WHAT COLLEGE SHOULD I ATTEND?

WHAT COLLEGE SHOULD I ATTEND?

Guidance counselor Susan Smith works at Ordinary High School, and it is springtime. That means one thing: college decisions! Over the past few days, seniors have been receiving their acceptances and financial aid packages. This is a crucial time where students only have a few days left to make the enormous decision of where they'll be attending college. A number of students will be stopping by Susan's office today to share their results and seek her advice.

STUDENT #1 ? JORDAN

The first student in Ms. Smith's office is Jordan. He's so excited! He has been accepted into his top three colleges and has everything figured out. He's coming into the office to announce his decision with pride.

Jordan: Ms. S, I got all three of my acceptances yesterday, and I've made my decision! Can you guess what it is? Ah, nevermind, I can't wait! I've decided to go to...

Ms. S: Jordan, hold on a second. Before you decide, let's look at some numbers.

Jordan: Ms. S, I've never been that great at math. Can't we just skip that and get to the part where I tell you what school I've decided on?

Ms. S: [Pulls out a chart] Why don't you take a look at this? It's got some important information about the three schools you've been accepted to.

Exhibit 1 Factors

Acceptance Rate Location

Student/Faculty Ratio 4-year Graduation Rate

Loan Default Rate % of Students Who Borrow

Fine State U. 19%

3 hour drive 20:1 83% 1% 45%

Univ. of Happy Valley 38%

2 hour flight 15:1 64% 5% 64%

GoodTimes U. 61%

6 hour flight 14:1 35% 10% 52%

Jordan: [Reviews chart for a few second, and begins talking quickly. Here's the highlights of what he says] Well, now I'm sure GoodTimes U. is the place for me! I want to go to a school that accepts more students, since it means they will have better students. It also has the best student:faculty ratio. I couldn't see myself going to a school it is 20:1. Besides, when I visited FineState U., I sat in on an introductory class with over 200 students. I like GoodTimes' lower graduation rate; it must mean the coursework in harder, so not everyone graduates. I'm not sure what loan default means, but a higher rate is probably good, right? I can't wait to sign my acceptance

letter to GoodTimes U. and get going!

Answer this: 1. As Jordan's guidance counselor, Susan feels a duty to correct some of his thinking. Underline three statements that Jordan made that might be incorrect. Explain to him why his thinking may be flawed, and clarify the situation for him. Insert your comments to Jordan below.

Ms. S:

Ms. S also has found that many students don't consider money and how they're going to pay for college when choosing a school. She pulls out another sheet of paper with some facts on it and hands it to Jordan.

Exhibit 2 Factors

Sticker Price Grant/Scholarship Aid

Net Price

Fine State U. $29,000 $16,000 $13,000

Univ. of Happy Valley $43,000 $19,000 $24,000

GoodTimes U. $57,000 $26,000 $31,000

Jordan: [Takes a moment reviewing the Financial Aid summary, and responds. Here are highlights of what he says:] I can't tell you how lucky I feel to get into a school like GoodTimes U. Look at how much it costs! Clearly, since it's

more, it's a better school. I mean, who would drive a Kia when they can drive a Ferrari? I don't want a cheap school. GoodTimes is giving me a $26,000 scholarship! That's awesome! I'm getting a lot less from those other schools I haven't talked to my parents yet, but I know when they see how much money I'm getting from the school they'll

support me. And the rest I can take out in student loans!

Answer this: 2. Again, Jordan seems to have some incorrect assumptions about his choices. Underline three statements that Jordan made that might be incorrect. Explain to him why his thinking may be flawed, and clarify the situation for him. Insert your comments to Jordan below

Ms. S:

3. Which school should Jordan choose? Why should he choose that school?

STUDENT #2 ? Amelia

The next student in Ms. S's office is Amelia. Amelia is quite different from Jordan. An academic superstar with lots of extracurricular activities and leadership positions, Amelia has set her sights high. She has been accepted to some of the top universities in the U.S.

Amelia: Ms. S, I'm so torn. I was up all last night tossing and turning. First I thought I should pick Blue University, but then I read an article about great research being done at Charles State. And Hightower is in the top 10 of like every national ranking! Ughhhhhhhhh.

Ms. S: Amelia, take a deep breath. You have the best kind of problem: a lot of great choices! Let's take a look at some data to see if we can't narrow it down. [Hands Amelia a chart]

Exhibit 1 Factors

Acceptance Rate Location

Student/Faculty Ratio 4-year Graduation Rate

Loan Default Rate % of Students Who Borrow

Charles State 10%

3 hour drive 20:1 83% 2% 54%

Blue University 8%

6 hour flight 7:1 95% 1% 20%

Hightower College 12%

6 hour flight 8:1 89% 1% 25%

Amelia: [Stares at the chart, before looking up with a confused look. She starts talking, here are the highlights:] This information makes my decision much harder! One the one hand, I want to be close to home. On the other, I'm worried I'm giving up a great opportunity to go to

schools 3,000 miles away. I know Charles State is cheaper because it's a state school, and I don't want to put too much burden on my parents. My parents told me I better not come home if I don't graduate; Charles State's graduation rate seems low. I heard

the national average is 90% It also looks like students have more trouble paying their student loans at Charles State; their default rate on their

loans is twice as high as the other two schools.

Answer this: 4. Ms. S knows that Amelia only has good options, but she is worried that Amelia might be incorrect in some of her assumptions about them that could lead her to make a flawed choice. Underline three statements that Amelia made that might be incorrect. Explain to her why her thinking may be flawed, and clarify the situation for her. Insert your comments to Amelia below

Ms. S:

Unlike Jordan, Amelia was very concerned about money. So, she breathed a sigh of relief when Ms. S pulled out the financial aid numbers to go over with her.

Exhibit 2 Factors

Sticker Price Grant/Scholarship Aid

Net Price

Charles State $29,000 $17,000 $12,000

Blue University $62,000 $45,000 $17,000

Hightower College $57,000 $53,000 $4,000

Amelia: [Lets out a sigh of relief after looking at the numbers, and then responds. Here are highlights of what she said:] This really make things easier. I didn't realize Charles State was so much cheaper than the other schools. I don't know how my parents can pay $57,000 or $62,000 for my education. My Dad just lost his job and my Mom had

her hours cut at work, so even a few thousand dollars is going to be tough. Blue University is going to cost me an extra $5,000 per year?! I don't want to have $20,000 more in debt, that's crazy! Hightower is giving me a ton of money, but I'm sure that having to fly there and back all the time will make the cost

roughly equal to Charles State. Maybe I should rethink this and go to community college first given all this financial pressure.

Answer this: 5. Amelia is an incredibly bright young woman, but her fears seem to be clouding her judgement and making her jump to conclusions that may not be true. Amelia can decide whatever she'd like, but Ms. S wants her to make the decision out of confidence, not fear. Find three statements that Amelia made that might be incorrect. Explain to her why her thinking may be flawed, and clarify the situation for her. Insert your comments to Amelia below

Ms. S:

6. If you were Amelia, after examining the facts, which school would you choose? Why would you choose that school?

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