Michelle Kretzschmar 
Asians and Pacific Islanders represent 5.7% of the general population but make-up 6.6% of all undergraduates. There are two to four times more Asians at the most competitive schools than in the general population. Asian students make up 21% of undergraduates at Stanford and 19% at Harvard. Because of this “over-representation” and general “model minority” myth, Asian students are often perceived as doing well no matter where they attend school.
Recently I was on an online forum where a student was trying to figure out whether to apply to Duke or Washington University in Saint Louis. And, of course, there was discussion of his chances of getting in. The student had outstanding academic credentials, including a 34 ACT score. I pointed out that while that was fine, his credentials were really just the minimum required for entry into these schools. Another student indicated that a 34 ACT score as a “minimum” was obviously ludicrous. Naturally, I now have some numbers to talk about.
ShareTweetFlipEmailPin109109 SharesHave you heard about the student who won over $700,000 in scholarships? Here’s the truth about how he actually did it.
ShareTweetFlipEmailPin0 SharesRule 5: The Largest Scholarship will Come from the Schools the Student Applies to. CONNECT WITH OTHER PARENTS PLANNING FOR COLLEGE JOIN THE COFFEE CUP COLLEGE PLANNING FACEBOOK GROUP
What’s the worst possible thing families could hear after getting their Estimate Family Contribution (EFC) for financial aid? How about that even if they could manage to pay their EFC, more than likely they’ll have to pay even more because most colleges won’t meet their full need. The data on who gets financial aid shows that most families aren’t going to have their need met.
ShareTweetFlipEmailPin0 SharesYes, you can use college rankings to find affordable colleges.
Why look at a college’s endowment when trying to decide where to go to school? This falls into the category of all other things being equal, why not attend an institution that is in a better financial situation? Or more importantly, why risk going to a university that is facing financial difficulties?
