We all know that lots of businesses in the US are struggling in these difficult economic times. What we don’t all know is that higher education is a business like any other and, as such, can be subject to the challenges these circumstances bring.  Inside Higher Ed just published the results of a survey of 462 top admissions officials at US colleges and the findings are disturbing: financial pressures are playing a significant role in decision making at many schools.

Follow the link (http://www.insidehighered.com/news/survey/admissions2011) to the full article, but here are the highlights (perhaps I should say lowlights…) for the college bound:

• For many colleges, a top goal of admissions directors is recruiting more students who can pay more. Among all four-year institutions, the admissions strategy judged most important over the next two or three years — driven by high figures in the public sector — was the recruitment of more out-of-state students (who at public institutions pay significantly more). The runner-up was the strategy of providing more aid for low- and middle-income students.
• Among all sectors of higher education, there is a push to recruit more out-of-state students and international students.
• Recruiting more “full-pay” students — those who don’t need financial aid — is seen as a key goal in public higher education, a sector traditionally known for its commitment to access. At public doctoral and master’s institutions, more admissions directors cited the recruitment of full-pay students as a key strategy than cited providing aid for low-income students. (At doctoral institutions, the gap was 47 percent to 40 percent, and at master’s institutions, the gap was 45 percent to 38 percent).
• The interest in full-pay students is so strong that 10 percent of four-year colleges report that the full-pay students they are admitting have lower grades and test scores than do other admitted applicants.
• At community colleges, a focus on serving students who don’t have money remains central, with 66 percent of admissions directors citing that as a key strategy — more than cited any other strategy. But even in that sector, a notable minority (34 percent) said that an important strategy for the institution was attracting more full-pay students.

As a graduate of #8 on this list of schools whose graduates earn the most, I’m doing my best to bring down the mean by working in education! It’s not the MBA players who really skew these numbers, it’s the engineers.  Take a look through the top eight and you’ll see that most of the schools offer engineering degrees seeped in the liberal arts tradition – good fuel for this technology-based economy of ours.  It would be most interesting to see how the earning potential of English majors compares…

http://finance.yahoo.com/college-education/article/113198/colleges-that-bring-highest-paycheck-cnbc

Education budgets are being slashed all over the country. Some state colleges are responding by admitting more students from out of state, who pay a higher rate of tuition than do their in-state counterparts.

Click the links below to read about this phenomenon happening at UWashington, UMass and the University of California system:

http://www.king5.com/news/local/UW-taking-more-out-of-state-students-to-offset-budget-cuts-118401624.html

http://www.umass.edu/newsoffice/newsreleases/articles/108565.php

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/19/university-of-california-_n_851121.html

College admission reps are traveling the country and the world this spring and fall, hoping to meet some of the students who will one day call their campuses home. Here’s a posting from a colleague of mine about some of the events in the DC Area this month and next.  Happy trails!

http://www.examiner.com/college-admissions-in-washington-dc/news-from-the-2011-college-reception-circuit?fb_comment=33053551

My colleague, John Bader, former Dean at Johns Hopkins, has written a book chronicling the “11 habits of highly successful college students.” The book will be out this June (available for preorder at Amazon now), but you can already get the advice of the other deans he interviewed for the book via a weekly podcast on his website at <http://www.johnbader.net/>, through iTunes<http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/deans-list-the-habits-highly/id434445047> or YouTube<http://youtu.be/iiLMnGCq0Fk>.

A preview of the 2011-2012 Common Application is now available online.

(https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/Docs/DownloadForms/2012-11CAO_Highlighted.pdf).

The actual app won’t go live until August 1, but this is an easy way to begin to familiarize yourself with the general components of college applications as well as the details of the form now accepted by 460 colleges and universities (including 48 brand new members!).

The eight colleges of the Ivy League Athletic Conference have always had a shared mail date for decision letters and a shared reputation for being among the most selective colleges in the country. This year, they released decision letters just before April 1 and the news wasn’t good: thousands of wonderfully talented and qualified students were not admitted.  The highest admit rate among the Ivies was Cornell at 18%.  Harvard tops the most selective list with only 6.2% of applicants admitted.

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2011/03/college-applicants/36231/#

Looking for a school to love? You might find the right one in unusual places – like a large Jewish population and a small Lutheran college!

Read all about how Muhlenberg has grown their Jewish student population at Huffington: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/28/muhlenberg-college-hot-am_n_841578.html.

I think every student should consider taking an interim year before college – to adventure, invent and explore.

This weekend, you have not one, not two, but THREE chances to consider the possibilities and learn more.  Please note the time change for the fair at Sidwell Friends on Saturday.

On behalf of Dynamy Internship Year and Thinking Beyond Borders, we want to notify you of a time change at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC. The new time for the fair will be 10 am- 1pm. We will keep the presentation on at noon. For more information on speakers, schedule, and exhibitors please check out our website.

Upcoming Fair Schedule:

Friday, February 25th ~ 7:30-9:30 pm, Georgetown Day School (Washington, DC)8:00 PM Presentation on the Gap Year

Saturday, February 26th ~  10:00-1:00 pm, Sidwell Friends School (Washington, DC)12:00 PM Presentation on the Gap Year

Sunday, February 27th ~ 1:00-3:00 pm, Thomas S. Wootton High (Rockville, MD)1:30 PM Presentation on the Gap Year

COLLEGE GOAL SUNDAY 2011

Hosted by the University of Maryland Educational Opportunity Center (UM-EOC)

For Prince George’s County residents seeking assistance in completing the FAFSA
(Free Application for Federal Student Aid)

Sunday, February 20th, 2011, 1:00-4:00pm

Prince George’s Sports & Learning Complex

8001 Sheriff Road, Landover, MD 20785

Contact: 301.429.5933

Flyer attached HERE for more event details.

As you may know, College Goal Sunday (CGS) is a national initiative with local observances across the county, and is designed to help students and families understand and complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Students Aid), the required form to apply for financial assistance for higher education. Visit http://collegegoalsundaymd.org to learn more about College Goal Sunday.

The UM-EOC’s CGS event will specifically assist Prince George’s County residents to complete the FAFSA.

WHAT/WHO WE NEED

·       FAFSA Experts & Helpers: persons experienced in completing the online  FAFSA to assist students and parents to apply for financial aid on site.

·       Greeters & Guides

·       Set-up & Break-down Assistants

·       Runners to make copies of important documents

·       Spanish interpreters

·       Note: Volunteers will be asked to arrive by 12:00 noon and to assist until 4:30pm, or any span of time therein.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING

We are in search of VOLUNTEERS for our COLLEGE GOAL SUNDAY 2011 event on Sunday, February 20th, 2011.

******We are particularly in need of 5-7 persons with FAFSA completion experience to assist participants in the labs with completing the FAFSA online*****.

If you are interested, please complete the Volunteer Agreement HERE, returning your signed copy to fax number 301.429.5935 by Friday, February 11th , close of business.

We look forward to hearing from you. Don’t hesitate to contact Lisa Peyton-Caire directly if you have specific questions. Her email address is: LpCaire@umd.edu or dial her office at 301-429-5933.