How to prep before shopping for a college
The biggest traffic jam in my community occurs like clockwork every fall in late October. That’s when hundreds of high school students and parents descend upon a local high school for a college clinic night. It’s an opportunity to meet face to face with college admissions recruiters from all over the country to ask questions about what their school has to offer.
It’s sort of like a giant shopping bazaar with balloons, signs and lots of free water bottles, lanyards and other stuff, except college recruiters are the ones showing off their wares. If you have an event coming up in your area — or you’re planning a campus visit — here are some questions to consider asking so you’ll use your time wisely and come away with more than business cards and brochures.
The money piece
Start with the financials, which ultimately will impact the bottom-line price you’ll pay freshman year and beyond. For question prep work, I turned to Mark Kantrowitz, author of “How to Appeal for More Financial Aid,” and Kevin Ladd, chief operating officer at Scholarships.com. Among their suggested questions to ask:
How does the mix of scholarships and grants offered by the school rather than loans change after freshman year? Is the free money front-loaded before becoming top-heavy with loans by junior or senior year?
Does the school meet a student’s full demonstrated financial need, or does it leave students with a gap of unmet need? If there’s a gap, what is the average amount uncovered, and does the school count student loans, which must be repaid, as meeting the financial need? Remember loans add to the cost of attending.
What is the average amount of student loan debt at graduation, and what percentage of students graduate with debt? What’s the school’s policy for appealing for more college financial aid?
What percentage of incoming freshmen graduate in four years?
How important are admissions tests, such as the SAT or ACT, in college admissions? What about Advanced Placement test results and International Baccalaureate classes? Get context on academic performance.