Finding the Right Fit: College Planning for Gifted Kids

1. Finding the Right Fit:College Planning for Gifted Kids Barbara Geller www.mtagate.org/meamft-conference.html

2. Potential to get into more colleges Potential to earn merit scholarships Multi-potentiality Need to be with intellectual peers 65% - 75% introverts Sensitivities How is college planning different for gifted kids? Select environment carefully Consider more colleges

3. How many colleges are there? Over 2200 4-year colleges & universities 585 public 1666 private

4. Get accepted by more colleges • Develop a stellar college application • Take challenging courses & do well in them • Develop credentials on a regional/national stage • Show a passion for something • Cultivate recommendations

5. How much does college cost? But that’s just the sticker price!

6. How will you pay for college? • Parents (and students) pay • Start saving! • Need-based financial aid • Read www.finaid.org/fafsa/maximize.phtml • Use www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov to estimate your EFC • Elite, well-endowed, expensive colleges offer more • College Abacus – runs calculators for 3 colleges at a time • Merit-based aid (“scholarships”) • Top tier colleges offer little / no merit aid • Others offer full tuition or full rides Private colleges can be less expensive than public universities for high-merit students or high-need families

7. Three paths to merit scholarships • National Merit Honors Scholars • Take the PSAT in 10th grade • If in striking distance, take prep class • Take PSAT in 11th grade • Target colleges where you are in the top 25% • ….that give merit aid • Target colleges where you fill a need • Geography, sex, ethnicity, religion, major

8. Multi-potentiality: Keep options open • Anticipate changing directions • Most of us change careers • Students who change majors take longer to graduate • Asynchronous development: lack judgment • Technical university vs. liberal arts • Olin School of Engineering, Cooper Union, Harvey Mudd • Early decision vs. regular decision • Improves odds but… • Are kids ready to make that decision?

9. Find a social/emotional fit • Need to be with intellectual peers • Selective college or honors program • Opportunities for introverts to stand out • College size: claustrophobic or overwhelming? • Fewer faculty -> more semesters with 1 prof • Research university or liberal arts college? • Class sizes mean more than faculty ratios • Develop tactics for coping with sensitivity Options to find a smaller “home”: smaller college, honors program, honors dorm, small department in a big university, women’s college

10. Middle School Action Plan • A great time to take risks & make mistakes! • Get on IB track / take GT Pre-AP classes • Explore more extracurricular interests • Get some contest experience • Take SAT/ACT • Center for Bright Kids • Opens doors to summer programs • Get insights on areas of giftedness • Read, read, read, & write, write, write • Wear out the library card • Subscribe to the newspaper • Word-a-day calendars • Journals, diaries, blogs, fan fiction

11. High School Action Plan • Take advantage of IB/AP classes • Find a passion and explore it in depth • Find opportunities to excel (outside of high school) • Cultivate references • Take PSAT, SAT II subject tests, SAT/ACT • Explore careers • Start checking out colleges early • “Shop” in books • Consider lists (with a grain of salt) • Attend (on-line) info sessions • Use family vacations to visit colleges • Juniors & seniors: ask for an interview

12. It’s all about the fit • Fit into the budget • Fit the student • Will I feel at home? • Will I find people who “get” me? • Will I be challenged, but not overwhelmed? • Will I have opportunities to excel? • Will this place help me achieve my goals?

13. Resources • Financial aid: • Calculate your expected contribution www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov • Saving/restructuring assets www.finaid.org/fafsa/maximize.phtml • Calculate college-specific costs https://collegeabacus.com • Books: • Competitions for Talented Kids • Colleges That Change Lives • Cool Colleges for the Hyper-Intelligent, Self-Directed, Late Blooming, and Just Plain Different • The College Hook • College fair by Colleges That Change Lives • www.ctcl.org • My blog: • www.collegecounselor.wordpress.com • Book recommendations, links to college lists, honors programs, schools with merit aid, etc.

14. Our daughter’s strategies • Application • Essay: legal injustice • Hook: writer • Recommendation: Dallas Morning News editor • College choices: • Mid-size, urban, with economics & political science majors • “Only if I get into the honors program” at a large university with wide SAT midrange • Chose: • A college in CTCL, with free M.A. program, 1 semester of AP credit, $15,000 scholarship, and Presidential Scholars program • Sacrificed desire to be in major city to get smaller environment where the students were enthusiastic • Currently in Masters program in Geographic Info Sciences

15. Our son’s strategies • Application • Hook: math (MathCounts, AMC/AIME, Intel semi-finalist, math camp junior counselor) • Recommendations: math camp director • Include: Intel science competition project • Three types of schools: • Technical universities (MIT, CalTech) • Selective schools with high need-based aid • Schools that target National Merit Scholars with full tuition / full rides and honors programs • Choose a major university, large National Merit Scholarship, honors floor, honors classes • Currently in mathematics Ph.D. program with full ride

16. College action plan • Graduate in 4 years! • Explore careers early • Once you pick a major, stick to it • Plan out your courses • Get the most out of college • Seek out the best professors • Submit AP scores, take CLEP tests for credit • Register early, before classes fill • Keep costs manageable • Maintain GPA to keep scholarships • Submit FAFSA yearly • Prepare for grad school • Cultivate relationships with professors for recommendations • Prep for GRE