CHILLS Counseling Corner S1 E2
FAFSA “Simplification” looming
Just when you thought it was safe to go into the FAFSA… As if there isn’t already enough change to keep track of, the Feds are “simplifying” the FAFSA this year. I don’t know about you, but that phrase gives me the heeby-jeebies and makes me anticipate the exact opposite. Here’s how it’s going to be “simpler:”
See an overview of the changes here. Some highlights:
Forget the traditional October 1 opening date; the new FAFSA interface will open some time in December. Please adjust your calendars accordingly.
Selective Service and drug crime information no longer required.
Gender questions removed.
COA cost of attendance is listed everywhere!
Room and board is now food and housing
There is a dependency override available to students who cannot enlist a parent’s help.
EFC will become SAI (student aid index). Can be as low as -$1,500
Pell Grants (free money!) will be easier to obtain.
BIG CHANGE: in divorced families, it is no longer the parent that the student lives with predominantly who is responsible for the FAFSA–it’s the parent that makes more money.
SAI will no longer be divided by the number of dependents in school.
IRS retrieval tool is kaput.
Federal tax information (FTI) will be loaded into an FTI module automatically.
Several types of untaxed income will no longer be reported on the FAFSA.
Cash support and money paid on the student’s behalf will no longer be reported.
Child support will be listed as an asset.
There will be a change in Applicants exempt from asset reporting. A lot of people will not need to provide asset information.
Small business and family farms no longer excluded as assets.
Students and parents will only be able to access theri specific section. FSA ID will be necessary to log in.
FSA IDs will need to match SSA. You’ll have to get FSA IDs well in advance of filing.
Kids will be able to send FAFSA info to 20 schools (matches Common App).
For more info: https://www.famemaine.com/affording-education/pay-for-school/get-financial-aid/fafsa/fafsa-simplification/
Early College News
The Early College Portal will open for Fall 2023 registration on Friday, April 7, 2023
Access the portal here: https://www.maine.edu/students/early-college/explorec-portal/
If you have created a graduation plan that includes EC courses, make sure that you apply as soon as possible. There is statewide competition for seats and spots are filled as students submit their registrations. If you wait, it may be too late. Think Black Friday and get yourself signed up ASAP!
Here’s what is being offered IN PERSON at UROCK in Rockland Fall 2023:
ART 109: Photography- 27575
Thursdays from 4:00-6:30 PM with Dee Peppe
Counts as an Art Gen Ed
Loaner Cameras available
BIO 110: General Biology- with Marta Frisardi
Online Lecture- 27497
In-Person Lab on Thursdays from 4:00-7:00 PM- 27498
Good fit for anyone who plans to go into STEM
COM 102: Interpersonal Communication- 27568
Wednesdays from 6:00-7:30 PM with Steve Moro
Good class for any student interested in working one-on-one with people (nurses, doctors, counselors, consulting, social work, etc.)
ENG 101: College Writing- 27481
Tuesdays from 4:00-5:30 PM with Audrey Ennamorati
Most transferable course nationally, required by most colleges
Great starter course for 1st time Early College students
ENG 102W: Intro to Literature- 28202
Tuesdays from 4:00-6:45 PM with Brian Boyd
Likely counts as a Humanities Gen Ed
MAT 115: Statistics- 27509
Mondays from 4:00-6:45 PM with John Fitzgerald
Good class for students interested in STEM, Business, Sociology, Psychology, or Graduate School
PHI 103: Intro to Philosophy- 23758
Wednesdays from 4:00-5:45 PM with Greg Fahy
Likely counts as a Humanities Gen Ed and will be required course for anyone thinking Pre-Law
PSY 100: Intro to Psychology- 27571
Tuesdays from 6:00-7:30 PM with John Shattuck
Counts as Social Science Gen Ed
Great starter course for 1st time Early College students
These are just the in-person courses. There are literally hundreds online asynchronous. Create an account and dig around to see what you can find!
See your School Counselor if you have questions.
Tufts Report Out on Admissions Cycle 22-23
The post-mortems on the 22-23 admissions cycle are starting to flow in, offering us an opportunity to glean valuable information to guide us moving forward. Given that this is not the kind of communique that you typically receive, we’ll translate for you.
Here’s Tufts: https://now.tufts.edu/2023/03/22/early-impressions-students-admitted-tufts-undergraduate-class-2027
Here’s what we read in it:
34,000 applications. 9.5 % acceptance rate–Tufts has now joined the under 10% club and are “officially” (by my estimation alone…) a lottery school.
Students of color comprise 57% of the class. They are putting their money where their mouth is in terms of diversity.
95 Indigenous students were admitted, keeping in line with the recent increase that prompted Tufts to develop an Indigenous Student Center. This influx started when Tufts went test optional and has apparently continued.
40% did not submit test scores; moratorium on submitting scores remains in place through the Class of 2026.
For historical context, our applicant pool is now 50% larger than it was just three years ago and 75% larger than it was 7 years ago. Tufts is now receiving applications from thousands of high schools across the US and from around the world that had never previously sent us applications. Virtual programming, new outreach initiatives, shifting demographics, and our SAT/ACT test-optional pilot have all contributed to the changes in our pool and its composition.
Here’s BU: Boston University Admissions Statement
We just discovered that BU is making a deal with some applicants that were not accepted this year to matriculate elsewhere for their first year and then guaranteed them a transfer to BU as long as they maintain a 3.0. They have been doing this for several years, but it’s the first we’ve heard of it.
And what we recommend that you do in response:
Selective (also called “rejective”) colleges (Ivy League and “Little Ivies”) are getting harder and harder to get into. There is no special sauce that will magically ensure your passage through the gauntlet that getting into these schools represents. The reality is your chance to get in all comes down to the meeting that will be held this coming summer in which the Dean of Enrollment Management informs the Admissions Counselors on priorities for the Class of 2028. If they see something in you that will contribute to the community that they are building and invite you to join them, good for you. But the numbers don’t lie: the odds are not in your favor. So it’s fine to have a couple of these schools on your list (when MegaMillions is $1.3B, you buy a ticket…), but it's a fool's errand to structure your choices around the possibility or assumption that you’ll get in. So devote most of your energy to finding schools that you can fall “in like” with and have a reasonable expectation that you will get in.
College admissions is like financial investing-you need to diversify. There are those “safe” investments that, like a bond, don’t make a ton of money but keep chugging along and demonstrate results over time. Then there are the middle level investments that are usually accruing funds, but could also lead to losses. And finally, the high risk stocks that could make you a billion dollars, or you could lose your shirt. As you put your list together, make sure that you have schools in all three “investment” categories: likely/realistic/reach(or lottery)
Visually, your list should look like a Bell Curve:
Get to know the schools that are every bit as good but not as popular. There are a lot of great schools that nevertheless maintain reasonable acceptance rates: Roger Williams (91%), Stonehill (72%), Wheaton (MA) (81%), Hobart and William Smith (67.4), Furman (61%), Beloit (67%), Allegheny College (75%), Muhlenberg (68%), Earlham (69%). And many more. You can actually get in to these schools.
Ditch US News and World Report rankings, which require a certain degree of cooperation between colleges and the magazine. Colleges are starting to refuse participation in the US News rankings, which will cause the whole thing to implode. Seek other sources of information, being careful to assess the origin/source.
If you have any interest in the admissions statistics for additional selective schools, check out College Kickstart.
Workforce Development Ramping Up
Harold Alfond’s generosity continues to adapt to the times well after his death in 2007. Sports facilities, community/municipal buildings, and now The Harold Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine’s Workforce. The Center focuses on advancing short-term training options for jobs that require more than a high school diploma but less than an Associates degree. As an example, in six short weeks one can train to be a phlebotomist. Not that that’s a usual “what I want to be when I grow up” occupation, but it would be a simple way to get into a medical environment that would perhaps lead to other opportunities.
Ungrading for First Year College Students (NPR Article)
Helpful Resources:
NACAC (National Association of College Admissions Counselors) Guide to the College Admissions Process
