GETTING IN- THE RIGHT COLLEGE WITH THE RIGHT PLAN

INTRODUCTION

Scenario 1 ~ Do you feel totally lost with the process of applying to college? In other words, you do not know where to look for the information, and you do not have anyone to turn to but the Internet?

Scenario 2 ~ Have your parents told you since the age of 10 that you were going to college, but now that you are older, you have no clue of how it is going to happen?

Scenario 3 ~ After applying for college, did you run to the mailbox every day looking for the decision letter from your preferred school, only to find an admission acceptance letter with no offer of financial aid?

Scenario 4 ~ Have you been sitting for hours trying to figure out what to include in your college essays that would make yours stand out?

If you can relate to any of these scenarios, then this book series is for you.

Getting In—The Right College With The Right Plan is the first in the Ivy Style College Prep educational book series that provides prospective college students with insight, tips, and tools they can use to address and tackle the most commonly asked questions junior and high school students ask regarding the college application process.

Below are seven of the most frequently asked questions by prospective college students:

• Where do I start?

• What should I pursue (Job vs. Career)?

• What should I consider when selecting schools?

• How do schools view my application(s)?

• What do I write about in the college essays?

• Who should I ask for a recommendation?

• How am I going to pay for college?

When I first started writing this book, I asked myself an extremely important question—What is the purpose for writing this book, when there are thousands of books, guides, and articles already in publication that explore and explain the college admissions process? Some of the information is just a click away (Internet) or a visit away (in local bookstores or in the office of high school guidance counselors). Additionally, more than ever before, there are hundreds of independent educational consultants attempting to share this information outside of the school setting, through one-on-one or group sessions, webinars, articles, and via media coverage. Yet, students and families still feel that the college admissions process is costly, overwhelming, and burdensome.

My Story

When I applied to college in the 80’s and 90’s (shh…stop trying to figure out my age), I did not have access to nearly as much information that is so readily available to students today. My guidance counselor provided very little guidance and insight on the admissions selection and application processes. With no guide or reference book, my counselor quickly directed me, and many of my classmates, to apply to a local community college. Now, while there is nothing wrong with community colleges, the choice to attend one is usually centered around a specific need, be it financial, academic (to test the academic waters), or personal (e.g., a student is not ready to move away from home to attend college out of state). None of these fit my personal circumstances. I was interested in attending a four-year college/university that was located out of state.

Being provided with such limited information and direction forced me to initiate the process on my own. One of the first things I did was to start completing college applications that were mailed to my home. I had never even heard of half of the colleges or universities. But I figured I’d play the numbers game and increase my odds. It wouldn’t be too long before I stumbled across one of the most dreaded acronyms—FAFSA. What in the world is this FAFSA? You mean, I must ask my parents for their personal financial information to complete this form and send it to a place I never heard of before in my life? I then began to realize that applying for college without no real preparation wasn’t going to be no easy task. My parents had every intention on me attending college after graduating high school; however, we did not have a concrete financial plan. When I was admitted to college, I, personally, had no financial means to pay for tuition. Therefore, my parents had to cover the tuition and room and board out-of-pocket, less the amount that I received from a federal student loan. I had no knowledge on outside scholarship opportunities or how to obtain one, which left the cost of college education on the shoulders of my parents.

Given the brief outline of my personal experience described above, please allow me to caution you to not make the same mistakes I made when it comes to applying for college, including the cost of repayment. It took me 17 years to completely payoff my undergraduate debt. My income fell short of my household expenses, so I applied for alternative repayment plans that did not work in my favor in the long run. Although my monthly payments were more manageable, I became comfortable with making the minimum payments, even after my income increased. I was repaying my student loans, all while I was paying monthly expenses that included a mortgage payment of approximately $1,200, a car payment of $300, condo association fees of $450, and other necessary costs. This does not have to be your story. There is too much information out there today, and you just need to know where to find it and how to obtain it.

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Despite a broken college admissions process, millions of students (70%