We are very proud of our students and happy to report that everyone has been accepted to a school that is a great fit for them. It seems like every year we say, "this was the most competitive year ever!" But each year applications continue to rise!  We have also seen a rise in waitlists from likely schools and denials from likely and safety schools. This is all part of the trend that will continue as colleges refine data analytics to manage their yields. Check back next month for top ten lessons learned from this year’s season.


Here are the acceptance rates at some of the most competitive colleges and universities for this year; another incredibly competitive year with ED acceptances filling 50%+ of the freshman classes at many institutions.


 
Congratulations for working so hard and we wish you the best of luck. 

 
Matriculating to schools: only one will do!

Seniors, you will need to send in your deposit to a school by May 1st. Please let us know if you want to talk or meet to help make the final decision. 
 
For those of you still deciding, it is helpful to come up with a list of questions that you feel are still unanswered. If they are academic in nature, e-mail the questions to professors in the department you are thinking of pursuing at each of the schools in contention. See what sort of response you get. This will give you an idea of how your relationship with professors may be next year. If they are social in nature, develop a list and send it to some current students. If the choice is purely financial, let the numbers speak. Go to admitted students day or visit/revisit a campus. Here is a great post written by Rick Clark from Georgia Tech called Owning YOUR Campus Visit.

While it is tempting to send in multiple deposits to keep your options open, you may only send a deposit to one school. If the two schools find out that you have double deposited they may both rescind your offer. If you deposit before May 1st, which we recommend for larger schools to guarantee housing, it is polite to let the other schools know of your decision, especially to open up slots to kids on the waitlist.  

For those of you still on a waitlist, should you get accepted off the waitlist, it is perfectly acceptable to let the school to which you sent a deposit know you will not be coming. They are used to that, and there will be no hard feelings.
Read our blog post  Waitlist: Now What?  

Please let us know where you do end up going so we can stay in touch.


Evaluating Financial Offers
These two articles discuss how varied financial aid award letters are between institutions. 

Be on the lookout for the following when reviewing an aid award:
  • Are the college's costs updated?
  • Does the award include an institutional loan in addition to the Federal Direct/Stafford Loan? 
  • Is a PLUS loan included in the award letter?
  • Has Federal Work Study been included as a resource to reduce your bottom-line, out-of-pocket cost?
  • Are the renewability criteria for the scholarship offered realistic?

Finding Outside Scholarships

Seniors, once the elation of getting accepted into school wears off, the financial reality may start to set in. If you do not qualify for need based financial aid and your school does not offer merit aid, then the best way to look for outside funding is through local scholarships or scholarships aimed at your academic interest, talent, or personal background.

CBM On The Road: Recent College Visits
Quick links  
 
What's Happening Now
Seniors:
We are proud of you and enjoyed working with you through this process. We are available to meet to help you  make your final decision.   Please let us know your results. 

Juniors:  
We hope your college visits are going well. Let us know what you thought so we can refine your lists. Please contact us to schedule a meeting to  create resume/activity  lists.

Freshmen / Sophomores: 
If we haven't already met, please contact us to develop a plan for the coming year and finalize your summers.  
  
We are eager to hear about all of your visits!
Follow the journeys of eleven students as they navigate the college application process and search for the right fit schools. Getting into their heads as they make decisions about which extracurricular activities to pursue, which schools to apply to, and which topics to choose for their essays will help you think about your own process in a more strategic way. Order Here .
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