Finding the right fit
As I close out my second school year as a College Advisor for the Academic Success Program, I'd like to share some key-learnings from my experience. Not once did I expect to work in education in my career but it has been the most eye-opening experience and is something that I have personally fallen in love with.
One thing is clear: students and parents do not know the resources available to them, they are uninformed. Information is the key to finding the right college for a student, not just academically, but financially. The cost of attendance for college in the United States is, without a doubt, extremely expensive. However, it is not the shown price tag that students should look at, but what they would actually have to pay out of pocket. What makes the difference is the school they choose to apply to.
This year, I had a certain student from a low-income family with divorced parents. Many studies show that these two identifiers can set a child back tremendously in terms of behavior with snowballing negative effects into adulthood. This student had settled to go to community college but knew he would not be challenged academically as he was near the top of his Senior class. Through many meetings and lessons on the difference between merit-based financial aid and need based financial aid, we concluded that the student should apply Early Decision to Reed College. A private liberal arts college that provided opportunity for experiential learning like Study Abroad, Undergrad Research, and their famous Paideia program.
One may think that as a private school, the student would not have the resources to pay for the school. However, what makes the difference is the school. Reed College is a school that meets 100% of demonstrated need for accepted students, making this school the MOST AFFORDABLE for the student, as he got a full ride through the school's financial aid policy.
There are two major factors in what turned this student from community college to a full ride to one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country: information and the school. The information allowed the student to understand their options while the school had the resources to support the financial need of the family. With just these two factors, the future of this student and his family has done a hard pivot to an upward trajectory.
The good news doesn't stop there. I look forward to sharing more stories of students in hopes to shed light on the shadowed world that is college access.