Did Hough High school students really receive $14,000,000 in scholarships?

That is how the headline read in the blog "Cornelius Today."

"How come my student didn't get that kind of money?" you may painfully wonder.

"I'm going to find those scholarships for my child!" you may resolve.

Take a deep breath and let's dig into the numbers.



Click this link and see the table breaking down all high schools in Charlotte-Mecklenburg's system.

$13,953,220 awarded in 287 scholarships. I could go on all day, but I will refrain and make just four, simple points.

• There were approximately 700 seniors in Hough's Class of 2020, and 287 scholarship winners reported. +/- 400 students (apparently) were awarded $0.00.
• Do the math and the average scholarship is $48,618, yet the cost-of-attendance at most UNC System universities is under $26,000
• At the bottom of the report critical data is noted: over $23,000,000 were athletic grants-in-aid. That is NOT "Scholarships." Athletic-grants-in-aid are awarded to athletes for athletic prowess. Some athletes report only modest academic achievements.
• Finally, the $48,618 average scholarship is an aggregate number. In other words, as students heard back from 4, 6, 8, 10 (or more?) colleges, and as each college tendered an offer of, let's say $3,000 per year, or $4,000 per year, maybe even $10,000, all of the numbers were added together for that student to aggregate at $48,000+

Let me tell you about Michael. He was awarded (rounding off) $30,000 by Rose-Hulman, $28,000 by Rennselaer Polytechnic, $3,000 by the University of Maryland**, and $22,000 by Virginia Tech. Using the criteria above, I could have reported that my student, Michael, was awarded $83,000 in scholarships. Instead, my report is that Michael is at Virginia Tech paying in-state tuition as an out-of-state student. An excellent deal for his family!

As the saying goes, if it seems to good to be true, it probably is.

Before I go, here's a final, encouraging note. Michael will pay around $100,000 - $110,000 for his bachelor's degree in engineering. Do you want to guess how Michael is spending his summer, between college junior and senior years? As I write this (June 18) he is starting an internship with General Motors in Detroit, working in the autonomous, electric vehicle research division.** I expect him to be amply rewarded for his excellence in academics, and to recoup that $100-G's quickly.

** University of Maryland and General Motors will not hyperlink. Copy and paste the URLs here:
https://umd.edu
https://www.gm.com/masthead-story/electric-vehicles-AV-EV.html

Are you coming back for part 4, or are you reading this Blog first?

If you are reading this one first, scroll down to find the first 3 of this series.

Keep moving. You don't have as much time as you may be thinking. Between now August 2020, when applications open for the Class of 2021, you have a lot to think about and decide. Financial aid is also tied to your good work now.



Here are the topics, and in reverse order.
5. Where are you going to apply?
4. Have I visited every college I am applying to?
3. What are my academic qualifications?
2. What will I major in?
1. What do I see as my future career?

At any college, ask anyone in admissions and they will tell you, "Don't come here if you haven't visited first."

That may seem to be an odd statement for someone whose job it is to enroll students in their college. However, hard experience and many tears inform the wisdom of the advice. Remember, college is the place you will live and work nine months per year, for four years. You'd better love the place!

Campus visits are not complicated, but they are important. First of all, do you, the student, feel at home when you set foot on campus? That is a matter of taste and preference. Some people like modern; some traditional; some open spaces and some an urban jungle. Your tastes, what makes you happy is key.

Second, is the school too far from home for weekends; or too close for comfort? Again, it's your judgment that matters.

Third, is the school too big, too small, or (as Goldilocks found with baby bear's bed) just right.

Fourth, what do students do for fun? When they are not in class? On weekends? Find out and think about how those things line up with your ideas of fun.

Finally, it's a good idea to go to the building where you will be taking most of the classes of your proposed Major. Meet the professors who will be teaching you. Check out the classrooms where you will spend many hours over four years. Watcha think?



It's okay to visit every campus under serious consideration once. It's better to visit your top three twice; and your top two three times. You're about to spend A LOT of money, and invest forty-eight months of your life on a college campus. Be sure.
 

Are you coming back for part 3, or are you reading this Blog first?

If you are reading this one first, scroll down to find Blog 1 and Blog 2 of this series.

Keep moving. You don't have as much time as you may be thinking. Between now August 2020, when applications open for the Class of 2021, you have a lot to think about and decide. Financial aid is also tied to your good work now.



Here are the topics, and in reverse order.
5. Where are you going to apply?
4. Have I visited every college I am applying to?
3. What are my academic qualifications?
2. What will I major in?
1. What do I see as my future career?

Do you play sports? Video games? Anything competitive?      

There is a competitive aspect to college. Not every student in every class will earn an A. Not everyone will earn a C. The difference between a C and an A is determined, in part, by how well the entire class is assimilating the subject matter.

Really good teachers (the kind we all want) feel out the academic ability of the class and adjust their teaching.

• Is the class getting it, and catching on? Accelerate the curriculum.
• Is the class giving you that deer-in-the-headlights look? Slow down. Take more time to explain each concept.
• Tests and grades are based on what has been presented.

I was a soccer referee for many years. I worked just about the entire spread of players' abilities from recreation matches for children, to college and professional players. The child who is the
star of the recreation program team might well sit the bench, or even not make a premier level, youth team. There are college athletes who, although good, will not make the cut in a professional team tryout.

Applying the analogy to colleges, there is a difference between the academic rigor of a school like the University of California at Berkley and California State University at Chico. A student who will find his comfort level at one may not feel pushed enough at the other. Turn it around, and a good fit at one may well struggle to keep up at the other.

Look at a college's most recently published, First Year Cohort. What are the SAT/ACT score ranges? What is the average GPA of the incoming class; average Class Rank?

Another tactic is call the university you are considering. Ask about academic rigor. Tell them you are determining where to apply based, in part, on that criteria. They will pick up the conversation from there.

Come back next week for answers to questions 4 and 5 above.
 

I'm in 11^th Grade what else should I be doing now for college admissions and financial aid?

Are you coming back for part 2, or are you reading this Blog first?

If you are reading this one first, here is a synopsis of the previous Blog. But, please, after you read this, find the Dec 2-7 Blog and read it.

Keep moving. You don't have as much time as you may be thinking. Between now August 2020, when applications open for the Class of 2021, you have a lot to think about and decide. Financial aid is also tied to your good work now. Figure out what is a great career fit. Four years of college will be fun and rewarding if you graduate and land a great job.


Here are the topics, and in reverse order.
5. Where are you going to apply?
4. Have I visited every college I am applying to?
3. What are my academic qualifications?
2. What will I major in?
1. What do I see as my future career?

Once you identify well-suited career choices, address the question of what to major in to be best prepared for that future. Some choices are obvious plan to be an electrical engineer? Major in EE. Some choices are less obvious. Many students pick generic such as business major; psychology major; sociology major.


They are generic until you have a specific career track for which that degree prepares you.

• Which specific courses, as a college junior and senior should, you take within that major?
• Will you need to master's degree? a PhD?
• Do you want to go to school that long?
• Will the potential income justify the probable costs of Bachelor's + Master's degrees + PhD?

Next and this is really big does the college or university offer that major? If so, how many students do they graduate with that degree? For example, if a college has a total graduating class of 3,000 (in all majors), and your proposed major only accounts for 10 of those 3,000, is that really a program you want to invest in for 4 years, at somewhere around $80,000 - $100,000 (or more)?



Check out the college's website. Call the admission office. Gather the information.

Stay tuned for answers to questions 3,4,5 above.

If you would like our one-to-one, personal, highly tailored coaching, please tap the "Contact Us" tab at the top of this page, or "Schedule an Appointment" upper right corner on our Homepage. There is no cost and no obligation. We'll enjoy talking with you.
 

I'm in 11^th Grade what should I be doing now for college admissions and financial aid?

The first answer is, "Keep moving." What I mean is, you don't have as much time as you may be thinking. College applications are not on your radar until next August. True. However, between now and then you have a lot to think about and decide. Financial aid is tied closely to five topics.

Here are the topics, and in reverse order.
5. Where are you going to apply?
4. Have I visited every college I am applying to?
3. What are my academic qualifications?
2. What will I major in?
1. What do I see as my future career?



The most important question to answer, now, is "What career?" (Purchase my book here.)  Going to college without an outcome in focus is a HUGE mistake. Across America, for students attending a public university at in-state, resident rates, the annual, actual costs will exceed $20,000.00. At that price, how much time can you afford to meander through five or six years to a degree? Yet, that is the mistake the majority of college students in the USA make.

My students invest in a really good career assessment. It points them in the direction of what they are suited to do (aptitude), but more importantly, what they will enjoy doing for 40 years, more or less.

For example, I am good at taking and transcribing the minutes of meetings. But I do not enjoy it very much. I am willing to do it, but if given a choice, I'd rather not. Another example is I have had students who were science scholars. A medical career might be a logical choice, right? Many of them, however, freak out at the sight of blood. So maybe something else!

Do whatever it takes to figure out what you will love doing after college, and what is required by way of academic preparation to do that. What are the prospects for earning a living in that career? Is that job market expanding or shrinking? Check out www.BLS.gov. That's the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Great website, and updated regularly.

You can read parts 2, 3 and 4 of this blog series by clicking here. Call us today for a complimentary session.
 

Complete College America's white paper The Four Year Myth proposes its solution to the problem of college students taking 5, or 6, or more years to complete an undergraduate degree. CCA calls it "Guided Pathways to Success" (pp. 14-19).

Their's is an impressive solution to a problem that must be solved; and the sooner the better. However, CCA's solution is systemic. It requires system-wide changes in states, universities and colleges.

That will be nice . . . when it happens. In the meantime, you've got a kid in high school. What can be done for your student?

It would take a book to detail everything Succeed Where It Counts does (and such a book is in the publisher's hands, right now). But even through a book, it is an impossible challenge to address every variable. Your student is a unique human being. Your student deserves a tailored fit. Your financial future also benefits.

In outline form, here's what SWIC addresses with each family:

1. AFFORDABILITY: what is a realistic budget, annually, for you to pay for college? Components include ways to reduce spending, student employment, and dollars currently being transferred away unknowingly and unnecessarily that can be recouped.
2. INDIVIDUAL ASSESSMENT: we use the Birkman Career Assessment to help every student begin to visualize what a career might look like.
3. CAREER COURSE-SETTING: we use Candid Career, job-shadowing and other opportunities to help a student capture a clear and accurate picture of what a particular career involves on a day-to-day basis.
4. ACADEMIC RIGOR: we encourage students to evaluate their own ability to do college level work, and to compete in rigorous, academic environments. Their high school transcripts are a key indicator.
5. COLLEGE SELECTION: we lead students through a process of narrowing down, from many dozens to a manageable group of a dozen or so colleges, for finer scrutiny.
6. CAMPUS VISITS: are essential, time consuming and costly ( parents' PTO, travel, overnight lodging, food). That process begins online, and on the telephone to minimize costs.
7. FINANCIAL AID: (free+self-help+loans) we work with parents and develop their plan. It sets parameters for what may be possible for scholarships and grants-in-aid ("free" money) from the colleges; for students' employment during college (self-help); and for the Direct Student Loan program. We discourage borrowing by either student or parents beyond the Direct Student Loan limits.
8. CONSUMER PURCHASE: (value + price) at the end of it all, the decision is a family choice and a personal choice. The least expensive is not always the best, and the best is not always the most expensive. College is a consumer purchase. That means price and value are factors to weigh when making the decision.

Contact Suceed Where It Counts today for a no-cost and no-obligation consultation. Click on the "Home" tab, and then on the red button at the upper right corner of the Home page.

Two more today and next week and that will wrap up my synopsis of Complete College America's white paper The Four Year Myth.

1. What CCA concluded from the research
2. How SWIC addresses CCA's solution

Complete College America's white paper did not address the underlying economics causing the explosive rise, over the past 20 years, in the costs of a college education.


They did uncover corollary cost contributors which are, primarily, students taking longer than the presumed amount of time specifically, 4 years to complete an undergraduate degree.

• Students, overall, take unnecessary, non-degree-related classes. One reason is the schools themselves offer classes that have pop-culture, emotional or intellectual appeal, and are substituted for a degree-necessary class because students want a break from the academic rigor of their majors.
• Students transfer from one college to another.  CCA's White Paper states that 60% of bachelor's degree recipients transferred colleges and, thereby, lost credits toward graduation.
• Students need a class that is either full or otherwise unavailable. That may leave them short of credit hours sufficient for scholarship and grant requirements. Therefore, students take classes they do not need simply to generate a credit-hour load for financial aid purposes.

Finally, all of those are directly related to students entering college without a clear direction as to purposes and outcomes. Every first year student must define a major to pursue and, at least, an inaugural vocation for which that major is preparation.
Next blog will specify how SWIC strategically addresses the issue.

That image is from Complete College America's white paper, "The Four Year Myth."

Colleges report graduation rates as so many percent of a first year cohort completing a course of study within six years. Add $140,000 to what you think (and even financially plan for) are your out-of-pocket costs. Now what's the cost of a college education look like?

And, realistically, the numbers cited do not account for inflation (currently +/- 6% annually at colleges nationwide). Nor do those numbers show the opportunity costs of $140,000 over a working lifetime.

In that same white paper Complete College America exhorts colleges to reform their systems so that students do not wander in the limbo of "discovering themselves."

My blunt advice is, "Get a job or join the military. Discover yourself. Then go to college."  Sorry. I said it is blunt.

There are other pathways. Those take time, effort and, in most cases, a little bit of money. Well worth all of that!

Look at these graduation-rate numbers:
 
Community Colleges  
Four-Year Institutions
That disturbing reality is the report of Complete College America, as of 2015.  I included their Community College statistic for a very important reason. Many parents adopt a position that their student will attend community college and, thereby, reduce the expense of education. That is demonstrably not true, unless the reasons for all of those statistics are addressed -- specifically, intentionally and intelligently.

• Specifically: statistics apply to everyone in general, and to no one in particular. When I meet with students my perceptions are often significantly different from the descriptions offered by their moms and dads. No surprise, on the one hand; but, on the other hand, the differences I perceive translate into many tens of thousands of dollars in college expenses. It is not some kid going to college. It is YOUR kid!
• Intentionally: an affordable college education for your student will not happen by accident. Sadly, this anecdote is true:
  • A mom emailed me: "Please tell me how we can get money from FAFSA for our $24,000 college costs." This student was a high school senior. It was March of her senior year, and FAFSA has no money either to lend or to give.
  • My heart breaks, but that family simply waited too long and made too many assumptions about financial aid and affordability.
  • Affordability  -- people ask me when is a good time to start. I say, "When you come home from the doctor with the news you are pregnant." Since most of us are not that well organized, nevertheless, as soon as the thought occurs to you, do not procrastinate. Contact me immediately. Affordability is possible and the more time you give yourself the better off you will be.
• Intelligently: Affordability also involves the process of college selection. Factors that must be included are
  • Academic/admissions threshold
  • Graduation rates
  • Retention rates
  • Flagship programs
  • Financial aid history.

The troubling statistics do not have to trouble your family, but you will have to act constructively for that to be so. Succeed Where It Counts, Inc. provides every family a complimentary conversation that is, virtually 100% of the time, illuminating. Schedule that conversation today.

Pictured are Maryland State Senator Michael Hough, Mrs. JoeyLynn Hough and Rev. Dr. George Gately. Mike invited me to offer the invocation for the Senate of Maryland Friday, February 17, 2017. It was my pleasure and honor to do so.

Mike is my cousin. His great-grandfather, Stanley Gately, was my father's brother. Stanley was killed in battle in September, 1944, Germany. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Following his death my father and mother took in his daughter Regina "Jean" Gately, and raised her until her 18th birthday; at which time she attained employment and moved out on her own. Jean married Earl Dilley, and they brought three children into this world -- Catherine, David and Beth. Beth is Michael's mother.

Here is a transcript of the Invocation:
ALMIGHTY GOD, we address you this morning from the common ground of our faith and dependence on you. Giver of life and all good things, we acknowledge your providential care and benevolence; and we do so with thankful hearts.
 
First, as we are admonished to do, we give thanks for our nation and those who lead us in government. May they be conscious of the benefits of faith and prayer, and may they each and all draw faithfully upon that wisdom which is from on high: first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity.  And the harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
 
We also give thanks and lift up to you those who serve this sovereign and good State of Maryland.

• Governor Larry Hogan,
• his cabinet and staff;
• Senate President Mike Miller and Pro Tem Nathaniel McFadden;
• the leaders of each party Senators Peters and Jennings.
• Blessings upon them each and all, and upon each person who serves as a Maryland State Senator today.

 
Our prayer of gratitude and for mercy is made also on behalf of the Staff of the Senate, and in particular those who labor here year-round and keep this government running well. We also include those who serve in often unnoticed ways, but without whom our work would grind to a halt -- those who serve in maintenance and security and clerical positions.
 
Setting aside our partisan differences for this moment of unity in your presence, merciful God, we ask that you give us wisdom with compassion in these tumultuous days of strong opinions. We ask that you help us balance

• public safety and security with mercy;
• fiscal stewardship with mindfulness of the poor and destitute;
• strong, informed points of view with a spirit of understanding and unity.

 
You are God Almighty, and you are the author of our lives. We close this petition for your grace with this: every Senator is also a member of a family. They love their families and their families love them. We pray for the health, the safety and the general well-being of each Senator and each senator's family.
 
Dear God, thank you for your presence among us, for listening with a mind to answer, and for the gift of life which has been imparted to us through your own Spirit. Amen.