College Admission Help: Financial Burden of College To Ease Somewhat

College Admission Help: Financial Burden of College To Ease Somewhat

By JENNY DERRINGER
Crescent-news.com

As the economy worsens and the jobless rate hits double digits, many people are looking to change careers whether by choice or necessity.
A strong college foundation will be helpful not only to graduating seniors, but adults as well. But tackling the rising costs of tuition, books and school-related fees can be a daunting task.
Action taken recently at the federal level could help alleviate that financial burden somewhat. More options for grants, low-interest student loans, additional tax credits and work study were included in the economic stimulus package approved by lawmakers and President Barack Obama's education budget.
The most obvious change will be increasing the maximum federal Pell Grant from $4,731 to $5,350 on July 1, an increase of $619 that can go a long way in paying for books. By 2010, that figure would increase to $5,550, adjusted for inflation.
Concerning loans, students have been able to borrow money for college through two avenues -- banks and the federal government. The new plan will eliminate the bank option, allowing students to apply for a loan directly from the government. Money to loan will increase from $1 billion to $6 billion.
Families will also see the tax credit rise from $1,800 to $2,500 when filing their taxes. This includes all families who make up to $180,000 a year.
And concerning work study, there will be an additional $200 million earmarked for those who work on campus.
Financial aid comes from many different sources, explained Amy Francis, director of financial aid at Defiance College, with the federal government being the largest source, secondary to state programs.
"Colleges and universities also provide financial aid along with outside private agencies," said Francis. "The increases in the federal Pell Grants and federal work study programs will definitely benefit the financially needy students. This is very crucial to students during this recession. Many state agencies across the United States are facing budget cuts for higher education. It is somewhat uncertain what state funding in Ohio will be until the governor's budget is finalized."
Working with her students on financial options at Tinora High School is guidance counselor Kathy Cavanaugh.
"I think any increase in college funding is always helpful and very much appreciated by the students and their families," said Cavanaugh. "I have told my students to be very diligent in their search for scholarship monies. Completing the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) early, searching local and national scholarships via the web, and checking with the college of their choice for additional scholarships are all ways of securing additional money for college.
"I don't think it is getting any easier for today's seniors because of the economic downturn," she said, "but any increase in aid will surely help send more students to college."
Planning to attend the University of Findlay in the fall is Tinora High School senior Kate Hohenberger.
"I was aware of the new funding and that it would help me go to the college that I wanted to go to, instead of a college I could afford," noted Hohenberger.
Any time there are additional funding options, more students have increased opportunities open to them, noted Charlotte Sorg, director of financial aid at Northwest State Community College, rural Archbold.
"The increase in Pell Grant funding is definitely positive for students," stressed Sorg. "However, there are many other factors that impact a student's overall funding situation including state aid and student loan options. The overall picture of state and federal funding is not clear at the present time.
"Until we can get a final clear picture from all fronts regarding federal and state aid," she added, "we are being very cautious in trying to gather the facts so that we do not set up potentially unrealistic expectations for our students."



College Admission Help: Financial Burden of College To Ease Somewhat

College Admission: Accepted? Rejected!

College Admission: Accepted? Rejected!

When did choosing a college become so hard?

After three children, 12 SATs, 14 applications, eight essays, and $1,000 in application fees, the Clancy family college admissions process is finally done.
I think.
Four years ago, my oldest, uncertain about his aspirations, headed off to college, laptop computer and pillow in hand. Nine months later, Conor returned home, did a "gap semester" aboard a Caribbean schooner, and is now happily attending community college while interning as a sportswriter with a regional newspaper, a career path he wouldn't have chosen in different circumstances.
My middle child, a strong student, knew she wanted two things from college: an education degree and a school with a good football team. Mary narrowed it down to six schools. When her top New England pick wait-?listed her, she packed for a large Virginia school with a five-year master's and an equally impressive tailgate tradition. Four months later, Mary came home, the pull of her family and friends too powerful. UNH, luckily, was just 45 minutes away. Her original acceptance reactivated, she's now spending the semester in Galway, where life and the pubs are just what Tom Brady ordered.
One to go. A talented and bright three-sport athlete, my youngest son was inundated with recruiting letters. I suspected that, unlike his siblings, Joe's performance on the field as well as in the classroom would dictate his decision. Included in his factoring: Did he like the school, the kids, the coaches? Was it close enough, far enough, big enough, small enough? Was there a degree to turn his math prowess into a career? And -- vital to me -- if Joe couldn't play football, would he still be happy?
A wise college counselor once told me: "Kids just don't walk through a magic door at age 18, ready for college. Give them time, choices. They eventually get there."
We're close. Joe will make his selection any day: Prospective college athletes often have the benefit of finding out their admission and financial-aid status earlier than the regular applicant pool. Then there's the matter of the requisite letter of commitment. Once that's signed, Joe's college choice will be final.
I think.

College Admission: Accepted? Rejected!

Wall Street Woes Hurting College Scholarships

Wall Street Woes Hurting College Scholarships

By Sarah Rohrs
Times-Herald Staff Writer

It's no surprise 401Ks and other investments have taken a beating in the stock market, but college scholarships also are getting slammed -- and just when more and
more students need them, officials said.
At Napa Valley College, investments have dropped 25 percent due to the stock market slump, said Sonia Wright, Napa Valley College Foundation executive director.
As a result, some 68 endowments out of nearly 180 were to give out awards of $99 or less -- far less than what is usually given, Wright said.
At the same time, Napa Valley College has seen a financial aid applications increase by one-fourth, said Jill Schrutz, Napa Valley College dean of financial aid.
Endowed scholarships are often called gifts that keep on giving, and one source of money students with financial needs turn to help pay for college.
The donor's initial financial gift is invested, and each year scholarships come from a portion of the amount that is invested.
Scholarships can be given in perpetuity because the bulk of the donation, or the capital, is continuously invested.
But Napa Valley College is certainly not alone in seeing low returns on investments on endowed scholarships.
Small returns have hurt colleges and universities of all shapes and sizes, said Tom Dunworth, California Maritime Academy Foundation executive director.
"In this situation, misery loves company and we're in good company," Dunworth said. "Nobody was immune."
Napa Valley College donor William Blanckenburg of Napa sent the college's foundation $200 after hearing it had to cut endowed scholarship awards due to low investment returns.
The scholarship from his endowment would have been about $450, Blanckenburg said. The additional money will give one student a $650 award, he said.
"I wanted it to be enough to mean something to the kid who gets it," Blanckenburg said. He also said he wanted to help out because the college means a lot to him, his family and to the community. One daughter and two grandchildren attended college there.
A foundation founder in 1968, Blanckenburg, 93, said he and his late wife Katherine created the endowed scholarship in 1970. His preference is for awards to go to students intent on transferring to a four-year university, preferably one in the University of California system.
At Vallejo's Calfiornia Maritime Academy, investments on endowed scholarships are down about one-third over previous years, Dunworth said.
As a result, the foundation is drawing from other alumni donations and money collected at various fundraisers, he said. The intent is to keep endowed scholarship amounts the same as previous years.
"We treasure the students who are with us," Dunworth said. "These are students we judge to be particularly hard-working and leaders in their class and who have a financial need."
Cal Maritime's endowed scholarships awards range from about $1,000 to $10,000, he said.
At Solano Community College, a foundation official said investments on endowed scholarships have also have taken a hit, but how much wouldn't be known until later this year.
The institution would have a better idea this summer how the low investments will impact scholarship amounts, said Dorothy Hawkes, Solano Community College Scholarship Foundation executive director.
Whether or not Solano College is seeing an increase in scholarship requests won't be known until this summer when applications come in, she said.


Wall Street Woes Hurting College Scholarships

College Admission Help: Web Cameras Being Used for College Admission Interviews

College Admission Help: Web Cameras Being Used for College Admission Interviews

By Jonathan Serrie
FOX News

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest University is taking advantage of new technology in its undergraduate application process. It's a part of the university's plan to shift the focus from SAT scores to one-on-one interviews.

"We look for ways to make the process personal and to really go beyond the numbers," said Martha Allman, WFU admissions.

The process is as simple as logging onto Skype, a free phone and video conferencing Web site.

Admission counselors spend about 30 minutes interviewing each applicant. Since September, about 200 have opted to interview via Web cam.

"I thought it was a really great way for Wake to get a better feel of who I am. Because, for my family, it would have been very difficult to get me to Wake Forest to do a personal interview," said Kathryn Waggoner, a high school senior from Memphis.

"This gives us a way to almost be face to face, to use technology to be more personal in the process," said Allman.

At least a dozen graduate schools are said to be using Web interviews for prospective students.



College Admission Help: Web Cameras Being Used for College Admission Interviews

Scramble is on for College Scholarships, Grants and Financial Aid

Scramble is on for College Scholarships, Grants and Financial Aid


By Cliff Peale
Cincinnati Enquirer

DELHI TWP. - Anthony Telgkamp and his parents showed up at the College of Mount St. Joseph with only one word on their mind: HELP!

The Mariemont High School senior already has been accepted to the Mount for next fall and plans to play lacrosse. But he hadn't yet filled out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The form is a requirement for most loans and grants and Telgkamp was taking advantage of the Mount's offer of free help.
"I went online and kind of played with it, but it's pretty confusing," Telgkamp's mother Joanne said before stepping into the office of Student Administrative Services coordinator Jayne Dipzinski for their appointment.
In the worst national recession in decades, colleges are seeing waves of students seeking help on the FAFSA form. More want to tap into financial aid that will help them pay for tuition, books and transportation.
Analysts say that not only are requests up, but they are seeing more middle-income applicants who once might have financed college with stock portfolios or home-equity loans. Collapses in the stock market and housing market have closed those avenues, making federal loans, grants from a particular college and scholarships a critical factor in deciding where to start classes next fall.
Local colleges are all holding events similar to the Mount's "FAFSA Frenzy." Kathy Kelly, director of financial aid, said the office already has sent out 289 packets compared to 160 at the same time last year, and has more applicants telling them about lost jobs and lost savings.
"We're already seeing the special-circumstance forms coming in," Kelly said. "It's really early for us to get that kind of stuff, but it definitely affects paying for college."
Student Financial Aid Services Inc., the California company that helps with the form for about $80, says requests for help are up one-third.
The financial-aid season started Jan. 1 when students were able to file the FAFSA, and is getting more intense as deadlines approach in March and April.
"There's a lot of interest in seeing, 'What help can I get?'" said Kevin Jones, a guidance counselor at Winton Woods High School. "The students who wait and wait and do it in March and April, they're missing out on money they should be able to get."
For many families, the moment of reckoning comes after they fill out the FAFSA and see their "expected family contribution." Most are able to reduce that amount through financial aid from colleges and through scholarships, Kelly said.
For the Telgkamps, the FAFSA session at Mount St. Joe produced an expected family contribution of about $10,000, compared to total tuition and fees of about $22,000. They'll pursue some private scholarships and may turn to private loans to pay the difference, said Anthony's father, Tom.
"I think it's doable," said Tom Telgkamp, who works as a carpenter but whose company just cut back on his hours. "I think we're going to do it. No, I know we're going to do it. He's going to go there."
Colleges are trying to help by holding down tuition and increasing their institutional aid. Tuition at Ohio public universities and community colleges will be frozen for a third straight year, and Northern Kentucky University is proposing a 4 percent increase.
Private Xavier University is adding at least $1 million to its financial-aid pot of more than $30 million to offset a tuition increase of 6 percent, plus adding another $2.2 million because of the financial stresses families are feeling.
"We're all trying to do our best here," Provost Roger Fortin said.

Scramble is on for College Scholarships, Grants and Financial Aid

College Admission Help: Obama calls for college for all; could it be done?

College Admission Help: Obama calls for college for all; could it be done?

By JUSTIN POPE and LIBBY QUAID

In his address to a joint session of Congress, President Barack Obama called for every American to pursue some form of education beyond high school.
It's an ambitious goal — some might say impossible. Currently, only two of every five American adults have a two- or four-year college degree. Millions of Americans struggle even to complete high school, with one in four dropping out. And even a high school degree is no guarantee a student is ready for college.
Particularly alarming are the college rates for low-income and minority students. One recent study reported more than 90 percent of low-income teens said they planned to go to college — but only half actually enroll.
Those who do enroll are substantially less likely than others to finish their degree. If they borrowed money for college and don't graduate, they may be worse off than if they hadn't even started college.
The Associated Press asked six experts — from the worlds of policy, philanthropy, and some who work directly with struggling students — to answer the same two questions.
Is the president's goal realistic? And what would it take to attain it? Here are some responses:
___
Kati Haycock, president of the Education Trust, an advocacy group for children, particularly poor and minority children:
Absolutely! Just as those GIs stepped up to the challenges of college, today's young people will, too. But we have work to do.
First, we must get serious about high schools. Instead of preparing some for college and others for the jailhouse, we need to help high schools prepare every student for college.
Second, we have to dramatically improve results for low-income and minority students, now more than half of our youth. Increasing their success is the only way to ensure our national success.
Finally, colleges need to accept some responsibility for improving graduation rates. That includes holding costs down, and focusing not just on getting students in the door, but out with degrees. Yes, students need to work harder. But what colleges do matters a lot.
___
Richard Vedder, Ohio University professor and member of the Commission on the Future of Higher Education assembled by former Education Secretary Margaret Spellings:
Not everyone can or should go to college. Given the dubious quality of our secondary schools as well as limited cognitive skills and motivation, many students are incapable of college-level work. Fulfillment of President Obama's goal would lead to many students failing, resources being squandered and the quality of postsecondary education being diluted.
I think it is sheer fantasy to believe we will lead the world in the percent of young adults with college degrees by 2020. More generally, the president's approach is the equivalent of dropping dollars out of airplanes over student homes and college campuses. That will not change colleges' behavior to make them less arrogant and elite, and more affordable, efficient and accountable.
___
Nicole Hurd, executive director of the National College Advising Corps, which places recent college graduates in low-income schools to work as college guidance counselors:
All students are capable of continuing their education beyond high school. And while there are no easy answers, one way to open the door wider is to demonstrate to our young people that college is possible.
No one can do this better than recent college graduates. There is something powerful about a 23-year-old telling a high school student that "I went to college and if I can do it, you can, too." Or "My family was worried about the cost of college, but the aid is out there. Let's sit down and fill out your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)." Or "If you want to go to college and get a good job, you need to take hard classes and do your best."
Many of the barriers to higher education, whether financial, social, or cultural, can be overcome through this kind of mentoring and advising. In calling high-school students to college, President Obama is calling college students to service. Just imagine if 500 recent graduates served in our public high schools. Such a group could mentor 150,000 low-income and first-generation students — and could help thousands enroll in college who might not otherwise have found their way. While this kind of service isn't the only solution, it could go a long way.


College Admission Help: Obama calls for college for all; could it be done?

College Scholarships and College Grants In High Demand - Students Clawing For College Cash

College Scholarships and College Grants In High Demand - Students Clawing For College Cash

By Claudia Lauer
The Sun News
Myrtle Beach, SC

The race for financial aid dollars is on.
The economy has dried up some scholarship money, the number of students seeking help is growing, and the clock is ticking for submitting the forms. The deadlines vary by college, but the priority deadline for many schools is March 15.
The U.S. Department of Education estimates that it has received 20 percent more Free Applications for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) so far this year compared to last year.
Today, students entering college this year can get help wading through the aid form and posting applications online in a national workshop event called College Goal Sunday held in our area at Horry-Georgetown Technical College.
Scholarship seekers
At Socastee High School, guidance counselors follow a class of students through high school from freshman orientation to college applications. Robb Urbaniak is working with many of his more than 300 seniors to find college funding.
"The biggest concern is a lot of students are having that conversation with their parents about where the money is coming from. I spoke to a lot of parents asking questions about FAFSA, about how many scholarships a student can apply for," he said. "I think statewide there is a stiffer competition this year because even though the economy isn't doing well, tuition is still going to go up. I tell them it never hurts to apply and to apply for everything."
Urbaniak puts out a monthly newsletter with scholarship and funding opportunities, directing students to stop by and fill out applications. His office has been aflutter with activity this month with students sitting at desks and on the floor to fill out applications or grab paperwork between classes.
There has been an upturn in students looking for scholarships and grant money, and while he said a core group of students check in regularly, students who typically might not have sought aid in the past are coming in as well.
"I am getting some of those students who are maybe an athlete and would feel like they were getting some money from their college for athletics or for academics, but there's still that little bit left and those kids are coming in and saying we need to cover that little bit that's left," Urbaniak said.
Increased competition
At Conway High School, Jerrlyn Gaghum is in charge of seniors and financial aid. She said she's seen an increase in interest in financial aid and also in fee waivers for SAT and ACT college entrance exams because more students have fallen on hard times. She said the school doesn't get a large amount of local, small scholarship offerings from businesses and civic organizations, but students are applying for everything she's received.
Urbaniak said he's seen similar trends with his students. He also said a few companies have opted not to offer scholarships this year because of financial woes, which adds to the competition for the dollars that are available.
Horry Telephone Cooperative pairs with other local companies to offer three annual scholarships, two for $1,000 and one for $2,500. HTC spokeswoman Nicole Hyman said the company received a record number of applications last year for the two $1,000 scholarships. The deadline for this year is March 1, so Hyman didn't have a final application count.
At Coastal Carolina University and at Horry-Georgetown Technical College, financial aid staff have been steadily fielding streams of questions about eligibility for state and institutional funds.
"We have gotten a lot of calls from people asking to come in and make appointments with us, and we've gotten a lot of calls from people asking about scholarships and what they're eligible for," said Wendy Watts, senior assistant director of financial aid client service at CCU. "They're good questions, and it's good to start early because there are deadlines we have to meet."
Last resorts
At HGTC, about one third of students rely on partial funding from Lottery Tuition Assistance money, which in the past has been a set pot of money divided among technical college students who qualify and apply.
The amount in the pot doesn't change, but the number of recipients changes based on how many students apply and qualify. That means payouts will shrink, leaving more students seeking private sources of financial aid.
"We encourage students to look at loans as a last resort, and to definitely not use loans for living expenses. We help them work out a budget to prevent that," said Harold Hawley, vice president of business affairs at HGTC.
The U.S. Department of Education has guaranteed that aid will be available in the form of Stafford loans, Perkins loans and Pell grants, and the amount students are eligible to receive has been increased thanks in part to the federal stimulus package. The biggest hurdle to receiving those funds is filling out the 11-page FAFSA.
"It asks for a lot of information and a lot of people are intimidated by it. This is a way to take away some of the negativity around it," said Watts.
Watts and counselors from HGTC will be at today's College Goal Sunday workshop to help parents and students.
"I've been recommending the event to several of my students and to parents," Urbaniak said. "Filling out the FAFSA is really the best place to start."


College Scholarships and College Grants In High Demand - Students Clawing For College Cash