Resources for reasearching colleges

[Joyful]

DS is entering his junior year of homeschooling HS. This will be our first time through preparing for college applications.

Though DS is STEM leaning, he also has interests in history, political science, and languages. So for now our field of search is pretty broad from LAC to large public universities.

What are some good resources, both online and books, that we can use to begin our search? We are total newbies, so consider us starting from square one.  ?

Thanks!

[RootAnn]

I hate to ask the obvious, but have you tried the links in the pinned thread at the very top of the college board? That's where we started.

[Joyful]

Hey RootAnn!

I've looked at some, e.g. collegeconfidential, niche, unigo, us news & world report.

I guess, I'm thinking of something more "descriptive." I somehow remember referring to a couple of books back in my day that in addition to data and student comments, gave an overview of the of the various schools. Is there such a thing?

[MarkT]

48 minutes ago, Joyful said:

 

I guess, I'm thinking of something more "descriptive." I somehow remember referring to a couple of books back in my day that in addition to data and student comments, gave an overview of the of the various schools. Is there such a thing?

"Fiske Guide to Colleges" has something like that but only for a few hundred colleges - try to borrow it 

[Joyful]

Thanks! I'll see if I can find a copy.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I like Admission Matters for general application advice. It's like a book version of the experienced parent advice you see here.  

College Match can help you think through what is important in a school and what features each school under consideration has.

Fiske Guide might have what you are thinking of,  but it covers less than 400 schools, so I wouldn't limit the schools under consideration to just those, especially if you are looming for in state schools.

[GoodGrief]

I do think the discussions in the parent, financial aid, and admissions/college search and selection forums at College Confidential are exceptionally useful.

[RootAnn]

Hm, I thought there were just too many options out there to try to read about every one of them. Some people really like the "Colleges that Change Lives" (book?). There is a website, too.

My DD#1 got a free magazine titled something like, "Private Colleges and Universities" and another one that was "Public Colleges and Universities." It had articles & lots & lots of ads  summaries of different colleges that had obviously paid to be a part. Obviously, US News & World Reports has a list with information, too.

I saw that your kid is STEM leaning with several other interests. Some people can attack the college search by finding lists of the best colleges for a particular major and drilling down on those. (That didn't help us because my DD#1 doesn't really know what she wants as far as a major, although she knows what she's interested in.)

The searches linked in that first thread helped get some names of colleges that were in certain geographic areas, had certain majors, or had other features she was interested in. Really, though, this college search thing has almost like a part-time job. It takes a lot of research - and that takes time.

[Joyful]

23 hours ago, RootAnn said:

The searches linked in that first thread helped get some names of colleges that were in certain geographic areas, had certain majors, or had other features she was interested in. Really, though, this college search thing has almost like a part-time job. It takes a lot of research - and that takes time.

 

I hear ya, RootAnn. There just so much information to sift through and to factors to consider!

My niece is in Gr. 11, and attends a private school. Both she and her parents have aspirations for Ivies, MIT, and Berkeley. Plus, she and her classmates talk a lot about colleges, etc. So my niece pretty much has a short list of schools already.

Being a homeschooler with few others his age in his social contexts, DS doesn't have much of a clue about colleges, what to look for, what he might like, etc. It's just not really on his radar. His one friend who is one year ahead of his is taking A levels and applying to schools in the UK.

Maybe I'll have him spend some time looking through some websites and maybe Fiske's on his own.??

I'm thinking of maybe searching out a tertiary education fair here that has reps from US colleges and have DS go.

[Lori D.]

Here are a few quick questions that can help jump start your process to narrow your search a bit:

1. Finances
     What is your budget? (i.e., how much per year can you contribute?)
     How much need will there be for financial aid? (scholarships, grants, loans)?
     How generous is the school with financial aid? (i.e., is there good chance of getting aid or not)
     Realistically, what will be your student's eligibility for federal financial aid? (your EFC # from the FAFSA)
     How much debt (if any) do you and the student feel comfortable with?
     How do your finances and this college's costs match up (i.e., use the school's Net Price Calculator)
     If financial aid is not renewed in subsequent years at the school, could the student continue to afford this school?

2. Academics
     What schools have the field of study your student is interested in?
     What schools have internship or research opportunities, or honors programs, or special supports for the field of interest?
          Or is that not a consideration for this student's needs/interests?
     Does this student thrive as a "big fish in a small pond" -- or would that not be challenging enough?
     Does this student thrive in a highly challenging/competitive academic student body & classes -- or would that be overwhelming?

3. Campus Life
     What size of student population is the best fit for this student?
     What kind of student life "culture" would be a good fit?  (ex: liberal, conservative, sports-oriented, arts events, etc etc)
     Need/interested in: clubs? honors programs? collegiate sports? intramural sports? arts/theater? other?
     Special food needs? (ex: need kitchen access to make own food for dietary/health, rather than required to use a meal plan)
     Special living needs?

4. Location
     Prefer or need to be close / far from family?
     Prefer or need a particular type of climate?
     Prefer or need to be in/near a big city? Small community? Rural?
     Are there educational and/or recreational opportunities near the school, if those important to the student?
     Are there part time jobs are at/near the school, if working while attending college will be needed?
     Do you have the budget for getting the student to/from this school during breaks?
          Or is the student okay with not coming home, or would prefer to stay and work through the summers?

5. Possible Alternatives a better choice?
     Attend a local university and live at home?
     Take a gap year first? (which can give you more time to find the best college match)
     Start at the local community college for 1-2 years and then transfer?

Short Articles:
My College Options website: "How Do I Begin My College Search"
Peterson's College Quest website: "15 Things to Consider When Choosing a College"

Resources:
- local: College Fairs -- great way to gather info about a lot of schools in one day, and to ask a lot of questions
- website: Step-by-Step College Search feature -- College Board's Big Future website
- website: College Data -- esp. helpful for finding financial match
- book on search process: College Match: Blueprint for Choosing the Best School (Antonoff)
- book on finding financial matches: The College Solution (O'Shaughnessy)
- book of college descriptions: Fiske Guide to Colleges
- book of college descriptions: Barron's Profile of American Colleges -- info on 1,650 colleges
- book on LACs: Colleges That Change Lives (Pope) -- OR -- The Hidden Ivies: America's Top 63 Liberal Arts Colleges (Greene)

Some past threads on the college search process:
"Can someone walk me through the college search process?"
"Where do we start with choosing a college?"

"What resources did you use to narrow down your list of colleges to visit?"
"Approach for finding the best fit for college"
"How do you cull the list?" -- thread on how to narrow the number of colleges to apply to
"Knowing how to choose college options" -- many factors discussed
"College acceptances/rebuffs -- would you do anything differently?" -- advice for college search

"How important is distance from college in making a final decision?"
"How hard is it really to get into and pay for a selective college?"
"Reasons to consider a less selective, less expensive college?"
"Finding something you can afford"

ETA -- PS

On 8/10/2018 at 8:28 PM, RootAnn said:

I hate to ask the obvious, but have you tried the links in the pinned thread at the very top of the college board? That's where we started.

I think RootAnn was referring to the thread pinned at the top of THIS Well-Trained Mind Forum College Board: "What Are Your Favorite Websites for Researching Colleges?" ; )

Edited August 14, 2018 by Lori D.

[Lori D.]

On 8/10/2018 at 9:21 PM, Joyful said:

... I'm thinking of something more "descriptive." I somehow remember referring to a couple of books back in my day that in addition to data and student comments, gave an overview of the of the various schools...

 

5 hours ago, Joyful said:

...DS doesn't have much of a clue about colleges, what to look for, what he might like, etc. It's just not really on his radar... Maybe I'll have him spend some time looking through some websites and maybe Fiske's on his own.??

...I'm thinking of maybe searching out a tertiary education fair here that has reps from US colleges and have DS go...

Yes! Attending College Fairs is a VERY good idea. But don't just send your student -- go together. Most high school students really need some guidance in knowing what on earth to ask or look for, AND a sounding board afterwards to discuss the details and the pros & cons of the different colleges that were looked at.

In addition to Fiske, Barron's, Princeton Review guide books, or just doing some random reading/research, College Data is a very useful website for helping you determine how much of a FINANCIAL match the school will be. Due to the skyrocketed costs of college and the greatly reduced amount of financial aid, finances is often the best/first consideration for many families to help quickly narrow the list of potential schools -- esp. when then coupled with the academics/field of study considerations. That was certainly the case for us.

[The College Board Big Future website also has a lot of specific information about each college -- go "College Search"; enter specific college name; click on the college in the list that comes up; then click on "print college profile" -- before printing, it pulls up a very long page of all the data on the college]

For example, it's helpful to understand that, unless the college is located in your town (or unless your student will be living rent-free or low-rent with friends/family who live in the same town as the college), you will be paying for room and board (2017-18 average = $10,800/year*). For financial aid, most scholarships are specifically for tuition, not room & board. So you'll need to be able to cover approx. $40,000 in room & board over the 4 years of earning a Bachelor's degree -- assuming it only takes 4 years to earn the degree, and also assuming that the student doesn't have a cheaper option available for food and living. That factor alone can limit the college search to just what is local so that the student can commute and live/eat at home.

Other costs that are very rarely covered by scholarships: books, fees, transportation, supplies, and miscellaneous expenses. All together, that will likely add up to at least another $1,500-3,000 per year. (So, $6,000-12,000 over the 4 years of earning a Bachelor's degree.)

Another financial factor: scholarships tend to cover around 25-50% of tuition, and tuition is currently averaging just under $10,000/year* (public in-state universities -- over $25,000/year* for out of state public schools, and almost $35,000/year* for private colleges).

* = average college cost figures from this 2017-18 College Board chart

As far as federal financial aid to help reduce college costs -- parent info is taken into consideration up until the student is 24yo (except in a few rare exceptions), so realize that the gov't and colleges are *expecting* you to contribute to your student's college costs. Pell Grant awards ("free" federal aid) run anywhere from a few hundred dollars/year to a maximum of $6,095/year (for a maximum of 6 years), and the family needs to be pretty low income to be eligible for that maximum Pell Grant amount. Work Study (an aid amount that is paid to you as wages for hours of work) is similarly difficult to qualify for. Federal Loans with lower interest rates and subsidized interest rates are limited to maximum amounts per year and to an overall total of $23,000 (for all the years of working towards a Bachelor's degree). And all loan monies must be paid back to the gov't with interest.
 

All that to say... If you have a limited amount of finances to give towards your DS's college education, then looking at the financial piece of the college search puzzle might be the route to help you most quickly get to your short list of realistic college options -- AND it will help you *maximize* your options, because there are things you can be doing in 11th and 12th grades to increase the potential $$ awards to your student, or reduce overall time in college *in advance* of college. For example:

- score in the top 99% (or top 97% if Latino) of the PSAT in 11th grade to become a NMS Finalist
    -- then apply to a school that awards full tuition scholarships to NMS Finalists
- score high on the SAT/ACT and then apply to colleges with "automatic scholarships" for those high scores
- reduce overall time (and therefore, cost) at college by knocking out college credits in advance of attending:
     * dual enrollment (IF your local community college is significantly cheaper than universities AND if the credits will be accepted by the future university)
     * credit by exam (AP and/or CLEP -- again, IF the future university accepts the specific exams and IF your student is a "good tester")
     * college at home (Lumerit (formerly College Plus) or other similar company or DIY)
          -- colleges that award degrees for combo of credit by exam & distance learning classes

Edited August 13, 2018 by Lori D.

[Lori D.]

P.S. -- I just noticed from your other thread about whether or not to do college visits that your family is American, living overseas. Do you maintain a residence in one of the states, or pay state taxes? If so, that MAY give you "in-state residency" status if your DS ends up applying to a college in that state. (Depends on the school, so you have to research each school.)

Otherwise, you will be looking at "out-of-state residency" and the associated "out-of-state" tuition costs. Your DS would NOT apply as an international student, because he IS American, just one who is living outside of the state the college is in. Living outside of the U.S. as an American does not change your status to International student (thankfully) -- but it does give your student some great things to include on the extracurriculars "resume" and in the essays for admission and/or scholarships. : )

And, here are a few more resources for you when it comes time in the fall of 12th grade to start applying to colleges:

overall info
HSLDA overview article: "The College Search and Application Process"
Homeschool Success website articles by WTMer Barbara H
Lee Binz the HomeScholar:
     College Launch -- website video series: college search; financial aid; applying; etc.
     The HomeScholar Guide to College Admission and Scholarships -- book

Transcripts and College Application resources
Setting the Record Straight (Binz) -- book; transcripts and college applications
How to Write a College Application Essay (Runyan) -- book

Edited August 16, 2018 by Lori D.

[Joyful]

Lori D, you are amazing! Thank you so much for taking the time to walk me through the thought process of making college choices!

I really appreciate all the resources that you listed for me, and for giving us advice with our particular situation in mind. I'll have to spend a week (and more, probably), to just read through the articles and find the books.

Thanks also for a brief tutorial on the financial piece of the puzzle. It all adds up to quite a bundle.

[Lori D.]

3 hours ago, Joyful said:

...I really appreciate all the resources that you listed for me, and for giving us advice with our particular situation in mind...

A few more possible ideas for your particular situation:

- attend a non-US college
If you are in Europe/UK area, absolutely look at colleges in your area; it can be quite a bit cheaper, and there are some wonderful schools in other countries. Also, possibly look at Canadian colleges, as I understand that many are less expensive than US colleges.

- GI Bill
Are you in your abroad location due to yourself or spouse being deployed with the military? If so, and if you or spouse are not going to use your GI Bill benefit for yourselves, the benefit can be used to help pay for children's college.

- college worker discount
If finances will be a concern: Are you abroad because you or your spouse are professors or employed full-time by a college? If so, often colleges offer tuition reductions to the children of their instructors or employees.

- online dual enrollment
Since you are abroad and dual enrollment at a local community college is probably not an option, you might consider dual enrollment via online courses -- and esp. through the online dual enrollment program of whatever specific college(s) you want to apply to. That makes for a seamless transfer of credits, and some colleges offer online dual enrollment courses at a cheaper rate than the cost of attending the college (which works to the college's benefit of drawing in future students). It can also reduce the overall amount of courses needed toward the degree when some are done in advance of college, which reduces the overall cost of college.

- tuition-free college
If finances will be a concern: you might put on your list of colleges to check out US schools that are tuition-free and/or have work-for-tuition programs. For example, the son of homeschooling friends of mine is about to complete his last year at Berea, a small Christian college in Kentucky. He lives there year-round and works regular part-time hours on the campus in exchange for his tuition (and possibly for room & board as well)

- guaranteed scholarship schools
If finances will be a concern, AND your student is a good "test-taker", you can narrow your college search to those that guarantee scholarships for high test scores, and then from there, further narrow to those that offer your student's field of study:
     Search Engine website -- $8 fee for list of automatic scholarships (partial and full) based on student test scores & GPA
     Prep Scholar blog: "Guaranteed Scholarships Based on SAT/ACT Scores"
     "Automatic Full Tuition / Full Ride Scholarships" -- PSAT National Merit Semi-Finalist / Finalist scholarships
      Guaranteed Scholarships website list
     College Prep website: 81 Colleges With Full Ride Scholarships 
     "College Matchmaker website: "134 College Scholarships Awarded Solely for High Grades and SAT/ACT Scores"
 

3 hours ago, Joyful said:

Thanks also for a brief tutorial on the financial piece of the puzzle. It all adds up to quite a bundle.

More helpful threads on Financial Aid:
"Help me understand how to pay for college" -- how financial aid works
"Understanding Financial Aid"
"How are YOU managing to pay for college?" -- out of the box ways people really are using to pay for college
"s/o: Cautionary Tale: High Cost of College -- a brainstorm $$ ideas thread!" --  ideas to explore for alternative ways to pay for college
 

Good luck, Joyful! It is a firehouse of info to try and take in all at once. BEST of luck in finding a great college fit for your student, AND best wishes for an enjoyable last 2 years of homeschooling through the completion of high school! Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited August 14, 2018 by Lori D.

[Penguin]

I need to point out that even if you (1) own and maintain a home in a state and (2) pay income taxes to that state, please do not assume that you will automatically receive in-state tuition while living overseas. That was not our experience.

Edited August 16, 2018 by Penguin

[Joyful]

Penguin, thanks for pointing this out to me. I wasn't aware of that.

How might I find out about how a public university might determine resident status for tuition purposes? I'm guessing that I could take a look at their website, and if I don't find anything, I could write to them?

[Lori D.]

27 minutes ago, Joyful said:

How might I find out about how a public university might determine resident status for tuition purposes? I'm guessing that I could take a look at their website, and if I don't find anything, I could write to them?

Yes, unfortunately, pretty much everything will boil down to: "check with the individual college for their policy about that", esp. when it comes to tuition and credit acceptance. For example, if the student is still a dependent (declared on the parents' tax return), then many schools count residency based on where the parents live, even if the student has not lived with the parents for more than a year, and has lived year-round in the state where the college is.

If you can't find the info on the school's website, I'd email the school's Registrar office (rather than writing).

This FinAid website article about residency and college tuition might give you a starting point, and at the bottom of that article, they list all of the US states with links to see what each state's general residency policies are. Just be aware that each college sets their own policy about residency, so it may not always match up with state policies.

Edited August 16, 2018 by Lori D.

[Penguin]

1 hour ago, Joyful said:

Penguin, thanks for pointing this out to me. I wasn't aware of that.

How might I find out about how a public university might determine resident status for tuition purposes? I'm guessing that I could take a look at their website, and if I don't find anything, I could write to them?

You can ask them. I did, and I mostly got the run-around. I am sorry that I don't have a better answer - it was very frustrating. We were also told that even if the in-state tuition is initially denied, that there is the possibility of an appeal process. IIRC, DS was granted in-state tuition at one state school and denied it at another state school. We did not follow through with the appeal because he ended up not going to a state school.

Hugs to you. Going through the college process while overseas is an extra layer of hard. My youngest is currently have a rising senior, but we are back in the states now.

Edited August 16, 2018 by Penguin

[whitestavern]

On 8/11/2018 at 1:11 AM, MarkT said:

"Fiske Guide to Colleges" has something like that but only for a few hundred colleges - try to borrow it 

Fiske is great--we love it here!

[Joyful]

6 hours ago, Lori D. said:

This FinAid website article about residency and college tuition might give you a starting point, and at the bottom of that article, they list all of the US states with links to see what each state's general residency policies are. Just be aware that each college sets their own policy about residency, so it may not always match up with state policies.

Thanks again Lori D for this resource. Yeah, one more thing to add to the to do list. How did things get so complicated?

[Joyful]

6 hours ago, Penguin said:

You can ask them. I did, and I mostly got the run-around. I am sorry that I don't have a better answer - it was very frustrating. We were also told that even if the in-state tuition is initially denied, that there is the possibility of an appeal process. IIRC, DS was granted in-state tuition at one state school and denied it at another state school. We did not follow through with the appeal because he ended up not going to a state school.

That must have been frustrating. I"m glad it turned out well in the end. ?

6 hours ago, Penguin said:

Hugs to you. Going through the college process while overseas is an extra layer of hard. My youngest is currently have a rising senior, but we are back in the states now.

Thanks! There are times I go through the "it would have been easier if..." moments. But there are the good and bad for every situation. I'm trying to stayed focused on the good. Will jump one hurdle at a time.

[Joyful]

48 minutes ago, whitestavern said:

Fiske is great--we love it here!

? I found out that there are reference copies at the local library. Will spend some time there with DS.