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[00:00:00] Okay. Good evening everyone, and welcome. Thank you for joining this MEFA webinar, which is a Q and A with college admissions experts. I’m just, my name is Julie Shields Rina, and I am the director of college planning education and training at MEFA. And I’m going to just go over a few logistics and then we’ll turn it right over to our expert panel.
So our expert panel, um, wonderful admissions experts, uh, Jonathan, a Shire from Brandeis University, Joe DiCarlo from Worcester State University, and Maria Christina Gavilan from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. So three very different, uh, terrific institutions here in Massachusetts as well, and you’ll, you’ll learn a lot about those.
Just a few logistics. Um, you can control your audio. Uh, the chat feature for all of [00:01:00] you has been turned off. So if you have questions, and I hope you do, please put those in the q and a and we will, A lot will be covered, um, when the panel is speaking. But then we will leave time at the end to make sure we get all of your questions answered.
And if you need to leave. Feel free, um, because we are going to record this and send you the recording and, and, um, you’ll be able to have that if you, if you have to leave earlier, if you wanna share it with someone. And lastly, if you’d like close captioning, you can hit the live transcript button and you’ll be able to see the words that we’re speaking across the screen.
And a couple of words about MEFA. MEFA has been around since 1982, and our mission is to help families plan, save, and pay for college. So with that, I will just say, please, um, you know. Look to me for often as a, as a resource. We have a terrific website. We have lots of webinars, we have some in-person [00:02:00] events in the community.
We also have a podcast, and we have all of these social media handles as well. Uh, so whatever suits you, um, how you like to receive your information, take advantage of that. And I’ll also say this, um, if you ever need, you ever have questions throughout this whole process, um. Of college and planning and saving.
Uh, here’s our 800 number and, um, our, our website that you can, our email that you can call and email at any time, and we’re happy to help you and I’ll, I’ll put these up at the end as well. But let me finish that.
Take that. Okay. And now I would like to, uh, turn it over to our panelists. And first I guess I’m gonna ask you all, if you would just go around for a [00:03:00] few minutes and say a little bit about yourself, uh, your career in the field of admissions, and a little bit about your institution. Um, so I’ll, I’ll start with you.
Maria. Christina.
Hi. So my name is Mad Christina. She, her. I go by mc a little bit easier to remember. Uh, I am in the director of Admission for Access and Outreach at WPI been in WPI for a few years now, but been in admissions for over a decade. Um, so what I really like about, uh, WPI and it’s kind of unique, is we are sort of a smaller, medium sized school, about 5,400 undergrads.
Well, you can study a variety of different things. We have over 50 different programs you really specialize in STEM and business heavy emphasis on the stem. About 60% of our students are engineering majors, but we have a variety of students who study different things such as concentrations in prehealth, computer science, be our most popular major.
Um, we also are known for our project based learning curriculum. Where [00:04:00] students are really able to practice. We have practice in theory, in the classroom, so students are able to kind of collaborate on a variety of different projects throughout all four years, as early as their freshman year. Uh, we have a really cool one IQP interactive qualifying project that happens during student’s junior year where they’re actually going off for one of our quarters.
’cause we have a quarter system. So a student takes three classes over seven weeks, four times throughout the year. So during one of those quarters, uh, they’re actually going abroad to complete their IQP project. So it’s a really unique opportunity to kind of use all of the knowledge that they have and ha work on a STEM project with a humanities focus and really helping a community.
Um, and that’s just some of the opportunities that we have at WPI. We are located in Worcester, so in the heart of Massachusetts. If you wanna learn more, you’re welcome to kind of reach out. We have tour all the time, but I’ll pass it on to other panelists now.
Thank you, MC. I’ll call you mc and Jonathan.
Well, [00:05:00] hello everyone. Um, Jonathan Elisha, the director of Admission at Brandeis University. Um, we are located in Walham, Massachusetts, so that’s about nine miles west of Boston. And we are, um, a research one university of about 3,500 undergraduate students. Um, research one just kind of being the designation for the level and, and quantity of research taking place on our campus.
Um, but that. Feel of a liberal arts school is very present. About half of our students have a double major, um, in fact. So it’s really common to across the disciplines. We have faculty that teach across the disciplines and a few of the things that are on the horizon for Brandeis. Um, one is we are about to break ground on a brand new residence hall.
So it is a further. Um, commitment and investment in the residential nature of the university. First year students are required to live on campus, um, and the vast majority of students do live on campus across their, their four years. Um, and then we are also, we, [00:06:00] we have an award-winning career center at Brandeis, but we are integrating that at every step we can throughout your journey as an undergraduate.
So it starts with orientation, um, and then it will happen in many different ways throughout your four years as well. It’s not just an office. To go and engage with when you’re starting to think about an internship or a career. But it’s really central and key to the university’s mission as you work towards your, um, your bachelor’s degree overall.
And we offer about 50 different, um, programs of study. Um, so I will, uh, turn it over to, uh, to Joe.
Hi everyone. Good evening. My name is Joe DiCarlo. I’m the Dean of Enrollment and Director of Admissions at Worcester State. Uh, I’ve been in admissions for a little over 20 years. Uh, I’ve worked at a variety of institutions and for the last 14 years, uh, have been, uh, dean and director at Worcester State.
Uh, Worcester State’s a medium sized public liberal arts and sciences university with around 5,000 students. Uh, we’re [00:07:00] located in the city of Worcester in a residential neighborhood. On a 58 acre campus, actually, not too far from WPI and, uh, and mc, uh, just a, a, a short drive from there. Another great benefit of Worcester is that there are other, there are six other colleges and universities in the city of Worcester.
So it’s a nice college town, uh, with about 36,000 or so, uh, college students that study at any one of those universities. Um, at Worcester State, we offer around 90 different majors and minors, some of our more popular programs, our business administration, biology, criminal justice, psychology. And education.
We also have a pretty well-known nursing program, but a lot of different, uh, options available for students. Um, through our Major plus program, all of our students will graduate with two programs of study, either a double major or a major and minor as part of their degree, which is done in four years, uh, for the same cost.
Uh, so you kind of add on, uh, to your, to your baccalaureate, uh, program and graduate with those two programs of study, which we feel positions our students really well. In the job market or for graduate school? Um, our students are engaged, uh, through our honors [00:08:00] program. They complete internships, undergraduate research study abroad.
Um, we’re proud to see that 98% of our students graduate or, uh, of our graduates are employed or in graduate school within about six months of graduation. Additionally, we’re a residential campus. Uh, we do offer a four year housing guarantee. We see about, uh, 1600 students live on our live on our campus. Uh, so there is a vibrant campus life.
We offer about 45 different clubs and organizations, and we do have a division three varsity athletic program with about 20 different sports. Um, so happy to be here tonight and look forward to answering your questions.
That’s great. Thanks Joe. And Joe, I’m gonna have you start it off. Some of these questions I have, have been asked, um, over the last month from, um, parents and students who have written in, but can you, one question people always have is, you know.
Say I, I’m a junior. I wanna start at the beginning. Um, how should a student begin thinking about the admissions process and how do you begin that process of deciding, you know, where to [00:09:00] apply? Um, I hear this notion of balanced list. What does that mean? And um, yeah. How do you start to look for colleges, whether you have a specific major in mind or not.
Sure, sure. Yeah. So I think a, a really good place to start is to think about what kind of college experience you’re looking for. Um, and a lot of students will start to think about, um, you know, how far away if they’re interested in going to school from home, right? So distance, uh, do you wanna be more local?
Do you wanna be able to, you know, be easily accessible to, to get home if you need to. Are you gonna commute? Are you gonna live on campus? Uh, what kind of academic offerings are you interested in? So are you a student that already knows what exactly what they wanna study? Or are you a little bit more undecided?
Uh, and so obviously you wanna look at the academic programs that a college is gonna offer to make sure that they have those options available to you. Um, are you interested in things like internships and undergraduate research and study away, uh, some of those co-curricular activities or do you think you might be interested in playing sports?
And does the college offer the particular sport you’re [00:10:00] interested in? At what varsity, what division, uh, are their programs. Uh, some fam some students will also consider, uh, whether or not they want to go to a public university or a private, a private school. Uh, and then obviously to, to your point around, um, you know, sort of fit and balancing a list, uh, you may want to consider sort of selectivity.
Uh, what does their admissions process look like? How selective or maybe not selective is the university, uh, in terms of gaining admission and then cost, uh, if that’s, uh, a concern, uh, for your family. So you wanna round out your list in terms of making sure you have some options, both in terms of gaining admission, but also some financial options, uh, for your family, uh, as well.
Next, uh, I would think about definitely meeting with your school counselor or your college counselor, or, uh, someone that’s familiar with the college admissions process to just sort of help them, uh, you know, uh, better understand what you’re looking for. And they’re usually very knowledgeable around the, uh, colleges that are gonna match up with what you’re looking for in terms of fit and [00:11:00] characteristics, and they can sort of help you narrow down.
A list of schools to start to, uh, to explore. So those are great resources that you can leverage. Um, you wanna think about joining mailing lists. Uh, you can go to the college websites. You can join mailing lists through different college search sites. Um, and that’s just a great way for colleges to begin sending you information, whether it be through email, whether it be through mail, uh, also checking out their social media accounts or their websites.
So again, you can kind of start to, uh, familiarize yourself with some of the schools that you’re adding to your list. Um. You wanna take advantage of opportunities to start to interact with the college. So if they have virtual events, maybe they offer a virtual tour on their website, uh, that you can begin to learn about the campus and what the students are doing, and you can do that in a virtual format just from the convenience of your own home, right?
Uh, you could also take advantage of different types of virtual events that they might be offering, like an information session or a. Or, um, or a, uh, an opportunity to connect an interview with an admissions counselor or, or an alumni representative, uh, in a format that makes it easy and convenient for [00:12:00] you, just like we’re doing tonight, uh, online.
Uh, and then once you really start to kind of find those schools that are really excite you, uh, you want to think about scheduling some in-person visits, uh, you know, the website. Looks really good, has lots of good information as do the brochures, but there’s a lot to say about actually getting on the campus, walking around, taking in kind of the sight and sounds and looking at the facilities, uh, to really gauge whether or not that school’s gonna meet what you’re looking for.
And so there’s opportunities to, to the campus, uh, to maybe meet with an admissions representative in person if they offer that opportunity. Or even consider attending a larger event like an open house. Uh, and most college colleges are gonna offer the ability to ca to tour campus, you know, throughout the year.
Uh, some of the open house events might, uh, if you’re a junior right now, uh, will likely be on your calendar, uh, for the fall. Uh, so certainly would encourage you to start to think about that on ca, you know, in person on campus, uh, visit, uh, as well. In terms of creating that balance list. I mean, I think one example that I thought might help to kind of contextualize that for students [00:13:00] tonight is to, you know, when we think about, um, uh, selectivity or admission, right?
Um, one thing that most colleges can provide you with is sort of what an, an average accepted, you know, GPA or high school profile. Is usually a student that is gonna be competitive for admission to their university. Um, and so, you know, for instance, at Worcester State, our average accepted student high school GPA is around a 3.2.
So if you have a solid B average, you’re gonna be competitive for admission to Worcester State. So you know that that’s a school that you know would be pretty, pretty safe to apply to. Um, if your GPA is above a 3.2, then. You might just be some, you may be more competitive for an invitation to our honors program or to a, or for a merit scholarship.
Um, if your GPA is below a 3.2, we still want you to apply to our university that the 3.2 is just an average. It’s not a cutoff or a, or a, or a, or a, or a definitive minimum. Uh, but there might just be other opportunity, you know, might be become a little bit more of a reach school for you. Uh, and there might be other components of your application that we’re gonna take into account, uh, to determine whether or not we can, uh, we [00:14:00] can, um, offer you admission.
Ours is a 3.0 for other schools, it might be a 3.5, it might be a 4.0. Uh, so, but that just provides some base context in terms of where you might fall academically as you start to formulate your list and have an idea of those schools that you’re gonna be more competitive for admission, uh, or not. Uh, and then obviously you, you can certainly consider cost.
Um, you know, you might have an idea of sort of what you’re, what you’re able to afford, uh. You know, there’s tuition and, uh, tuition costs are generally pretty easy to find on a college website. Um, but know that there’s lots of options to make the college affordable regard no matter how expensive or or least expensive, uh, you know, a school might seem to you.
But it always is good too just to have a variety of schools at different price points that offer, you know, the opportunities. To support students, uh, financially. Um, our goal is to ultimately make college as accessible to as many students as possible, right? Whether that be academically or financially. Um, but sometimes those things are gonna line up more specifically for students based upon their individual [00:15:00] circumstances.
Thank you Joe and Maria. Christina, I’ll turn to you. Um, to maybe build upon what Joe was saying, there’s a term that I, I hear admissions folks talk about often called demonstrated interest. And um, so can you talk about what that is and build upon some of those things that, um, that students can do when they’re interacting with colleges?
Sure. So I think, when I think about, I reflect on when I was. Exploring colleges demonstrated interest is not a term I was familiar with. I don’t have a family that has a long history of, of even being in the US so attending school in the US and familiar with admissions process. So it wasn’t something I really knew what it was until I started in admissions.
Um, but demonstrated interest is really what some schools, not all, but some schools will look at it at various different points of the admissions process. Uh, maybe initially when they’re reviewing schools or during, when they’re considering removing students from the wait list and accepting them. Um, it really talks.
It’s kind of how much [00:16:00] interest you’ve demonstrated to an institution. I mean, you can do that in a variety of different ways. Joe mentioned a lot of ways you can start by doing that. You know, it’s attending a virtual event. It could be you’ve interacted with a school at a college fair. Maybe your school’s hosting one, or we know that NIAC host summer, there’s some national college fairs that happen in Boston and Springfield annually.
Um, it could be that again, you’re. High school college counselor is a great resource because a lot of times colleges, like I know we’re visiting high schools in the fall, so they usually have a running list of where you can sign up for schools. You might be interested in going to meet with them, filling out an information card or an online kind of QR code, giving them your information.
Schools are sometimes tracking how often they’re seeing you at different events and how often you’re engaging. It could be, you know, even just like replying to emails from your admissions counselor. I think a lot of times, um, it can be scary sometimes to feel like you can ask questions about like, selectivity and, uh, [00:17:00] disclosing information like, oh, I have this SAT score.
We’re gonna see it anyway if you apply. So just kind of building that relationship sometimes can benefit a student. And again, going to campus, I, I always recommend whether you’re able to do it virtually or in person. ’cause I know sometimes colleges can be a long distance, maybe you don’t have transportation there.
Even eng engage, engaging virtually. We take that into account. Like, I know for us at WPI, it is something that we, it’s not a huge thing, but it is something we looked at. I’ve worked at other institutions where that can sometimes be the determining factor in a committee of a student is like, we know they wanna come here.
There are, uh, also. Colleges that we have supplemental essays where they ask. Why WPI? Why do you wanna come here? Where do you see yourself fitting in if you haven’t really engaged virtually or by coming to campus? It’s kind of hard to give specifics on that question, and a lot of times students who have kind of been in interaction with us more can better tell us about where they see themselves, what’s really unique to the institution.
And so I think that’s [00:18:00] something that again. It’s important question. You can even ask different institutions of how you weigh demonstrated interest in the admissions process. Some don’t look at it at all, and some it can be really influential. It can be that one thing that tips you over that, hey, you know, this student has visited several times.
They mentioned it in this supplemental essay. They have, you know, really engaged with us. I think the student, we should be, you know, someone who would be. Really, um, wanting to be part of our community. So I think that’s something that, you know, to keep in mind. Um, so just know that you can interact with colleges in a variety of different ways.
But if you’re really wanting to make sure that you stay on a college’s radar, it’s please, you know, show up to the high school visit, come and visit virtually or in person.
Thank you. And Jonathan, I’ll, I’ll turn to you. So clearly there are so many different types of institutions with different policies.
So can you talk about those different choices? Two year, [00:19:00] four year, public, private, um, and some of the. Differences that come with some of those, um, some of the, some of the issues that we’ve discussed? Absolutely.
Yeah. So public and private is probably the, the first differentiator. Um, and from the student experience perspective, um, that.
It doesn’t change a lot. Both are institutions that you can earn and work towards your degree. Both have faculty, both have student affairs, um, different, different services. Um, and one of the, the kind of, uh, backend differences might be a little bit the funding of the institution. Um, a public institution typically receives a little bit more federal or state funding.
And a private institution typically, um, is a little bit more driven based on an endowment and the tuition, um, that they’re receiving from the students currently attending that, that particular school, um, two year and four year. So two year institutions are schools that are typically. Working towards an associate’s degree.
So that is [00:20:00] a degree you can earn, um, generally in two years. Um, and it is the degree before a bachelor’s degree, um, which is what typically a four year institution is, is offering. Um, two year institutions tend to be the community colleges. Um, so the community college in your neighborhood is likely a two year institution.
That is not, um, uh, an an always but a most often, um, structure for that, that community school. For some students that community college, that two-way pathway is a terrific step into the college process for a variety of reasons. It may be cost related. Community colleges tend to be a more affordable option for those, those first two years.
Um, it may be that, uh, you are looking to stay closer to home and there’s not a four year institution that’s, that’s immediately adjacent to your house. So you’ll stay the first two years closer and then four. Four year, uh, final two years at a four year institution, um, might venture a little bit further.
Um, or it [00:21:00] might be that perhaps you have really struggled in high school, um, and you need to really maybe do, um, a little bit of credit recovery from high school, or you just think that you really need. Uh, a transition and a moment to rethink and learn college before you step into the the Bachelor’s degree program.
Um, two year institutions also serve a really broad spectrum of students. Um, there are people there that have just finished their high school diploma or their GED, um, through, through adults that have taken many different paths through their, their education. Um, the four year college is where you are typically working towards a bachelor’s degree.
Um, so a bachelor of science, a bachelor of of arts degree. Um, and those are, uh, often degrees that are required for certain types of jobs. So if you’re thinking about a particular career path, that can always be good just to research and see, um, as an associates. Degree, the, the degree that that particular position is looking for, [00:22:00] or is it a, a bachelor’s degree?
And that will help you maybe determine if the two year path is, is the right and final path, or if the four year path is one to, to ultimately, um, work towards. So you can begin your studies at a four year institution that first year and, and work all four years at that same school. Or perhaps you complete your associates at the two year institution and then you transfer.
Um, to a four year degree for your essentially equivalent of junior and senior year, and then earning that, that bachelor’s degree. So ways to combine those two types of schools or just pursue one or, um, or the other. Um, and then thinking a little bit about the different, I guess, methods of application, um, into each of these, some of these, uh, institutions will have essentially open enrollment.
Um, it will be as long as you submit an application or a form or some type of, uh, document that they are requesting by a date. You know, you would be able to take classes there the following semester. Um, others have [00:23:00] different deadlines, so there might be something like regular decision or early action, or early decision.
Um, so regular decision tends to be, um, the, often the largest deadline I. Um, it is the one that doesn’t come with any strings attached. If you’re offered admission, you then have full choice of whether or not you decide to enroll in that particular institution. Um, early action is similar in terms of that commitment level.
Most often it’s just happening. Earlier in the process. So often that application is due, um, earlier than a regular decision. You receive an admissions decision earlier than regular decision, but you still have that choice after being offered admission, whether you enroll in that institution or not. And then that last option, early decision.
So this is one where it is a binding agreement. By submitting your application, you’re agreeing that if this college offers you admission, you will enroll. At that college. Um, so when you know, it’s a very clear number one, [00:24:00] um, it’s exactly where you want to be the following semester, that can be a really terrific option to pursue.
But if you have a lot of schools in that top third or top quarter of your list and you can’t quite decide when applications are due, which one might be best, um, or maybe you need to sit and look and compare the financial aid offers from multiple institutions to determine the best fit, then early decision may not be a good.
Um, pathway, um, that decision of what type of application deadline to pursue, um, is likely one to start thinking about a little bit later in the summer before your final year of high school or in the fall of that, that final year of high school. When that list is, I. Narrower and you start to see some of those, um, schools rising to the top of your list and maybe others that are maybe more in the, the middle of your, your list overall.
Um, another element that comes into play here are standardized tests. So that means the SAT or the a CT, um, a good number of institutions are test optional. [00:25:00] And so that really puts the, um, decision in, in your hands to decide whether or not to submit an SAT or not to an an institution. Um, some schools require.
The SAT or a CT and, uh, for that reason, it can be good to be, um, taking those tests. So you have a score to decide whether or not you want to send to a particular school as opposed to maybe it is, um, mid to late fall of your senior year and you find the school that you really love, but you learn they’re a test required institution.
Um. So what does that, that test optional really, really mean? Um, it’s something I think to ask each admissions office, once you know where you’re applying, do they evaluate applications differently for students with tests or without tests? Are scholarships awarded differently for students with tests or, or without?
Um, how does that factor in or, or not factor in when a test score is submitted to that [00:26:00] institution? And you’ll find that while a lot of schools may say test optional because they are. Some of those further questions might differentiate a little bit more, and it might be you decide one or two schools that are test optional.
It would be, um, to your advantage to submit test scores and maybe one or two schools that are test optional. You decide that, um, the test scores aren’t, aren’t something that you would like included in that, that application process. Um, and merit scholarships is another piece that goes into this, um, consideration and.
And, um, I think really partly plays into the admissions deadline that you choose. Um, every institution if they offer merit scholarship does it differently. Some institutions automatically consider every single application they have for different merit scholarships. Other institutions may actually have an earlier date.
Your application needs to be submitted, so it might still be that regular decision, right? That no commitment deadline, but they’re asking for the application sooner. Um. Other schools may have [00:27:00] really specific application components, so perhaps additional letters of recommendation or additional essays, um, or even just additional check boxes on the application that yes, you’re interested in a particular program and that’s a way of raising your hand for a merit scholarship.
Um, so. As you move through that college search process, um, merit scholarships and asking what a school offers in that category can, can be really helpful. And then I think once you have the list of where you’re likely applying, that’s when you need to ask those really specific questions. How do I make sure that I’m considered for merit scholarship?
Is it a deadline? Is it an application or just by applying to your institution, will I be considered for a, a particular merit scholarship?
Great. Thank you. And so Joe, I’m gonna ask you the next question. Um, on the campus, in the, in the admissions office, how are admissions applications evaluated? What are you looking for?
I. [00:28:00]
Sure. Great question. Thanks Julie. Uh, and certainly welcome my colleagues, Jonathan and Mc to, uh, you know, add, uh, if I missed anything. ’cause each office really kind of does things differently, right? They’re gonna have a process that fits, uh, their institutional goals, priorities and sort of what they’re looking for in an ideal candidate, uh, for admission.
But I’ll sort of speak broadly just in my experience. Um, but it’s probably best to start with understanding what are the components of the admissions application, right? So when a student applies. Uh, to a college, they generally will submit an application. Uh, it may most students, uh, will complete a common app.
Um, uh, some students may elect to complete the university or college’s own institutional application. Nowadays, almost all students are, are submitting those online. In addition to an application, students are also submitting a transcript. High school transcript or, and also perhaps college transcripts if they’ve taken dual enrollment courses or they’re applying as a transfer student.
Some students that are electing to submit test scores may submit their a [00:29:00] CT or SAT, uh, test scores if they’re, um, if they’re, if they’re applying to a school that either requires them or if they’re choosing to submit, uh, as part of, uh, test, optional admission process. Uh, and then in additional, uh, most, uh, students will also submit.
Letters of recommendation oftentimes from their school counselor, as well as an academic letter of recommendation from a teacher that knows them in the classroom. Uh, always nice to see when students are able list their activities. It can be done on the common app, but some students will also submit a supplemental activity sheet or a resume.
And then again, very common, uh, as part of the common app, uh, but could be done as a supplemental is a, is a, is an essay. Um, now most colleges, again, are gonna have different things that they’re looking for a different way of doing things. But I would say that most colleges are gonna have a process, um, that’s holistic, um, where all of the components that I just outlined are gonna be considered as part of the admissions decision.
There are a few, maybe, that are a little bit more driven quantitatively by numbers like a GPA or a minimum test [00:30:00] score. But most of the four different colleges that I’ve worked at, we’ve all took, taken a holistic approach to reviewing, um, students’ applications for admission. Really looking at all of the components, but there’s definitely one that has a little bit more weight than the others, and that would be your academic, uh, or high, or your transcript.
Um, we wanna make sure that we’re admitting students to our university, our colleges, that, um, are prepared for college level coursework. Right? And the best way to determine that is really looking at your high school transcript, uh, to ga to to gauge, uh, how you’ve prepared yourself for college. And some of the things that we’re looking for in your high school transcript are your course selection.
What classes have you taken in high school? Uh, have you taken four years of math or four years of English? Four years of a social science, um, uh, foreign language. Uh, and those requirements are sort of the number of units that they’re looking for. Again, may vary from institution to institution, but what classes you’ve elected to take is oftentimes important and weighted.
We look at the rigor of your curriculum. You know, usually [00:31:00] standard or college prep level coursework is gonna be the baseline for students that are interested in going on to, to college. Um, but certainly welcome, uh, opportunities for students that have taken advantage of honors courses or AP courses, or even dual enrollment, college level coursework as well, um, to demonstrate.
Your ability to be successful in that type of pro uh, coursework. When you move on to college, obviously we’re taking a look at your grades. Uh, we’re taking a look at your grade trends. Uh, so really all of that information that we’re gathering off the transcript is really valuable information as we’re evaluating you for admission to our universities.
Um, and so that in my experience has been where the most weight has been placed. Uh, and then in addition at beyond that. Uh, every school’s a little bit different. Some schools may be really interested in your letters of recommendation in your test scores if you submitted them. Uh, they may be really curious to see what you’ve shared in your college essay, but we really need to look at the college application process and sort of what you submit as different puzzle pieces, and we’re putting all those puzzle pieces together [00:32:00] to really get a picture of who you are as a person, both academically and socially.
Because through our admissions process, what we’re really focused in on and what we’re. Trying to do as an admissions committee is build a community of new students that are gonna come and join our college campuses. And so we want to feel confident when evaluating you for admission that you’re going to be a successful member of our community academically.
Uh, that you’re gonna embrace opportunities to get involved in the campus life, uh, and that you’ll also be a good standing member of our community as well. And we’re able to determine that through all the different components of the application. With, again, probably the most weight being placed on your, on the academic pieces, uh, such as your, as as your transcript.
Thank you. And I’ll, I’ll bring up one of the elements of the application, the essay that we tend to get, lots and lots of questions about it from students, from parents. So Maria, Christina, can you, can you talk about what, what makes a good college essay?
[00:33:00] Sure. So I think first and foremost, um, on students’ application, sometimes they have the opportunity to really pick a topic and sometimes they don’t have the opportunity to pick a topic.
But it is really important to understand first and foremost, what is the question asking that you’re supposed to be answering and writing about. Um, so for example, on the common application, there’s a variety of different topics that you can choose from, whether it’s gonna be talking about maybe challenges you had to overcome or interests that you have, or you can pick a topic of your choice.
There may be other supplemental essays that are really focused on talking about why this particular institution or. Covering a specific topic. So really make sure that you understand the question or the topic that the essay is supposed to be about. And then I, I always appreciate when students really think about, um, you know, what they want us to know.
I think Joe did a really good, uh, analogy of this is a puzzle piece. We’re really trying to kind of put the picture together. This is students opportunity to really speak to us and say. What else do you really want us to [00:34:00] highlight or know about you? Maybe that we’re not gonna see in other aspects of your application or reading between the lines we may miss out on.
So what do you want us to do? Um, kind of take away from that? I would say, um, a really good. College essay for me is one that touches on a couple of different things. Uh, the greatest example I can always think of, I’ve read quite a few, uh, essays, is one, a student who wrote a recipe about herself and she was really able to dive into the various different identities she held.
Uh, for example, being a daughter, being an older sister. Being a skateboarder, being, um, you know, uh, a member of the Girl Scouts, but also talked about her passion and interest and really gave me a better insight of where I could see her fitting into our community and being a part of different things. Um, I would say another advice is just read it to a teacher, to a parent, to a friend.
Does this sound like you, do you think that you think about the message you’re trying to convey to us? Did. Is the person that you [00:35:00] read this essay to, or they read it, did they feel like they took away and walked away from those same things that you were trying to have us take away? Um, and then last but not least, make sure you edit it for spelling, uh, you know, for any grammar.
Uh, spacing, things like that. Um, but I really always tell students, um, sometimes I hear students where they wanna focus on, maybe they struggled in a particular course and they think that this is a place where they need to talk about specifically academics. We can see your transcript, we can see what your grades are.
Um, there’s, especially in some applications, like Common App, a place for additional info where you can give us more insight. Your essay should really be focused on. What else do you want us to know about you? Um, what are you passionate about? Where can you see yourself, um, growing in college? So that’s what I think are some of the things that make a really good essay.
Thank you. And I’ll just say before, I have one more question right now to ask and I’m gonna ask a few Jonathan, but before I [00:36:00] do, I’ll just say we have a few. Questions in the queue, and we’re gonna get to those. Um, and there’s some interesting ones there. So, um, that will be fun. But this question involves, um, cost of college.
So before I give this question to Jonathan, I guess I’d just like to say that MEFA does lots and lots of webinars on, uh, the, you know, the financial aid process, how that works, how to apply. So I would just encourage you. Um, to look at MEFA.org/events as we move along in the spring, summer and fall. Um, and you’ll find lots of information about the financial side of it, but it’s tied together with admissions.
And so this question I have for you, Jonathan, is, is how should a family consider the overall cost of college in the admissions decision?
Absolutely. So I think when you’re at that, that stage of the admissions process where you likely have multiple offers of admission, um, cost can absolutely be a piece that you use [00:37:00] to differentiate some of those schools.
Um, the way you get to that step, I. Is as you’re researching where you’re applying, make sure you know, like I said earlier, the merit scholarship deadlines. Um, Joe mentioned, uh, really nicely at the beginning about thinking about cost upfront as you’re building your list of where to even research. Um, and one of the, the, the pieces you can think about before you have that final financial aid package.
Is what’s called the net price calculator. Um, every college has some version of that on their website. Um, and it can give a really rough estimate, um, of what type of sometimes merit aid or need-based financial aid may, um, be awarded to you if, if you’re offered admission. Um. So when you’re at that stage and you have those financial aid offers, that means you’ve submitted the documentation the college is requesting, um, typically at least the fafsa, the free application for federal student aid.
Um, private colleges may also ask for a form called the CSS profile, and then all [00:38:00] kinds of other documents that a, a financial aid office may ask. Um, and. You need to, to see what type of aid is there. And this is really, um, Julie MEFA, uh, an area of expertise, certainly of of your, your guidance that, that you and your team offer, but, um, understanding that some, uh, financial aid.
Is, um, grant, meaning it does not need to be repaid to the institution. It is just money that is, um, being given and essentially kind of subtracting from the bill that that college sends you. And, um, part of a financial aid package might be loans. So a federal loan, like a Stafford loan or something, may be a part of the package, and that’s something that ultimately accrues interest and you’re responsible for, for repaying.
Um. The type of school you’re going to. Um, and your ultimate degree goal should also be a part of this consideration, right? So don’t get so focused on making year one work. You need to make sure you can make each year you [00:39:00] plan to be at that college work. So if you’re scraping together, um, and pulling too deeply from savings to cover that cost of the first year, what, what happens in year two if the college costs the same amount and offers you the same amount of financial aid?
Um, so think about something that is sustainable across the two years, um, or the four years that you plan to be in a, in a particular school. Um, and ask questions of the colleges. Um. One of the, uh, aspects of need-based financial aid is financial circumstances can change quickly, um, in a way that your taxes from two years ago don’t reflect.
Um, and so you need to perhaps be in touch and go through an appeal process. Let them know current financial situations, um, and that may change and. An ultimate package. So, um, choosing the right fit college is about the school where you’ll excel and do well academically and socially, but it’s also the financial fit.
Um, it needs to be a school where you’re looking and you understand [00:40:00] what does this cost my family or what does this cost me? And where will I be at graduation? Um, what type of of debt may I have or no debt may I have from a particular. Um, college and, and the package that they put together for me. Um, but absolutely that’s a part of the conversation.
Um, admissions offices are happy to be a part of that conversation. The financial aid offices are happy to be a part of that, that conversation. Um, so reach out and. And ask questions. It’s not something you just need to sit down and figure out, um, at the kitchen table by yourself. There’s, there’s resources around you, um, to be thinking through and, and to learn what all of those different types of aids and costs may be.
Um, that a, that a particular college offers. Thank you. That’s great.
So I’ve been staring at this first question for a little bit now, and I’m kind of excited to ask it. Um, it’s a good question, but it’s actually kind of an impossible question. Um, but I think, um, well, I’ll say the question and [00:41:00] then I’ll say what I think about it.
So the question is, how do you get into MIT. And have minimal debt. And so the reason I say it’s an I, I guess I’m just gonna let you, panelists, experts answer it. And, and I think that there’s probably a lot that you could share just about thinking about the whole process in answering that question that I think could be, could be valuable.
So I don’t know who would like to maybe tackle that first and um.
I can share none of this work for, for MIT. Right. So we, we can’t give a specific answer to that. No. Even, even if we did have an admission staff member here from MIT, even they couldn’t tell you the exact formula to get admission into, to MIT.
Um, as, as was talked about earlier, that that idea of holistic admissions and looking at multiple factors, yes, your academic record is really influential. Um, but it’s all of these other pieces and that can change from year to year. At schools. Um, so there, there is not a [00:42:00] formula, um, to be, be offered admission to, uh, to, to majority of schools.
Um, and then the, the debt component of that, like how do you not only gain admission, but how do you make sure you don’t have a lot of debt? Um, it’s making sure that you’re going through and meeting their application deadlines, um, so that you are. Being, uh, considered for as much need-based financial aid as you’re eligible for, um, that you’re putting yourself in every merit scholarship pool that you can put yourself in.
Um, so that ultimately you’ve done some of that work to try and make the cost to you and your family, whatever, um, may be reasonable for your family, um, and potentially leading to, um, limited or, or no debt on graduation.
I don’t know if either of you have anything else to share about that. Okay.
We’ll just jump in and say, I think one of the mistakes I made when I was attending universities, I didn’t continue to look for scholarships after my first year.
Um, there are a variety of different [00:43:00] campuses that hope that hold scholarships. Specifically for current students? Um, various different majors. I know that I’ve been on, um, scholarships committees for institutions where they had it for a specific major and it was like specific major for men and only women applied.
And guess what? They’re the ones who got it. So it is interesting. I know just checking in with your financial aid office and saying, Hey. Any other scholarships for current students become available or any other grants, even if it’s just a couple hundred that can help cover books or can help cover, um, additional class maybe you’re taking over the summer.
Um, it’s always good to check, to continue to check in with financial aid even after you’ve enrolled in an institution.
That’s great. And I, I may add one thing too, I guess since I, I’ve been thinking about that question and just that. Um, it’s good if you are interested in a certain institution to find out as much about that institution, of course, but I, I tend to, uh.[00:44:00]
Really have students and parents keep an open mind. I, I feel like that makes the process go a little bit easier all the way through. So that’s the one thing I would add, um, about to that. Um, okay. Let me ask, would one of you like to talk about, um, just study abroad programs on your, on your campus and the availability of those?
Uh.
It. Sure, sure. I mean, I, it’s a, it’s a great question and definitely I, I would think, uh, college is a great time to consider studying abroad or away, um, really no better other time in your life when you have that flexibility to do so. Um, and so, you know, basically I think the, the main key points to think about is that most colleges are gonna offer us study abroad program.
Uh, there usually is a designated office on each campus that works with students to, uh, identify, um. An [00:45:00] experience that’s gonna work for the student. Uh, for instance, at Worcester State, we offer three different options. A student can take a full semester, uh, and study, basically transfer to an institution abroad and take a full course load of classes and have those credits transferred back to Worcester State.
I. Uh, and get that full experience, you know, over the course of 14 to 15 weeks. Um, we also will have students that will take advantage of a summer, a six week program, um, where they’ll travel with a group of other Worcester State students and with a faculty member or two to a particular destination. And usually maybe they’re earning, they’re taking one or two.
Worcester state classes, uh, at that location in addition to also sightseeing and, and other type of types of experiences. Um, and then the third would be, uh, some of our students will take advantage of a spring break trip, which is, you know, about 10 days maybe. Um, and so we like to have a variety of options based upon, uh.
The flexibility that it offers students. Uh, there’s also different price points. So financially, um, you know, there’s a, there’s, uh, options available there as well. [00:46:00] Um, but I would say, you know, we, we work with about 200 different locations, both domestically and internationally, uh, for students to have an experience out off of Worcester State’s campus, uh, to, to participate in.
Uh, and that’s pretty typical at most, uh, colleges, including Brandeis, you know, and WPI. So the two main things are they’re available. Uh, there’s support for you with professional staff, uh, and there’s usually a variety of options, locations, price points, uh, ability to take classes and whatnot. Uh, and so it’s a really great experience, uh, and certainly something that I’m sure we would all encourage students to consider.
Great. Another topic, um, that someone asked about is, can you just talk a little bit about the transfer process? Is it difficult to transfer from one school to another? Um, are some reasons better than others? I. Some reasons to make the transfer. I guess the,
the reason to transfer is because whatever your current school, where you’re enrolled [00:47:00] offers is not what’s right for you.
So it might be they don’t have the degree program, they don’t have. Whatever it is that you feel like it’s missing if, if you think another college has it, that’s a reason to explore transferring. Um, the transfer process is far more fragmented than the first year admissions process. So first year admission, um, uh, applications tend to be due in the fall and winter.
Uh, you apply to a lot of colleges by May 1st, or, or maybe in. Uh, a little bit later. Um, transfer deadlines are all over the place. Sometimes schools allow spring entry or just fall entry. Um, so you do need to narrow that list of, um, where you’re wanting to transfer. I think you should have a clear reason in your mind why the particular school you’re submitting the transfer application to is right.
And what that school’s offering that you are really hoping is a part of your, your college experience. Um, one of the, uh, challenges with transfer is [00:48:00] credit, right? You’ve, you’ve done the work, you’ve earned the grades. You want to make sure that continues to count toward your degree. Um, so if you’re.
Starting college at perhaps like a two year institution of community college with the intention that you will transfer to a four year college to earn that bachelor’s degree. You should start thinking about what that four year school may be. So you can look at some of their requirements. Um, it might be to transfer into their business program.
They require class A, B, and C, um, or it might be the. Opposite, right? They say Don’t take class A, B, and C. We want you to take our version of those classes, um, and it’s better for you to spend your time in the first year or the second year in this liberal arts arena, um, or something like that. So looking at the transfer.
Credit process, I think can help, um, smooth that transition in some way by making sure that you’ve done everything you can to take classes that, um, will stay with you and will continue to build to your, your degree, wherever [00:49:00] that may be.
That’s great. So the question is, do colleges weigh students who interview more highly in terms of demonstrated interest?
So that’s a good question, and I’d just ask, maybe you could talk a tiny bit more about how different colleges handle interviews as required or not required or informational. Yeah, thanks.
I can jump in. So, um, there’s a variety of different options when it comes to interviews. Some colleges don’t offer interviews.
Some colleges offer interviews for evaluative purposes. When it comes to admissions, they’re used in maybe whether they’re evaluating decision for admission or for like an honors program or specific major. And then there are some, um, colleges that offer, uh, interviews for informational purposes. You’re able to meet with someone, they can answer questions, but they may not have any kind of bearing on whether, uh, you’re admitted or not.
They may not. Some schools don’t look at that for demonstrated interest. So I think it’s important, [00:50:00] again, to talk to the individual, uh, admissions counselor, to, to reach out. That being said, um, a lot of, you’re really looking for opportunities to demonstrate interest and show that you are interested. If a school is offering the opportunity to interview and you’re able to do so, whether it’s in person or virtually, um, generally would recommend it if this, you know, that the school is looking at demonstrated interests.
But again, some schools don’t offer that. So that’s why it’s important to kind of reach out and see if there’s other ways you can demonstrate that by either attending something virtually or attending event on campus.
Thank you. And this next question is, what’s considered a good SAT score to submit and when does it change from help to hurt on an application?
I can start, um, I think. What a good SAT score is really depending on institution. Um, [00:51:00] I always am wary of telling students to go to the website because generally, like for us, um, WPI was test blind for a few years. We will be moving to become test optional this coming year. So the data that we have on our website, um, is, you know, four years old.
You can see that middle 50% of what students have been offered for us. Um, I think it’s, uh. 13, uh, between a a 1340 and a 1480, that means 25% of students who were submitting test scores had below that and 25% had higher than that. Again, we’re test optional. So those are students who are deciding to submit test scores who probably are confident in their test scores.
We have a no harm policy, so that doesn’t mean that if you submit a test scores that below that, that you’re not gonna be admissible or may not be reflective of what’s, you know. Good. It is really kind of an open-ended question. I always, again, I think someone had mentioned earlier, Jonathan, that you should really talk to the university and.[00:52:00]
Ask them how they’re using testing and how they use that, whether when it comes to admission, but also for merit because what could be considered good for one school may not be competitive for a particular major or program at another school.
That’s great. This, this might be the last question, and I’m gonna actually take a moment to answer it because the question is, could you quick, quickly explain the FAFSA and CSS profile?
I know you likely need to fill out both, but what is each used for? And so I’m gonna use this as a moment to again say, um, this is probably a little bit of a longer conversation, but MEFA has lots of webinars about. All about fafsa, all about CSS profile. We have, in fact, sole webinars on each one as well as overviews of the whole process.
So, uh, please come back, make sure you, um, you attend one of those. But briefly, uh, the [00:53:00] FAFSA and CSS profile are both financial aid applications. The fafsa, every college requires. The fafsa. If you’re applying for any federal, state and some institutional aid, so you’re definitely gonna do the fafsa. And then the CSS profile is required by some colleges, mostly colleges, who have a lot of their own institutional monies to award.
And the difference is that the FAFSA has gotten pretty simple. Um, so they ask you a number of questions, mainly financial questions, um, and. The CSS profile is going to ask you more questions. So again, those colleges that have more resources to award feel like they need more information from families. So they require this additional form.
So they ask questions maybe about your home equity, and they ask questions if you have a business, um, things like that. Um, so there are just [00:54:00] more questions on the CSS profile, but you should just look on the, uh. On the admission page of the college that you’re applying to, and it will tell you what forms are required by that institution when you’re to apply for financial aid.
And again, much more than that, um, if you attend some of some of the other web webinars to get all, all the details. So I think that’s the last question, I guess. Um, any parting words? Uh, let me, let me ask you the three of you to maybe give, uh, some parting wisdom on this process and maybe even about I.
Parents, students communicating about all of this. Any, anything you’d like to share? Um, so Joe, I’ll start with you.
Uh, sure. I mean, I think, uh, uh, just be flexible through the process. Um, you may have sort of a, a list already in your mind, but I think if you’re open to, um, you know, perhaps. Uh, you know, new colleges [00:55:00] that get suggested to you or perhaps, uh, you know, new suggestions on, on, uh, different ways to apply to colleges or questions to ask.
It’s just important to be flexible through this process. Uh, I think that will help alleviate sort of some of the stress, but also set you up to, uh, to have the be the best success when it comes to getting all of your admission decisions and having some really great options to consider.
Great. And Maria, Christina.
I would say don’t be afraid to ask questions and reach out. I know a lot of times, especially when you’re applying to colleges, you may hear acronyms or words you’re not familiar with or terms, don’t be afraid to ask, what does that mean? Like, how does that affect me? Um, and we are not scary people. We love to talk to students.
There’s no such thing as a dumb question when it comes to applying to college. So don’t be scared of asking a question if you’re not sure of something.
You and Jonathan, there are many moments of this process that can feel overwhelming. Um, [00:56:00] use your resources and know that at the end of the day you will have college options and you will end up at a school that is ultimately right for you.
Um, you will get to that end goal, um, even though at times it seems far away. That’s wonderful.
Well, thank you all for sharing, sharing so much of your expertise and your wisdom and, and thank you to all of the participants and the good questions and we wish you good. Good luck with all of it and have a good evening everyone.
Bye.