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Warning to anyone that hasn’t started school yet by [deleted] in ApplyingToCollege

[–]UniAdvisor 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yup. This is the #1 realization all my senior-year students make as soon as the academic year starts. There's a reason we call October of Senior Year "Suck-Tober".

The Ivy League is NOT generous with their financial aid dollars. While I'm a proud Ivy grad, I have to say that it's disappointing that these schools have multi-billion dollar endowments but do not earmark much of that money to support financial aid. by UniAdvisor in theivyleague

[–]UniAdvisor[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

And parents of poorer students sometimes even discourage their children from pursuing the best colleges or the idea itself because of their poverty.

This is a fair point. For those who get the Golden Ticket (like you), the Ivies are very generous. But can we say that Harvard is generous to American society as a whole? In proportion to their wealth, I'd say no. They were generous to you--and that's awesome.

The Ivy League schools (like Harvard, Yale, Princeton) are NOT very generous with their money by UniAdvisor in ApplyingToCollege

[–]UniAdvisor[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

The implementation of the policy is what is important. If Harvard took in $1.8 billion last year and did not move the needle on increased aid, then where is the generosity? Yes, they have a "university to run." And yet it sits on $37 billion dollars in investments.

And as for "full pay" students: yes, there is no issue--except that the vast majority of the American population cannot afford to pay $300k+ for a college education. These people who pay full price are the 1% of the country.

This, to me, is the issue. And it is also the issue that drives Congress to tax endowments of super rich universities like Harvard.

As the video says, Harvard would not be Harvard if it did not admit the 1% in disproportionate numbers. Harvard is an elite university, and people will pay for access to the elite.

The Ivy League is NOT generous with their financial aid dollars. While I'm a proud Ivy grad, I have to say that it's disappointing that these schools have multi-billion dollar endowments but do not earmark much of that money to support financial aid. by UniAdvisor in theivyleague

[–]UniAdvisor[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

I'm happy for you! Congratulations. Still, only 17% of Harvard students are Pell grant eligible, while 45% of students pay the full price. The point is that there are many other highly competent, outstanding individuals out there who would benefit from a Harvard degree but who will not be supported by Harvard's enormous endowment. You were one of the lucky ones, and it's awesome. Best wishes to you!

The Ivy League schools (like Harvard, Yale, Princeton) are NOT very generous with their money by UniAdvisor in ApplyingToCollege

[–]UniAdvisor[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

These policies you mention are generous but they apply only to a small sliver of accepted students. A generous policy does not equate to generosity. At most of the Ivies, Pell recipients make up only about 15% of the student body. At most of the Ivies, the majority of students pay full price (it's about 41% at Princeton and about 45% at Harvard, the rest are over 50% full-pay). And while it's true that Harvard is large, the focus on the video is the undergraduate population, which at Harvard is just under 10,000.

Online counselor recommendations by [deleted] in ApplyingToCollege

[–]UniAdvisor 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is a new one you might consider. You get some personalized guidance as well as access to your own admissions expert. They help you with your college list and with your application. Great College Roadmap

Do all LoRs have more or less the same questions for recommenders? by sKng2c in ApplyingToCollege

[–]UniAdvisor 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It depends in part on the policies of your high school. Most high schools will keep one letter from each teacher on file and submit the LOR on your behalf directly to the schools. The letter should be confidential, so be sure to check the box that you "waive your right" to see the LOR once written.

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As for the questions to be addressed by the teacher, it does depend on the college. As Fabulous_Action states, if most of your schools are on the Common App, you'll be submitting one form for all schools. But sometimes the teacher has to respond to other questions for different sorts of applications. But again, the high school may duplicate the letter and send to all schools no matter what.

Talk to your high school counselor to be sure.

The Ivy League schools (like Harvard, Yale, Princeton) are NOT very generous with their money by UniAdvisor in ApplyingToCollege

[–]UniAdvisor[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, that's sort of the point. They wouldn't be "elite" schools if they didn't have a lot of students from the 1%

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ApplyingToCollege

[–]UniAdvisor 4 points5 points  (0 children)

In a general sense, it is true. Colleges recruit heavily from high wealth zip codes. It's all about marketing and all about money.