The Gates Scholarship was founded by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Bill Gates founded the Microsoft Corporation. 300 Scholars are chosen each year and will receive funding for the full cost of attendance that is not already covered by other financial aid and the expected family contribution (EFC). Cost of attendance includes tuition, fees, room, board, books, and transportation, and may include other personal costs. Basically that means the scholarship should be the amount after Full Cost of Attendance minus Pell Grants, minus college grants, minus EFC. That is the grey area that would require families to take out loans to meet the difference!
According to the website, to apply, students must be:
A high school senior
Identify as at least one of the following ethnicities: African-American, American Indian/Alaska Native with tribal enrollment documentation, Asian & Pacific Islander American, and/or Hispanic American
Pell-eligible
A US citizen, national, or permanent resident
In good academic standing with a minimum cumulative weighted GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent)
Plan to enroll full-time, in a four-year degree program, at a US accredited, not-for-profit, private or public college or university.
This is a competitive scholarship, so according to the website, the selection committee is looking for:
An outstanding academic record in high school (in the top 10% of his/her graduating class)
Demonstrated leadership ability (e.g., as shown through participation in community service, extracurricular, or other activities)
Exceptional personal success skills (e.g., emotional maturity, motivation, perseverance, etc.)
Many of us are certain that given time and knowledge, we can get through the college application process ourselves, without spending thousands of dollars on professional advisors. Our guidance counselors may be burdened with hundreds of students. But what if we don’t know where to start the process? How do we avoid pitfalls that previous families encountered, where they ended up with offers from schools with large debt or rejections from all? For a price less than one college application fee, take our comprehensive “Talking College Search” course here https://goodapples.teachable.com . This three hour course has 18 lessons on six different aspects, from searching for the best fits to how to interpret the financial aid reward letters. “Talking College Search” points you in the right direction so that you CAN be satisfied and successful doing it yourself.
Guidance Counselors are preoccupied. Celebrity College Advisors are expensive! But you can start your college search journey on the right foot with our inexpensive “Talking College Search” online web course! 6 Topic Sections, 18 Lessons, 3 Hours and 1 Bonus Workbook all for less than the price of one college application fee (didn’t know there were application fees? You really need to start with this course.). Enroll here: https://goodapples.teachable.com
National Student Clearinghouse Research Center’s study finds that Spring 2021 undergraduate enrollment is down 5.9% compared to the same time last year. Enrollment in community colleges declined the most, with a -11.3% decrease in enrollment compared to fall 2020.
But what is an interesting trend is the 4.4% INCREASE in students enrolling in graduate school. Master’s degree enrollments are up 5.2% and doctoral degree enrollments are up 3.6%.
When looking specifically state–by–state, undergraduate enrollment increased in only three states: Nebraska (+1%), Utah (+0.9%) and West Virginia (+0.6%). Twenty five states declined more than the national average (-5.9%)! Enrollment in undergraduate programs in Alaska, Delaware, New Mexico, Oregon, and South Dakota declined the most.
Good Apples NYC’s “Talking College Search” online course mentions community colleges as another option after high school. Community colleges offer certificate programs and also are where full–time students can earn an Associates Degree in two years. They are much cheaper than colleges that offer four–year Bachelor’s degrees. The cost to attend community colleges is much lower because state governments subsidize two–year colleges so that they don’t burden students with the expense that comes from running a school. Students can transfer to four–year colleges after earning their AA. With the 60 or so credits from the Assoicates degree in their pocket, these students are halfway to a Bachelor’s, saving money on tuition. A high grade point average from a community college makes students appear a better academic candidate than they did in high school — especially important for adult students starting college years after high school.
So it is problematic if this decline in enrollment in community and undergraduate colleges continues once the COVID-19 pandemic wanes and the spread of the virus is more controlled.
“The continuing slide in community college enrollments is of great concern,” said Doug Shapiro, Executive Director, National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. “In a sign of potentially long–lasting impact on the level of skills and credentials in the workforce, there is still no age group showing increases at community colleges, even after a full year of pandemic and related unemployment.”
The research found that the number of students enrolled in associate degree programs declined 10.9% and bachelor’s degree enrollment declined 2.2%. The biggest decline was in the 18-20 year old age group that usually makes up most the undergraduates. That age group declined in community colleges by 14.6%!
Not surprisingly, enrollment in online programs increased during the pandemic year. Males enrolled at a 3.5% increase and enrollment of female students in online schools went up 1.4%.
All ethnic groups saw a drop in undergraduate enrollment, with Latinx and Native American enrollment declining the most.
So what programs did attract the students? In community colleges, the most popular concentrations were in health professions. Four–year undergraduate colleges also saw increase in health and clinical services majors, but the psychology, computer science and education departments saw more enrollment. On the graduate level, enrollment in MBA programs increased after experiencing a decline in previous years. Master’s programs in science and engineering increased. Education is also more popular, especially doctorate programs.
What conclusions can we make from this new report? Why was there a decline in enrollment of the traditional college age students (ages 18-20)? We have to assume that all who did not enroll this year thought it was more practical to join the workforce — but people who already have bachelor degrees went back to school for higher degrees. This report studies enrollment in the 2019 and 2020 school years and uses preliminary information of enrollment through February 2021. Final numbers will be reported in June. We will have to follow this for a couple of more years to see if it’s pandemic–related or if there’s a real new trend in college education.
Instead of waiting until after May 1–National College Decision Day, two weeks earlier than usual, the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) released the list of colleges and universities that are STILL accepting applications.
“The NACAC College Openings Update provides options and assurances for students who have not yet found a college to attend this fall,” said Melissa E. Clinedinst, director of research and grants. “Because of the extraordinary disruptions of the past year, many terrific institutions are still seeking students for fall enrollment. Seeing this resource may help ease the college application stress that many students are experiencing.”
According to NACAC, the list was released two weeks early in mid-April “due to high demand” and will update the list shortly after colleges receive decisions from students who applied during the regular decision period. The list will be viewable until July. There were more than 770 schools on the list with open seats in 2020!
So what kinds of colleges and universities are on the list? Both public and private schools can be found, religious and secular, even schools with Division I athletics programs! The search filter makes it easy to find schools by state, and even by country. Interested in Aruba, Australia, Canada, France, Ireland or Japan? Or perhaps you may be interested in one of the 12 universities in the United Kingdom? American schools on the list go from Alfred University in New York to Xavier University in Ohio.
Good Apples NYC’s “Talking College Search” online course guides you to find a list of colleges that are the best fit for you. For less than the price of one application fee, take this course to help you figure out which schools on the list that still have openings. (Best to take the course BEFORE high school senior year in order to avoid the panic of finding a school after May 1).
Watching seniors receive college acceptance letters — and rejections — and don’t know where to start your search? Take our “Talking College Search” online course! For less than the price of one application fee*, learn all the steps and aspects to making a list of schools that will be the best fits for you. (*There are application fees? Yup! If that’s a surprise, this course is REALLY going to help you get ready!). https://goodapples.teachable.com
Should high schoolers make their college list by picking from March Madness teams? Of course not. Most are great schools academically but they’re all different — plus, there are thousands of colleges out there! So make sure if the Final Four are on your Final List, do good research so that those are really, truly, best fits.Take our “Talking College Search” to help sort and narrow down the list of best fit schools. Go through the college application and search journey from choosing schools to interpreting financial aid reward letters. That’s 6 Topic Sections, 18 Lessons, 3 Hours all for less than the price of one application fee. https://goodapples.teachable.com
March is a difficult time in the college application process. January is for recovering. We’re easily distracted in February since we assume the colleges are sorting through the thousands of applications. But March… the letters are trickling and then pouring in. Focus! Breathe!
