an opportunity to improve your scholarship award.Parent alert: once you make a deposit, you will never again be able to increase your scholarship award. 107

In visiting the admission office, be sure to gather the best scholarship offers you have from othercolleges, take them with you, and discuss with your counselor the need to increase thescholarship award for you to continue through to an enrollment. They will likely ask you to fill outa form. This is a formal process called “appeal based on receiving higher scholarship awardsfrom comparable colleges”. It is an easy form to fill out. You must attach the other scholarshipletters with it, and then it goes to their committee for a decision. They may make an adjustmentor they may not, every school is different. Private schools will be more receptive to this thanstate universities. For this meeting, they need to know what it will take for you to decide toattend and pay the deposit.In visiting the financial aid office, you will meet an advisor of whom can answer your questionsregarding the pending financial award letter. It’s good to get to know someone in the financialaid office for future reference as you will deal with them in some capacity each year. It’scertainly good to ask for the Director of Financial Aid just to introduce yourself and say hello.Private schools will be more receptive to this than state universities.In visiting the anticipated department of study, you will get the opportunity to meet some of theadministrators and professors of the department. These are the people for which you will bestudying from and engaging with during your stay in college. These are the people who can helpyou one day secure internships and job opportunities if you get to know them well.The Financial Award Letters: typically, the financial aid office sends out their official financialaward letter in mid-later March after their evaluation of the FAFSA and CSS Profile (if required).This financial award letter will sum up everything regarding costs of college, scholarships,financial aid, loans, work-study, and ultimately, how much you owe the college.If you’re satisfied with the details of the letter, then fine, you can submit your deposit forsecuring the student seat. However, if are not satisfied with the financial aid offer, or ifsomething has happened in your life that affects your affordability, then you can submit anofficial “appeal based on special circumstances”. This is the time where it pays off for them toknow you from earlier visits. It is not the time for parents to get on the phone and yell at themabout the unfair costs of college. They will say they’ve heard enough of that. An appeal will takea couple of weeks for them to decide upon, and by April 15, you should know what the precisecost of year one in college will be and it’s up to you to decide upon your affordability. 108

Making the college choice: There are five factors involved in getting college right for achievingcollege success and satisfaction, they are- 1. Getting a quality education while earning an on-time, meaningful degree 2. Enjoying the college experience while developing long-term relationships along the way 3. Creating job opportunity by participating in study abroad, research projects, community events, and internships while being involved with the academic community of the college 4. Having affordability for college while building your qualifications for future jobs 5. Leveraging your unique talent or interest into a better experience, by playing sports; being involved in the college program for music, theatre, art, and debate; taking on leadership or mentoring rolesThe final decision: The college process is designed for you to make your college choice bysometime in April of your senior year, with all known information and expectations considered forcollege success and satisfaction. When you’ve gotten to this point, you will commit to a collegeand secure your seat by making a deposit (normally in the area of $500) before the deadline datecomes due, typically May 1. And you’re done, congratulations, you going to college!In closing: I believe the key to college success is to have a vision for your future, commit to anoutcome, be accountable for your own performance and achievement, and take ownership ofyour college situation. College is your bridge from being a teenager to a young adult. Thefoundation for success as an adult can be learned right here during the college search process.The concept of being proactive in making things happen rather than reactive and left to wonderwhat happened is a valuable lesson to learn early in life.We do this work to help you successfully navigate the college search landscape; so that youcan find your right college fit, win admission acceptance, afford college, and enjoy a greatcollege experience. We hope this Workbook & Guide is of great help to you.The students and families we work with are receiving acceptances and negotiating financialawards while others are still submitting applications. Our students enjoy success andsatisfaction in college. Our parents have a complete understanding of college cost. Our studentshead off to college with a vision for their success and a plan for their studies. You can too. 109

College Homework1. The School: ________________________ address______________________________________________a) # of students ______ diversification: in-state % ____, your region % ____, male/female ratio ____Weather ____________ Faith _______________ Ethnicity _________________________Dedicated college town? y / n, Is school in the: city ___ suburbs ___ town ___ country ___b) Tuition and costs: out-of-state ______ in-state ______ room & board ______ fees, books _______c) College website ______________________ college phone # ___________________________d) Admissions phone # __________________ counselor name & email ________________________________Dean of Admissions name ______________________ email _______________________________________e) Financial aid phone # _________________ advisor name & email __________________________________f) Athletic website _____________________ Athletic Director, phone # ________________________________g) Semester dates: Fall start- ________ finish- ________; Spring start- ________ finish- ________h) Your preferred major is- ______________________ Does the school have your “major”? _____i) Target date for submitting application- ____________ Target date for completing essay- ___________j) College admission standards for- GPA _____, SAT’s: total- _____ M- ____ CR- ____ WR- ____, ACT’s- ____k) Your academic record: GPA _____, SAT’s: total- _____ M- ____ CR- ____ WR- ____, ACT’s- ____l) What are your planned SAT dates: _______ _______ _______ ACT dates: ______ _______m) Estimated Family Contribution, aka EFC calculator: ___________, Net Price Calculator ___________2. Keys to Admissions interview, meetings, and winning acceptances a) Vision/ mission statement- _________________________________________________________________ b) “Why my college?”- ______________________________________________________________________ c) Demonstrated interest- ___________________________________________________________________ d) Majors ___________________ on-time graduation rates _____ internship opportunity ________________ Job opportunity____________________________ Grad school opportunity _________________________3. Athletes: Coaches name ___________________ ph # ________________ email ________________________ a) How long has the coach been at the school- __________, where did they come from __________________ b) College Athletic conference ____________________________, Division level- DI, DII, DIII, JUCO c) Other schools in the conference are __________________________________________________________ d) Team record: last year- ______________ previous 4 years- _______________________________________ conference record and standing- ___________________ last time in playoffs and results- ______________ e) Roster: size- ______, # of seniors graduating-_____, # of freshmen played- _____ f) Who plays your “position”, what graduation year are they? _____________________________ g) Team travel ______________________________________________________________________________ 110

College Evaluation Form Rate on a scale of 1 – 10, 10 highest, or n/a; Colleges- _______ _______ _______1 - Academics: Educational standard/ ranking ___ ___ ___ Admissions selectivity2- School Location: High on-time graduation rates ___ ___ ___3- School Culture: Low drop-out rates Interdisciplinary degree programs ___ ___ ___ Internship opportunities Job placement % ___ ___ ___ Graduate school opportunity ___ ___ ___ Avg.- ___ ___ ___ Community area Climate ___ ___ ___ Distance from home Economic outlook ___ ___ ___ Avg.- ___ ___ ___ Student diversification ___ ___ ___ Student ethnicity ___ ___ ___ Campus activities ___ ___ ___ Social life ___ ___ ___ Housing, cafeteria Library, Student Union ___ ___ ___ School size, class size ___ ___ ___ Avg.- ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___4- College: Sports teams, Music Department, Performing Arts Quality of team ___ ___ ___ Game/ performance schedule ___ ___ ___ Practice schedule ___ ___ ___ Travel requirements ___ ___ ___ Academic support ___ ___ ___ Facilities ___ ___ ___ Coaching/ teaching staff ___ ___ ___ Opportunity to play, contribute ___ ___ ___ Avg.- ___ ___ ___5- Cost: College cost- tuition, room & board, fees___ ___ ___ Academic scholarship ___ ___ ___ Athletic scholarship ___ ___ ___ Financial aid ___ ___ ___ Travel time and expense ___ ___ ___ Avg.- ___ ___ ___ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total Points (add-up category averages) ___ ___ ___ School Rating- avg of category’s- (pts / 4 or 5) ___ ___ ___ 111

This Workbook & Guide is brought to you by Hans J. Hanson, owner of Total College Advisory. Itbrings forward years of experience with today’s issues, needs, and concerns to deliver the mostup-to-date and current information families need to navigate the complex college search process.This Workbook & Guide is part of a book series on finding the right college fit. Others include- Maximize Your College Scholarship Be a Recruited Athlete- what every mom and dad should know The Inside Track to Playing College SportsI am thankful for many years of working with families and young students in helping them toachieve their desired outcomes for college. I am thankful to the dozens and dozens of people whohave encouraged and supported me in this effort over the years. I am blessed to have this role inmy life, for which I am thankful to my close family and friends, and all those people along the waywho have helped make this happen.Hans J. HansonHans Hanson’s Total College Advisorywww.totalcollegeadvisory.com, visit our [email protected], email your questions and comments 112