The College Application Process: Ivy League, Selective, Public

If you have begun the college application process with your child, you have probably been shocked by the cost and the competition. The most competitive schools are courting the students with top notch scores and grades. High school students are getting phone calls from Harvard offering to answer questions about the school and encouraging them to apply. Harvard implemented a high profile campaign to let students know that the college was offering generous financial aid packages and seeking to expand the diversity of the student population. The college hadn't expanded; there are no more spots available at Harvard. Yet, this year Harvard had a record number of applicants, presumably due to the active recruitment. The end result? Harvard is more competitive than ever. Based on the number of applicants versus the number of students admitted, the competition was stiffer than ever, the college more selective. Really though, not much changed. Harvard did commit to assuring full aid to students in families with incomes of $40,000 or less, but in reality those kids are eligible for aid anyway. For example, in New Jersey a first generation college student from a family of four with a family income of $38,500 will qualify for the Educational Opportunity Fund, complete financial aid. Harvard received almost 23,000 applications for admission this year and accepted just over 1600 students.

At $60 per application, that's a lot of money. But enough about Harvard.

Following are some quick things to consider before you pay for and commit to numerous college applications. The private schools are double the price of state schools. When they say they will work with students to assure that the college is affordable, they don't necessarily mean scholarships. Included in aid packages are work study and loans and yes, parent loans are part of that figure. The FAFSA may say your family contribution is $5000, but that means almost nothing to the colleges. The colleges are under no obligation to follow the recommendation of the FAFSA estimated family contribution (EFC). I suggest you immediately double the FAFSA EFC amount for your own budgeting purposes. The cost of applications and required testing is not something most parents are prepared for. In addition to the regular SAT, many of the more competitive colleges require several SAT II's, which are subject tests at a cost of $43 each. If your child is thinking of applying to schools that require SAT II's, start now. Trying to fit in all of the required testing can be a challenge. Some schools require separate financial aid applications, and of course there is a cost involved. The free FAFSA isn't enough for all schools; you have to work through a fee based system (CSS and IDOC) run through the College Board. The College Board runs the SAT's, SAT II's and the financial aid CSS and IDOC, none of which are free.

The actual application fees that re required by each college can add up very quickly. They range from about $40 to $70. It is possible to get a fee waiver for SAT's and for applications, but you have to work through your high school. The high schools set their own criteria and frequently use the free lunch eligibility to give out fee waivers. You can try calling and visiting colleges to get application waivers. The less competitive schools are better about giving these out and some colleges offer free applications online. None of the Ivy League schools offer free applications without the waiver. To apply to Harvard, a student will need to take the SAT I and four SAT II subject tests at a total cost of over $200. The application fee is $60 and the cost for the CSS financial aid profile and IDOC is another $20. This is typical for the Ivy and most selective school. Multiple this amount by the number of application your child hopes to submit. Then add to that the less costly safety school applications.

In my child's graduation class of over 400 students, one was accepted to Ivy. Of the top 20 kids in that class, most of them submitted 3 or 4 applications to very selective schools, including Ivy's. These are kids with SAT's in the 700 range, with talents and activities. A lot of money was gambled away on the hopes for these kids. The incredible emotional roller coaster for them individually and as a group, when the rejections began rolling in was difficult. Most of these kids are in the end, going to state schools. Some of them question why they worked so hard all these years if they never really had a chance at anything beyond one of their state schools. Maybe Harvard, the rest of the Ivy's and the other high priced alternatives could sink some money into expansion efforts, offering admission to a greater number of deserving students. Maybe our application fee money could be used for just that purpose.