General College Tips

[Paka]

For those preparing to go...

I know it is not directly related for golf and so may be better in the general off-topic section, but wanted to throw out some tips for any of you all preparing for college. I had put these together for others, and they are just my opinions-- big disclaimer, and I know others will have different opinions and tips-- but I do work in the scholarship office here so I see a lot. Of course, this will apply mostly to students here in the States or looking at a college here. Hopefully someone might find some of this helpful; it is a wall of text, I know. We don't handle the athletic scholarships in our office (thank goodness-- NCAA regs are a nightmare), so this may be aimed a little more at those who do not get the athletic ones, especially since many other factors come into play when choosing schools based on competitive sports.

* This might sound like common sense, but do whatever you can to avoid going into debt for undergrad studies, or at least get into as little as possible. If you have to go into big debt, let it be for your grad work or professional schooling. This should be a major factor in your college selection-- go where the money is, with the one giving you the best scholarship package, with what you can afford. Though some universities specialize in certain areas and may have great programs, it is more important to avoid putting yourself/your parents in a hole. Just be sure to get that undergrad degree, and get it from an accredited institution. Even if your parents volunteer to pay off all your debts because they want you to go to your dream school, unless you know they can really afford it, have some mercy on them; they need to save for retirement. Personally, though I liked Cornell and UNC Chapel Hill and a few others, stayed in state and went to UCF because with Florida Bright Futures and Prepaid, I ended up getting money back each semester instead of going into terrible debt. True, sometimes debt just can't be avoided sometimes (especially with tuition being what it can be), and it is very important these days to try to get your degree... but definitely worth it to avoid as much as you can. It does seem like a no-brainer but I talk to a lot of parents who have kids who have been awarded full rides at other good places but are coming here anyways despite small or no offers. They are usually frantically trying to see if anything else is available; they sometimes tell us about other offers in hopes we match (we don't, but I think some places do). Many students go with the "big name," or where their parents went or just where they liked best rather than going with the best, or at least a good, package. That is the big mistake I'm referring to more than anything.

* Take advantage of any test prep classes your high school might offer. Though some schools don't look at the ACT and SAT, plenty still do, and it can make all the difference in what you get offered, especially at your more competitive ones. Here, if you have two incoming resident freshmen with a 3.8, for scholarships the one who has a 33 ACT will receive a scholarship which includes full tuition and then some extras if the deadline is met, but the one with a 25 may well receive nothing. I have many parents call angry as hornets because their child was extremely high-achieving; sometimes valedictorian, tons of outside activities, and all but didn't get a scholarship here because they didn't test well. Though in truth, for the verbal parts of the tests I think the most important thing to do is to make a hobby of reading. There are also good prep sites out there like number2.com. Another question to ask if the places you are looking at do look at test scores-- do they superscore? Superscoring is taking the best scores from different sections of the tests from different test days. We don't do it (we will take the highest score from a single test day) but from what I hear from people it sounds like a lot of other places do. Also, take both the ACT and SAT if they accept both (most seem to), some people do way better on one than the other. From all the scores I've seen most people on our equivalency chart do better on the ACT.

* Pay attention to deadlines!! Make sure you know when applications must be in by and, if you plan to do so, when your FAFSA must be filed by. I've talked to plenty of kids literally crying on the phone because they didn't receive the scholarship they were expecting because they missed our deadline (we are on an automatic consideration system, but incoming freshmen have to have all the application stuff postmarked by Dec 1; admittedly more important for non-residents to meet it). Also, ask about all opportunities that might be available to you; for example, here many of the colleges have departmental scholarships they offer separately from us, and they usually have their own applications and varying deadlines. If you receive one-year scholarships, ask about the chances of receiving them again; many here give priority to incoming freshmen, so you may not be able to count on that money for future years.

* So you got in and got a great scholarship. Now, make sure you know what you need to do to maintain it! We cancelled a lot after the spring semester; once again, heard lots of crying, which honestly stinks. :( Especially for the out of state students, losing the scholarship often means no longer being able to afford to attend. First semester is a huge danger zone... you may not be ready for the difficulty jump and have the needed study habits (particularly if you are going for a tough major) and you'll have a lot else going on, like fraternity/sorority rush and stuff. Here we don't check GPAs til the end of the spring semester, but many students dig themselves in a hole first semester that they can't crawl out of. If you find yourself in over your head your first semester, ask lots of questions and find out what you can do. See how withdrawing from a course you're having trouble with will affect you (can be much better than failing); talk to your professors and see if they will work with you if you're borderline on a grade.

* Sort of in relation to the above, know your own limitations and strengths. Advisors, both here and where I attended college, seem to frequently place students in classes they are not ready for. Calculus is the highest risk course from what I've seen... kids being put in Calc 3 based on AP Calc scores, kids going into Calc their first semester and just not ready for it, etc. If you've never been strong in sciences and math, you might want to rethink going pre-med or for engineering. Choose your major based not only on job opportunities, but your personal strengths. Don't trust an advisor to tell you that they don't think a high-risk major is not the best choice for you.

* If you need to work a job, see if you qualify for work-study or try for a student job of some sort. At least here, they are usually pretty easy and fun jobs, and they will be willing to work with you on your hours (where you might make more, say, waiting tables, a restaurant is far less likely to let you have time off because you need to study for a big exam). The scheduling flexibility of course would be huge too if participating in sports as well.

* Housing... now this is where I get myself into trouble because I don't toe the University line on it. Officially I'm supposed to encourage on-campus housing because of the higher retention rate (and because of course that they want to fill it up, not that it is ever an issue). While it IS the best option for some (especially if your scholarship or prepaid plan only covers it), there are plenty of cases where someone might be much better off-campus, if there is a choice. These days, there are lots of apartments that are in effect private dorms (I've lived in several), with university buses running between them and campus. Not only can they actually be cheaper than the dorms, usually they are way nicer. For example, with the exception of the newest dorms here, most dorms have two students to a bedroom and four sharing a bathroom. For female students in particular, you can see where this might be a problem, lol. With the apartments, you generally lease your own bedroom, often have a private bathroom, and everything-- kitchen and laundry machines-- is in the unit. Many are furnished, and often everything like cable and internet is included. And unlike the dorms here, you don't have to leave when campus shuts down for breaks (a big hassle for out-of-state students and anyone with an off-campus job). If you go through Craigslist or such, you can screen people you might want to live with instead of being randomly matched. Roommate issues are common regardless though, so a private apartment is the best option IMO, especially if you are someone that needs your privacy. Once again though, what is best can vary from person to person, and some places you will have no choice. Living on campus does put you in the center of the action so to speak, and you may meet and befriend more people while living in the campus dorms.

* Try to seek out as many external/private donor scholarships as you can-- through parents' employers, places of worship, civic or charitable organizations you might be affiliated with, and free sites like scholarships.com and fastweb.com. (Of course, this might not be something that will be possible in some cases for those on athletic scholarships... NCAA regs again) Lot of good resource books out there too; we keep a bunch here anyone can come look through. Keep in mind though that there are a lot of scams out there. NEVER pay for info or applications; don't believe it if they promise you a certain amount in return for a "small application fee." External scholarships can really add up if you're willing to do the research and write some essays.

[gentles]

Great advice, especially the 2nd piece!

We have a slightly different system here, the government has a utilitarian approach it seems by offering interest free debt to all students, along with very few scholarships available.

Thanks for going out of your way to try and help people here

[Paka]

Thanks! Hope I can help... I wish I knew some of the stuff I learned working this job when I was preparing for college. The hardest thing about my job is how much bad news I have to give people, so I decided that I'm going to try to share what I've learned.

I am very interested in how things work in other countries, too. From what I've read, sounds like in some places the debt from university isn't a big issue, and things can work quite differently with regards to admissions.

[Pingdom]

Thanks for the great advice.

Too often, young people are completely in the dark when it comes to making important decisions about college. I teach 11th and 12th graders from nine high schools and it's amazing how many students get no advice at all from their guidance counselors. If coupled with parents who've never been to college - they're off to a bad start before they even look at the first college pamphlet. If you don't care, I'll make a copy of this advice to share with the students at my building.

[Paka]

Thank you, and sure thing, feel free!! Yep, though some counselors are great, I've heard and dealt with ones that... well, let's just say aren't so great. I can't believe how much bad/inaccurate advice and simply lack of advice many of the students get that I talk to.

[dantheman2019]

Avoid counselors they will mess with your mind lol