UlTImATE SUccESS GUIdEThere is a specific breakdown of how schools are ranked. Schools such
as Stanford, Harvard, MIT, Duke, Vanderbilt, Yale, and Pomona are
some of the 50 “Elite” schools. Next are “Selective” schools made up of
roughly 150 institutions including USC, Cal, UCLA, Santa Clara, Cal
Tech, and Pitzer. The third category is made up of approximately 250
“Competitive” colleges such as Pepperdine, USD, Occidental, LMU
and UC Davis. The remaining 1,750 are basic, standard colleges such as
state schools and universities.
The sheer number of students following the herd mentality of attending
state and local colleges reduces the amount of merit based and aca-
demic awards available there. Elite, selective, and competitive colleges
typically perceived as too expensive or exclusive have ample means of
discounting their tuition for those students deemed as desirable. Merit-
based aid has no income requirement or limitations; it’s the school’s
subjective decision. The more valuable your student is to them, the more
they will discount their services in order to secure their attendance.
Selecting the right college requires a thorough analysis of multiple fac-
tors that are unique to your student’s career objectives and lifestyle.
Using their time in high school to develop interests and to make con-
nections to a possible career path is one of the most effective ways for
your student to fine-tune their decision-making process. Rather than ar-
bitrarily deciding to be a doctor or a lawyer, this process helps them gain
a better perspective of what they are truly interested in. It allows them to
gain an understanding of what their career path entails and the options
that are available within it.
No other decision has such lasting academic and financial impact as the
choice of the college your student attends. Most families use emotional
criteria such as a school’s proximity to home, school reputation or even
the best football team in order pick a school and just assume that the
student will fit in. They are not aware that there are schools out there that
will be a good fit based on class size, major offerings, environment, and
overall attitude.
Here is a quick review of what needs to happen before your student be-
gins to fill out an application form:
- Set the expectation – In families where college is an expectation
from an early age, students rise to the challenge and select col-
leges, majors, and careers and usually finish college in four years.