"Better Off After College" -- Book Review

Big thanks to Sabrina Manville and Nick Ducoff of Edmit for their succinct overview of paying for college in their book, Better Off After College: A Guide to Paying For College With More Aid And Less Debt.

This book is perfect for parents and students embarking on the heavy question of how to afford college. 

My favorite aspect of the book is how it is organized. Manville and Ducoff start with the basics of college pricing in the chapter called "The Big Picture." From there, each subsequent chapter is a timeline of what families should know and do from pre-high school all the way through college. This flow allows families to jump into the book at whichever point they need the support and determine the steps necessary to pay for college. 

This book is truly bursting with useful information. Here are some of the key points that hit home for me:

• While the published price of college has gone up dramatically over the years, the net price (as in the price paid after discounts and financial aid) has remained about the same over the same timeframe. 
• The word "financial aid" continues to mislead families as loans are usually offered as part of the aid package. 
• Parents and students alike should understand the R.O.I., or return on investment, for the money they spend on college. It's rarely a good idea to take on tremendous debt even if the brand name university is the dream school. 
• When taking on loans, a good guideline is to take no more in loans than the student would earn in income in their first year out of college. 
• There are a variety of ways to manage college costs including choosing an affordable school, making sure the student graduates in four years, taking out manageable loans and appealing financial aid awards. 

In all, this book is a straightforward take on what is an increasingly complex decision. 

Perhaps my only criticism of this book are the anecdotes. Sprinkled into the factual and helpful information are vignettes of student and family situations. However, many of these stories lack deeper context and raise more questions than answers. I understand the goal was likely to demonstrate a concept with a real world story, but the stories are too limiting and leave the reader (or at least me) wanting to dig deeper to understand more. 

That said, this is a great guide for anyone seeking greater understanding of the finances of college. Students, parents, teachers and counselors will all benefit from reading this, keeping it on your bookshelf and dog-earing key parts for future use. 

Edmit is doing tremendous work in the college affordability space. I am grateful they have produced this book and I love the detailed information they have about colleges on their website: www.edmit.me. 

SAT Dress Rehearsal

If a student of mine is preparing to take the SAT in a couple of days, we do an activity I call a "SAT Dress Rehearsal." Essentially, it is a test walk through: we pull up a practice test and go through it page by page reminding the student about     timing, strategies and approaches. 

It's a stress-free activity that really helps students understand what test day will be like. And after doing this same activity with many students over the years, I finally recorded one I did with a group of students last night. 

Check it out here: 

Bookmark this video and watch it a few days before you take the test. Do your own "Dress Rehearsal" along with this video and be prepared for test day. 

And don't forget that I am hosting my online summer SAT & ACT Test Prep Workshop series starting June 22. Sign up or get more information right here. 

CROSSWALK is the Monterey Peninsula's local resource for academic tutoring and test prep. 

Summer is Coming: Sign Up Now for Test Prep

Yes, the test optional movement is here to stay. 

Even so, many highly selective universities are now revealing that the majority of admission offers during this last cycle are going to students who submitted test scores. Boston College reported that 61% of admits submitted scores. Colgate was similar at 60%. 

As a result, students who want to maximize college admission and financial aid opportunities should still take the SAT or ACT. Even if their dream school is test optional. Remember, it is an option to submit a score...so you can still take it to see how you do. 

And since summer is the sweetest time to prepare for the ACT and SAT, CROSSWALK is here to help. 

Sign up now for CROSSWALK's Summer Test Prep Program, a data driven and stress-free approach to SAT and ACT improvement. This six-week course is just what any rising junior or senior needs to master key strategies, manage time and achieve a goal score. 

Led by Brooke Higgins, instructor and founder of CROSSWALK, all classes are held remotely on Tuesday evenings from 6:00-8:00pm pacific time starting June 22nd. 

And a free bonus exclusively for summer students: a FREE Score Analysis. Submit an official or practice SAT, ACT or PSAT score to CROSSWALK and Brooke will provide key insights and ways to improve so that the student can keep moving towards his or her goal score. Summer students can do this before, during or after the program. 

Also, like all CROSSWALK courses, financial aid is available. Contact Brooke directly for more information on financial aid or any other test prep and tutoring questions. 

Since 2002, CROSSWALK Test Prep & Tutoring remains a trusted resource for GPA, test score and academic support.  

Household Income, SAT Scores & Essay Content

The relationship between SAT and ACT scores to household income is well-documented. Even the most ardent supporters of standardized tests cannot dispute the fact that higher scores are tied to higher family income brackets. 

Which is a big reason why the test-optional movement was gaining steam even before the pandemic. 

So without test scores, essays are gaining greater importance in the process of college admission. It's a logical result: in absence of test scores, college admission counselors are weighing college application essays heavier. 

But what if essay content is also related to household income? What if a student's word choice, punctuation and structures were also connected to household income? 

Turns out, there is indeed a strong relation. Essays, like test scores, are related to household income. 

In a new paper from Stanford CEPA (Center for Educational Policy Analysis), researchers concluded that "essay content is strongly related to household income and SAT scores." By reviewing 60,000 undergraduate applications and 240,000 essays, Salinas native AJ Alvero and his team at Stanford revealed that "essays have a stronger correlation to reported household income than SAT scores." 

This is big news. The Wall Street Journal just issued an Opinion piece about the same. 

But what does it mean? 

On one hand, this shouldn't be much of a surprise. Elite and selective institutions have likely flagged essays with targeted vocabulary or niche topics for generations. If the crew team needs a coxswain, then any essays about coxswain experience would likely receive special attention. 

On the other hand, we should be outraged. Here is hard evidence of yet more inequities in our higher education system. Access to elite and selective colleges is only for those in higher income brackets who can pay to prepare for the SAT/ACT or craft perfect essays?

Sure, I get it. Enrollment management is a business decision. In order for colleges to keep their doors open, they need to cater to some full pay students. 

But if we truly believe that higher education is a means towards upward mobility, we may need to reconsider why household income is so closely related to test scores and essay content. What do we value when we assess student potential? What should we value? 

As colleges grapple with these questions, CROSSWALK is here to support all students, regardless of income. Financial aid, and pro-bono programs, are available for all tutoring, especially test prep. 

Share this with someone you know that could benefit from academic support no matter what adjusted gross income they have. Let's be sure all students have a path to college. 

Why Take the SAT/ACT If It's Optional?

Thanks to organizations like The National Center for Fair and Open Testing and folks like John Boeckenstedt, the test-optional movement in college admissions was growing long before the pandemic. 

And now that schools were forced to go test-optional due to the pandemic, this movement is here to stay. 

So if taking the SAT or ACT is optional, why do it? Applying to college is already overwhelming and stressful. Why add any more to your plate, especially since the SAT and ACT are mental marathons? 

Consider these three highly compelling reasons to still take the SAT or ACT: 

1) Test scores can influence admissions to selective schools: Even though we are not quite at the end of this current admissions cycle, early data shows that test scores are impacting college admissions to selective schools. 

2) Good test scores can mean more merit-based financial aid: Historically, a good test score meant more merit-based financial aid and there is no reason to suggest that the future will be any different. A college counselor colleague of mine reminds me that "Every 100-point increase on the SAT can mean $10,000 more in aid." This may be a slight oversimplification since the amount of aid obviously depends on both the student's profile and the school under consideration. Nevertheless, the math doesn't lie: higher test scores means more merit-based aid opportunities. 

3) Submission is optional, but you can still take the tests: For schools that remain test-optional, the option is for the student to submit a score. In other words, a student can still take the test and then, depending on the results, opt to submit a score. So you may as well take the test to see if the score is competitive. If the score is competitive, then be sure to submit. And if not, then simply don't. 

In all, the test-optional movement benefits both students and colleges. Students can now take the test stress-free but they should still take the test. Even post-pandemic, more admissions offers and more financial aid will go to students with higher test scores. 

So exercise your option! You have nothing to lose. 

And if you need help preparing for test day and exploring all options, contact CROSSWALK, the Monterey Peninsula's local resource for academic tutoring and test prep. 

March Madness by Cost of Attendance

The annual NCAA basketball tourney will soon tip off. And so begins the scramble to fill out brackets and predict a winner. 

But instead of picking winners based on rankings or records, what if you picked winners based on the Cost of Attendance (COA)? 

Thanks to the folks at Columbia Threadneedle Investments--with whom I have no individual connection nor experience doing business with--you can do just that. 

Check out the March Madness bracket based on COA they put together here. 

Fun and games aside, understanding COA is a key step in college planning. Yes, COA is rising and has risen dramatically over the years. But so has merit aid, particularly aid tied to academic achievement like GPA and test scores. 

So as you diligently fill out your bracket for March Madness, be sure to apply that same diligence to your GPA and test scores. 

And if you need help with your GPA or test scores, contact CROSSWALK. We offer tutoring in all academic subjects as well as small group and private test prep for the SAT and ACT. 

Test Optional Here to Stay

If you haven't heard the news, ACT CEO Janet Godwin recently wrote in the company's blog that the test optional movement is here to stay. Further, she offers that the growth of test blind is "unlikely." Read her post right here. 

The reactions to this announcement are mixed. 

On one hand, the good news is that more schools will allow students to have the option to submit test scores. This means that the stress around the SAT and ACT will be reduced since students will have the choice to take and/or submit test scores. Followers of CROSSWALK know that we have long been proponents of the stress-free approach to testing. 

On the other hand, the bad news is that the test optional movement seems to benefit colleges and universities more than the students. Due to the pandemic, most if not all schools went test optional for the past admissions cycle. As a result, the more competitive schools saw increases in the number of students applying. This increase in applicants benefits these schools in three significant ways: 1) schools get to choose from a wider selection of applicants, 2) more applications means more revenue from application fees, and 3) increased applications means a lower admission rate which helps the school's rankings in the U.S. News and World Report. 

So what is the end result of test optional remaining as an ongoing policy? Probably no different than the past. Early indications are that more admission offers, and potentially more financial award offers, are going to those who submit test scores. 

The data point to track will be the difference between admission offers or financial aid awards for test takers versus non-test takers. But that data point (realistically) may be too soon to tell and (cynically) potentially buried or massaged by the colleges keen on keeping application submissions up. 

As long as the SAT and ACT remain a path towards more admission and financial aid, CROSSWALK is committed to providing stress-free approaches to test preparation. 

Our upcoming Spring Test Prep Series starts March 16th and financial aid is available. Sign up and get more information here. 

CROSSWALK is the Monterey Peninsula's resource for academic tutoring and test preparation. Contact us here for more information.