College Guide 2012

PRSRT STDUS POSTAGE PAIDWILKES-BARRE, PAPERMIT NO. 90

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Whetherpreparingto enter the professionalworld or expanding your skills,education should be availablewherever, whenever. With theMcCann School of Businessand Technology, you can relyon challenging programs,interesting curriculum,and a friendly educationalenvironment to achieve yourgoals.

Rich in history, theMcCann School of Businesswas founded by Louis C.McCann in 1897. After hisdeath in 1956, Mrs. DorothyHouser, who later purchasedthe school, began servingas director. A change ofownership occurred in1981, when the schoolwas purchased by Jamesand Elizabeth Noone. Theybrought a strong, practicalbusiness training approachto the school. This approachwas reinforced with the newacquisition of McCann byDelta Educational Systems,Inc. in August of 2002. Deltais headquartered in VirginiaBeach, Virginia, and ownsschools in Virginia, NorthCarolina, South Carolina,Tennessee, Louisiana, andGeorgia.

Under the newest ownership,McCann has extended itsspan of education throughoutPennsylvania, lookingto expand its affordableand practical educationalopportunities to morestudents. After alreadymaintaining campuses inPottsville and Sunbury,McCann relocated the originalschool to Humboldt IndustrialPark in Hazleton, just over theSchuylkill County border. InApril of 2008, the Scrantoncampus of McCann relocatedto Dickson City, LackawannaCounty, and in April of 2009,the school opened a new

campus in Allentown,Lehigh County. Laterthat year, another newcampus opened inCarlisle, Pennsylvania.In the winter of 2011,McCann opened yetanother new campus inWilkes-Barre. McCanncontinues its intent toexpand and provide awide array of degreetraining programs thatcan help find and startthe right career for you.

McCann’s accredited

campuses offer day, evening,and online classes to helpyou choose a course schedule

that best suits your busy life.Their seven school locationsalso make itconvenient forPennsylvaniastudents to earntheir education.From yourclasses to youreducation to youremployment, youare becoming

part of a team that will bethere every step of the way.At McCann, you can counton innovative technology,experienced instructors,engaging classes, andpioneering techniques.Withthe McCann family, you canattend classes at a campusnot far from you. From themoment you enroll, you willsee that McCann’s focus is onyou. All campuses, includingAllentown, Carlisle, DicksonCity, Hazleton, Pottsville,Sunbury, andWilkes-Barre areaccredited by the AccreditingCouncil for IndependentColleges and Schools. Finda career that’s right for youat the McCann School ofBusiness & Technology.

With 7 campus locations, McCann Schoolof Businessmakes affordable and practical

educational opportunities easier for students

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UTICA COLLEGETRADITION. OPPORTUNITY. TRANSFORMATION.®

Utica College’s nearly 20,000alumni have founded enterprises,built communities, and distin-guished themselves in health care,government, education, and manyother fields, all over the world.Wherever their dreams may leadthem, UC graduates make remark-able contributions using the toolsthey develop at Utica; tools that in-clude an essential knowledge aboutthe world and how it works and theconfidence to lead.

From the moment students ar-rive on campus, they can findeverything they need to achievetheir goals. They find remarkablyaccomplished faculty whom theycome to regard not only as mentorsand partners in discovery but asfriends. They find learning oppor-tunities that lead from classroomsand advanced research facilities tothe workplace and beyond. Theyfind a vibrant community of fellowstudents to engage with on a varietyof levels.

But most importantly, UC studentsfind themselves. They discoverstrengths they never knew they pos-sessed. They build self-confidencethrough continual intellectual chal-lenge and enriching extracurricularopportunities. They take on leader-ship roles and make their mark onthe college in any number of differ-ent ways.

Utica College offers 37 bachelor’sdegree programs in more than 60areas of study. Pre-professionalprograms are also available,including pre-law, pre-dentistry,pre-medicine, and more. UC alsooffers a broad range of graduateprograms, including master’s op-tions in criminal justice administra-tion, economic crime management,education, liberal studies, healthcare administration, and occupa-tional therapy. In addition, there are

2 MBA programs and 2 doctoralprograms in physical therapy.

UC’s academic programs offerinternships and other real-worldopportunities that put studentswhere they can learn career skillsfrom experienced professionalswho use them every day. Throughthe Office of International Educa-tion, students can also follow theiracademic interests to destinationson 5 continents and take advantage

of exchange programs with col-leges and universities in the UnitedKingdom, Finland, Peru, Japan,and elsewhere.

The UC campus features a varietyof new, cutting-edge facilities. F.Eugene Romano Hall offers state-of-the-art laboratory and learningfacilities in the health sciences,including an innovative nursing labthat has become a model for nurs-ing schools nationwide.

UC’s Raymond Simon Conver-gence Media Center is a fullyfunctional high-definition (HD)production, editing, and broadcastfacility dedicated to the emeritusprofessor who founded Utica’shighly regarded public relations

and journalism programs -- oneof only a handful of HD learningfacilities in the northeastern U.S.

The college’s newest academicbuilding is the recently dedicatedEconomic Crime and Justice Stud-ies building, a highly sophisticatedresearch and learning center thatfeatures cutting-edge forensic tech-nologies, secure evidence rooms,and more.

When students come to Utica Col-lege, they become part of a vibrant,diverse community of learners rep-resenting every region of Americaand 40 countries worldwide. Everyroom in UC’s residence halls isequipped with cable TV hookupsand high-speed Internet (not tomention nice, comfortable beds),and every hall offers coinless laun-dry facilities and common spacesfor hanging out with friends.

The campus offers a first-rate fit-ness facility and several options fordining. UC’s student-run program-ming board sponsors concerts andother performances throughout theterm, bringing to campus well-known writers, poets, and artists, aswell as prominent politicians and

opinion-makers.

There is a lot to do at Utica, andmany ways to connect with otherstudents. People who never joined aclub in high school may find them-selves leading one at UC. Studentsmay be surprised at how far theycan go, if they’ve got the passion toget there.

UC offers a great many oppor-tunities to celebrate the spirit ofcompetition with 25 Division IIIintercollegiate sports programsaffiliated with the NCAA, Empire8 Conference, and the ECAC, plusa full roster of intramural athletics.Determined competitors throughoutthe year, the Pioneers are well sup-ported by members of the collegecommunity and the greater Uticaarea alike.

Utica College is located in a resi-dential neighborhood of Utica, NY,a small city near the center of NewYork state. UC students are in on alittle secret: Utica is a great placeto live. Students can go shopping,catch a movie, get an amazingmeal (any cuisine one can name),see a Broadway production, visit afirst-class art museum, and even dosome downhill skiing, all within afew minutes’ ride of campus.

If students go a little further,they’re in the Adirondacks -- a sto-ried paradise of forested mountains,crystal-clear lakes and streams, skiresorts, and other attractions. Whenstudents head south, there’s Coo-perstown, the birthplace of base-ball. Syracuse is less than an houraway; NewYork City and Bostonabout five hours.

For more information about UticaCollege, call the Office of Admis-sions at (315) 792-3006 or 1-800-782-8884 or visit our Web site atwww.utica.edu.

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MCT PHOTO

“It would not shockme if fiveyears from now if we went to atotally paperless application.”Even though many schools

are seeing record number of ap-plicants and the acceptanceprocess has becomemuchmoredifficult for officials who mustfactor in the size of certain pro-grams with the available stu-dent pool, they said essentiallythe core admissions and accept-ance process is much like it wasa decade ago.“We’ve probably changed less

than some other schools. Weask for really the same thingswe asked for 10 years ago,” Bo-zinski said.But some schools have ex-

panded their application andadmissions process and haveput less stock into someparts ofthe application process.At Keystone College, in La

Plume, Sarah Keating, Keys-tone’s vice president for enroll-ment andmarketing, said whilestandardized test scores are stillone evaluating tool, they’re notgiven the same credence theyused to.

Class rank, SAT score, per-sonal essay and letters ofrecommendation. All

were of the utmost importancewhen applying for college fordecades. Officials from local in-stitutions of higher learning saywhile some of those are still tak-en into consideration, muchmore goes into deciding wheth-er a student should be offeredadmission into their school.Extra-curricular activities,

community involvement, and apersonal interviewalsocomein-to play atmanyplaces in today’scompetitiveworld of college ad-missions.Glenn Bozinski, the director

of admissions at MisericordiaUniversity in Dallas Township,said while there are a lot morethings involved today, there’sone thing that’s diminished: pa-per.“Ninety percent of our appli-

cations are done electronically,”Bozinski said, noting that a dec-ade ago that percentage wascloser to 20. He said in a fewmore years, paper applicationswill be a thing of the past.

The climbto higher ed

See CLIMB, Page 36

Although the application procedurehasn’t changed greatly at local schools,

some facets of the process have.ANDREWM. [email protected]

Scoring perfect SATs, landingclass valedictorian and masteringthe violin don’t cut it anymore.Now it’s about priming resumes

in middle school, turning scienceprojects into patented inventionsand dissecting your life’s achieve-ments in500wordsor fewer. In thebattle to entice big-time universi-ties, good is no longer goodenough.The college admissions process

has morphed into a focused fighttoprove individual exceptionalismand convey unparalleled drive.And it may only get more intense.Colleges nationwide have seenswelling numbers of early appli-cants this year, fueled by an indus-try pushing college readiness andthe growing influence of onlinemarketing.This could breed a generation

that works harder and achievesmore in its early ages, but it alsothreatens to promote those whocanaffordacompetitive advantageand punish those who can’t.“Sorry, I’m an average middle-

class American and I’ve neverdone anything life-saving,” saidRachel Brooks, a senior at Frisco,Texas’s Liberty High who shoul-ders five advanced placementclasses, plays in the marchingband, andedits the school newspa-per. She also skipped her junioryear. The 16-year-old was deniedearly admission to NorthwesternUniversity.“It seems unfair,” she said, “that

you have to have all these superhe-ro requirements to get into an IvyLeague.”Admissions officers blame the

aggressivementality on theHYP --Harvard, Yale, Princeton -- effect.Spots continue to dwindle in thenation’s most renowned universi-ties,yet themajorityofschoolsstillaccept about half their applicants.But as the college-bound pool

broadens, the stakes rise for every-one.The charged atmosphere stems

partly from demand. High schoolgraduates topped 3.3 million in2009, bolstered by kids of babyboomers -- who themselves camefrom more educated backgroundsthan their parents -- and today’spressing need for a college degree.The University of Texas at Aus-

Competitioncan get keenBy JESSICA MEYERSThe Dallas Morning News

See KEEN, Page 36

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CO L L EGE GU I D E 2012

College is an altogether larger world than high school. There arebigger classes, a larger and more diverse group of peers andnew opportunities to fill a student’s day. Navigating this new

and strange terrain can be daunting for the incoming high schoolgraduate. We asked students at Wilkes-Barre’s downtown collegeshow high school students can prepare themselves to ease the transi-tion to campus life and make the most of a college experience.By Matt Hughes

“When you’re lookinginto college you cannever start too early,and take as many APand honors classes asyou can because itprepares you thebest.”

Dan HackfordWilkes-University freshman, 18

Binghamton N.Y.

“In high school getinvolved in clubs andcommittees to helpyou be prepared formultitasking in col-lege. It will help youmanage your timebetter.”

Trey TietzWilkes University fifth year

pharmacy student, 22Southington, Ohio

“You’ve got to beprepared and orga-nize your time in col-lege. You seem tohave a lot of freetime, but not really;it’s a lot of work anda lot of responsib-ility.”

Donachatch KiangsiriWilkes University freshman, 19

Bangkok, Thailand

“Be prepared for theroommate situation.When I was in highschool I had a roomto myself, and livingwith someone elsetakes some gettingused to. There’s somany different peo-ple here ... and youjust have to remem-ber to be open-mind-ed about things.”

Nicole MoyerKings College sophomore, 19

Quakertown Pa.

“College is what youput into it. The moreyou put into it, themore you’re going toget out of it, bothsocially and academ-ically.”Kevin McMahon

Kings College sophomore, 22Akron Ohio

“Use this time for so-cial networking. Getto know your profes-sors; they can helpyou in the future. Youbuild new friendshipsthat can help you inthe future, and hope-fully they can help youget a good job aswell.”

Lam TranKings College sophomore, 19

San Jose, Calif.

Definitely get in-volved in as manycampus activities asyou can. You makenew friends and youget to have new ex-periences under yourbelt.

Becky MorrisonKings College sophomore, 19

Boyerstown, Pa.

“I found that themore math and sci-ence you take in highschool the moreyou’ll be prepared foryour introductorycollege classes. I’vefound I’m more pre-pared coming in, so Idefinitely recommendmath and science inhigh school.

Carrie TalamoWilkes University freshman, 18,

Selinsgrove Pa.

COLLEGECOACHING

Decoding decision deadlines for col-lege admissions is a little like walkinginto an advanced Zumba class for thefirst time. It feels like everybody elseknows the steps and you’re the onlyone who’s lost.

Here is a primer on deciphering theabbreviations and the restrictions ofadmissions deadlines:

Applying for early admission has itsbenefits; students who apply early, be-ginning as soon asOct.15, are notifiedearlier, in December, January and earlyFebruary. That perk may not seem soimportant right now,but as friends re-ceive their acceptance letters andsome even make decisions in Decem-ber and January, April will seem veryfar away.Students applying for early decision

are making a definitive choice. Theyare committing that if they are accept-ed to the school (not all colleges offerED), they will attend. Colleges lovestudents who apply for ED becausethey can count on them attending, andthey help frame the composition oftheir class.

Deadlines for ED are typically Nov.1andstudentsarenotifiedbeforeChrist-mas. Students can complete applica-tions for other colleges, but if they areaccepted to the ED school they mustwithdraw them.EarlyDecisionII:Afewcollegesthat

offer an Early Decision II plan. ED II isthe same as ED but with later dead-lines, usually around Jan. 1, the sameas most regular decision deadlines.However, students applying for ED IIare notified in early February and don’thavetowaituntilApril.Manystudentsuse ED II if they are rejected from theirfirst choice, where they applied for ED.Early Action: This is a nonbinding

commitment with November dead-lines and a December or January noti-fication, but students aren’t required tomake a commitment until May 1. Ex-cept for the few colleges with specialprograms, students can submit anEarly Action application to as manyschools as they like. Not all colleges of-fer this program.Single Choice Early Action or Re-strictive Early Action: If it weren’t con-fusingenough,somecolleges(George-town, Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Stan-ford, Boston College and Tulane) nowoffer another Early Action option.Read the admissions material carefullybecause some of the programs are veryrestrictive about where else applicantscan apply.

Countdown:Early admissiondeadlines near

By LEE BIERERMcClatchy Newspapers

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SACRAMENTO,Calif. -- Twokids, two college tuitions.Add it up: One very big col-

lege bill.For families like John and Ellen

Wong of Sacramento, paying forcollege is no trivial expense. Withtwo teenagers who headed tocampus this fall, their total an-nual tab is about $66,000.

That’s roughlyEllenWong’s en-tire annual salary as a public highschool instructor.

“We’ve been saving since theywere babies,” said Ellen Wong,who said the couple are deter-mined to get their kids throughcollege without relying on stu-dent loans.

That’s no easy feat at a timewhen college tuition is soaringand student debt loads are crush-ing.

Not surprisingly, the financialburden is hitting even affluentfamilies. According to a recentWall Street Journal report, thelargest growth in student debt be-tween 2007 and 2010 was in up-per-middle-income families,those earning $94,500 to$205,000 a year.

How to ease the pain? As thou-sands of college students nation-

wide head to campus this fall,here are some Finance 101 notes:HAVE THE TALK: Sit down

and talk clearly as a family aboutwho will pay for what. What youwant to avoid is a tearful phonecall home that your freshman hasdrained the bank account or over-drafted the debit card.

In some families, Mom andDad pay for basics (tuition, food,

monthly allowance) while stu-dents cover the rest (off-campusmeals, clothes, entertainment).

“Each family needs to havethose discussions, depending ontheir finances and what they canafford. You need to be clear,” saidDonna Bland, CEO of Golden 1Credit Union in Sacramento.

This summer, Bland had herson, now a freshman at DePaul

University in Chicago, start buy-ing his own essentials at the gro-cery store, just to get a feel forwhat things will cost once he’s onhis own.

“I wanted him to have a stake init. There are so many basic things-- toothpaste, Tylenol, laundry de-tergent -- that a student will needto buy on their own.”

For the Wongs, it’s a little doseof financial tough love.

Beyondpaying for two tuitions,housing and meal plans, “I haveno intention of putting moremoney into their accounts. If theysuck it dry, they’re in trouble,”said Ellen Wong, coordinator ofthe honors humanities programat C.K. McClatchy High School inSacramento.

The Wong siblings -- Nolan, 19,a University of California-Berke-ley sophomore, and Delaney,17, aUniversity of California-SantaCruz freshman -- are expected topay for their extracurricular ex-penses, whether it’s joining a fra-ternity or buying concert tickets.They’re also buying their own

It’s time to bone up on

FINANCES

MCT PHOTO

Nolan Wong, left, packs his clothes for his sophomore year at UC Berkeley with help from his sister, Delaney, who is a freshman at UCSanta Cruz.

By CLAUDIA BUCKThe Sacramento Bee

See FINANCES, Page 11

Here are some helpful sites:• CashCourse.org has free financial tips and budgeting help, even how to“eat cheap” in college.• NerdWallet.com, a San Francisco-based personal finance site, has a new“Education” blog geared to college students and 20-somethings.• WhatsMyScore.org has hip tips on college finances, including apart-ment hunting, car buying and budgets.• “Be Debt Savvy,” at http://www.salliemae.com/bedebtsavvy/, has bud-get calculators, tips on managing credit and loan repayment advice.SOURCE: Sacramento Bee research

C O L L E G E - B O U N D ?

ALL THE RECENT talkabout the heft of student loandebt leads me to sound awarning to students andparents alike:

Be careful in applying for aloan, and understand allaspects before signing.

The U.S. Department ofEducation and the ConsumerFinancial Protection Bureauin July unveiled a one-page“shopping sheet” that’s aimedat helping students and theirfamilies clearly see how muchthey need in loans to attend aschool, and how much ingrants and scholarships theywould receive.

“Students should knowbefore they owe,” said con-sumer bureau Director Ri-chard Cordray. “But unfortu-nately, we have heard from somany student loan borrowerswho say that they simply didnot understand what theysigned up for. The FinancialAid Shopping Sheet givesstudents real numbers and aclear format that makes senseof a huge financial under-taking that too often is com-plex and confusing.”

The stakes couldn’t behigher. Outstanding studentloan debt has crossed the $1trillion mark and now eclips-es credit cards as the leadingsource of U.S. household debtoutside of mortgages.

“The bottom line is that noconsumer should take on alarge amount of debt withoutunderstanding the costs andthe risks,” Cordray said. “Toooften, students receive fi-nancial aid award letters thatare laden with jargon, useinconsistent terms and calcu-lations, and make it unneces-sarily difficult to comparedifferent financial aid awardsside-by-side.”

The Financial Aid Shop-ping Sheet, which the secre-tary of education has asked

See BORROWING, Page 11

Borrowing?Knowledgeis power

COMMENTARYP A M E L A Y I P

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PAGE11


textbooks.To do that, both got summer jobs.

Nolan earned $10 to $15 an hour as adogwasher for a local pet groomer; De-laney took home $8 an hour --after tax-es -- as a birthday party host and snackbar attendant at a children’s park.DO A BUDGET: Creating a college

budget doesn’t have to be a tedious, la-borious process, said Joseph Audette,29, vice president of financial literacyfor San Francisco-based NerdWallet-.com.It can be as simple as “writing it on

the back of an envelope with pen andpaper,” he notes, or more sophisticat-ed, using budgeting sites like Mint-.com,where you can visually track yourspending.DEBIT OR CREDIT? It’s one of the

big debates, especially for freshmennew to money management. One sidesays a credit card _ paid offmonthly _ isa great way for students to start build-ing a healthy credit score. Others saycredit cards can lead to freestyle spend-ing, missed payments and a pileup ofpenalties, late fees and rocketing inter-est rates.Not tomentionabeat-upcred-it history.“A debit card allows them to spend

what they have, not what they don’t,”said Golden 1’s Bland.She advises college students to set

up mobile texts or email alerts that letthemknowwhen their account balanceis running low, thus avoiding overdraft

fees.As for credit cards, recent federal law

aimed at protecting college studentsdoes not allow anyone under 21 to beissued a card unless they can showproof of repayment (i.e., a job) or have aparent co-sign.“There’s value inhavingacredit card,

but only for emergencies,” Bland said,such as a medical emergency or a last-minute flight home.MISTAKES HAPPEN: As any veter-

an parent of a college student knows,there’ll be some financial hiccups. Thelost laptop, the overdrawn bank ac-count, the late tuition payment, per-haps anoff-campus speeding ticket thatbusts a budget.Audette recalls one of his freshman

financial bloopers: buying expensivespeakers -- in cash -- that turned out tobe shoddy but nearly broke his first-quarter budget.“I learned to be very careful about

’deals,’ “ he said, as well as to thinktwice before making impulse purchas-es.DON’T DESPAIR: “There are valua-

ble lessons to be learned frommistakesand this is the time to learn them,whilein high school and early in college,”said Golden 1’s Bland. “(Students)don’t have mortgages; they aren’t pay-ing big auto loans. ... It’s not Mom orDad telling (them) how to manage(their) finances; it’s (them) learning ina controlled environment, with a limit-ed budget.”

FINANCESContinued from Page 10

THE SACRAMENTO BEE

A care package from an aunt will accompanied Nolan Wong to his sophomoreyear at UC Berkeley.

Packing for college is all about what youcan cram into a dorm room for life away fromhome. Here’s what Kiplinger’s financial maga-zine suggests students can live without:

1. New textbooks: Most campuses sell orrent used textbooks. Check local Craigslist orcampus bulletin boards, or online sites likeBigWords.com or CampusBooks.com. If youhave an e-reader, buying digital textbooks canbe far cheaper than a new hardback.

2. A high-end computer: An inexpensivelaptop or desktop computer should suffice.Netbooks are cheap, but their small key-boards and slow speed aren’t ideal for college.

3. A printer: Buying a printer, ink cartridgesand paper can add up. Instead, buy a $10 flashdrive to save those 20-page assignments,then print from the campus computer lab(which you may already be paying for as a"technology fee.") Ask about page limits andextra fees.

4. Costly smartphone plans: Cellphonedata contracts can run as high as $200 amonth. Instead, look at no-contract alterna-tives, such as Virgin Mobile’s Beyond TalkPlan, which starts at $35 a month for unlimit-ed Web, data, messaging and email.

5. Cable TV: Eliminate cable costs by ac-cessing news and favorite shows online, eitherstreaming from your computer or a Web-enabled device, such as a gaming console.

6. A car: Gas, maintenance and parkingpermits add up, not to mention traffic ticketsand repairs. Note to parents: If your studentwon’t be driving, ask your auto insurer abouttemporarily taking your son or daughter offyour plan to save on premiums.

7. A credit card: The average freshmanracks up nearly $700 in card debt, accordingto a recent study by Sallie Mae. Instead, startwith a debit card until students have a trackrecord of managing personal expenses.

8. High bank fees: Be aware so you don’tget hit by out-of-network ATM charges or feesfor online transfers, overdrafts, etc.

9. Big meal plan: Don’t load up your stu-dent’s meal account. Often, it’s use it or loseit. Better to start low and see how much he orshe eats, then replenish the plan midyear.

10. Campus health plans: If you have familyhealth coverage, your child may be covered atcollege. If your plan does not cover out-of-network costs (say emergency hospitaliza-tions away from home), campus health insur-ance may be cost-effective, but be aware oflow coverage limits.

1 1. Private loans: Steer clear of privatestudent loans, which typically carry variablerates (as opposed to fixed-rate federal loans)and fewer repayment options.SOURCE: Kiplinger.com

11 things youDON’T need

colleges to voluntarily adopt starting in2013, lists what is a loan and what is ascholarship.It also lays out the total cost of attend-

ance, including tuition, fees and otherexpenses, and details options for federalaid.“The form can help students under-

stand howmuch debt they may have af-ter graduation and what their monthlypayment could look like,” Cordray said.“In doing all of this, it enables prospec-tive students to compare one college of-fer to another.”While the form isn’t mandatory for

colleges, I encourage schools to adopt itbecause it gives families a standard for-mat to compare costs across differentcolleges.“Students aren’t aware of, or under-

standing how much loan they’re takingout,” said Shakeela Hunter, director of

the Student Money Management Cen-ter at the University of Texas-Arlington.“When they complete their FAFSA

(the Free Application for Federal Stu-dent Aid), what they’re most worriedabout is, is it enough to cover the tuitionand the fees,” she said. “They’re not soconcerned about the loan repayment ortheamountofdebt they’reaccruinguntilgraduation, and it’s time to pay the loanback, and then they realize, ’Wow, I tookout this much money.’ “The key to taking out a student loan is

to borrow only what you need.“Your total education debt at gradua-

tion should be less than your expectedstarting salary, and ideally less than halfyour starting salary,” said Mark Kantro-witz, publisher of Fastweb.com and Fi-nAid.org.“If youborrowmore than your expect-

ed starting salary, you will need to use alonger-term repayment plan to affordyour monthly loan payments,” he said.“This means you will still be repayingyour own student loans by the time yourchildren enroll in college.”

Extending the repayment term alsowill double or even triple the total inter-est paid over the life of the loan, Kantro-witz said.And,hesaid, “if youborrowmore than

twice your expected starting salary, youwill be at high risk of default.”If you need to borrow for school, seek

out federal student loans before consid-ering private student loans.“Federal student loans are cheaper,

more available and have better repay-ment terms than private student loans,”Kantrowitz said. “The interest rates onfederal education loans are fixed, whilethe interest rates on most private stu-dent loans are variable andwill probablyincrease over the life of the loan.”Gettinga college education canbeval-

uable. Sound planning will protect youfrom being saddled with student loandebt long after you’ve graduated.

BORROWINGContinued from Page 10

Pamela Yip is a personal finance columnistfor the Dallas Morning News. Readers maysend her email at [email protected]; shecannot give individual replies.

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HEDCO L L EGE GU I D E 2012

LOS ANGELES _ KendraKirchgessner, a high schooljunior, has been touringpro-

spective college campuses inSouthern California without leav-ing her Sellersburg, Ind., home.Using a personal computer,

Kendra recently explored OrangeCoast College in Costa Mesa,“strolling” past Watson Hall andgetting a 360-degree view of theStudent Center.“I liked what the tour guides

were saying about the teachersand how they helped students,”said Kendra, 17, who wants tostudy elementary education.“The layout was really nice, and Iliked how everything was closeby. The buildings are all prettymuch within walking distancefrom one another.”Schools have long made their

own online campus maps andslick videos, but the demand forsophisticated online experienceshas given rise to companies thatpartner with schools to create vir-tual tours.YouVisit Inc. uses 360-degree

images to guide visitors fromplace to place at universities suchas Yale, Columbia and UC River-side. A virtual student gives infor-mation on the lecture halls, gymsand dormitories, as well as thesurrounding area. It’s like asouped-up Google Street Viewwith an undergraduate narrator.“Students now are applying to

more colleges, there’s more com-petition for admission and theywant to compare financial aidpackages,” said Audrey Kahane, acollege admissions counselor inthe Los Angeles area. “But whenyou’re applying to so manyschools, it’s just not practical to goout and visit every one, especiallywhen they’re all across the coun-try.”“Virtual tours can give them a

sense of the school,” Kahane said.Schools pay a minimum of

$3,000 a year for the YouVisit ser-vice, and the client base has beendoubling every year and growingeven faster in recent months, saidAb Mandelbaum, who launchedYouVisit in 2008. The Aventura,Fla., company has worked with150 universities and its tours have

hosted about 2 million visitors sofar.Mandelbaum said some

schools that adopted his compa-ny’s service saw a 30 percent in-crease in physical visits the nextyear.Orange Coast College adopted

thevirtual tourasa supplement toits in-person tour service. Whenbudget cuts hit, the schoolcouldn’t afford as many studentworkers, so it startedusing thevir-tual tour as the main way for pro-spective students to check out thecampus.“We started to say, ‘Well, jeez,

this seems more effective any-way,’” said Jeff Hobbs, a spokes-man for Orange Coast College.“We’re getting inquiries from peo-ple from New York, Arizona andNew Mexico. And now we’re do-ing thousands of tours amonth in-stead of just a few.”With the vast majority of stu-

dents physically visiting four orfewer schools in their search, ac-cording to Mandelbaum’s esti-mates, schools need online toursto stand out and attract more vis-itorsandapplicants,Mandelbaumsaid.“It is important for them to put

themselves in prospective stu-dents’ shoes, and offer this stuff indetail so they can feel more confi-dent in applying to their universi-ty,” he said.College counselors and families

said virtual tours are no replace-ment for the real thing. Virtualtours don’t let prospective stu-dents sit in on actual classes or ap-proach current students to askquestions. But experts said thetours can be a good first step innarrowing down choices.

Colleges embracethe virtual tourBy RYAN FAUGHNDERLos Angeles Times

... more and moreschools are bringing theexperience of visiting acampus online. With stu-dents applying to moreschools and collegescompeting for lucrativeout-of-state students,universities are uppingthe virtual ante.

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Kutztown University(KU) is a four-year publicuniversity located in BerksCounty, Pennsylvania. Oneof the 14 PennsylvaniaState System of HigherEducation schools, KU is avibrant, modern institutionwith more than 10,000undergraduate and graduatestudents. The universityoffers more than 100 areasof study, opportunities tostudy abroad, 160 studentorganizations and 21 NCAADivision II athletic programs.The campus is located 20miles from Allentown andReading, 90 minutes fromPhiladelphia and two hoursfrom NewYork City.

Business

Academic Programs:Accounting, Finance,Leisure and Sport Studies,Management and Marketing,and Master of BusinessAdministration (MBA).

Business students•have the opportunityto participate in aninternational studentexchange program.

KU students took•honors in the inauguralPASSHE Business PlanCompetition.

Education

Academic Programs:Elementary and SecondaryEducation, SpecialEducation with focus areasin Physically/MentallyHandicapped and VisualImpairment, LibraryScience and InstructionalTechnology. Mastersprograms in Counseling,Elementary and SecondaryEducation, School

Counseling, InstructionalTechnology, Library Science,Reading Specialist andStudent Affairs in HigherEducation, and for thoseseeking a new career ineducation, the M.Ed. withSpecialization in Teaching.

KU has one of the few•Library Science and VisualImpairment programs forundergraduates in the

country. It also boastsone of the few clinically-based Reading programs.

All education programs•are officially recognizedby their nationalaccrediting organizations.

Liberal Arts and Sciences

Academic Programs:Anthropology, BiologicalSciences, Chemistry,Computer Science, CriminalJustice, Electronic Media,English, EnvironmentalScience, Geography,Geology, German,History, Marine Science,Mathematics, Philosophy,Physics, Political Science,Public Administration,ProfessionalWriting,Spanish, Sociology andSocial Work. Master’s

programs in ComputerScience, Professional Science(PSM), English, PublicAdministration (MPA) andSocial Work (MSW).

KU Electronic Media•earned two Emmynominations forproductions in 2012.

A KU Math and Physics•student was present

at CERN in Geneva,Switzerland this pastsummer during theannouncement of thediscovery of the Higgsboson“God particle”.

KU’s Environmental and•Marine Science programsreceived a $600,000National ScienceFoundation grant forstudent scholarships andprogramming.

Visual and Performing Arts

Academic Programs: ArtEducation, CommunicationDesign, CommunicationStudies, Crafts, Music andStudio Art, as well as aMaster of Education in ArtEducation.

KU Art Education•

graduates can be foundin every school district inPennsylvania.

Students benefit from•close proximity to vibrantarts communities inPhiladelphia, NewYorkCity and Baltimore/Washington DC.

Department of Music•chairperson is themost published livingpercussionist in theworld.

Student Life and Facilities

Kutztown University’sclose-knit community andbeautiful campus providesthe perfect backdropfor academic success,offering an array of living,dining, recreation, clubs,organizations, athleticsand volunteer options.Involvement on campus isthe key to having a fulfillingexperience at KU.

KU has a beautiful,•award-winning 289-acrecampus.

Dixon Hall is the largest•residence hall of thePASSHE schools.

Schaeffer Auditorium will•re-open in August 2013following a $20 millionrenovation.

KU boasts a 6,000-square-•foot student recreationcenter.

145 KU student-athletes•were named PSACScholar-Athletes for 2011-12.

Get to know Kutztown University

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Johnson College is one of the premier providers of technologyeducation in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Located in Scranton, itwas founded in 1912 and offers 12 associate degree programs andtwo certificate programs. As the only technology-driven college inthe region, it enjoys a strong relationship with area employers andoffers customized job training to meet the unique needs of variouskinds of industries and professions. Johnson College has taken alead role in regional economic development and community part-nerships by offering programs that complement business trends aswell as developing programs that target education for high-demandoccupations.

Johnson College offers 14 exciting, high-demand careerswhich can be completed in just 2 years. Majors include:

Business DivisionLogistics & Supply Chain Management Technology

Construction & Design DivisionArchitectural Drafting & Design TechnologyCarpentry & Cabinetmaking TechnologyElectrical Construction & Maintenance TechnologyHeating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning Technology

Health Sciences DivisionRadiologic TechnologyVeterinary Technology

Electronic & Industrial DivisionBiomedical Equipment TechnologyComputer Information TechnologyElectronic TechnologyWelding Technology (Certificate)

Transportation DivisionAutomotive TechnologyDiesel Truck TechnologyDiesel Preventative Maintenance Technology (Certificate)

Johnson College at a Glance:

•Over the last three years, Johnson College has an employ-ment rate of almost 90%, according to the ACCSC report.•More than ½ of Johnson College students’ instruction time isspent working hands-on with equipment in their field of study.•92% of Students enrolled during 2011-2012 received finan-cial aid, which is available to those who qualify.•Johnson College is affordable. A two-year degree is onlyabout $31,000 total, compared to $119,000 for a degree from aprivate, four-year college.•Johnson College enrollment for the fall 2011 semester wasapproximately 450 students.•Johnson College’s 44-acre campus is ideally located at exit190 off Interstate 81, just minutes from shopping, restaurants,recreation and both sporting and entertainment venues.•In addition to numerous clubs and student groups on cam-pus, Johnson College offers three intercollegiate sports – bas-ketball, cross country and bowling, as well as cheerleading.•You can visit Johnson College any time by calling 570-702-8900. Open Houses are scheduled for: Saturday, October 13,2012, Saturday, March 2, 2013 and Wednesday, July 17, 2013.Please visit our website at www.johnson.edu formore information.

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Exciting ChangesTaking Shape AtEast StroudsburgUniversity

Under the leadershipof its new president, Marcia G.Welsh, Ph.D., East StroudsburgUniversity of Pennsylvania(ESU) continues its long tradi-tion of providing students withexceptional living and learningresources, making the institu-tion a great choice for highereducation. Students todaycan choose from among ESU’snearly 60 undergraduate degreeprograms and more than 30graduate degree and certifica-tion programs, many of whichalso offer resumé enhancinginternship programs and on-sitefield study clinical experiences.

Students at ESU now en-joy campus amenities includingnew apartment-style studentresidence hall suites for nearly1,000 students (which openedearlier this year) as well as a sci-ence and technology center andthe Mattioli Recreation Center,to name just a few.

Geothermal technologyand other “green” features havebeen incorporated into the newHemlock and Hawthorn Suitesat ESU. Also, in keeping withthe newest trends nationally,the buildings have state-of-the-art security features, aresurrounded by attractive out-door green spaces, and includea fitness facility. There is alsoroom in the suites for headquar-ters for campus police and theuniversity’s residence life de-partment.

ESU’sWarren E. ’55 andSandra Hoeffner Science andTechnology Center is designedto benefit virtually every ESUstudent – not just those in thescience-related programs. Thefacility is the home of five aca-demic departments – biology,

chemistry, computer scienceand security, mathematics, andphysics. The Center’s McMunnPlanetarium, rooftop observato-ry and stunning 200-seat audi-torium are among its attractionsfor everyone within both thecampus and local communi-ties. Plans are also in motion toinclude a museum of naturalhistory in the near future.

ESU’s Mattioli Recre-ation Center attracts over 1,500students daily with access toexercise equipment that rivalshigh end, nationally-knownhealth and fitness clubs/spas,and offers an elevated runningtrack, 16 basketball courts, rac-quetball courts and much more.

In addition to thesefeatures, ESU boasts an Inno-vation Center, which benefitsstudents as well as the businesscommunity – posing manyopportunities for entrepreneur-ial growth and development.As a partner in the economicdevelopment efforts in north-eastern Pennsylvania, ESU is

committed to providing highquality academic programsin emerging fields that areproviding a skilled workforcefor our region. For example,ESU’s expertise in computersecurity and designation bythe National Security Agency(NSA) as a Center for AcademicExcellence in Information As-surance has established ESU asa regional authority in the areaof computer security. Addition-ally ESU’s Business Acceleratorprogram is creating a robustentrepreneurial culture that isattracting a pipeline of inspiringentrepreneurs and early stagecompanies to northeasternPennsylvania. These programsand others provide strategic op-portunities for regional researchand collaboration throughoutnortheast Pennsylvania.

ESU is also expandingto the Lehigh Valley; recentlyopening its new center at60West Broad Street in Bethle-hem, Pa., to provide educationalopportunities for individuals

seeking to complete under-graduate degree programs orpursue graduate education forprofessional or personal ad-vancement.

ESU’s Lehigh ValleyCenter will offer undergraduatedegree completion programs incomputer security and publichealth starting in October 2012.In January 2013, an undergrad-uate degree program in hotel,restaurant and tourismmanage-ment, and a graduate degreeprogram in reading with read-ing specialist certification willlaunch. Courses will be offeredat convenient times for workingadults and additional programofferings will be announced inthe coming months.

For more informationabout any of these excitingopportunities or to make anappointment to visit ESU dur-ing an upcoming Open Houseevent, visit www.esu.edu, or callthe office of admission today at877-230-5547 or 570-422-3542today.

Photo: ESU’s Thirteenth President, Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D., (center) surrounds herself with ESU studentvolunteers duringMove-In Day activities.

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Mount Aloysius College

Mount Aloysius College is a private,accommodating and affordableCatholic liberal arts college sponsoredby the Religious Sisters of Mercy.The College welcomes people ofall faith traditions. Established in1853, Mount Aloysius College offersboth undergraduate and graduateeducation. Since the founding ofthe College, nearly 14,000 studentshave become proud Mount Aloysiusalumni. The College is committedto providing small class sizes, andstudents benefit from accessiblefaculty and staff. Mount Aloysiusstudents comemostly fromthroughout Pennsylvania and themid-Atlantic Region. There are over2,500 students enrolled (unduplicatedheadcount).

Mount Aloysius College is one of 16Mercy Colleges nationwide.

Student activities play a distinctiverole in personal growth. AtMount Aloysius College, there areapproximately 100 organized clubs,groups, honor societies, and anintramural sports program. Activitiesinclude a student newspaper,residence hall associations, studentgovernment, cheerleading, danceteam, scholarship-funded theaterand choir programs, and a studentactivities planning board. MountAloysius fun includes social events,intramural sports, athletic events,comedians, live music, theater,educational events, campus forums,and awesome guest lectures.

Mount Aloysius College is a memberof NCAA Division III. Athletic programsinvolve both women and men andinclude basketball, cross-country, golf,soccer, and tennis. Men’s baseball andwomen’s softball and volleyball arealso offered.

The College is 100 percent wireless,and smart classrooms are locatedthroughout the campus.

Mount Aloysius is accredited bythe Middle States Association ofColleges and Schools and approvedby the Pennsylvania Department ofEducation. All nursing and healthstudies programs are fully accreditedby their professional accreditingbodies, including the National Leaguefor Nursing Accrediting Commission,the Commission on Accreditationfor Programs of Diagnostic MedicalSonography, the Commission onAccreditation in Physical TherapyEducation, the American Associationof Medical Assistants, and the JointCommission on Accreditation forPrograms of Surgical Technology.

Location

Mount Aloysius College is locatedon a beautiful 193-acre campusin Cresson, Pa. The College isnestled in the scenic SouthernAllegheny Mountains of west-centralPennsylvania. Convenient andaccessible from U.S. Route 22, theCollege’s setting is rural but mere

minutes from State College, Altoona,and Johnstown and Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania.

Academics

Mount Aloysius College offersundergraduate and graduate degreeprograms. MAC awards bachelor’sand associate degrees in the arts,sciences, and health studies fields inboth career-oriented and traditionalliberal arts programs. Baccalaureatedegrees are available in accounting,behavioral and social science, biologyand general science, businessadministration, which includes a fifth-year M.B.A. option, computer science,criminology, elementary/earlychildhood education and secondaryeducation (with certifications),English, general science, history/political science, humanities,information technology, math/science, medical imaging, nursing(RN-B.S.N. program), nursing (2+2),occupational therapy (3-2), physicaltherapy (4-2), physician assistant

studies (3-2), prelaw, psychology, signlanguage/interpreter education, andundecided/exploratory. Associatedegrees are offered in appliedtechnology, business administration,criminology, early childhood studies,general studies, legal studies, liberalarts, medical assistant studies,nursing, nursing (LPN to RN),physical therapist assistant studies,

pre-nursing, radiography/medicalimaging, sign language/deaf studies,and surgical technology.

Graduate degrees include the MBAand Masters of Science in bothCommunity Counseling and GeneralPsychology.

Financial Aid

Mount Aloysius prides itself onaffordability. Many MAC studentshail from proud families of modestmeans and many are first-generationstudents. The College understandsthe expense involved in acquiring aquality education and encouragesall students to apply for all availableaid. Through the Office of FinancialAid, the College assists students inapplying for state and federal grants,loans, work-study awards, meritscholarships and more. The Collegeawards academic monies based onGPA and SAT or ACT scores. Theseawards are renewable over a four-year period and range from $1000

to $10,000 per year. Mount AloysiusCollege participates in all federaland state programs; fully 94 percentof Mount Aloysius College studentsreceive some form of financial aid.U.S. News &World Report has rankedMount Aloysius College as one ofthe best-priced private liberal artscolleges in the United States.

Faculty

The Mount Aloysius faculty consists ofapproximately 175 members, whoseprimary responsibility is teachingand advising students. Many facultymembers hold advanced or terminaldegrees and are expected to maintainclose instructional ties with students.Many professors hold nationalprofessional certificates in suchdisciplines as criminology, education,law, and nursing. The Mount Aloysiusstudent-faculty ratio of 14:1 allowsclose contact between students andfaculty members, providing personalattention in a highly structuredenvironment—a key ingredient in theCollege’s academic philosophy.

Admission Requirements

The College enrolls a freshman classof approximately 350 students. Thetotal class of 550 includes transferstudents. Admission is selectiveand based on academic promise, asindicated by a student’s secondaryschool performance and activities,standardized test scores, and specialexperience and talents. Applicants arerequired to have, or expect to earn, adiploma from an approved secondaryschool or a GED diploma. Submissionof official transcripts and SAT or ACTscores is required. In addition to thegeneral admission requirements,specific admission requirements existfor the health programs.

For further information, studentsshould visit the College’sWeb site athttp://www.mtaloy.edu. Prospectivestudents are encouraged to visit thescenic 193-acre campus. The Collegeis open Monday to Friday from 8:30 to5 and on select Saturdays.

For further information, studentsshould contact:

Office of Undergraduate andGraduate AdmissionsMount Aloysius College7373 Admiral Peary HighwayCresson, Pennsylvania 16630Phone: 814-886-6383888-823-2220 (toll-free)Fax: 814-886-6441E-mail: [email protected] site: http://www.mtaloy.edu

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Let’s say you are confrontingone of the most importantdecisions of your life. But

first, you must answer this:My favorite thing about last

Tuesday?And do it in 25 words or less.The query may seem like it’s

taken from Twitter or an onlinedating survey, but it is designedfor a match of a different sort:Getting into college.

The essay question is new for2012 applications to the Univer-sity of Maryland and is just one

example of a wave of quirkinessand brevity that has swept theusually staid world of college ad-missions essays in recent years.Some colleges have added ques-tions that might elicit answersmore suitable for a text orTweet, and others have intro-duced video to the process.

With deadlines looming at nu-merous top-tier schools, manyhigh school seniors who havestruggled with writer’s block arenow in official panic mode. Thetraditional “Why this school?”treatise is still a fixture on mostapplications, but today’s high

school seniors also are grapplingwith:a

Imagine you have to wear acostume for a year of your life.What would you pick and why? --Brandeis University in Massa-chusetts.

What is your favorite ride atthe amusement park? How doesthis reflect your approach to life?-- Emory University in Atlanta.

“Colleges have really thrownus a curveball,” said Eric Apgar,director of guidance at SandburgHigh School in Orland Park. “Inyears past, we would tell stu-dents not to veer too far from the

middle, to not be too strange-...but it seems like that’s exactlywhat post-secondary institu-tions want.”

It’s not just content that hasundergone a makeover, but theformat, as well. Along with theusual essay, many campuseshave added short takes of 20 to25 words, such as:

The best movie of all time --Columbia University in NewYork City.

It’s not just about appealing tothe text/Twitter/YouTube gen-

MCT PHOTO

Shepard High School’s Shea Schaaf, right, prepares for a Mathletes competition at Oak Lawn Community High School in Oak Lawn, Ill.

The new admission essay:It’s short and tweet(ish)

By BONNIE MILLER RUBINChicago Tribune

Sample short answer questionsfrom 2012 applications:Examples of essay questions on2012 college applications thatask for short answers:University of Notre DameYou have 150 words. Take a risk.Brown University (25 wordsor fewer)If I could do something with norisk of failing, I would ...I felt like I truly belonged when...University of North Carolina(20 words)Most overrated superhero:Most underrated superhero:Former kindergarten fear:Gadget that needs inventing:Yale University (25 words orless)Recall a compliment you re-ceived that you especiallyvalue.Elon University (Two sentenc-es)It would surprise my friends toknow that I ...

F E W W O R D S C A NM E A N A L O T

See ESSAY, Page 42

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Credit Unions, financial institutions that really are all about YOU! A Credit Union, like Tobyhanna Federal CreditUnion (TobyFCU), is a place where your membership makes a difference. If you are a member of a Credit Union, youbelong to an institution that is unique in the financial world.

Perhaps you thought that because Credit Unions often provide many of the same services as a bank, such as savings andloans, the only difference was in the name. While it’s true that there are similarities among financial institutions, CreditUnions are driven by a philosophy that sets them apart.

No one person or organization can own a Credit Union. It is owned and governed by its member-owners, it’s only cus-tomers. As a result, it exists solely to provide you and other memberswith a safe, convenient place to save and to obtain loans at reasonablerates, and to provide other needed services. Since all Credit Unions areowned by the people who save and borrow there, there are no outsideshareholders and no profits. Earnings are returned to the members inthe form of LOWER rates on loans, HIGHER returns on savings, andoverall BETTER service.

A Credit Union is volunteer driven. The active involvement of vol-unteers is the cornerstone of the Credit Union philosophy. A CreditUnion’s policy-making Board of Directors, and some of its commit-tees, are made up of individuals elected by the members. Virtuallyall of these volunteers are unpaid. In other words, as a shareholder

in your Credit Union you have a say in how it is run. You are a member, not a depositor. Because of this, your CreditUnion’s sole commitment is to serving you and other members. It’s that SIMPLE.

Unfortunately, there are those in business and in government who say that those principles do not make a difference.They say that Credit Unions aren’t truly an alternative to profit making institutions. But, nothing could be further fromthe truth.

Today, nearly one in every four Americans is a member of a Credit Union. That amounts to over 60 million people, andthe number grows every year. These people continue to support their Credit Union, like TobyFCU, because they knowfrom first-hand experience that such a financial institution offers a full range of services at affordable rates. And that itprovides something that is often missing in other aspects of the business world today – friendly, professional, “for-you”service.

If you want a financial institution where you can save for the future, easily obtain loans for today, or turn for your every-day financial needs, think of Tobyhanna Federal Credit Union first. As a member, You own it. As a member, You havea share in its future. And as a member, its safety and soundness is insured.

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“We have focused more in re-cent years on actual courses takenin high school, giving moreweight to honors level, AP cours-es, and dual enrollment courses,”Keating noted.

Another measure that’s beengiven less weight in the accept-ance process is where a studentranks in his class.

“Class rank is not very impor-tant at this point, unless the stu-dent is in the top five of his or herclass. Class ranks are formulatedso differently from high school tohigh school, they are not very ac-curate indicators of a student’sability to be successful,” Keatingsaid.

Other schools still use the triedand true measuring sticks of SAT,class rank and grade point aver-age.

“We’ve always looked at stuffholistically,” said Melanie Wade,vice president for enrollment ser-vices at Wilkes University inWilkes-Barre. “We’re still lookingat stuff holistically.”

Jim Anderson, the director ofadmissions at King’s College inWilkes-Barre, said very little haschanged when it comes to whathis school looks for in an applica-tion. And he doesn’t believe thatwill change anytime soon.

He said other that the way tech-nology has impacted the process,the standards for what will get a

student accepted into King’s hasremained true to the school’s coremission.

Personal interviewsWade said that standardized

test scores, class rank and highschool transcripts still matter themost but for some students whodo not meet the guaranteed ac-ceptance standards, hope is notlost. She said one difference froma decade ago is that students arebrought in for interviews thatcould help them still get an ac-ceptance letter even if theirgrades or test score aren’t top ofthe line.

“We didn’t really feel that wecould come to a good conclusionabout a student’s ability to be suc-cessful by just looking at tran-scripts and test scores in everycase,” Wade said.

The sit-down interview gavestudents a chance to explain per-haps why their grades suffered fora year or why their SAT scorewasn’t as high and Wade said insome cases what comes out in theinterview is enough to get thatstudent an offer of admission.

“Because of Keystone’s size westrongly encourage personal in-terviews with an admissionscounselor. This gives us first-handability to get to know a prospec-tive applicant, and that is muchmore accurate than paper,” Keat-ing said.

Though the application proce-dure itself hasn’t changed greatly,some facets of the process have.Students are looking into colleges

much earlier in their high schoolcareers and seem to be applyingto more schools than they used to,some admissions officials said.

Many would apply to two orthree in the past, Bozinski said.

“It’s pretty routine now thatkids apply to 8, 9, or 10 schools,”Bozinski said. He said the onlineapplication process makes itmuch easier. Without having tohandwrite a half a dozen applica-tion forms with essays, studentscan apply with the same basic ap-plication and essay to multipleschools with ease.

The common applicationMaking matters even more

streamlined is the advent of “TheCommon Application.”

The online company has con-tracted with hundreds of schoolsnationwide that now accept itstemplate application.

The Common Application al-lows students applying for collegeto fill out one application that isaccepted by its nearly 500 mem-ber colleges and universities.Among the local schools thathave signed on are King’s Collegein Wilkes-Barr, Keystone Collegein La Plume and The University ofScranton.

This program means that stu-dents can apply to all of thoseschools as well as other memberinstitutions across the state andnation by filing out only one appli-cation.

“As Keystone continues togrow as a four-year baccalaureateinstitution, it is a natural progres-

sion for us to expand our reachoutside of Northeastern Pennsyl-vania. The Common Applicationis one way we can do that. In addi-tion, it allows for ease in applyingfor a broader segment of stu-dents,” said Keating.

Anderson, at King’s, said sincethe school has enrolled with TheCommon Application programthree years ago, applications filedthrough that method are up 93percent.

Letters of recommendationThough they’re often included

in application packets, not allschools require them or considerthem.

At Misericordia University, Bo-zinski said he’s seen thousands ofletters of recommendation andthey’re all pretty much the same.He said “I’ve always deempha-sized letters of recommendation.”Instead, essays and a look at a stu-dents volunteer and communityservice projects, work and extra-curriculars gives him and his staffa better look inside who that stu-dent truly is and whether he orshe will be a good fit with the Sis-ters of Mercy-sponsored school’smission of service learning.

Parent involvementPerhaps nothing has changed

more over the past 10 years thanthe involvement of parents in theschool application and selectionprocess, said Wilkes’ Wade.

She said previously, parentsasked about dorms, safety andcampus life. Now they’re very in-

volved in the decision makingprocess and schools have learnedthat “when you recruit a student,you are recruiting a parent, too.”

“It’s very clear to me the choice(of whether or not a student willattend a college or not) has to bemade with mom and dad onboard,” Wade said.

Joseph Roback, associate vicepresident for admissions and en-rollment at The University ofScranton, said while many thingsabout the college selection proc-ess have changed and evolved, theimpact a campus visit can have onthe decision has not.

“One aspect that has notchanged is the significant role thecampus visit continues to play inthe college search process. Thecampus visit continues to be themost important way students findtheir home for the next four yearsof their lives,” Roback said.

Thanks to the Internet, colleg-es around the country are easilyaccessible to students from thecomfort of their own home orsmartphone. Students are able tobegin researching college cam-puses, courses, costs and morewith a few clicks of the mouse.And schools have noticed the dif-ference as applications are rollingin earlier, students seem to knowa lot about the schools they’relooking into and are able to ruleout certain schools without wast-ing a trip or application.

Anderson said “to a lot of stu-dents, the website is the most crit-ical part to whether they initiate avisit or not.”

CLIMBContinued from Page 6

tin received 35,000 applicationsfor the coming school year, itshighest yet. About three-quartersof colleges have seen applicationincreases each year for the pastdecade, according to the Nation-al Association for College Admis-sion Counseling.

Even the time when studentsapply has crept up. Rice Universi-ty, Texas’s most prestigious col-lege, had an 18 percent increasein early decision applications forthe coming year. Baylor Universi-ty received 2,000 more early ap-plications than last fall. In thepast two years, Texas ChristianUniversity’s early applicationshave gone up by half.

“It’s a good news, bad newskind of thing,” said Ray Brown,

Texas Christian University’sdean of admission. “I’m delightedpeople are taking this more seri-ously, but the flip side is they aretaking it way too seriously.”

College advisers attribute thespike to myriad factors, amongthem the enhanced accessibilityprovided by technology, a morestreamlined application processand a belief that early interestwill grant students an edge.

“Colleges are recruiting morepeople from all over the world,”said Katherine Cohen, famed forher college consulting businessthat primes students for top-notch universities. “Schools aretrying to attract a more diversestudent body, and they are goingto great lengths to do so.”

Cohen’s company, IvyWise,charges an average of $6,775 forconsultations.

The industry that sprouted tosupport interest in college prep-aration has also helped drive the

demand. But at what cost, saidDavid Hawkins, director of poli-cy and research at the NationalAssociation for College Admis-sion Counseling.

“In an environment where stu-dents without resources are al-ready disadvantaged, the expen-diture of money, which amountsto influence peddling in worstcases and preparation and coach-ing in the best, exacerbates theaccess problem we have,” he said.

“Someone may have extraor-dinary test scores and academicperformance, but maybe not rec-ognize how what they accom-plished has distinguished them,”said Chris Munoz, vice presidentfor enrollment at Rice University,which accepted 21 percent of ap-plicants last year. “So don’t al-ways assume that the studentwho is able to travel abroad anddo these other things necessarilygives them a reasonable advan-tage over another student.”

MCT PHOTO

Rachel Brooks, a senior at Liberty High School in Frisco, Texas, isgoing to the University of Missouri, majoring in journalism.

KEENContinued from Page 6

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ATLANTA _ He has a website, a blog, aYouTubechannel andhe’s onTwitter, Link-edIn and Facebook.

If you want to know University of Geor-gia student Connor Nolte, 23, of Milton,Ga., take your pick. It’s all there for theworld to see.

Done the right way, social media can bea boon for high school students and youngadults like Nolte seeking a coveted intern-ship, employment in the tight job marketor a slot in this fall’s freshman class.

But college admissions officers and em-ployment experts say it also can have theopposite effect.

DanRauzi, seniordirector of technologyprograms for the Atlanta-based Boys &Girls Clubs of America, said he has seen ithappen.

Rauzi recalled a cautionary tale deliver-ed by a Holland, Mich., senior at a recentyouth conference. After a run-in with aschool official, the studentwenthomeand,in frustration, posted a note on his Face-book page asking, “do we now have per-mission to brutally murder” the principal.

Although the student was accepted intocollege, Rauzi said, he faced felony chargesthat were later dropped and was given in-school suspension, fines and communityservice.

The student told his audience it was “11words that changed my whole life.”

“As a parent, especially of two Division Iathletes, there’s a lot of fear about that inmy household,” said Kurt Nolte, Connor’sfather.

And for good reason. In addition to play-ing an ever-increasing role in people’s per-sonal and professional lives, social mediause also is playing a role in job and collegeapplication decisions.

It has become increasingly common foremployers to scour social media profiles tolearn more about job candidates. Almostone in five people surveyed in the UnitedStates are going online to find jobs, butmany are nervous about potential falloutfrom personal content on social network-ing sites, according to a 2011 survey byglobal work force solutions leader KellyServices.

And according to Jieun Choe, executivedirector of college admissions for KaplanTest Prep, a 2011Kaplan survey found that24 percent of admissions officers checkedapplicants’ Facebook or other social mediapages _ up from just 10 percent in 2008. Ofthose, 12 percent said they found some-thing that negatively impacted an appli-cant.

Also, Choe said, “Students should bemindful of their digital trail. That includesknowing what people are posting about

them.”Her advice to students?“Google themselves,” Choe said. “The

Internet has a really long memory, so thisisn’t just about a specific phase in your life.This goes beyond college admission. Itcould impact your reputation, your jobchoices.”

That impact doesn’t have to be negative.Connor Nolte has used social media tobrand himself in the same way corpora-tions do, playing up the positive.

His website, www.connornolte.com,pictures him on the University of Georgiabasketball court, with this simple mess-age:

“My name is Connor. I play basketball atthe University of Georgia. I graduated with

a degree in marketing and am currentlyworking on my master’s degree in sportmanagement. I hope to combine both de-grees to work in sports marketing in thenear future.”

The graduate student credits the site,Twitter and his blog with helping him landtwo internships _ one in 2010 with ESPNand another this summer with the U.S.Olympics. “Without socialmedia, I am fair-ly certain I wouldn’t have gotten either in-ternship. I wouldn’t have been able to dif-ferentiate myself as well.”

Kurt Nolte said that he and his wife, Ju-lie, drilled into their three children theneed to be socially responsible at all times.

“We tell them whatever they put outthere, it better be something their grand-

mother can look at,” he said.“I’m not saying I’m perfect, but ... I’ve

found that the best way to guard againstposting negative photos is to not engage inan activity that might be frowned upon bya future employer,” son Connor said.

In 1999, when Boys & Girls Clubs ofAmerica released its first Internet safetyprogram, Rauzi said people went onlinemostly to pull information off the Internet.

But today we push information onto theInternet.

“Now I’m posting my life online,” hesaid. “That’s why Boys & Girls Clubs takesthis seriously, and I think it’s really impor-tant that everyone who comes into contactwith kids and teens, particularly parents,are talking to them about this _ not in away that is accusatory, but in a way thateducates them and reminds them that thisis important stuff.

“Just like Nike guards their brand, teensneed to guard their personal brand,” hesaid.

Beware your social-media history

MCT PHOTO

UGA basketball player Connor Nolte, pictured at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga., has a website, www.ConnorNolte.com, ablog, a YouTube channel and he's on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Social media can be a boon for high school studentsand young adults like Nolte seeking a coveted internship, employment in the tight job market or a slot in this fall's fresh-man class. But college admissions officers and employment experts say it also can have the opposite effect.

By GRACIE BONDS STAPLESThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Done the right way, social media can be a boon for high school students and youngadults seeking a coveted internship, employment in the tight job market or a slotin this fall’s freshman class. But college admissions officers and employment ex-perts say it also can have the opposite effect.

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eration, but about taking anoth-er opportunity to get acquaintedwith the applicant, said collegeconsultant Katherine Cohen andfounder of IvyWise.com.“You really get a totally differ-

ent feel for who that person is,especiallywith the short takes. Itallows colleges to learn thingsthey may not get from a tran-script and a resume,” she said.“That’s why they’re fun.”Such questions irk Barmak

Nassirian of the American Asso-ciation of Collegiate Registrarsand Admissions Officers.“It just reinforces that there’s

some secret code that needs tobe cracked to gain admission,”he said. “How angry would anadult be if we had to answerthese kind of bizarre questionson a job application?”While other schools may just

be retooling, the University ofChicago has long taken greatpride in its provocative essays.Over the years, the applicationhas asked students to reflect on

everything from “How do youfeel about Wednesday?” to themassive jars of mustard at ware-house stores.“There’s no right or wrong an-

swer ... we’re looking for stu-dents unafraid to talk in theirown voice,” said Evan Cud-worth, assistant director of ad-missions.The eccentric prompts have

become such a hallmark of theU.of C. application that the admis-sions office annually solicits sug-gestions from incoming stu-dents and alumni.The condiment question, for

example, was submitted aboutsix years ago and elicited a widerange of responses, from rantson consumerism to a physicsequation, with one student cal-culating how fast a swimmercould travel in a pool ofmustard.“What it says is, ’I am a phys-

icist who sees the world througha math lens,’” Cudworth ex-plained.Themost popular selection on

this year’s form:What does Play-Doh have to do with Plato?Colleges are entering the off-

beat realm for a variety of rea-sons, say experts. As more havesigned on to the Common Appli-

cation -- the online admissionsform that can be sent tomultipleschools and was meant tostreamline the process -- they’veadded supplemental questionsas away to get beyond the gener-ic and stand out from the crowd.“It’s put great stress on kids,

who now have a lot more ques-tions to answer,” said MarybethKravets, a long-time collegecounselor who retired fromDeerfield High School.That sentiment is echoed by

Susan Van Horn, whose twindaughters are seniors at New

Trier High School. The querieshave been markedly differentcompared to when her son wentthrough the process just fouryears ago.“Some schools are asking for

250 words, but then others areasking for 250 characters, so youfind yourself counting charac-ters and editing ‘do not’ down to‘don’t.’ It gets that silly.”In yet another nod to social

media, this is the first year thatthe University of Dayton pro-spects have the option of submit-ting a video essay in lieu of a

written one, joining Tufts andGeorge Mason Universities.Dayton applicants will answer

the question “What does it meanto be a servant leader?” and thenshare their videos through Face-book, Twitter and other sites.Students who garner the mostvotes will receive a $40,000scholarship over four years.“We can’t just do things the

same old ways,” said SundarKumarasamy, a vice president atthe Catholic school, adding thatapplications are already running30 percent ahead of last year.

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CHICAGO -- At 24, Ally Lincoln is a rar-ity in her circle of friends. She has acollege diploma along with a robust

paycheck, benefits and a well-marked pathfor career advancement.“I wouldn’t have any of this if my mom

hadn’t made me go into nursing,” said Lin-coln, replacing an empty IV bag at North-western Memorial Hospital. “It was one ofthe smartest things I ever did.”During the last five years, the hiring out-

look has curdled for all Americans -- includ-ing thosewith four-year college degrees, thedemographic most likely to land a good job.With tuition costs skyrocketing, the weakemploymentgrowthweighsheavilyoncash-strapped families.Andwhile the frenzied scramble to get in-

to an elite school still dominates senior yearfor many strivers, those footing the bill aretaking an increasingly hard-nosed, consum-er-oriented approach to their child’s highereducation, education experts said.Parents are pushing their student into cer-

tain majors, vetoing others and advocatingfor in-state schools overmore expensive sta-tus brands. They’re grilling administratorson jobplacementratesandalumninetworks.In short, they are demanding a better returnon their hefty investment than ever before,and administrators say they are getting themessage.“As the price of college goes up, parents

are more concerned with results, so they’reasking tough questions,” said Terry Hartle,senior vice president of the American Coun-cil on Education in Washington, D.C., “andgood for them.”Acollegedegree isno longer aguaranteed

cushionfromfinancialhardship.Only56per-cent of the class of 2010 had a job -- any job --one year after graduation comparedwith 90percent in 2007, according to the HeldrichCenter forWorkforce Development at Rutg-ers University. As for law school, only about65 percent of those in the class of 2011are injobs that require them to bemembers of thebar.And yet, since the 1980s, tuition has sky-

rocketed. The tab at private liberal arts in-stitutions can easily top $50,000 annually,while in-state schools -- like theUniversity ofIllinois -- have hit the $30,000 mark. One in10 Americans are paying off student loans.Even themostaffluentparentsarezeroing

in on results more than ever when consid-ering colleges for their children, said Mary-beth Kravets, a longtime counselor who re-tired from Deerfield High School in 2010.“I’ve seen the shift ... it just kindofhits you

in the face,” said Kravets, now a private col-lege consultant on the North Shore. “Oncampusvisits,parentsaregoingtothecareercenter. ... That never happened before.”Patrick Tassoni, college coordinator at

Northside College Prep in Chicago, said,“Theethosof theconsumer is changing,dueto economics.“Before, parents were more focused on

quality of life. Now, they’ve definitely be-come more career-minded,” Tassoni said.Earnings potential certainly played a ma-

jor role in Ally Lincoln’s decision backwhenshewasasenioratProspectHighSchoolandwanted to pursue equestrian therapy -- re-flecting her passion for horses.“Mymother toldmenot to confuse a hob-

by with an occupation,” she said. “I was up-set.”Duringacollege trip toBradleyUniversity

in Peoria, her mom “made” her look at thenursingschool,wherea tourguiderattledoffa barrage of statistics, including that themedian salary for a nurse is $60,000 and un-employment rate is 2 percent.Lincoln remembers begrudgingly think-

ing to herself: “Maybe mymother is right.”Now, the 24-year-old is hitting her stride --

along with certain traditional markers ofadulthood that have eluded many of herpeers:She’sengaged,hasa401(k)andhealthinsurance. This summer, she’s been busyhouse-hunting, a task made easier with herfour-day weekends. (She works three 12-hour days a week.)“My friends are so jealous,” she said.When it comes to post-college employ-

ment potential, majors matter. Of the top10occupations for hiring, half are engineering-related, according to the U.S. Labor Depart-ment. For every art history, psychology andsociology major tending bar or paintinghouses, there’s another inastrophysics,phar-macology and actuarial science being hotlyrecruited.Institutions are responding to the market

by tweaking admissions materials, empha-sizing not just new dorms and football Sat-urdays, but their internships, graduateschool partnerships, well-connected alumniandnewlyexpandedcurriculawithaneye tothe real world.Augustana College in Rock Island, for ex-

ample, has recently added internationalbusiness, graphic design and pre-engineer-ing. Knox College in Galesburg has teamedwith Chicago Medical School for a smoothbridge into the health field. Luther Collegein Decorah, Iowa, has launched a nursingschool.W.KentBarnds, avicepresidentatAugus-

tana College, concedes that it’s gettingtougher tomake the sale. “It used to be thatparents would take your word for it when

you talked about a liberal arts education asfosteringsuccess inworkandin life,”hesaid.“Now, they want evidence.”That’s just the kind of pragmatic talkTom

Thill wants to hear. The father of a senior atMarmion Academy in Aurora, Thill sees acollege admissions process that has been hi-jacked by our culture’s hyper-competitive in-fluences.Hewelcomes the course correction and is

opentoalloptions -- includinghavinghis sonstay in state or start at nearby WaubonseeCommunityCollege --not theusual ticket fora high-achiever at a private high school.“There are a lot of routes to get to where

youwanttogo,”saidThill,49,addingthathedid “just fine”withhisdegree fromNorthernIllinois University. “So many kids todaydon’thaveanyideaofwhattheywanttodo...and no one can afford to throw out moneyanymore.”Sheryl Solomon, a mother of two from

Wilmette, sees an increasing number ofneighbors steering their kids into fieldswhere employment remainsstrong. When her son, a 2011graduate of New TrierHigh School, wanted tostudy jazz vocals at theUniversity of Miami,she also worried

abouthis ability to earna living, but still sup-ported his choice.“We decided that a lot of people would be

telling him ’no’ ... and we didn’t want to beamong them,” she said.On his own, though, he realized that per-

formingwould be a tough road. So,whenhereturns to campus later this week, it will bewith a new major: music business. “I’m justgladhe’llhavemoreopportunities,” shesaid.Those are the kind of teachablemoments

cheeredbyCliffSaper, aclinicalpsychologistat Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hos-pital in Hoffman Estates. Saper works withmany teens who are angry, sad or apatheticabout parental demands on their futurechoices.He isnot anadvocateof parents tak-ing too strong a hand in choosing theirchild’s major or career path.“It usually backfires. ... More often than

not, kids will do the exact opposite,” Sapersaid.Insteadof forcinganartsykid into finance,

parents should use this transition to guidegood decision-making, he said. They shouldbe feeding information, sifting through thepros and cons and above all, keeping thelines of communication open.“Where youwant to be very clear is on pa-

rameters: ’Here’s what we can afford. If youwant to go to a more expensive school, wecan do two years, but the next two years are

onyou,’ “Sapersaid. “But I seekidsstillapplying to 14 or 15 very compet-itive schools parents can’t afford... and everyone ending up frus-trated.”

Parents take active role in college picks

MCT PHOTO

Ally Lincoln,RN-BSN, atwork at North-western Memo-rial Hospital inChicago, Ill.

By BONNIE MILLER RUBINChicago Tribune

“I wouldn’t haveany of this if mymom hadn’t mademe go into nursing.It was one of thesmartest things Iever did.”

Ally LincolnRegistered nurse

While the frenzied scramble to get into an elite school stilldominates senior year for many strivers, those footing thebill are taking an increasingly hard-nosed, consumer-oriented

approach to their child’s higher education.

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College Guide 2012

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