Wealthy Applicants in Luck

If you’ve got tons of money, then you’re in luck. Many colleges are now looking more favorably on wealthier applicants this year because of fallen endowments.

Students who can pay the full cost will be taken from the transfer or waiting lists, and foreign students with a lot of cash will be admitted more often.

With an increase in financial aid needs, institutions are being mindful of how many scholarship students they can afford. The inevitable result is that the needier students will be shifted down to the less expensive and less prestigious institutions.

By giving more seats to higher-paying students, colleges are trading off their goals to be more socioeconomically diverse. There’s going to be a decline of talented lower-income kids in higher education, and an increase in the amount of affluent kids.

Michelle Obama Visits Merced

After weeks of wooing, Merced, the smallest, newest campus at the University of California, has finally gotten its wish. This will be Michelle Obama’s sole stop on the college commencement circuit.

The first full class to graduate from the university, which was established in 2005, worked hard to charm the First Lady.

Methods included enlisting the help of Obama’s friends and sending hundreds of handwritten letters and Valentine’s Days cards. They certainly laid on the charm.

The May 16 speech from Mrs. Obama will bring an inspirational message for the students in Merced, a city that has suffered from mass foreclosures and high unemployment.

Computer Science Programs

Enrollment in computer science programs has increased for the first time in six years, which may be a sign of amplified attention and interest to investment.

In the past, the numbers of science and engineering students were declining, signaling the nation’s weakened ability to compete in the global economy. Most college students had instead decided to enter into fields like investment banking and financial engineering.

Now more and more students are beginning to see the benefits of computing science skills that are handy for pursuing numerous modern careers.

Delaying College

In my previous post I talked about President Obama’s plan of far-reaching changes in federal college aid programs. They will not take effect until July 2010 as mentioned.

For the meantime, high school seniors this year are being advised to take a year off and wait until they can take advantage of the aid money.

According to The New York Times, it’s not all about the money. The aid provides just a little extra cash, so students will not totally benefit from the help. It’s really about the opportunity that students can profit from. By waiting, those with younger siblings may save their families more money because financial aid is available when more than one child in a family is in a college at the same time.

Although taking a break from school may seem like a risky decision, some students that have made that choice have found themselves wiser and more mature when they arrived on campus than their younger classmates.

New Student Loan Proposal

The Obama administration has proposed benefits to help pay for college, but they will not be available until July 1, 2010.

Another problem is that Congress may reject the proposal, which is being seen as the broadest overhaul of federal college aid programs in decades.

The major administration proposals include the size of Pell grants, direct student loans from the government, and the expansion of the Perkins loan program to provide borrowing options for students.

Every little bit helps indebted college kids and the changes that the administration is in the process of making may be able to help them.

Spring Breakers Welcomed

Now that spring break is near, hotels and resort destinations are opening up their doors to the college crowd they once shunned before.

A more subdued clientele used to be preferred, but the recession has changed the way many businesses operate.

The arrival of students to struggling tourism regions like Florida may help the annual number of visitors increase again. In order to do this, many deals are being offered for college crowds willing to bunk four or more to a room.

In this tough economy, business owners know that welcoming every person is crucial.

Unfair College Costs

According to a new study by the Delta Project, college students are covering more of what it costs to educate them, even as most colleges are spending less on students. The study also found that the share of higher education budgets that goes to instruction has declined, while the portion spent on administrative costs has increased.

The percentage of the budget going to instruction declined everywhere, while the share spent on administration and support increased everywhere. As state revenues decline, the problem will only get worse.

The Delta Project, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, seeks to increase college affordability by controlling costs without sacrificing quality. They try to answer the question of why it costs so much for higher education and where the money goes.

Prep Costs in Tough Times

Counselors at high schools are worried that the amount of money people think they need to spend is out of control. The inclination to buy every product and service possible to get a child into college is adding to the frenzy already surrounding the process.

Many families already spend thousands of dollars even before their kid graduates high school.

But in these stressful economic times, more is not always better. Countless test preparation courses and dozens of visits to college campuses are not really necessary if you have the essentials. In fact, a school counselor is just as good as a private one. Most people, however, turn to expensive options for the security they provide.