Finding the Right Fit: College Planning for Gifted Kids Barbara Geller www.mtagate.org/meamft-conference.html 17 Oct 2013
Transcript
Slide 1
Finding the Right Fit: College Planning for Gifted Kids Barbara
Geller www.mtagate.org/meamft-conference.html 17 Oct 2013
Slide 2
2009 Barbara Geller www.collegecounselor.wordpress.com
www.collegecounselor.wordpress.com 17 Oct 2013 How is college
planning different for gifted kids? Potential to get into more
colleges Potential to earn merit scholarships Multi-potentiality
Need to be with intellectual peers 65% - 75% introverts
Sensitivities Consider more colleges Select environment
carefully
Slide 3
2009 Barbara Geller www.collegecounselor.wordpress.com
www.collegecounselor.wordpress.com 17 Oct 2013 How many colleges
are there? 585 public 1666 private Over 2200 4-year colleges &
universities
Slide 4
2009 Barbara Geller www.collegecounselor.wordpress.com
www.collegecounselor.wordpress.com 17 Oct 2013 Get accepted by more
colleges Develop a stellar college application Take challenging
courses & do well in them Develop credentials on a
regional/national stage Show a passion for something Cultivate
recommendations
Slide 5
2009 Barbara Geller www.collegecounselor.wordpress.com
www.collegecounselor.wordpress.com 17 Oct 2013 How much does
college cost? But thats just the sticker price! Public in- state
Public out- of-state PrivateIvy League 1
years$17,860$30,911$29,056$60,251 4 years with 5% inflation
$76,979$133,230$125,235$259,688 5 years with 5% inflation
$98,688$170,803$160,553$332,923
Slide 6
2009 Barbara Geller www.collegecounselor.wordpress.com
www.collegecounselor.wordpress.com 17 Oct 2013 How will you pay for
college? 1. Parents (and students) pay Start saving! 2. Need-based
financial aid Read www.finaid.org/fafsa/maximize.phtml
www.finaid.org/fafsa/maximize.phtml Use www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov to
estimate your EFC www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov Elite, well-endowed,
expensive colleges offer more College Abacus runs calculators for 3
colleges at a time 3. Merit-based aid (scholarships) Top tier
colleges offer little / no merit aid Others offer full tuition or
full rides Private colleges can be less expensive than public
universities for high-merit students or high-need families
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2009 Barbara Geller www.collegecounselor.wordpress.com
www.collegecounselor.wordpress.com 17 Oct 2013 Three paths to merit
scholarships 1. National Merit Honors Scholars Take the PSAT in 10
th grade If in striking distance, take prep class Take PSAT in 11
th grade 2. Target colleges where you are in the top 25% .that give
merit aid 3. Target colleges where you fill a need Geography, sex,
ethnicity, religion, major
Slide 8
2009 Barbara Geller www.collegecounselor.wordpress.com
www.collegecounselor.wordpress.com 17 Oct 2013 Multi-potentiality:
Keep options open Anticipate changing directions Most of us change
careers Students who change majors take longer to graduate
Asynchronous development: lack judgment Technical university vs.
liberal arts Olin School of Engineering, Cooper Union, Harvey Mudd
Early decision vs. regular decision Improves odds but Are kids
ready to make that decision?
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2009 Barbara Geller www.collegecounselor.wordpress.com
www.collegecounselor.wordpress.com 17 Oct 2013 Find a
social/emotional fit Need to be with intellectual peers Selective
college or honors program Opportunities for introverts to stand out
College size: claustrophobic or overwhelming? Fewer faculty ->
more semesters with 1 prof Research university or liberal arts
college? Class sizes mean more than faculty ratios Develop tactics
for coping with sensitivity Options to find a smaller home: smaller
college, honors program, honors dorm, small department in a big
university, womens college
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2009 Barbara Geller www.collegecounselor.wordpress.com
www.collegecounselor.wordpress.com 17 Oct 2013 Middle School Action
Plan A great time to take risks & make mistakes! Get on IB
track / take GT Pre-AP classes Explore more extracurricular
interests Get some contest experience Take SAT/ACT Center for
Bright Kids Opens doors to summer programs Get insights on areas of
giftedness Read, read, read, & write, write, write Wear out the
library card Subscribe to the newspaper Word-a-day calendars
Journals, diaries, blogs, fan fiction
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2009 Barbara Geller www.collegecounselor.wordpress.com
www.collegecounselor.wordpress.com 17 Oct 2013 High School Action
Plan Take advantage of IB/AP classes Find a passion and explore it
in depth Find opportunities to excel (outside of high school)
Cultivate references Take PSAT, SAT II subject tests, SAT/ACT
Explore careers Start checking out colleges early Shop in books
Consider lists (with a grain of salt) Attend (on-line) info
sessions Use family vacations to visit colleges Juniors &
seniors: ask for an interview
Slide 12
2009 Barbara Geller www.collegecounselor.wordpress.com
www.collegecounselor.wordpress.com 17 Oct 2013 Its all about the
fit Fit into the budget Fit the student Will I feel at home? Will I
find people who get me? Will I be challenged, but not overwhelmed?
Will I have opportunities to excel? Will this place help me achieve
my goals?
Slide 13
2009 Barbara Geller www.collegecounselor.wordpress.com
www.collegecounselor.wordpress.com 17 Oct 2013 Resources Financial
aid: Calculate your expected contribution www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov
www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov Saving/restructuring assets
www.finaid.org/fafsa/maximize.phtml
www.finaid.org/fafsa/maximize.phtml Calculate college-specific
costs https://collegeabacus.com https://collegeabacus.com Books:
Competitions for Talented Kids Colleges That Change Lives Cool
Colleges for the Hyper-Intelligent, Self-Directed, Late Blooming,
and Just Plain Different The College Hook College fair by Colleges
That Change Lives www.ctcl.org www.ctcl.org My blog:
www.collegecounselor.wordpress.com
www.collegecounselor.wordpress.com Book recommendations, links to
college lists, honors programs, schools with merit aid, etc.
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2009 Barbara Geller www.collegecounselor.wordpress.com
www.collegecounselor.wordpress.com 17 Oct 2013 Our daughters
strategies Application Essay: legal injustice Hook: writer
Recommendation: Dallas Morning News editor College choices:
Mid-size, urban, with economics & political science majors Only
if I get into the honors program at a large university with wide
SAT midrange Chose: A college in CTCL, with free M.A. program, 1
semester of AP credit, $15,000 scholarship, and Presidential
Scholars program Sacrificed desire to be in major city to get
smaller environment where the students were enthusiastic Currently
in Masters program in Geographic Info Sciences
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2009 Barbara Geller www.collegecounselor.wordpress.com
www.collegecounselor.wordpress.com 17 Oct 2013 Our sons strategies
Application Hook: math (MathCounts, AMC/AIME, Intel semi-finalist,
math camp junior counselor) Recommendations: math camp director
Include: Intel science competition project Three types of schools:
Technical universities (MIT, CalTech) Selective schools with high
need-based aid Schools that target National Merit Scholars with
full tuition / full rides and honors programs Choose a major
university, large National Merit Scholarship, honors floor, honors
classes Currently in mathematics Ph.D. program with full ride
Slide 16
2009 Barbara Geller www.collegecounselor.wordpress.com
www.collegecounselor.wordpress.com 17 Oct 2013 College action plan
Graduate in 4 years! Explore careers early Once you pick a major,
stick to it Plan out your courses Get the most out of college Seek
out the best professors Submit AP scores, take CLEP tests for
credit Register early, before classes fill Keep costs manageable
Maintain GPA to keep scholarships Submit FAFSA yearly Prepare for
grad school Cultivate relationships with professors for
recommendations Prep for GRE