Category: Uncategorized

Posted in College Admissions, Financial Aid/Scholarships, Uncategorized

Why You Shouldn’t Wait Until The Last Minute To Apply To College

Posted on by Trevor Creeden

I can’t believe that I have been counseling students through the college application process for 18 years and for the first time I am writing a blog post about this topic. At this time of year, each year, I get frustrated at the rush there is by seniors I work with to finish their college applications right before the November 1st early action or early decision deadlines that colleges have. However, I also understand that this is how many high school students operate because they can and still be successful in high school. I also understand that this is how many college students continue to operate with all-nighters writing papers and studying for tests. I do hear that there are people that “do their best work” when they are “under the gun” and complete something right before a deadline even though I find that hard to believe. I do also want to acknowledge that there are students who do not wait until the last minute and do work ahead, planning out their time wisely. So I don’t want you to assume I am saying everyone procrastinates.

Nevertheless, there are a number of downsides to waiting until right before a deadline to apply to a college. I define “right before” as not having an application complete at least a week before a deadline. I know that seniors would be disappointed and frustrated when they are denied admission to a college but I do not want it to be because of their own actions. If they rush to apply to colleges that are competitive or highly competitive admission wise, they are only hurting themselves. Below are four reasons why applying to college right before a deadline is a bad idea.

  1. Accuracy of application– I have heard from college representatives in the past that if there are mistakes on an application, it’s an immediate red flag because the application is the first thing they read. If they are finding errors in an application, they are going to assume that there are most likely errors in their essays as well. When you are completing an application right before a deadline, you don’t have as much time to ask questions or make sure you are answering everything correctly and then you have to guess. This is not the best way to complete a document that you paid for to submit and that you are replying on as a possible future option after you graduate high school.
  2. Can’t write well-written essays- I always tell my juniors that it takes two-weeks to write a good essay. It will take a couple days to write a rough draft, a few days for two people to proofread the rough draft, a couple days for you to edit and revise and then a few days for two people to proofread the final draft. One should never assume that if you give your essay to someone to proofread, and I recommend you give it to two people because one can catch something the other one didn’t, that they will return it to you the next day. I am not saying they won’t do this but you can’t expect it. Always give them a few days. If a college requires an essay, they are going to read it and you should assume that it will be important in their evaluation of your application.
  3. Getting well-written letters of recommendation- At DC, juniors do the initial request for letters of recommendation in Naviance in the spring of their junior year. This is only the first part of requesting letters of recommendation. They also must approach each teacher they requested a letter from and confirm their request in person, answering any questions the teacher may want to ask them. This is typically done over the summer or right after their senior year starts. These steps are typically done well by juniors and then seniors. The frustrating part for seniors to understand however, is that teachers are busy people too and some teachers will complete letters of recommendation at different times than others. If a senior waits until the day before a deadline to apply to college, a teacher may have also waited until they knew they had to write their letter of recommendation and now the teacher is writing a letter at the last minute which typically doesn’t result in their best effort and work either. If students completed their application two weeks before a deadline, that gives the teacher plenty of time to write an efficient and effective letter of recommendation.
  4. Transcripts and and test scores are sent later- This is something that seniors don’t anticipate and the one thing that frustrates me as a counselor the most when I know seniors have waited until the last minute to apply to colleges. I know that the week before November 1st is going to be a busy one and anticipate that I will be sending many transcripts and letters of recommendation at this time. I typically stay later each day at school and I have a sense of accomplishment at the end of the week that I have sent all the senior’s transcripts that have been requested before November 1st. I get frustrated though when a senior requests their transcript be sent late on October 30th, October 31st or November 1st and just expect that I will send everything in for them right away. Seniors should anticipate that it may take 3-4 business days to send their transcripts because sometimes I have to wait for letters of recommendation or there are other things holding up my ability to send their transcript and supporting documents. Moral of the story: things just don’t happen right away and every senior should anticipate this by making sure they apply at least a week before a deadline.
  5. Prepared for the unknown- In my 18 years, there have been times when there was confusion on my end and/or the colleges end as far as what documents were sent, how they were sent, when they were sent, etc. Colleges get thousands of applications and it makes sense that every once in a while, something gets misplaced or even lost. I have seen two files created for one senior because they had different names (a nickname maybe) on their test scores than they did on their transcript. Students are confused as to whether they applied under a certain deadline (ED, EA, RD) or whether they applied test optional or not. In order to be prepared if this were to happen, seniors should make sure they get their applications in two weeks before the deadline and then confirm with the college a week later that they have everything they need.

Seniors, there are a number of aspects that go into an admissions decision at a college that are out of your control. You need to make sure you complete the aspects of the college application that are in your control as well as you can. If you wait until the last few days before an application deadline to complete an application, you are not completing it as well as you can because you have to rush to get it done. Make sure you plan ahead, organize each application, understand what needs to be done to put your best foot forward, and get everything done a week or two before a deadline so that all of the other people involved in submitting your application (teachers, counselor) can do their best work as well. You don’t want to look back after an admissions decision and regret that you should have done things differently. These applications are just another English paper or math test, they are the first step to a future at a college that you will grow in ways you never imagines, earn a degree and hopefully transition to a career that God has planned for you.

Posted in Financial Aid/Scholarships, Uncategorized

Why Spend Your Own Money On College?

Posted on by Trevor Creeden

One question I ask juniors and seniors all the time is, “Why would you spend your own money on college if they will pay you to come to their school?” After all, this is good financial stewardship, right? Please come to our annual Financial Aid Planning Night here at DC on Tuesday, October 8th, where we will be diving into this topic a bit more.

We all agree that the cost of college is very expensive and is getting more expensive each year. The presence of federal government and private loans has allowed colleges to spike their prices because they know that they can get students to borrow whatever money they need in order to attend their school. So how do parents respond to this mounting pressure to be able to pay for college? They start saving thousands of dollars when their child is young to make sure they provide their child with the opportunity to go to the college that they want to attend. Is this a bad approach? Definitely not. Whether it’s through a 529 plan or a different savings plan, it’s always great to save money for the future expense of college. Obviously, the amount some are able to save compared to others varies but it’s all for the same purpose.

However, what if I told you there were other ways to lower the cost of college that didn’t involve saving money in advance (which is still not a bad thing to do)? Below are a few ways students can pay less for college without spending a lot of your own money.

  1. Apply to colleges that are good fit schools and where you are competitive for merit based scholarships.

It’s great if a senior applies to a college that they deem to be a good fit in many areas, but if it is going to cost $40,000 a year, is it still a good fit? Some seniors and their parents may say, “yes” if it is a school that is ranked in the top 40 of the US News and World Report. However, if your child was able to get into a college that is ranked in the top 40, there are probably one hundred other really great colleges that they could attend for far less money because they are able to receive a lot of merit based scholarship money (scholarships based on grades and scores). I am not saying that you are making a bad decision to pay a lot more money for a more “prestigious” college however, I would like you to at least consider expanding your options and applying to a few of the very good colleges ranked beyond 40 that may provide a similar experience (or maybe even better) for a lot less money. if a senior has done well in high school, colleges will do what they can to try to get that student to come to their school, and the way they do this is by offering merit based scholarship money. There is a great blog post by Lynn O’Shaughnessy that I would love you to read titled Saying No To a Dream College: A Success Story. I appreciate Lynn’s perspective and share a number of the same ideas. If you are interested, I am happy to email you a list of “hidden gem” colleges that I have put together that are based on colleges I have had students go to, have had great experiences and are doing well after they graduated. Feel free to e-mail me and ask for this list.

2. Expand your options

There are hundreds of great colleges in the United States. I understand that you may want to stay in a certain region of the country, or attend a college with less than 15,000 students, or attend a Christian College, etc., but what I see happen too often is that some settle to know about only a handful of colleges and they don’t put the time in to researching and expanding their list of schools that they at least look into. Do you want advice on how to start? If you like to know what a school is ranked, look at the US News and World Report Ranking, Money Magazine College Rankings, Forbes College Rankings, Niche College Rankings and the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education Rankings. Didn’t know there were that many companies that ranked colleges? It is surprising but they each are a little unique in the way they calculate their rankings. You may see similar colleges at or near the top of these rankings but I would encourage you to look at the schools ranked at or near the top of their region or the colleges that are ranked between 50-150 and see of any of these colleges are a good fit. One other piece of advice I give just to get a broader perspective of colleges you may not have considered is to go through Princeton Review’s book of the 385 Best Colleges. This is a great way to know that there aren’t just 50 colleges out there that we can go to and be successful at, there are 385!

3. Go to college farther from home

I am going to refer to a previous post I wrote back in February that I wrote. Please read!

4. Follow the money

Sometimes this is hard and I am not going to say that you should always pursue the cheapest option when it comes to the college you will attend. Nevertheless, you need to get your Return on Investment (ROI) (see previous post on this topic) when it comes to the college you attend. Obviously, the ideal is not to have any debt when you graduate from college but for many, this isn’t possible. The best advice that I know to give in order to make sure that you do not have overwhelming debt is to have the total amount of loans after four years of college be less than what your expected starting salary is. If you have done your research and your homework and applied to a few colleges that are great financial fits as well as good fits in the other areas you are looking for, it would be hard not to attend the college that ends up paying you more to go to their school. I would caution that you not put prestige, promises of future success, reputation or legacy above making sure the college you attend is a great financial fit as well.


Posted in College Admissions, Uncategorized

“Adulting” in the College Application Process

Posted on by Trevor Creeden

I hope you all have had a great start to the school year whether you are a student or a parent. One phrase you may have heard this summer is “adulting”. If you would like to read up on how “adulting” came about and what it is click here. We are offering a SAIL class at DC called “Adulting” and it filled up quickly. This is a nationwide trend as well. Please feel free to click on the links below to see what other adulting classes are being offered around the country.

“Adulting” class in Kentucky

“Adulting” School in Portland, Maine

“Adulting” class at UC Berkeley

Why, all of a sudden, are high schools and now colleges offering this class for high school students? I could fill this entire post with reasons but I will use a couple quotes from a book I am currently reading by Ben Sasse titled, The Vanishing American Adult.

“In a different time, there was decent clarity about what coming of age into adulthood meant. Leaving childhood and becoming an adult was conceptually clear. It was a gift that older generations gave to the younger. No longer. Ours is now an odd nation of both delayed grown-ups and delayed-children who create words to mock the idea that we could ever become responsible, civic-minded leaders.”

“I believer our entire nation is in the midst of a collective coming-of-age crisis without parallel in our history. We are living in an America of perpetual adolescence. Our kids simply don’t know what an adult is anymore – or how to become one. Many don’t see a reason to even try. Perhaps even more problematic, the older generations have forgotten that we need to plan to teach them. It’s our fault more than theirs.”

Now, I am not writing a post on the “adulting” phenomenon but I do want to mention a few ways I have already been “adulting” seniors in the college application process for years and how parents should support their senior through this process. I am big on having seniors be advocates for themselves throughout the application process because they are the ones applying to the colleges, not the parents. The parents are supposed to support, encourage and remind if necessary. This is an important part of the college application process that get’s overlooked and can play a roll in a college admissions officer’s decision to admit a student to their school or not. Below are ways seniors should be “adulting” in the college application process:

  1. Know the admissions counselor who has our school.

Before they apply, seniors should go to each of the websites of the colleges they are applying to and find out who the admission counselor is who will be reading their application. They can do this by going to the “Admissions” page of the college’s website and clicking on a “meet your counselor” or a “contact us” link and see if the college admissions officers at the college are listed. They should find the representative for Pennsylvania, Eastern PA or Philadelphia (sometimes this is divided between the city or suburbs) as the territory they are responsible for. Write or type this person’s name, phone number and e-mail address somewhere.

2. Communicate with this counselor in person, over the phone and through e-mail.

Each senior needs to be communicating with the admissions counselor who will be reading their application. This can be somewhat difficult for some because it is getting them out of their comfort zone and forcing them to interact with someone in authority they do not know and has influence because they will be making a decision on whether to admit them or not to their school. If this school is a “safety” school on the senior’s list, it will alleviate some of the pressure, but it is still great to develop rapport and have good communication with them. If it’s a “target” or a “reach” school on the senior’s list, there could be more pressure, but the communication and rapport with this counselor is much more important. The parent(s) CANNOT overstep the boundaries and be the one to communicate and ask questions. This can create a negative perception in the admission counselor’s mind that the student cannot advocate for themselves and why would they want to admit a student like this to their school?

If the senior can meet with this admissions counselor in person, especially if this counselor visits our school, they must make this a priority. I had a counselor in my office last year who knew that a couple seniors were applying to their school. Those seniors did not come visit them and it left a negative impression on them. The counselor said, “If they were really interested in attending my school, and I made the effort to come to their school but they couldn’t meet with me, what does that tell me about whether they would like to attend my school?” Seniors also need to be the one to call or e-mail the counselor if they have questions. When a senior comes to my office with a question about their application that I can’t answer, I have made them call or e-mail the counselor (with my support if needed). Another note for parents: When you are visiting a college or attending an interview or college fair with your senior, they need to do all the talking. Please don’t own the conversation because, again, this takes away from the impression your senior is leaving with the admissions counselor. Never attend an interview with your senior. Stay in the car, lobby, or leave and pick them up.

3. Complete the admissions and scholarship applications yourself by the deadline.

This sounds crazy but you would be surprised at how many times I know that a parent completed an application for their senior. The college may not even know (even though I have heard plenty of admissions officers tell me they knew) but you are also not helping your senior mature and go through an important process that will benefit them in the future. I’ve had parents give me reasons such as, “but they are so busy I was trying to help them” or “they weren’t getting it done so I just did it” or even “If I did it I knew it would be completed correctly.” All you are doing is enabling them and preventing them from true responsibility and growth. Even if they are driving you crazy because they are putting it off and the deadline is a week away or sooner, if they miss the deadline then they will need to deal with the consequences and in the long run they may learn from this experience and mature from it. Seniors, I preach in my meetings and classes that part of becoming an adult is understanding that you need to plan ahead, prepare and complete things in a timely manner so that you are not rushing to get something done right before a deadline. If you waited until the last minute to complete a big project for a job you had in the future you may not have that job for long. If you learn this now, you will respond and execute much better in any future occupation you have.

4. Talk with your parents about your college financial plan.

This is something that is very important to do before you start completing your applications senior year. It may even benefit to have this conversation in the spring of your junior year as you begin to strongly consider a few schools. Parents, you need to be upfront and honest with your child about how much money you have saved and expect to have when paying for their college education. Don’t give your child the impression that they can go to college wherever they want when you don’t have the means to pay for it, or even worse, you think they can take out a ton of loans to pay for their college education. If you are not upfront about the financial situation surrounding your child’s college decisions, the conversations you have later after they have been accepted to certain colleges can be difficult and heartbreaking. If your senior understands the financial means by which they have to pay for each school they are applying to, they can “own the process” when it comes to whether that college is a good financial fit for them and they can even pursue merit based scholarships at colleges with more focus and intensity. Lastly, I recommend that the parent completes the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) but have their senior with them while they complete it.

5. YOU make the decision on where you will attend college.

This seems like another no brainer because I haven’t known many parents at all over my last 18 years of college counseling who have made the decision for their child on where they will attend college. However, I do know parents “strongly influence” this decision and my advice is for the parent(s) to give their advice, suggestions and honest feedback and then back away and pray for their senior. Pray that God will guide and direct them to where He would want them to go to school. It is important that the senior have complete ownership of this decision because they are the one that is attending the school, not the parents. The last thing a parent wants is their child blaming them because they attended a school their parents told them they should attend and they ended up not enjoying it. Seniors, you also need to pray about your decision if it is down to one, two or three schools. Make sure you seek God’s direction and be wise when it comes to fit and finances. YOU (the senior) are making the final decision. OWN IT!

Posted in College Admissions, Uncategorized

I Finished My Freshman Year…Now What?

Posted on by Trevor Creeden

Congratulations! You just finished your freshman year in high school. It’s was an exciting but challenging year because many things were new as far as your schedule goes, you were the “low man on the totem pole” for a year and the transition academically from middle school to high school is not an easy one. Hopefully you finished well and have no regrets. If you do though, don’t stress, there is time to improve.

Now you will be a sophomore and although you may not be the “low man on the totem pole” anymore, it is a unique year because you are still underclassmen and the academic rigor gets a bit tougher as well. Below are some things you can be doing as sophomores to position yourself well for the college application process you will be going through in a couple years. Some of these things however, will also position yourself for current success as well as success in college and beyond.

  1. Continue to stay involved in your church and youth group

Continuing to grow in your relationship with God is your first and foremost priority. If your church has a youth group, this is a great way to grow in your faith with other students who may be from your school but they also may attend other schools. There are also opportunities to grow spiritually and socially with friends at youth group events that can be experiences you may never forget. Your church also may offer opportunities for you to lead and serve in ways that begin to show you what your unique gifts and abilities are. These may be helping to lead worship, volunteering in the children’s Sunday school programs or nursery, help lead in AWANA or at your church’s VBS program, assist in your church’s tech booth, etc.

2. Take Advantage of Opportunities to Serve or Work Over the Summer

Although there are a few places that could hire you at age 14 or 15, you may not be able to get a job yet over the summer because most jobs require you to be at least 16 years old or older. However, if there are opportunities to work (mowing lawns, babysitting, etc.) definitely take advantage of these opportunities. Earning your own money (that isn’t an allowance from your parents) allows you to begin being a steward of that money which is a great skill to learn early on. If you have the opportunity to go on a missions trip then take advantage of this experience as well. I remember doing a missions trip to Mexico through my church after my freshman year of high school and it was a life changing experience I still remember to this day. It led to opportunities for me to go to Venezuela the next summer and helped me grow spiritually in ways that impacted decisions I made down the road. What you do doesn’t have to take up your entire summer but you should do something that takes you out of your comfort zone because it’s more responsibility and may require you to lead in ways you haven’t before. Definitely enjoy your summer with family and take time to relax as well.

3. Take Classes That Continue to Challenge and Stretch You

This is the most important task that will prepare you for when you start applying to colleges in a couple of years. You should be a student first and continue to progress and be successful in the classroom. Sophomore year is an important year when students begin to understand that they are stronger in the Humanities (English, History, Bible) or STEM (Science and Math). This is great to understand because you should begin to challenge yourself more in the areas you are more gifted in. Freshman year you established a foundation academically. Whether this is a strong or weak foundation depends on how you performed academically. If you had a strong freshman year academically, continue that strong performance sophomore year. This will only allow you to have more options when it comes to colleges that you can apply to in a couple years and provide more opportunities to earn merit scholarship money from the colleges you eventually apply to. If your academic foundation freshman year was not as strong because you didn’t do as well as you hoped, sophomore year is a great year to bounce back and show colleges that your freshman year was not really who you are academically by showing a big improvement in your GPA from freshman to sophomore year.

4. Keep Reading!

We all should be reading because it improves our knowledge and understanding and encourages us to be continual learners. As freshman and sophomores it is always important to keep reading what we love to read because it builds comprehension and vocabulary to help you be better prepared for the SAT and ACT that you will take as a junior and senior in high school. If you enjoy reading science fiction, autobiographies, mystery, sports fiction or biographies, history, etc., keep reading what you love and it is going to help you raise your Evidence Based Reading and Writing and/or Reading, English and Writing scores on the SAT or ACT.

5. Visit Colleges With Family or Friends

If you have the opportunity to tour a college because you have an older sibling visiting a college, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT! I am bummed when I meet with juniors and they say that they didn’t visit colleges with their siblings. These are great chances to see what college life is like, get exposed to campus life and see what colleges may be a good fit for you down the road. Yes, it’s early and it’s always good to visit colleges as a junior or senior, but if all you need to do is tag along with your sibling(s) and parents or a friends family that asked you to come along on a college visit, please go and soak in the experience and get an understanding of what a college campus is like.

6. Stay Involved and Build That Resume

Continue to do what you love. You may have tried to play a few sports throughout middle school and freshman year you decided to continue to play one or two of those. You may have been playing an instrument throughout middle school and decided to play in 9th grade but aren’t sure whether you want to continue. You may have been in choir or band all they way through middle school and continued in 9th grade. By now, you should have identified a few extracurricular activities that align with your talents and interests. If you haven’t, you should be thinking about which activities on your plate best showcase and use your skills. You should be devoting yourself to a few as opposed to spreading yourself too thin across many. The quantity of what you are involved in isn’t as important to colleges than the quality of the experiences and the growth and leadership you take on doing the things you are talented in and love. You will be putting together a resume junior year so keep track of the extracurricular activities you participate in, awards you earn and the time you spend working and volunteering.

7. Look For Ways To Lead

Start looking for leadership opportunities. This means taking on a bit more responsibility. You might look into being an officer in a club, come up with a new club, or dedicate yourself to an independent activity. For instance, volunteering isn’t a “leadership position,” per se, but it shows independence and initiative, especially if you seek out and identify an opportunity on your own. These opportunities can be available in your community, at your church and here at school.

Posted in College Admissions, Uncategorized

Debunking The Myths About the Environmental Context Dashboard (ECD)

Posted on by Trevor Creeden

There has been much discussion and angst expressed after College Board announced in the middle of May that it has been piloting a new tool with colleges called the Environmental Context Dashboard (ECD) and is going to make it available to more colleges in the future. After reading about the ECD over the last couple weeks and talking to fellow college counselors about it, below are some questions I wanted to answer to help debunk the myths about the ECD and hopefully provide you with more accurate and helpful information that gives you a correct perspective of the ECD.

How can this score measure the “adversity” my child goes through?

The College Board never labeled this tool an “adversity score”. The correct name for this tool is the Environmental Context Dashboard and that is what College Board has been calling it from the beginning. The “adversity score” label came from a Washington Post article. If you would like to know what factors are considered when formulating a score please click here.

Will this ECD score impact my child’s SAT score?

No, the ECD score is totally separate from a students SAT score. A student will earn a score on the SAT using the same scoring method that College Board has been using for years. The ECD will give colleges an idea of how a students score may compare to other student’s at their school but their SAT score itself is separate from the ECD score.

How will college admissions officers view this ECD score?

This is going to vary by college. I have heard some college admission officers say they won’t look at it at all due to the volume of applications they have. Other college admissions officers have said that this tool can be helpful to them if they do not know anything about the high school because it is in a very rural area where they have not received any or many applications from in the past. Other college admission officers are saying that they will take a close look at it along with the other factors they consider. Just to reiterate, this ECD score is not new. Colleges have been pulling information from a student’s application for years that helps them understand the student’s “Environmental Context”. Many questions on any college application is going to provide a college admission officer with the same information that the ECD score provides. The College Board is now just trying to package this information in an easier way for colleges to understand. I will be asking many college admission counselors this coming fall how they will be using the ECD score.

How will I know what my ECD score is?

You will not know. This score is not made available to students and parents. It is only provided to the college that the student applies to once they send their SAT scores to that school. If you do not want the colleges to receive your ECD score, you can take the ACT and only send your ACT scores to the colleges you apply to.

What can I do to help my score?

Nothing. This score should not be “gamed” or “manipulated”. If a college admission officer finds out that people are doing things to try and “control” what their ECD score is, it will most likely have a negative impact on their admission to that school.

To conclude, this ECD score is not something any senior needs to worry about when applying to colleges. There are going to be questions and I’m sure some confusion over this new ECD score by college admission counselors, parents and students, but ultimately, it’s out of students control so they need to complete everything when applying to a college that is in their control (application, essays, requesting letters of recommendation, resume and taking the SAT or ACT) to the best of their ability and give God control of the result when it comes to whether they will be accepted or not.

Posted in College Admissions, Financial Aid/Scholarships, Uncategorized

The Value of a High School Internship

Posted on by Trevor Creeden

High school students who have an opportunity to complete an internship will have a greater perspective on what they would like to, should and should not major in when they apply to college. That’s if the internship is completed before the end of the summer before their senior year. There’s nothing wrong however, with doing an internship after senior year. You just won’t have the benefit of that experience occurring before you complete college applications. I am excited to begin Career Week at DCCS next spring. This will be a week long internship that is mandatory for every junior at DCCS to complete. It will take place at the end of their junior year which I think is a perfect time for a high school student to do an internship. Below are a few very important reasons why I think internships are very important for high school juniors to complete.

  1. It gets them out of their comfort zone. More today than in the past, high school students do not learn the value of hard work and how to respond in situations that are difficult or unpredictable. I would encourage every parent to read this article by Alex Chediak. In the article Alex says, “Our wealth, technology, and digital economy have radically changed this pattern. We now emphasize the protection of our children rather than their productivity. While our kids may be safer, they’re also softer — more hooked on comforts like AC, their own bedroom, an Xbox, etc. They are unfamiliar with manual labor at a time when lifelong learning and flexibility are more important than ever in our disrupted economy.” I couldn’t say it any better. This isn’t true of every high school student but it is more common today than every before. This is why encouraging our teens to drive when they are able and encouraging but also making them get a job is critical for their overall emotional, mental and spiritual growth from a teen to an adult. In today’s society, because they live in more “comfort” than previous generations, they may not want to do these things, but it’s on the parent to push them. After working with 16-18 years olds for over 18 years now, I definitely see more maturity in the kids who drive when they are able and have a job.
  2. They will understand more what they want to major in and also what they do not want to major in. When I coordinated Career Week with juniors at the previous school I worked at, it was great to see the perspective that they had once the internship was over. Some students were encouraged to keep pursuing the career field their internship was in, others didn’t want to rule out continuing to pursue that career field, but were exposed to some things that surprised them or were more difficult than they thought. Then there were some students that completed their internship and realized that they didn’t want to pursue that career field anymore. To get these perspectives while in high school before you apply to college is invaluable. This will allow seniors to get more specific when entering a major to pursue in their college applications and also write with more confidence about why they want to pursue that major in essays they will write when completing their applications.
  3. They are beginning to establish connections and network. This is a very important aspect to career growth and having more future opportunities. If a high school student can begin networking then they are able to build on those connections earlier and have more connections when they are in college and beyond. I hope this internship may lead to working more with their supervisor in the summer. This is also helpful when they apply to college because now they can have their supervisor/boss write them a letter of recommendation to include with their application. We all know the phrase, “it’s not what you know but who you know”. While the “what” is still important, the “who” can be just as or more important depending on what major a student pursues and what opportunities they take advantage of to work for that “who” or who else that person knows while still in college. In Jeff Selingo’s book, There is Life After College, he calls these individuals “sprinters”. These people begin working while even still in college or get a job quickly right after college and their career earnings far exceed the two other individuals he talks about, the “stragglers” and the “wanderers”. I would encourage you to read his book.

I am looking forward to working with next year’s juniors as we prepare for the first Career Week at DCCS. I would encourage any high school student, however, to take advantage of an opportunity to intern, work, job shadow or any opportunity that get’s you to serve others and takes you outside your comfort zone. I understand we are more busy today than ever before but these are invaluable experiences that will give you new perspective, understanding and wisdom that you wouldn’t have had otherwise. God will use these experiences to grow you more and more into the person He wants you to be. I am providing links to two articles written by Alex Chediak that refer to vocation plans and choosing a major. I read through these articles with the juniors in my Career Stewardship class every year and they provide a great perspective on both of these topics.

Posted in College Admissions, Financial Aid/Scholarships, Uncategorized

Earning College Credit While In High School

Posted on by Trevor Creeden

I would like to address a topic that is getting more attention today than ever before because of the high cost of college. As a result of tuition prices continuing to rise, it will continue to be more and more important to take advantage of opportunities to earn college credit while in high school. First, before I get into dual credit opportunities, I want to emphasize that the best way to earn money for college is to do well in high school and achieve as high of a test score on the SAT or ACT as possible.

When it comes to earning credit for college while in high school, I am going to make you aware of what opportunities we have at DC, but also inform you of a few more ways that are available to you online or in our area that any high school student can take advantage of. If you can begin college with 15 or more credits you are already saving thousands of dollars on your college costs. Even just a few credits will save you money!

  1. AP Credit

Taking Advanced Placement classes in high school are a great way to earn college credit. If you are recommended to take an AP course in high school, my advice is to take the course and see how you do. Don’t shy away from taking an AP course because you think it will be too difficult or you will not have time for other things. I understand these can be valid concerns, however, as a junior and senior in high school, you need to challenge yourself a bit more to see what you are capable of. Taking AP courses is also what competitive admission colleges want to see you take in high school because they like to see that you are taking the most rigorous courses your high school offers. Not every college will accept certain scores for credit. It may depend on the college and what major you end up pursuing that will determine if they will accept the credit. To know which colleges accept which AP test scores for credit, go to AP Score Check. You may also want to check specific college’s websites for the most accurate information on whether they will accept a certain score on an AP exam to earn college credit at their school.

2. Colorado Christian University (CCU) Dual Credit

Dual credit it a great option to earn college credit while in high school. It could save you $10,000-$20,000 or more if taken full advantage of. Click here to read my blog post on DC’s dual credit partnership with CCU.

3. CLEP Tests

The College Board’s College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) has been the most widely trusted credit-by-examination program for over 50 years, accepted by 2,900 colleges and universities and administered in more than 1,800 test centers. This rigorous program allows students from a wide range of ages and backgrounds to demonstrate their mastery of introductory college-level material and earn college credit. Students can earn credit for what they already know by getting qualifying scores on any of the 33 examinations.

While CLEP is sponsored by the College Board, only colleges may grant credit toward a degree. Not all colleges have the same CLEP policies—some colleges accept credit for a few exams, while others accept credit for all of them. A college often grants the same amount of credit to a student who earns satisfactory scores on a CLEP exam as it does for a student who successfully completes the related course. For more information about CLEP exams click here.

4. Community College Classes

Community College classes are offered continually at all campuses. You can go to the website for the Community College campus near you and look up the course directory for what will be offered in the fall, winter, spring and summer. I will say that these classes can be hit or miss as far as the experience you have. In my experience with students taking Community College classes, some enjoyed the experience and others thought the class was really easy and not challenging. Please make sure you do your research ahead of time to make sure the colleges you may or will be applying to accept the credit you are receiving after completing a class at a Community College.

5. Christian College Online Options

This is a great way to earn college credit either during the school year or during the summer even when you are away from home. I am providing a few links below to online college credit programs as Christian Colleges and Universities. Again, before you enroll in any online classes, make sure

6. Summer On-Site College Dual Credit Opportunities at Christian Colleges

7. Summer Pre-College/Summer Courses at Secular Universities

Posted in Uncategorized

What Can We Learn From the “Varsity Blues” College Admissions Scandal?

Posted on by Trevor Creeden

There has been a lot of reporting and discussion around the recent “Varsity Blues” college admissions scandal that the FBI brought to light on Tuesday, March 12th. Here is a link to the story if you would like to review what has been reported. I would like to share with you my response and why I think this happens. I say “happens” because I think the practice of parents paying colleges or personnel at colleges large sums of money to give their child an advantage in the admissions process happens more than we think and I am not surprised. First and foremost, we are all sinners in need of a Savior. Nobody is immune to committing the crimes that we are talking about in the news. As Christians, I think it’s important to remember three things in light of these circumstances and hopefully learn how it correlates to our relationship with God.

  1. Pride

Because of The Fall we all will succumb to pride and selfishness. We live in a culture where we want what we want and we want it now. If we start thinking that life is about me and getting what I want, then you start making decisions that will attempt to keep us at the top and will benefit us the most. Having this perspective is not all bad. As Christians we should work hard, utilize the gifts and talents God has given us to glorify Him, but keeping Him first is the key. If the reason that we are getting to the top is so that we can be recognized, celebrated and affirmed, these results will be temporary and we will crave for more and more attention and recognition. Eventually, our moral and/or ethical judgement will get blurred and we will start making decisions that we would never have thought you would make. If we are giving God the glory, not pointing to ourselves but Him when we succeed and achieve great things, we will have a joy and contentment that will last because we understand as believers in Jesus Christ, He gave us the talents, abilities and gifts that allowed us to succeed and He is the one that blesses us in ways that we don’t deserve nor should expect. If we have this perspective we will continually have an outward and not an inward focus which is what Christ had while He was here on earth. Philippians 2:3 says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather in humility value others above yourselves.” Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall”.

2. Identity

There is a question in the “College Essay Preparation Survey” I give juniors that asks, “how would your friends describe you?”. This is an interesting question that gets students to think about what their identity and reputation may be. If you are believer in Jesus Christ and believe that He died for your sins, you should be getting your identity in Him alone. If you are not a believer, you can only get your identity in something that would put you as the focus. There are very nice, kind, thoughtful and generous people who are not Christians. In the end, however, if your identity isn’t in Jesus Christ, you are going to make decisions that help boost your reputation, status and identity. There are also plenty of Christians who do this, don’t get me wrong. Who you associate with and the people you surround yourself with on a regular basis will definitely influence you as well. If you value what others think of you to such an extent that you will make decisions that make sure you stay well respected, popular and successful with those you associate with, you will make choices that are irrational and unethical at some point. This has to happen because it’s no longer truth that is driving your decision making anymore at this point, it’s human expectation and your own understanding. That’s what could have happened in this scandal. It was important enough for the parents to say that their kids went to a certain school to “keep up with” the others in their social circle, so they were willing to make a terrible decision to maintain this identity. The parents may also have put so much importance on where their children went to college because that reflects on their own reputation and status within their circle of influence. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight.” 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Do not be misled, bad company corrupts good character.”

3. Control

From my perspective, this is the main issue in this “Varsity Blues” admissions scandal. When one has affluence, high status and/or a “popular” reputation with outsiders, they typically have been able to control the circumstances in their life. If the opportunity is there to just pay a bit more money to get what they want or make something go away, they will do it. If they have the capability to do this, why not? This is dangerous however, because one thing that we give up in our lives if we ask Jesus Christ to become our Savior, is control. I have heard talk show hosts, news networks over the past week say, “Although I think what they did was wrong, I can understand why they did it”. Some can chalk up what these parents were doing as “loving” their kids so much they would do anything for them. Ultimately, they had the financial means and an opportunity to control the outcome so that’s what they did just like they may have done in other instances in the past. People say, “the kids we are talking about come from families that already had an advantage and the kids already were going to have opportunities in the future and not have to worry about money”. I completely agree, but when Jesus says in Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”, he is saying that if our hearts are corrupted by selfish motives because we are letting worldly things like money and status drive our decisions, we will continue to make decisions to maintain control. If we cannot submit to God’s will and plan for our lives, then we haven’t given Him control of our lives. We can’t just make him a small compartment in our lives to pull out and use when we want. We need to give Him control of everything in our lives and that includes our future which is unknown and may not go the way we want it to go. Ephesians 1:11 (ESV) says, “In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.”

Two other articles written on this “Blues Varsity” scandal are below. These are two great perspectives as well.

http://www.breakpoint.org/2019/03/breakpoint-the-college-admissions-scandal/

College Admission Scandal: Symptom of a Larger Problem

Posted in Uncategorized

Choosing a College Based on ROI (Return on Investment)

Posted on by Trevor Creeden

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t think ROI (Return on Investment) is important when making decisions. Nobody buys a house for $300,000 and when they sell it hope they get $200,000 for it. No owner of baseball team pays a player $100,000 over 5 years and only hopes they hit for a .200 batting average. Nobody puts money into a 401(K) or a mutual fund and expects to lose money on it. Let me also say that this is a tough topic to nail down because there are many factors involved, but it is a good one to understand and think about before applying to colleges.

What is ROI?

Below is a quote by valuecolleges.com that I thought was a great description of ROI.

“There are a lot of factors to take into consideration. You invest a lot more than just money into a college education – you invest time, work, and stress. That makes college fundamentally different from many other investments.

ROI could be as simple as what income people make vs. what they paid for college and what they owe in student debt, but that is still too simple. Income isn’t necessarily a measure of success, and student loan debt could just mean you took out more loans than you needed to, not that the school was too expensive. While some short sighted people just want to know how much money they can make straight out of school, others want a certain level of long-term career satisfaction. Neither is wrong.

Plus, as Chris Maples, president of the Oregon Institute of Technology explains, there are a lot of different investors in an education, too – not just you, but your family, the foundations that provide grants and scholarships (who don’t want to see their money wasted), the government (which needs the taxes you’ll pay from the work you do with your degree), and the institutions themselves, who put a lot of thought into who they accept and who expect their graduates to prove their worth. You may be fulfilled tending bar with your Ivy League education, but they’re not putting you in the alumni newsletter.”

What are the biggest factors that impact ROI?

6. Earning College Credit While in High School

Through dual credit opportunities your high school provides (DC students and parents, click here to understand our partnership with CCU), you may be able to earn 12-15 or more dual credits that will transfer to the colleges you eventually attend. This will save you thousands of dollars and the ROI is tremendous! There are other opportunities to earn college credit while in high school like AP exams, taking college classes online or in-person while in high school, CLEP exams and more. Click here to read my post titled “Earning College Credit While in High School” for more information.

5. Major

Based on the major you end up pursuing in college, you can start looking at job prospects and career earnings. I do say what you “end up pursuing” because you typically have a year and a half to change majors and decide which major is best to earn your degree in. When you decide on a major, you can then begin to understand the earning potential in that career field. When you are applying to college, it’s important to not just apply to schools you think or see on lists that are “better” for that major because there are plenty of colleges in the United States that will prepare you for a career field in that major. A lot of times what we hear is not the entire picture and it is up to us to put in the time to research and find similar (and less expensive) opportunities that we were not aware of before.

4. Location/Living Expenses

Please see my last post titled, “Sometimes it Pays to Go Away to College” for more information on why going a bit further away to college from home can earn you more merit based scholarship opportunities. It is important to understand what your living expenses in college will be and not have them be so exorbitant that it impacts the debt that you find yourself in after you graduate. Another impact on ROI when it comes to where you attend college is that it is less expensive to live in certain states. This could impact your cost of living while in college as well as after you graduate. Things like gas, food and housing are definitely less expensive in certain states. Where you attend college may have no bearing on where you will work after college but many college graduates tend to get their first job in the area in which they attended college. Companies are also a bit more familiar with graduates from colleges in the area they are located in. If you major in education, you most likely are doing your substitute teaching and earning a teacher’s certificate in the state you attend college in. If you had any internships during your college years, they are typically with companies near the college you attend and then some students continue working with these companies after graduation. When applying to college, consider the area you may go to school in and understand what the living expenses are in that area.

3. Internship/Networking Opportunities

This is a big category for return on investment and one that is talked about in more wealthy and “competitive” areas. Some will say that if you spend more money to go to one of the most competitive admission colleges or universities, it is worth that “extra” amount of money you are spending compared to a less competitive school because the byproduct of attending that school, you now are in a better position to be more successful after you graduate. This is because of the networking opportunities and the “name brand” recognition that the more competitive college may provide. I understand that the most competitive admission colleges offer a unique experience. At the end of my post titled, “Want to Apply to a Competitive Admission College? Think “Outside” the Box”, I provide a link that says there is no correlation to future success if you earn an Ivy League degree in all majors except maybe Finance and Political Science. Earning a degree in these two fields at an Ivy League school can have its advantages. When it comes to other majors however, (Engineering, Nursing, Education, etc.), you can earn your degree at many other schools and find yourself earning the same or more amount of money. There are plenty of colleges that provide many internship and networking opportunities that are not in the top 50 of the US News and World Report and I would encourage you to really look closely at these schools because they will be the schools that award more merit scholarships. Here is a link to a US News and World Report list of 22 colleges that are best for internships or co-op programs and only two are high competitive admission colleges (Cornell and MIT). Two other colleges that are high on the list of providing internship opportunities are George Washington and American Universities in Washington, DC.

2. Tuition/Scholarships

If you going to get a great ROI, you most likely will be making sure that you are not paying more in tuition than you have to. Let me also say that getting a great ROI also means that you are not spending as much of your own money than you have to. You are using Other People’s Money (OPM). What do I mean? Even if you saved up for college and realistically can pay for more of your child’s college expense, it is still smart to get that tuition and room and board cost down that you have to pay because you are spending less of your own money and you are letting the school or government pay for you to attend that school. It may be best to explain this point with an example. A dad and mom save $180,000 (which is a lot!) in their daughter’s college fund. She is accepted to a more prestigious university that would cost them $60,000 a year because they are a “meet need” school. This means that they do not offer merit scholarships. All of their money goes to meeting the financial need of students that attend their school. She was also accepted to a great flagship state university and received a scholarship that covered full-tuition and room and board. She would have had enough money to cover the first three years at the more prestigious university but she would have had to take out loans her senior year for $60,000. What she did, however, was go to the flagship state university that she had a full scholarship to and used that $180,000 for graduate school and to start her career eventually…THAT is a proper perspective of ROI. Merit scholarships are the best way to achieve ROI from colleges. If you have done well academically in high school, you have put yourself in great position to receive large merit scholarships from colleges. Find those colleges and see what opportunities they provide for you. Even if you have mostly B’s and some C’s…there are colleges out there that will give you good merit scholarships!

  1. Student Loan Debt

We are down to the #1 factor that impacts ROI and that is student loan debt. If you are going to have a great ROI from your college education, you will need to keep your student loan debt amount down. It would be great if everyone can avoid having to take out student loans to pay for their college education but for most, this is not realistic. Honestly, I tell parents who can pay for their child’s entire college education that I think it is good for their child to have to pay back some of their college education if they can’t earn the money during college to pay it off. Just to have them take out the subsidized portion of the Stafford Loan ($2,000-$3,000 a year) allows them to have some “skin in the game”. Then they know they are investing in their own education and if they slack off or get lazy, they know that it is costing them. What is a great rule of thumb for how much in student loans a student should take out to pay for college? You should keep your total amount of student loans over four years under the amount of your projected starting salary. For some professions, this means keeping it under $30-35,000, for others in professions that pay more, this could mean keeping it under $50-60,000. Nevertheless, if your total student loan debt over four years is more than your initial starting salary right out of college, it is going to be more strenuous and you will need to make some life decisions to be able to pay the debt off. However, this decision shouldn’t be considered while in college or after you graduate. If you applied to the appropriate colleges you knew going into the application process and then in the decision process and were wise about total cost, merit scholarships, internship/networking opportunities, location and what major you will or may pursue, you already have made a very wise decision on ROI that will pay large emotional, physical and financial dividends for years to come!

1/2. How Do You Approach Life After College?

Based on a book by Jeff Selingo titled, “There is Life After College”, Twenty-something’s nowadays transition into adulthood in one of three ways. They’re either SPRINTERS, WANDERERS or STRAGGLERS. Click here for a great two page document that explains these transitions to adulthood in detail.

Resources from “Return on Investment in College Admissions” Presentation:

Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW) Study- “Ranking ROI of 4,500 US Colleges and Universities”

CLEP Exams

Earning College Credit While in High School– College Counselor Corner Blog Post

“Choosing Your Major” by Alex Chediak

“Vocation Plans” by Alex Chediak

“Finding Colleges that Offer Big Scholarships”– Lynn O’Shaughnessy

“New FAFSA Changes: Winners and Losers”– Lynn O’Shaughnessy

“What Are Soft Skills and Why Are They Important?”– College Counselor Corner Blog Post

“Sprinters, Stragglers and Wanderers”– Review of book titled “Life After College” by Jeff Selingo

Posted in Uncategorized

Sometimes It Pays to Go Away to College!

Posted on by Trevor Creeden

As I continue to meet with high school juniors and their parents to counsel them through the college planning process, I am reminded of the different perspectives students and parents have about whether to go to college close to home or whether the student is willing to go to college further away from home. Sometimes this brings more anxiety on the parents because most parents would like to see their children more often so if they stay close to home, they know that opportunity is there. If they go to college further from home, they know they may only see their child during long breaks when they at least have a week off. Below is typically how often a student can expect to make it back home depending on how far their college is from home.

  1. 0-2 hours = Can come home on weekends
  2. 2-6 hours = Can come home on long weekends when you have at least Friday and Monday off
  3. 6-12 hours = Can come home on long breaks that are a week long and holidays
  4. 12+ hours = Can come home on holiday breaks or as often as they would like to fly home

First, I understand that staying close to home for college is important for some and I am not advocating for students to go further away to college if they do not think they would thrive academically, emotionally and spiritually. The feedback I do receive however when asking the question about how far away a student is willing to go to college is, “I need to stay close to home or commute because of finances”, or the student is willing to go far away but the parent is very hesitant to let them go away for personal reasons. If you as a student are willing and open to going further away from home to college, then please read the below reasons why this is a great thing to consider (parents, please consider this as well).

  1. By going someplace new on your own, you will inevitably gain more independence. It will be up to you to handle the small logistics you might be used to your parents managing on your behalf. For example, if you get a parking ticket or need to pick up a prescription, those responsibilities will fall squarely on your own shoulders.
  2. You’ll need to find your own way around a new region, locating the resources that you’ll need along the way, but as you do so you will grow in ways that you might not have otherwise. You will take on adult responsibilities and experience what may be your first real-world independence. You will make your own decisions and hold yourself accountable for them.
  3. Another benefit of going to college far from home is the opportunity to experience living in a new region. You might be exposed to new cultures and lifestyles. You might get to experience life in a big city or a rural town for the first time. You’ll get a chance to broaden your horizon. If you’ve always wanted to live in North or South Carolina, Texas, Southern California or the Rockies, this may be the time to make it happen.
  4. If you go to college far away, you will get a fresh start. Many students want the chance to reinvent themselves after high school, and when you go to college far away, you can create your new life from scratch. None of your high school mistakes or expectations will follow you. You can pursue new friendships, new activities, and a new lifestyle without the shadow of your high school self following along. For many students, this is a refreshing way to turn over a new leaf.
  5. Finally, and the reason for the title of this post, you could really benefit financially from going to a college further from home. Colleges always want to bring students to their campus from further away to diversify their campus with perspectives, cultures and backgrounds that they don’t have much of. They will give good money if a student has done well academically and is willing to travel from longer distances to come to their campus. A great example is a student of mine who was an upper-middle class caucasian, performed well academically, and received a diversity scholarship at a university in Georgia that payed for almost all of her cost to attend.