Marty Nemko
2004-09-02 03:38:17 UTC
Have any of you been affected by any of these deceptions that some
colleges perpetrate on students and families?
If so, I'd appreciate your emailing me the story. I'm collecting them
for use in current and future writings about colleges. Email me at
***@earthlink.net
I am Dr. Marty Nemko, the author of five books including the
just-published All-in-One-College Guide, a consumer-empowering guide
to choosing, getting into, finding the money for, and making the most
of college.
DECEPTION: THE DRUG-DEALER APPROACH TO FINANCIAL AID. A college gives
a
student a big discount in the first year, but thereafter, knowing the
student is hooked, raises the price. A college may even guarantee
"the
same amount of aid for four years, "but fail to mention that more of
the
aid will be loan not grant, or that the aid won't be increased to
reflect
the inevitable cost increases during the four years, not to mention
what
would happen in years five or six?
SOLUTION: Before agreeing to send your child to a college, ask the
college's financial aid officer, "If our family's financial situation
stays
the same, in years 2 through four, and if necessary year 5, can we
count on
getting the same percentage of our unmet need met and in the same
ratio of
grant to loan each year?" Get it in writing.
DECEPTION: THE WAITLIST SCAM. A college deliberately admits too few
students and puts many students on the waitlist. It's human nature to
want
what you don't yet have, so waitlisted students who are subsequently
offered admission from the waitlist are more likely to accept a weak
financial aid package. Colleges with insufficient on-campus housing
use the
same technique, offering admission to waitlisted students who would be
wwilling to live the first semester in substandard housing such as a
local
mmotel or YMCA.
SOLUTION: Don't accept a too-low financial aid package. And before
signing
on the dotted line, ask what housing you will be guaranteed, and for
how
long. Get it in writing.
DECEPTION: BURIED INFORMATION. Some colleges hide such information as
their
full published costs of attendance or their four-year graduation rate.
The
unfortunate truth is that the median four-year graduation rate at
four-year
colleges is just 37 percent. The rate at many colleges, including some
well-
known public universities, such as many campuses of the California
State
University system is under 10 percent!
SOLUTION: Every college's 4- and 6-year graduation rate and other key
info
are at http://nces.ed.gov/globallocator/
DECEPTION: DECEIVE WITH STATISTICS. For example, the University of
California trumpets that half its classes have 20 or fewer students.
The
problem is that few students take those small classes, for example,
Advanced Greek. The commonly taken classes typically have 100 to 500
students.
SOLUTION: Don't sign on the dotted line until you've asked the
admissions
office, "How many students are in commonly taken classes such as
calculus
or 20th century literature?"
DECEPTION: THEY HIDE THEIR BIAS. Some colleges claim to celebrate
diversity
of ideas, yet most of their classes are biased in one direction, with
other
ideas presented mainly to be denigrated. The best education fairly
examines
a wide range of perspectives.
SOLUTION: Before signing on the dotted line, look at the college's
social
science syllabi online and see if they're truly diverse. Or visit the
campus bookstore and see what books are assigned.
DECEPTION: OFFER MAJORS THAT APPEAR TO LEAD TO A COOL CAREER. For
example,
some colleges offer enticing majors such as journalism, but fail to
mention
that most of that college's graduates never earn enough from
journalism to
even pay back their student loans.
SOLUTION: Contact the college's career center and ask, "What
percentage of
graduates in (Insert major) are professionally employed within six
months
of graduation?"
I look forward to getting your emails. Email me at
***@earthlink.net
In case you want to know more about me, here's my bio:
Both ABC-TV and KCBS Radio called me"The Ralph Nader of Education."
I've been a consultant on college to Consumer Reports, to 15 college
presidents, and to hundreds of college-bound students and families. I
am the author of five critically and commercially successful books and
400+ articles. My most recent is the All-in-One College Guide,
probably the most consumer-empowering college guide ever written. My
column is in its fifth year on the front page of a section of the
Sunday San Francisco Chronicle and I am in my 17th year as the regular
college and career expert on the #1-rated talk show in San Francisco.
I hold a Ph.D. specializing in the evaluation of education from the
University of California, Berkeley and subsequently taught there.
colleges perpetrate on students and families?
If so, I'd appreciate your emailing me the story. I'm collecting them
for use in current and future writings about colleges. Email me at
***@earthlink.net
I am Dr. Marty Nemko, the author of five books including the
just-published All-in-One-College Guide, a consumer-empowering guide
to choosing, getting into, finding the money for, and making the most
of college.
DECEPTION: THE DRUG-DEALER APPROACH TO FINANCIAL AID. A college gives
a
student a big discount in the first year, but thereafter, knowing the
student is hooked, raises the price. A college may even guarantee
"the
same amount of aid for four years, "but fail to mention that more of
the
aid will be loan not grant, or that the aid won't be increased to
reflect
the inevitable cost increases during the four years, not to mention
what
would happen in years five or six?
SOLUTION: Before agreeing to send your child to a college, ask the
college's financial aid officer, "If our family's financial situation
stays
the same, in years 2 through four, and if necessary year 5, can we
count on
getting the same percentage of our unmet need met and in the same
ratio of
grant to loan each year?" Get it in writing.
DECEPTION: THE WAITLIST SCAM. A college deliberately admits too few
students and puts many students on the waitlist. It's human nature to
want
what you don't yet have, so waitlisted students who are subsequently
offered admission from the waitlist are more likely to accept a weak
financial aid package. Colleges with insufficient on-campus housing
use the
same technique, offering admission to waitlisted students who would be
wwilling to live the first semester in substandard housing such as a
local
mmotel or YMCA.
SOLUTION: Don't accept a too-low financial aid package. And before
signing
on the dotted line, ask what housing you will be guaranteed, and for
how
long. Get it in writing.
DECEPTION: BURIED INFORMATION. Some colleges hide such information as
their
full published costs of attendance or their four-year graduation rate.
The
unfortunate truth is that the median four-year graduation rate at
four-year
colleges is just 37 percent. The rate at many colleges, including some
well-
known public universities, such as many campuses of the California
State
University system is under 10 percent!
SOLUTION: Every college's 4- and 6-year graduation rate and other key
info
are at http://nces.ed.gov/globallocator/
DECEPTION: DECEIVE WITH STATISTICS. For example, the University of
California trumpets that half its classes have 20 or fewer students.
The
problem is that few students take those small classes, for example,
Advanced Greek. The commonly taken classes typically have 100 to 500
students.
SOLUTION: Don't sign on the dotted line until you've asked the
admissions
office, "How many students are in commonly taken classes such as
calculus
or 20th century literature?"
DECEPTION: THEY HIDE THEIR BIAS. Some colleges claim to celebrate
diversity
of ideas, yet most of their classes are biased in one direction, with
other
ideas presented mainly to be denigrated. The best education fairly
examines
a wide range of perspectives.
SOLUTION: Before signing on the dotted line, look at the college's
social
science syllabi online and see if they're truly diverse. Or visit the
campus bookstore and see what books are assigned.
DECEPTION: OFFER MAJORS THAT APPEAR TO LEAD TO A COOL CAREER. For
example,
some colleges offer enticing majors such as journalism, but fail to
mention
that most of that college's graduates never earn enough from
journalism to
even pay back their student loans.
SOLUTION: Contact the college's career center and ask, "What
percentage of
graduates in (Insert major) are professionally employed within six
months
of graduation?"
I look forward to getting your emails. Email me at
***@earthlink.net
In case you want to know more about me, here's my bio:
Both ABC-TV and KCBS Radio called me"The Ralph Nader of Education."
I've been a consultant on college to Consumer Reports, to 15 college
presidents, and to hundreds of college-bound students and families. I
am the author of five critically and commercially successful books and
400+ articles. My most recent is the All-in-One College Guide,
probably the most consumer-empowering college guide ever written. My
column is in its fifth year on the front page of a section of the
Sunday San Francisco Chronicle and I am in my 17th year as the regular
college and career expert on the #1-rated talk show in San Francisco.
I hold a Ph.D. specializing in the evaluation of education from the
University of California, Berkeley and subsequently taught there.