Expert: Todd Johnson - 5/26/2011

Question
QUESTION: Hi! I'm 15 years old but already thinking of my future and higher education. I currently keep a 3.70 GPA in tenth grade which is coming to an end soon and I'm looking forward to studying in the United States (born and raised in Puerto Rico). My choice of a major is already taken and is Business Administration-Management. It is something I feel attracted to would love to do for the rest of my life. So, enough with the babbling and let's get to the point! What universities having a 4 year bachelor's degree would be good for me, me being a Puerto Rican, being part of the middle class and all? I've been checking out recently the University of Central Florida and really considering it since it is  on the east coast. The closer to the Caribbean the better because in case of an emergency that my parents or someone have to come it is an advantage.

Than you for your time,
Pam

ANSWER: Pam,

Glad to hear that you are looking at the college admissions process early. This can make the process much more manageable and fun. Since you are a US citizen you are eligible for any US college just like any student. The question is, what is the best college for you.

I would suggest you start with College Navigator which is a web search site of the US Department of Education. Here is their link:  http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/
That website allows you to search for colleges by location, major, admissions and other factors.

If money is an issue, and I presume it is since you say you are middle class, then public colleges may not be the best choice for you. Since you would not be a resident of a state, such as Florida, you would pay out state tuition which can be as expensive as a private college. More importantly, most public colleges do not have strong financial aid so you would most likely not get much aid.

You will most likely be better off financially at a private college. Here is a link to a page on my website that talks about how financial aid works and questions to ask different colleges. http://www.collegeadmissionspartners.com/resources/info-to-know/financial-aid-ba

I would suggest that both you and your parents look at this page to understand how financial aid works. Otherwise your parents will not even let you consider a college that looks expensive on paper.

One of the critical questions is what percent of need the college meets. One quick way to find out the answer to that is by going to the website for the College Board. Here is the link:  http://collegesearch.collegeboard.com/search/quicksearch.jsp?formState=1&word=&x

Search for the college you want to find out information about and you will find a great deal of information about that college. Under the tab for Costs and Financial Aid you will find information about how that college handles financial aid including what percent of need the college meets on average. The University of Central Florida for instance only meets 66% of the typical students need so if will be more expensive for you than a college that met 100% of need. This may be even worse for you since public colleges often give their best aid for in state students.

I hope this helps you get started on the search for the right college for you.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi!

Well, I've kind of forgotten about the distance factor and want to aim higher and for that I should not have limits (I think -.-). I have a dream of going to Stanford in California. I don't know if with some extracurricular activities next year (junior year) and a REALLY good GPA (if I intend I can do it)it's enough. I'm also planning to go to NYLC -a leadership conference in Washington D.C. which is very acknowledged. Can you tell me, approximately, which are my chances and if you know someone who has been admitted how he/she did it?

Thank you very much,
Pam

ANSWER: Pam,

I think it is good to aim high as long as you are realistic in the colleges you are considering. As you know, Stanford is extremely difficult to get admitted to even for the best students. Your chance of admission with a 3.7 GPA is unlikely although anything is possible.

Right now, you should focus on what you want from a college and not on a particular college. Size, location, academic competitiveness, those sort of things.  Use College Navigator to research colleges that meet your needs and that have a range of acceptances. By range of acceptances I mean it is alright to have one or two schools on your list, like Stanford, where acceptance is a long shot. But you should also have colleges on your list where you have a good chance of acceptance and some on your list where you are almost certainly going to be admitted. Of course, paying attention at each of these schools on how they handle financial aid so that you will be able to afford the colleges that might admit you.

For selective colleges like Stanford, the admissions process is what is called holistic. They want very high grades and test scores but that alone is not enough for admissions. They also want interesting students, those who have been involved in some activity or have some background that makes you different than everyone else applying. Coming from Puerto Rico for instance makes you a little different because most colleges don't get a lot of applications from students in Puerto Rico. If you have a particular interest in something you will want to develop that interest and highlight it on your applications. For example, if you are the girl that is always a leader in everything you do, then you will want to highlight your leadership skills. If you are a nationally ranked soccer player, then you would want to emphasize your skills in soccer.

I hope that helps you.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi again!

There has been a change of interest. I thought I was completely sure about Business Administration but I wasn't. I've discovered something which I didn't know I had a passion for it and it is Aerospace Engineering. I don't like because it just sounds cool. I really have a passion for aerospace and everything related to it. I've requested information from many universities, something I didn't even consider with B. Administration. A list of the universities I've requested more information about them include: Stanford (hehehe(:), Syracuse, U. of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Georgia Tech, Polytechnic Institute of NYU, Virginia Tech, Princeton, University of Washington, Cornell, Boston University, U. of Miami, U. of Illinois, Penn State, U.of Colorado (not too excited about it), U. of South California, Harvard (again...hehehe), Purdue, and the Illinois Institute of Technology. I'm also considering MIT, UCLA, and Cal Poly Pomona but it's just that I didn't find any way of requesting additional information on their sites. You tell me if I'm on the right track (being realistic AND aiming high) or just aiming too high.

Thanks in advance,
Pam

PS: I really appreciate your advice. It IS helpful.

Answer
The concern I have with the list of colleges you present is that most of them are public colleges. I have mentioned before financial aid at public colleges is generally not good for students from out of that state. It is possible that you may qualify for some merit based awards but even then I think it likely that the public colleges will not be very affordable even if you get in.

Aerospace is a little tricky because it is not the most common engineering program and thus there are more limited options for colleges that have programs. Focus on the private colleges where you are likely to get better financial aid and those public colleges that may give you some merit based aid.