Alysse Eberhard, Marissa Miller, Rachel Shaw, Cover Story Editors
October 17, 2011
Filed under Cover Story, Top Stories
Your GPA. Your SAT score. Your AP or IB exam scores. Your volunteer hours.
Your parents’ five-digit paycheck.
These are the numbers that define you on a college application.
Admissions has never been an even playing field, and a little common sense suggests that this will always be the case – having parents or siblings who are alumni of a college has always given the child or sibling applicant an edge in the admissions process, and there’s no reason to suggest that this will change anytime in the near future. But increasingly, not only does a parent’s alma mater influence an admissions decision, but so does that parent’s paycheck.
Private colleges especially frequently pledge to admit students without considering their ability or inability to pay tuition. However, more than 231 college admissions officials – more than half of those who were surveyed last August by Inside Higher Education – admitted that they have been working harder to recruit affluent students who can pay full tuition. Along with the fact that most state schools do not admit students need-blind, the size of your parents’ paycheck has never been more important to your application.
Shaker has a very diverse population, and students have diverse economic backgrounds. Carolyn Garvin, who coordinates college counselors’ visits and advises students on scholarships, sees the role finances play in college ambitions. “I see families of all financial backgrounds, but no one wants to give up everything to pay,” she said. Garvin said she often speaks with families who thought they were financially prepared to send their child to an expensive college, and are shocked by the overwhelming costs.
Senior Kristen Amaddio applied to a college early decision. “I think that students should feel free to base their college choices on their interests, not income,” she said. Acceptance into a college early decision is a binding contract – an accepted student must withdraw all other applications and commit to that college. However, should the student’s family feel that the financial aid package given by the college is not generous enough, the contract to that college can be cancelled.
All juniors meet with their counselors in the spring to make an initial list of colleges that meet their criteria. Counselors state clearly at the junior class meeting that they typically avoid discussing financial aid during these college conferences. But finances did come up during senior Arielle Cronig’s meeting with her counselor. “One of the things we discussed when I made my preliminary college list was one or two safety schools I could afford,” she said. Cronig hoped to apply early decision to a school that is a financial reach, meaning that if she was accepted, she would only attend based on the financial aid package the college gave her and the merit-based scholarships she won. However, Cronig said her counselor strongly opposed applying early decision if Cronig would later have to withdraw her acceptance for financial reasons – even though the early decision contract specifically states that it is non-binding if the student feels that he or she cannot afford the college.
“Now I don’t really feel like I have the option to think about it, because [according to my counselor and parents] it’s not a possibility,” she said.
Cost has also played a role in senior Claire Levin’s plans for college. “Financial concern is a huge factor for me in choosing a college. In fact, I have known my whole life that I have to go to an in-state public school because of a locked fund my parents and grandparents put money into throughout my whole life.”
However, if a parent works at a college, their child is typically eligible for free tuition. Levin’s parent works at Cuyahoga Community College. Although Levin will not apply there, she sees value in the community college experience. “If college were more of a financial burden, I would 100 percent opt for going to Tri-C, because I would be able to attend for free. Even for people who do not have a parent working at Tri-C, community college would be a great way to get general classes out of the way without paying giant tuition,” she said.
About 10 percent of admissions directors in the study said that on average, admitted students who could pay full tuition had lower grades and test scores than other admitted students. Contrarily, 88 percent of the admissions officers said that merit-based scholarships are an appropriate use of resources. Garvin said that students and parents have been looking for scholarship money more frequently in the past few years, and that scholarships are available. She emphasized, “There is the aspect of the follow through. Most [people] start and don’t follow through.”
Senior Catherine Taylor’s father is the Dean of Arts and Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. Taylor stated, “I feel very at home at Case. I spent a lot of time there as a child and a lot of the faculty are my family friends. It feels like an extension of Shaker to me.” She is applying to Case in addition to other, more expensive, colleges. “Cost is definitely a big thing to consider, especially when it’s the difference between $0 and $50,000. . . My parents want me to go to school for free, but they would be willing to pay if it’s really what I want,” she stated.
Factors other than merit have always been considered in the admissions process, and minority students, athletes, international students and children of alumni are also often admitted despite lesser credentials, regardless of the state of the economy. Amaddio stated, “I feel that colleges should be need-blind, and base things on the academic strengths of the applicants. However, they may be forced to only accept those students whose families can pay full price.”
Every admissions officers from four-year colleges included in the study cited tuition and affordability as the main concern in a stagnant economy. While community colleges still seek to serve students who are unable to pay tuition, they also hope to attract students who can pay in full in order to be able to help lower-income students.
In a Sept. 21 New York Times article, David Hawkins, director of public policy and research at the National Association for College Admission Counseling, said, “We certainly have standards, but there needs to be awareness that when the economy starts to crumble, the standards may start to go out the window.” Admissions directors from public colleges said that recruiting out-of-state and international students was their main strategy, because these students often pay more to attend the school than in-state students. At community and private colleges however, admissions officers were more likely to focus on providing aid for low- and middle- income students.
Lloyd Thacker, founder of the Education Conservancy, a nonprofit to improve college admission rates, said, “There have always been elements of this behavior, but it seems to me that it’s growing. I don’t know whether to blame in on a hard times or lack of courage and leadership.”
Regardless of the cause, students are forced to accept that there is yet another variable in the college admissions equation, one that they cannot manipulate. Levin said, “I believe that admittance into college should be merit based – the actions of the student should be the only factor in getting into a school. Financial matters should not affect this decision.”
A version of this article appeared in print on 17 October 2011, on pages 8 and 9 of The Shakerite.
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