Getting In: The Zinch Guide to College Admissions and Financial Aid in the Digital Age

GETTING IN! The Zinch Guide to College Admissions and Financial Aid in the Digital Age......Page 1
Table of Contents......Page 5
Foreword......Page 8
Acknowledgments......Page 10
About the Authors......Page 11
Introduction......Page 13
Why This Book......Page 14
The Best Way to Use This Book......Page 16
How to Improve Your Odds......Page 18
CHAPTER 1: The Truth About College Admissions......Page 21
The Top 10 Myths of College Admissions......Page 23
10 Things Colleges Don’t Want You to Know......Page 31
CHAPTER 2: Before You Ever Apply......Page 37
Course Selection......Page 38
The High School Profile......Page 40
The Advanced Placement Class vs. the Regular Class......Page 42
SAT vs. ACT......Page 44
Independent Counselors......Page 54
CHAPTER 3: Behind the Scenes......Page 57
A Vast Field......Page 58
The Myth of Selectivity......Page 60
The Gatekeepers......Page 62
Admission Constituencies......Page 66
Yield: How Many Students MUST be Admitted?......Page 72
The Well-Rounded Class......Page 76
The Three Facts of Admission Life......Page 78
Notes from the Road—Fall 2010......Page 87
CHAPTER 4: Choosing the Right (vs. “Best”) Colleges......Page 97
Exploring the Possibilities......Page 99
Visiting Colleges......Page 115
Ranking the Colleges—Your Way......Page 128
Ranking Yourself the College’s Way......Page 136
Deciding Where to Apply—Your Final List......Page 138
CHAPTER 5: Your Application Strategy......Page 139
Improving Your Odds......Page 140
Step 1: Do a Self-Assessment......Page 141
Step 2: Create Your Starter List......Page 142
Step 3: Evaluate “Early” Options......Page 147
Step 4: Meet with Your College Advisor......Page 156
Step 5: Make Your Final Where-to-Apply List......Page 157
Step 6: Create Your Application Schedule......Page 158
Step 7: Determine Your Positioning and Packaging......Page 159
Step 8: Execute, Execute, Execute......Page 177
CHAPTER 6: The Hook: Putting It All Together......Page 181
Positioning......Page 183
Hooks Thanks to Fate or Good Fortune......Page 187
Hooks That Work......Page 191
Application Do’s and Don’ts......Page 201
CHAPTER 7: Athletic Recruiting and College Admission......Page 207
The College Athlete......Page 208
The Lay of the Land......Page 209
Basic Eligibility......Page 210
Getting Started with the Recruiting Process......Page 212
Ivy League Colleges Are Diff erent!......Page 215
The Student’s “Play”......Page 218
Should Students “Lie” Too?......Page 220
Title IX—Women Athletes......Page 223
The College Walk-On......Page 225
Big Fish in a Little Pond, or Little Fish in a Big One?......Page 227
CHAPTER 8: Paying for College......Page 229
The REAL Cost of College......Page 231
In-State vs. Out-of-State Residence......Page 233
The “Big Picture” Process......Page 234
The Expected Family Contribution......Page 238
Types of Funding......Page 242
The Link Between Admissions and Financial Aid......Page 248
Making Sense of Aid Awards......Page 250
CHAPTER 9: Getting In: The Final Chapter......Page 253
Your App Is Submitted—Now What?......Page 254
What to Do When Decisions Arrive......Page 260
What to Do with Your Acceptances......Page 261
What to Do If You’re on a Waitlist......Page 267
How to Appeal a Decision......Page 272
What to Do If You’re Not Admitted Anywhere......Page 273
Postponing College for a Year......Page 275
Transferring to a Diff erent College......Page 278
APPENDIX A: Case Studies......Page 285
The Three Applicants......Page 286
Case Study Reactions......Page 306
APPENDIX B: Sample Essays......Page 323
Exceptional Essays from Tufts Class of 2014......Page 324
Other Successful Essays......Page 340
Index......Page 351