Worried About College? Be Like Sara!

By:  Patrick O'Connor  Ph.D

Posted on Counselors' Corner 5/16/18

Sara came home from a softball game last spring and was surprised to see her father’s car in the driveway. May was a busy month in his line of work, so he usually went back to the office after watching Sara pitch, finished a little paperwork, and came home in time for a late dinner.

That day, he greeted his daughter in the kitchen. “Nice game, Ace!”

“Thanks, Daddy. Why are you home?”

He beamed at his 11th-grade daughter and said, “I have a surprise. There’s an overseas community service project heading to a small village in Japan. They’ve opened a large orphanage there for children who lost parents in the earthquake, and they need volunteers to help with the babies, so the residents can rebuild their homes.”

Sara peeled an orange while her father continued.

“You’d be there four days, and you’d be making a difference in the world. Your grades are strong and your pitching is great, but I think something like this could put you over the top at the colleges we’re talking about. The Web site for the project is up on the computer. What do you say?”

Sara continued to peel the orange. “Can we talk about it at dinner?”

Her father was a little deflated, but he smiled back. “Sure, honey. I’m going to run back to the office for a little bit, but I’ll see you at seven.”

Dad came through the kitchen door at 7:15 and quickly took his place at the table with the rest of the family. After more congratulations for Sara’s great game and a little razzing about her hair from her tech-savvy brother John, her dad said “So, how about Japan?”

Sara put her fork down slowly and looked up. “It’s a great idea, Dad, but I looked on the Web site. Does this trip really cost $6000?”

Her father choked on his ice water, while Sara’s mom gave him a long, cold stare.

“We can afford this, Sara,” he said, smiling faintly. “It’s about your future.”

Sara looked down at her placemat again, and swallowed hard. “Well, I looked up the name of the town I’d be going to. It turns out Habitat for Humanity is working there, too, and they need $4000 for a new pump so the town can get fresh water again. I also called the Boys and Girls Club down on Wilson Street, and they said they could really use some help this summer.

“I sure appreciate the offer, Daddy, but don’t you think it would be better if I stayed here, and we sent the $4000 to Habitat for Humanity? That way, the town would have fresh water forever, John could get that new computer he’ll need for high school next year, we’d have a little money left over for my college fund, and I could still make a difference in the world. It would just be a difference in my own neighborhood.”

Sara’s mother did a very bad job of trying to chew nonchalantly, while John tried hard to wipe the tears out of his eyes in a 14-year-old macho fashion. Her father’s shoulders relaxed, as he smiled almost to himself, and said “Yeah, honey. That’s a great idea.”

Sara will be a senior next year — but the question you should be asking yourself is not “Where will she get in?”

The question to consider is, “Does it really matter?”

Exciting Update to Bright Futures Awards

2018 Legislative Changes for Bright Futures

Governor Scott signed into law a bill that made the following changes to Bright Futures:

Florida Academic Scholars
 • Provides 100 percent tuition and specified fees
 • Provides $300 each fall and spring terms for educational related expenses
 • Provides funding for summer enrollment, beginning in the 2018 summer term

Florida Medallion Scholars
 • Provides 75 percent tuition and specified fees
 • Provides funding for summer enrollment, beginning in the 2019 summer term

Florida Financial Aid Application (FFAA) 
Currently, over 5,000 students statewide have met the academic requirements for the scholarship but have not submitted an FFAA. Students who completed the federal application (FAFSA) still need to complete the FFAA if they want to be considered for a Bright Futures Scholarship.

For assistance, call OSFA Customer Service at 888-827-2004 or the Florida Bright Futures Program office directly at 850- 410-5195 and request to speak to a Bright Futures program specialist.

It Is Time To Eliminate the SAT and ACT Optional Essays

Click here for an interesting article on the optional ACT and SAT essays, as well as a list of colleges that still require the essay for admission (only 28 nationally).

Tufts Drops SAT Subject-Test Requirement

From Inside Higher Ed 

By 

Scott Jaschik

March 12, 2018

Tufts University has announced that it will no longer require the SAT subject tests. The university had been among 10 American colleges to require what had once been standard for admission to competitive colleges.

A statement posted on the university's website said, "Beginning with applicants to the Class of 2023, Tufts requires either the SAT or the ACT. We do not require SAT Subject Tests, the SAT Essay, or the writing section of the ACT; you may submit those scores to Tufts if you choose to sit for these sections, but please note that they are not required and sending them will not increase a student’s likelihood of admission."

The tests, previously called the SAT II or the achievement tests, are subject specific and test knowledge of mathematics, sciences, literature, history and languages.

Karen Richardson, dean of admissions and enrollment management at Tufts, via email offered these reasons for the shift: "We recognized that most universities no longer require the subject tests as part of the testing requirement. There also seemed to be fewer opportunities offered for students to take the subject tests, raising questions of accessibility. Additionally, our institutional research office has determined there is very minimal correlation between performance on the subject tests and a student's performance in first-year classes here."

The colleges that still require the tests of all applicants tend to be math and science oriented, places like California Institute of Technology, Harvey Mudd College, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Webb Institute -- all institutions where perfect or near-perfect scores on the math SAT are common. These institutions generally require one of the two mathematics tests and one science exam.

Tufts until now had given arts and sciences applicants choices on which subject tests to submit but required mathematics and a science exam for engineering applicants.

Colleges that have been dropping the requirement for subject tests have generally said that they want to decrease the pressure on students, or to encourage more low-income students (who may not want or feel able to pay the fees) to apply, even though the College Board does have a system of awarding fee waivers. The basic fees are $26 to register for a test date at which someone can take one, two or three exams; $21 for each test; and $26 for language tests that include portions in which test takers listen to the language and respond.

An Overview of Early Admission Stats for the Class of 2022

In the past few months, the most highly selective colleges in the U.S. released their Early Admission statistics for the Class of 2022. As always, many more students applied than were accepted. And once again, it was harder than ever to get in. 

Below is a chart of the early acceptance data released by a sample of different highly selective schools. 

College/ University	# of ED/EA Applicants	# of Accepted Applicants	% Acceptance Rate Fall '18	% Acceptance Rate Fall '17
Boston College	10,350	3,170	31	33
Brown	3,502	738	21.1	22
Cornell	6,319	1,533	24.3	25.8
Dartmouth	2,270	565	24.9	27.8
Duke	4,090	875	21.4	24.5
Georgetown	8,383	1,002	12	11.9
Harvard	6,630	964	14.5	14.5
Johns Hopkins	2,037	610	29.9	30.6
MIT	9,557	664	6.9	7.8
Notre Dame	6,598	1,636	24.8	24.4
Penn	7,074	1,312	18.5	22
Princeton	5,402	799	14.8	15.4
Yale	5,733	842	14.7	17.1

* Columbia University does not release their stats. 

Florida 2018 Seniors: Apply for the Bright Futures Scholarship

 

Florida 2018 Seniors: Apply for the Bright Futures Scholarship

Even if you're not planning to attend a Florida college

The Florida Bright Futures Scholarship application is now available online. The Bright Futures Scholarship program rewards Florida high school graduates for academic achievement.

 

All Florida seniors who meet the requirements should complete the Florida Financial Aid Application (FFAA) no later than August 31 in order to qualify for this non-need based scholarship.If you do not register you will not be considered for any of these awards.

 

Who Should Apply?

Even if you are NOT planning to attend a Florida college, apply for the Bright Futures Scholarship as soon as possible. The deadline to apply is August 31. Remember, no one can predict the future.If you transfer to a Florida college for any reason, this money will be available to you.

 

Eligible students have up to two years after they graduate from high school to begin using the scholarship. A Florida Academic Scholar (FAS) or Florida Medallion Scholar (FMS) may receive funding for up to five years from high school graduation. The Bright Futures Scholarship aid is available for almost all undergraduate schools in the state of Florida.

 

Minimum Requirements

Type	16 HS Course Credits	HS Weighted GPA	ACT/SAT scores	Service Hours
FAS	4 - English 4 - Math 3 - Natural Science 3 - Social Science 2 - World Language	3.5	29/1290	100 hours
FMS		3.0	26/1170	75 hours

To Apply for the 2018-2019 Florida Bright Futures Scholarship

Submit an application at: https://www.floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org/ua/sawstua_uaform.asp

 

After Submitting the Application

Be sure to watch for official e-mail acknowledgement communication.  This provides instructions for obtaining a USER ID and PIN to access the submitted application, update information on the application, check the status of the application, and view notifications online.

 

Eligibility for the Scholarship is determined by the date of graduation from high school.   This is NOT a need-based scholarship.

Complete information on the Bright Futures Program http://www.floridastudentfinancialaid.org/ssfad/bf/

The Florida Senate Passes the Bright Futures Scholarship Bill

The Florida Senate Passes the Bright Futures Scholarship Bill The Florida Senate voted unanimously to expand the Bright Futures Scholarship Program, a statewide scholarship program for Florida college students on Thursday.  SB 4 will expand the amount of financial aid and scholarship money Florida students could receive under the program.  The proposed changes could cut the tuition bills of nearly 100,000 students this year. All 34 senators voted in favor of the bill.  If the Florida House also votes in favor of the bill, the Bright Futures Scholarship Program will permanently award full tuition and most fees, plus $300 per semester for textbooks to Florida Academic Scholars award recipients.  Students who qualify for this award are top-tier students who attend public colleges and universities in Florida. Receiving the top award for the scholarship requires students to have at least a 3.5 GPA as well as a score of 1290 on the SAT or a 29 on the ACT. At least 41,000 students qualified for the Florida Academic Scholars award this year.    The tier of students just below them will receive 75 percent of tuition and most fees as part of the Bright Futures Medallion Scholar award. All scholars who qualify for either of these scholarship tiers can also use the money for summer classes, if they choose. The legislation also expands the Benacquisto Scholarship awards, which provide the full cost of attendance, to recruit out-of-state National Merit Scholar award winners.