In - Your Guide to College Admissions from The Princeton Review

How to Be Frugal When Shopping for College Texts

In the realm of college expenses, books don’t get as much attention as do other costs, such as tuition and housing.

However, it’s an expense that can easily add up to $1,000 a year or more—a substantial amount given that most students pay for books “out of pocket.”

Fortunately, there are several different ways you can reduce the cost of books and keep money in your pocket. StudentLoanNetwork.com recently posted a great summary of these strategies—click here to check it out.

To Avoid Regrets, Keep an Eye on Costs Before and During College

According to new survey by Fidelity Investments, half of this year’s college graduates were surprised by the amount of debt they accumulated while in school.

Just how surprised? The survey found that almost 40 percent of grads would have done things differently—e.g., chosen a different college, or found additional ways to control costs—had they better understood the debt they were incurring.

How can you avoid being in the same boat when you finish college?

• First, make sure you differentiate between the loans—i.e., the money you have to pay back—and the grants and scholarships in your financial aid awards.
• Second, regularly check this calculator to see the monthly payments required to pay off the student loans you’re taking.
• Finally, don’t rack up credit card debt during this time. (If you cannot pay for something with your work-study or student-loan money, you cannot afford it.)

For more advice on controlling college costs, check out this article from Fidelity Investments.

Do’s and Don’ts: Facebook Pre-Freshman Groups

For students who have chosen the college they will attend this fall, that school’s pre-freshmen group on Facebook can be a great venue for sharing enthusiasm, asking questions, and scouting out potential roommates.

However, you should know that even well-meaning posts on such pages can create a negative impression. Posts that are boastful, overly revealing, or just bizarre will prompt people to take note of your name—and pic—for the wrong reasons.

The Huffington Post recently shared an excellent list of Do’s and Don’ts for pre-freshman posts. (The list was provided by Her Campus, but all of the advice definitely applies to guys, too.) Click here to check it out.

How College Admissions Is—and Is Not—a “Numbers Game”

In some ways, the application process is pretty straightforward. You’ll need a certain GPA and test scores to be considered for admission to most selective colleges. Additionally, there’s a good chance your merit aid—if you receive any—will hinge upon these numbers.

So, if you work hard and boost these numbers, you’re more likely to enjoy better outcomes.

However, in other ways, the application process is less game-able. Applying to a large number of highly selective colleges won’t boost your odds of getting into any one of them. Statistically speaking, these are independent events. (Think of a person flipping a coin. Getting “tails” three times in a row doesn’t mean the person is due to get “heads” on the next flip.) In fact, applying to many schools can hurt your odds if it takes away from the attention you devote to each school—and its application—during the admissions process.

A recent post on the College Planning Blog discusses this issue in more detail. Click here to check it out.

Bold Topics for Application Essays

Is it a mistake to write about money in your application essay? What about class disparities? Or how wasteful the application process is?

Students are often discouraged from writing about the things most on their mind. They are told to avoid “controversial” topics; after all, you never know how the person reading your essay will react.

However, a recent New York Times article describes the downside of this “safe” approach. In the words of Harry Bauld, the author of a book on application essays, it can lead to essays that are too “smooth.” Such essays can appear inauthentic, or even doctored by other people.

It should be noted, however, that “controversial” essay topics require an extra dose of care on the part of the writer. (More than with other topics, the onus is on the writer to display his or her maturity.) And there probably are some topics that you should avoid.

The New York Times recently posted some real application essays that tackle bold topics with skill. Click here to check them out.

For College-Bound Students, the Roommate Search Raises Questions

Some are practical: How much should you reveal about yourself when scouting out potential roommates on Facebook?

Others are more philosophical: What’s the purpose of college—to challenge yourself? If so, is it best to let your college choose your roommate for you (knowing its choice might take you outside of your “comfort zone”)?

On The Choice, two recent posts from students who will be starting college this fall tackle questions such as these. Click here and here to check them out.

Colleges Urge Restraint, But Many Waitlisted Students Prefer Excess

If you’re currently on the waitlist at the college of your choice, these days can be somewhat trying.

Your friends have made their final decisions, but you don’t yet know where you’ll be this fall. That being said, you really believe things would be so much better if you ended up at the school whose waitlist you’re on. (Note: this is not necessarily true.)

Given these uncomfortable feelings—and given that you’re most likely someone who is used to taking control of his/her destiny—it can be difficult to let this situation play out as it should.

The truth is that most colleges don’t ask for much from the students they waitlist. They want to know if these students are interested in staying on the waitlist, and they want to know about any major developments (e.g., awards, achievements) that have—or do—come up.

There is a bit more you should do, but many students struggle more with exercising restraint than they do with doing enough.

To get admitted off a waitlist, overzealous applicants will frequently . . .

• Bake something (e.g., a pie) for the school’s admissions officers.
• Complete “creative” projects (e.g., collages, original songs).
• Send tons of extra recommendations.
• Create YouTube videos.
• Let their parents contact the admissions office to advocate for them.

While such actions can eat up large amounts time, they won’t, unfortunately, help your admissions chances much. In many situations, they can actually hurt your chances of getting admitted.

As a waitlisted applicant, your motto should be: “I’ll do everything I should do, but I won’t overdo it.”

Click here to read more about waitlists—and the urge to do too much—on the New York Times.

Choose the Classes that Will Impress Colleges

If you’re a college-bound student, you should be aware that your high school transcript will be the centerpiece of your applications. Colleges will be very interested in the classes you’ve chosen and your grades in those classes.

Of course, it’s important to do as well as possible in the classes you take. But which classes will impress colleges most? In a recent post on The Choice, the dean of admission and financial aid at St. Lawrence University spoke about the kinds of classes colleges will be hoping to see on your transcript. He addressed the following topics:

• Taking the hardest classes available
• The value of “elective” classes
• Advanced Placement classes vs. dual enrollment classes

Click here to check out the full post.

Choosing a Less “Glamorous” College—and Loving It

Each year, many applicants get admitted their dream college but don’t receive enough financial aid to be able to afford it.

For these students, the realization that they’ll have to go elsewhere for financial reasons can be disappointing. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to stay that way for long.

In the Boston Globe, a current college student recently discussed her decision to attend her safety school, and her happiness with this decision in the subsequent years . . .

My dream school seemed glamorous, and I was upset that money could keep me from pursuing anything I wanted in life. What I didn’t realize is that the school you attend doesn’t matter—you will get out of college as much as you put into it.

Click here to read more of this student’s story. The main gist of it? Many different colleges can end up being the “right college” if you approach the experience with a positive mindset.

For Freshmen-to-Be, It’s Not Summer Just Yet

If you’ve already chosen a college for the fall, you might be tempted to coast a bit until the end of the school year.

While this might seem harmless—even normal—a recent post from the College Planning Blog reminds us that all acceptance letters include “fine print”; specifically, you must earn spring-semester grades that are consistent with those the college already seen. Stated another way: if you had an A-minus average when you sent out your apps, you’ll need to have an A-minus average—or better—in your final semester.

Your college-to-be will get your final high school transcript at the end of the year. If it sees a lackluster performance from you this spring, it can put you on academic probation to start your freshman year; if it sees that you totally bombed your last semester, it can rescind its offer of admission.

Needless to say, you’ll want to finish the year strong and avoid these scenarios. To help, the College Planning Blog recently posted several tips on how to “close the deal.” Click here to check them out.