Schenectady, NY (April 25, 2002) – With graduation just a few weeks away, more than 3 million high school seniors have received their college acceptance or rejection letters. Now comes the tough part – for students and their parents – choosing which college to attend and figuring out how to pay for it all – especially when the rules are more confusing, and more frustrating (for students and parents) than ever before.
Dan Lundquist, dean of admissions at Union College, who has led admissions efforts from the Ivies to small, private colleges, has appeared in feature articles in the Wall Street
Journal, The New York Times, Money Magazine, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Associated Press, and the Baltimore Sun among others, says it's not about “getting in the best
college” that matters, it's about “making the right fit” based on quality and cost that is everything in today's ultra-competitive College search/decision process.
Lundquist (available for news interviews, call: 518-388-6749) offers the following tips for students and their parents who have yet to decide on what institution to attend next fall:
Q: When making the final decision about what school to choose, what should parent and student consider?
A: At decision time, research more and visit again – if possible. Use the Web and network – talk with current students, faculty, alumni, and opinion leaders in the community in the final analysis. Follow your heart. While everyone wants to move up in the world of prestige and elitism, a focus on “getting in” to the first choice can and often does lead to grave
disappointments. Focus on fit, not brand name.
Q: If you don't get accepted at the first choice, what do you suggest?
A. Don't waste too much time trying to change the decision – each and every applicant is carefully considered by an
admissions committee; it's highly doubtful that something or someone who is qualified has been overlooked.
Q: What are the proper steps for securing financial aid?
A: Carefully compare financial aid offers from each school. Aid packages are complex and vary greatly depending on a family's assessed need, whether or not the school offers “merit aid” (aid based on academic abilities, not financial need), and the ratio of loans versus grants.
Q: Can you negotiate a better financial
aid package if you don't like the initial offer?
A. Yes, at least for this year. But, as many colleges – Ivies and others – have agreed (starting in 2003) to call a
cease-fire in the financial aid arms race as a way to land the best students,
parents' bargaining power will be greatly diminished. For now, you can use the packages offered among schools to leverage a better deal; and it can be
effective – Union often increases aid packages based on strong appeals.
Q. What if you are placed on a college wait list?
A: There are no guarantees that a school
will “dip” into its wait list – I strongly suggest accepting admission at
another school rather than hoping for a second, positive letter. It's possible,
but it's very risky.
Q. Big school versus small school – is big always better?
A. No. The small college scene has changed. Significant investments in information technology, a wealth of freshly-minted PhDs, and other rich campus resources now allow many schools to offer students very compelling, unique intellectual experiences.
Q: What's the biggest mistake that today's college applicant makes?
A: They set their sights too high and
limit their choices to the truly elite institutions. The United States is
blessed with great colleges and universities – known and lesser known. The right fit is more important than the best school.
Q: Are college rankings important?
A: To a degree, yes, but they represent
just one of many factors to consider. Rankings should not be used as the
primary factor by any means – combine them with visits, interviews, and
research for a more comprehensive approach.
Q: Parents play a role in the process –
how much influence do they/should they have?
A: The best practice is to let the student, with parental guidance of course, lead. All too often, parents tend to drive the search. This can lead to disappointment for both parent and child. Information sharing, good communications and empowering the kids to make an informed, mature decision seems to work best. Admissions is an intimidating process, yes, but kids, when in college, will be called upon to make some tough calls – why not get them started early?