College Connections News                                           News Articles Getting Off The College Waitlist Fairness of EA Still Debatable Starting Your Admission Process Early Admission Apps Fall 2.5%

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September 19, 2006

IECA Announces New Professional Member

College Consultant Accepted in National Professional Association

Jeannie Borin, M.Ed. of Los Angeles, California has been accepted as a professional member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association

Fairfax, VA – The Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), today announced that Jeannie Borin, M.Ed. of Los Angeles has been accepted as a professional member in the Association. Professional membership in the Association is reserved for only the most capable and experienced independent educational consultants.  It requires an appropriate Master’s Degree and a minimum of three years experience in counseling and admissions.  In addition, members must have visited a minimum of fifty campuses, meet IECA’s professional standards, and subscribe to its Principles of Good Practice.

IECA helps members update knowledge and maintain skills through meetings, workshops, training programs, and information exchange with colleges, schools, programs, and other consultants.

Getting Off The College Waitlist
By Jeninne Lee-St. John
April 24, 2008

Nine colleges have offered Sarah Simon, of Wellesley, Mass., a spot in their class of 2012: Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Princeton, Stanford, University of Chicago, Vassar and Williams. But she's a dancer--ballet six times a week, modern twice, jazz once--and Columbia University in New York City would give her access not only to an exceptional ballet program at its sister school Barnard but also to the epicenter of the dance world. Unfortunately, Columbia has put her on the waitlist. Though she's not whining about her wealth of options, Simon, a senior at Noble and Greenough School, is holding out hope for Columbia, at least through mid-June. "I ended up getting into a lot of great schools," says Simon, "just not the one that would make me disregard all the others."

Lots of seniors are in the same predicament this spring for several reasons: the high school class of 2008 numbers nearly 3.4 million, the largest in U.S. history; there's a swell of kids submitting seven or more college applications; and Princeton and Harvard got rid of early admissions this year. More than 6.3 million applications were submitted to four-year colleges in the fall of 2006, and though the numbers aren't yet available, they most likely increased this school year. No surprise then that many schools are logging record-low admissions rates. Columbia, for example, let in 8.7% of applicants, compared with 10.4% in 2007. And more schools are hedging their bets by upping the number of applicants they put on the waitlist. That's because the most talented students will probably have offers from multiple schools, but they can attend, of course, only one.

Even the most selective colleges end up using the waitlist to fill out their classes. In 2006, colleges admitted on average 29% of students from the waitlist. For the schools, that's not a bad thing. Rather than assign waitlisters a numeric rank and pluck them from the top in order, most schools reassess the whole pool of kids to try to ensure a well-rounded campus. "It's a great way to shape the class and meet our institutional priorities," says Dick Nesbitt, director of admissions at Williams College. "Maybe we could use a few more artists or a few more math or science researchers." Williams waitlisted 1,000 applicants this year for a class of 538 and last year admitted 52 from the list.

So what's the secret to getting in off the waitlist? Most colleges require students to decide where they want to go by May 1, after which they will re-evaluate the kids they've kept on hold. Given the odds, those who choose to remain on a waitlist should still accept an offer from--and, yes, probably pay a nonrefundable deposit to--another school, lest they have nowhere to attend in the fall. Some waitlisted students use the time to take action. Sam Davison, a senior at Highland Park High School in Texas, was waitlisted at his first choice, Vanderbilt University. To boost his chances, Davison had a family friend who is an alumnus write a letter on his behalf. And he is in touch with a Vanderbilt admissions officer. Vanderbilt, which waitlisted 25% more applicants this year than last for a class of 1,550, lets its reps speak frankly with students about their chances. "We try to humanize this experience," says Douglas Christiansen, dean of admissions, "because it's very emotional and stressful for the students and families."

But every school is different. Independent college counselor Jeannie Borin, founder of Los Angeles--based College Connections, tells waitlisted student-clients never to send anything extra to admissions offices without asking permission. Generally, colleges welcome updates on grades and achievements, which is what Sarah Brown-Campello, captain of the soccer and lacrosse teams at Thacher School in Ojai, Calif., is sending to her top choice, Dickinson College (she wants small classes and a chance to take Portuguese), along with a new teacher recommendation.

For some, being waitlisted by their dream school can be a blessing in disguise. It can spur them to take a gap year or to take a closer look at their other academic options. If Vincent and Davison don't get into their preferred schools, they'll both go to University of Texas; Brown-Campello would go to University of Vermont; and Simon thinks she'd attend Princeton or Stanford. Kavya Rao, a freshman in the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) Medical Scholars Program who was waitlisted at Harvard last spring, thinks they will be just fine. "I would have loved to go to Harvard," she says. "Now I don't want to leave UCSD and all the people here who can help me become a doctor." College is what you make of it, no matter where you end up.

Fairness of EA Still Debatable
University officials say that non-binding program has no bias against low-income students
By Kimberly Chow
January 23, 2007

The ongoing debate over early admissions programs at elite schools has largely focused on low-income students, but the impact of recent decisions about early admissions on this group is still uncertain.

When University officials announced earlier this month that Yale will keep its early action program, they said early admission does not give unfair benefits to privileged applicants. But when Harvard and Princeton universities eliminated their early admissions programs in September, they claimed the decision would benefit low-income students, who are less likely to apply early and receive the corresponding advantages. Many college counselors and admissions experts said low-income students often are not able to apply early — an option they said provides students with an upper hand in the process — and that the disadvantage may not be overcome in the regular decision cycle.

Dean of Admissions Jeff Brenzel said the early action option allows financial aid applicants the opportunity to be accepted early, but still apply elsewhere regular decision and compare financial aid packages.  Brenzel said all applicants are evaluated by their individual opportunities and achievements, not according to socioeconomic quotas. “Many of our best low-income applicants apply early; even if they represent a smaller proportion of the pool, it’s not whether they apply early or regular that counts,” he said. “It’s whether they present the right academic promise, and we certainly have our radar out for students like that.”

For students, one key advantage of early admissions for all students is the higher acceptance rate, college counselors and high school students said. Yale accepted 17.7 percent of early applicants and 7.5 percent of regular applicants for the Class of 2010.

The tendency for students to stop applying to other schools after being accepted early can be particularly harmful for low-income students, who then miss the chance to compare different schools’ financial aid packages, said Megan Harlan, director of college guidance at the private Princeton Day School in Princeton, N.J.

Jeannie Borin, president of the admissions consulting firm College Connections, said she has seen many students hesitate before applying early because of concerns that they will not get the best financial aid package. But due to the belief that there is a better chance of acceptance in the early cycle, many students still choose to apply in November, she said.

“I think as college expenses continue to rise, you’re going to have more kids applying regular,” Borin said. “But as long as there’s an advantage in terms of the percentage — more students accepted early — you will still have that group applying early because they want to increase their odds.”

By Richard Borin
May 5, 2009

In working with families of college bound students, the issue of “paying for college” will eventually enter the conversation, sometimes before the list of potential Universities is developed, and sometimes after acceptance letters and Student Aid Reports have been received. Financial consultants familiar with the college funding process will immediately look at specific areas of the family’s finances to see whether they are able to save the family money on true out of pocket expenses. Typical of these potential savings areas are cash flow savings, tax savings (use of tax credits), income and asset shifting to take advantage of the student’s low or zero tax rate, and private scholarships or additional Merit Aid from the University. However, none of these mention possibly the most important and potentially largest financial saving of all, the student’s future earnings potential.

The United States and the entire developed world are going through a transformation that promises to impact our economy much like the Industrial Revolution and the Post World War II infrastructure build out. There is little doubt that this will cause tremendous growth in the need for certain skills and, likewise, a decline in labor needs for other sectors of our economy. As an admissions or financial counselor hired to help your prospective University student, am I giving you the best advice I can if I ignore the idea of helping your child graduate in the minimum timeframe with a degree or certification for a 21st century skill in a 21st century growth area? Have I done a better job if I save you $20,000 over a four year period or if place your child at a school where four years later he or she will graduate with skills that give them a chance to receive an entry level job that pays them $10,000-$15,000 a year more than those that graduate with a liberal arts degree and no direction.

It is not the purpose of this article to delve into the emerging growth areas and the areas of decline. That has been done for us. The fellow who has done it for us happens to be President Obama and he has communicated it on many occasions in both the campaign and especially the first 100 days of his administration. Just last Sunday he went into it in depth in an interview in the New York Times. Click here to read the interview

Obama’s most telling words in this interview are “but somehow we have not done a good job of matching up the training with the need out there. And that’s one of the things where government can help, help to guide and steer our education process in a way that meets future needs and not just the needs of the past.” This certainly sounds to me like an indictment of our educational system and what our Universities are teaching. And I do not put it past this President to force some major changes. Hint—think science, math and engineering and your future should be bright.

The argument for and against a liberal arts education as opposed to a specific skill based education will go on. However, it seems to me to be a time where information is SCREAMING out at you to pursue an education leading to a degree that will allow you to have an edge in specific careers. Helping the student choose a major or course of study based on his or her interests and in a growth area and, at the same time finding a school that is appealing geographically and in size and more importantly has a good reputation in your area of interest, must be a part of the admission process. It is incumbent upon admission counselors to stay abreast of changes and additions in the curriculum of all schools as our country proceeds to develop the new and rebuild the old in energy, healthcare, education, and infrastructure.

Richard Borin is a Registered Investment Advisor and a Certified College Planning Specialist. He specializes in Wealth Management, Retirement Plans and Educational Saving Plans. He can be reached by clicking here.

the independent student newspaper of the University of Pennsylvania

Early Admission Apps Fall 2.5%
Officials say last year's selectivity may have been a deterrent for possible early applicants
By Inna Lifshin
December 6, 2006

Early applications to Penn dropped slightly this year, admissions officials announced yesterday. Overall, the University received 4,001 early applications this fall, down about 2.5 percent from last year's 4,120 applications. While the College and the School of Nursing both saw drops, applications to Wharton and to the Engineering School increased.

Dean of Admissions Lee Stetson said he expects to admit between 20 and 30 percent of the early applicant pool, which will fill close to half of the Class of 2011. Stetson added that this year's overall decrease - which follows a 21-percent surge last year - came as no surprise. Admissions officials anticipated the drop because last year's high level of selectivity, which resulted from the increase, most likely discouraged some students from applying to Penn, Stetson said. Increased selectivity one year "tends to soften the number [of applications] just a bit" the following year, he said.

Despite the overall drop, this year's applicant pool is more geographically diverse than last year's, he said. Nineteen states - including Texas, Arizona and Virginia - saw record numbers of applicants. The number of international applications also set a record, rising 13 percent to reach 599. This year was also "one of the few times" that Penn has received at least one early application from every state, he added.

The number of African American applicants rose 20 percent, to 209. Applications from Hispanic, Asian and Native American students remained relatively stable.

Jeannie Borin - president of the California-based College Connections admissions consulting company - said Penn's surge in applications last year was likely not a major deterrent, since fluctuations in a school's selectivity are not highly publicized.

Stetson said he believed that this fall's national debate over early admissions programs - sparked by Harvard University eliminating the practice for the next cycle and Princeton University planning to follow suit a year later - was not a factor in Penn's early-application drop this year.

Borin, however, said she did notice many students and parents "feeling insecure about how stable the early programs" are in general, she said. This perception may have prompted some students to forego applying early, she said. Nevertheless, Borin added, the 100-applicant drop at Penn was not significant.

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