CCOOLLLLEEGGEE GGUUIIDDEE

2011

TTHHEE GGAAMMEE PPLLAANN

THE TIMES LEADER • SEPT. 24, 2011

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There are two basic types of financial aid: merit-based, which rewards strong academic perform-ance or a specific talent, and need-based, which as-sists families based on their financial need.

All families should complete theFAFSA (Free Application for FederalStudent Aid _www.fafsa .ed.gov ) sothey can determinewhat the govern-ment and colleges consider their ex-pected family contribution (EFC).The EFC drives the need-based fi-nancial system.The EFC is derived from four ma-

jor factors: total income, assets, fam-ily size andnumberof children in col-lege. A more expensive college mayhave a higher EFC but still allow youto qualify for financial aid. Here’s anexample: A family earning $125,000with a child attending an in-statepublic university will probably notqualify for aid while a family earning$250,000 with two children attend-

ing private colleges probably will.You can also calculate your EFC atwww.collegeaboard.com andwww.finaid.org.According to Cappex (www.cap-

pex.com), about $11 billion in meritaid is available, and nearly all colleg-es offer merit aid scholarships. Thegood news is that on average, 1 in 4undergraduates receives merit aidscholarships, averaging $5,000. Notall the awards focus on grade pointaverages _ there are scholarships forleadership, community service orschool involvement. Many of theawards can be renewed year afteryear.What does this mean? Private

schools that you generally consid-

ered out-of-reach financially may ac-tually be affordable, possibly evencosting less than attending an in-state institution.Tactics for getting aidSo how can you maximize your

chances of receiving merit-basedaid?Apply where your efforts and per-

formance will be recognized: Youhave a much better chance of receiv-ing merit-based aid if your gradesand test scores put you in the top 25percent of the student body. Anotherway tomeasure this iswith a school’sreported standardized test scores.Example: When a college reportsthat itsSATmiddle50percent is 550-650, that means that 50 percent ofstudents scored in that range, while25 percent of students scored above650 and 25 percent scored below550. This information is in collegeguidebooks and on college websites.Research the financial aid link on a

college’s website: Search each col-

Do you merit aid?By LEE BIERERMcClatchy Newspapers

MCTSee AID, Page 8

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In a time full of newexperiences and challeng-es, living in a campus dorm can be one of thebest or worst experiences and one of the big-gest challenges for incoming college students.The keys tominimizing the challenge andmax-imizing the experience, say those who know,are research, planning and patience.“You’re sharing room space

with another person, which youmay not have done before,” saidA.J. Nudo, assistant director forresident life at Misericordia Uni-versity. “Even if you know yourroommate, you may never haveshared a room with them. Andyou’re sharing a bathroom, may-bewith 30 or 50 people. That giv-ing up of personal space forshared space is a big adjustmentfor many students.”Nudo, who has a total of ten

years of experience helping stu-dents adjust to dorm life that be-gan as a resident assistant whenhe was a student himself, said in-coming students can make thetransition smoother by research-ing websites for colleges they areconsidering.“If you spend some time on the

student life sections of the web-sites, you’ll knowwhat questionsto ask and what is and isn’t al-lowed at the schools you’re con-sidering, because some of it is

school –specific,” he said. “Thatwill help you ask questions aboutthings that are important to youand that might make the differ-ence when it comes to choosingbetween School A and School B.”Elizabeth Swantek is the direc-

tor of resident life at Wilkes Uni-versity and also started her ca-reer helping students as a resi-dent assistant 10 years ago. Shesaid students are generally givena list of dorm do’s and don’tsahead of time. Prohibited itemscan include everything from po-tential firestarters like candlesandhot-burninghalogen lights toobvious dangers like firearmsand flammable liquids such asgasoline to items like traffic signsand empty alcoholic beveragecontainers in students youngerthan 21.“Most of the prohibitions are

out of respect for laws and regu-lations or for safety,” Swanteksaid, though some items, like

dartboards, are prohibited be-cause they lead to damage todorm room walls.Rules for what students can

and can’t put on walls also varygreatly by school, and Swanteksaid in general, she recommendsthat students consider the poten-tial damage of what they want todo.“I usually say if you think it

might takea chunkoutof thewallwhen you take it down, don’t putit up,” she said, noting that dam-age could result in charges at theend of the year.While dorm decorating trends

change over the years, somethings – like posters – are peren-nial favorites, Swantek said, somuch so that Wilkes has an on-campus poster sale early eachyear. She recommends lamina-ting the posters or using an inex-pensive frame to help them last.

CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/FOR THE TIMES LEADER

Juniors Katie Drayton, Hannah Seely and Olivia Richter share a quad in Gildea Hall Misericordia University where futons are allowed inthe living room areas giving students more room to lounge.

Rules of dorm decorBy JANINE UNGVARSKY For The Times Leader

See DORM, Page 12

By LEE BIERERMcClatchy NewspapersMany parents feel as if

they’re walking a tightrope asthey navigate their waythrough the college admis-sions process with their chil-dren.How do you empower your

kids to take on this new andexciting project and still makesure everything gets done?The college admissions proc-ess is chock full of details and

deadlines:testing reg-istration,transcriptrequests,campus vis-its, essaywriting, let-ters of rec-ommenda-tion, trans-mitting testscores, etc.Many, if notmost, 16- to17-year-oldsenter theprocess ill-equipped tojuggle somany thingssimultane-

ously.There are some areaswhere

it’s OK for parents to get in-volved.It’s just fine for parents to:Help plan campus visits:

Discuss the trip details, espe-cially if it involves multiplecolleges. Schedule the visitson the college websites andmake flight and hotel arrange-ments as needed.Discuss college fit: Help

your children to understandthe kind of college experiencethey’re looking for. Talk aboutsize; distance fromhome; ben-efits and drawbacks to an ur-ban, suburban and rural envi-ronment; their academicneeds; fraternity-sorority life;sports atmosphere; and spe-cial opportunities such as un-dergraduate research oppor-

Parentscan help inadmissionsprocess

See PARENTS, Page 11

Help plancampus visits:Discuss thetrip details,especially if itinvolves mul-tiple colleges.Schedule thevisits on thecollege web-sites andmake flightand hotelarrangementsas needed.

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Howdo you go from “thinking” about yourcollege application essay to actually writingit? That is a question many rising highschool seniors are battling every day.

Suggestions:Step 1: Gather information.

Reflect on your activities and ex-periences over the last severalyears.Try summarizing some of

your biggest accomplishments --favorite courses, sports you’veplayed, clubs you’ve joined,most unusual summer experi-ences you’ve had, etc.Compile a list of your commu-

nity service activities.Write down all your possible

college majors and career inter-ests.Jot down a short list of role

models or of the people whohave influenced you in school, inyour extracurricular activities,within your family and among

your friends.Collect all the best papers

you’ve written for your En-glish and history classes.Ask yourself about the im-

portant milestones in yourlife as well as themost impor-tant relationships.Why are these events and

people significant?Think of stories that are

“totally you.”Step 2: Examine your re-

sults.Ask yourself “why,” “what”

and “how” questions abouteach of your lists -- Why wasthis important? Why did Ichoose to volunteer?What did I contribute?

What did I learn from each of

the experiences?How have I changed be-

cause of my relationship withthat person?See if there is anunderlying

theme among all your en-tries.Focus on “influence” and

“impact” -- howhave youbeeninfluenced by events or peo-ple in your life and how havethese experiences led you tohave an impact on others?Remember, a good essay

will demonstratewho you areas a person.Don’t get caught upwriting

about how your grandmotherhas been such an amazing in-fluence in your life with de-tails on every obstacle thatshe has overcome -- grandmais not applying to college, youare. Make sure the essay isabout you -- your strengths,your values, your achieve-ments, etc.A strong essay will be re-

flective, introspective and

even analytical. Focus ondepth not breadth. Think ofmoments in time that capturewhat’s important to you, achange of belief or a time youstruggled.A good essay is not a laun-

dry list of your accomplish-ments. Make the reader likeyou and think you’d be a greataddition to their campus.Your essay should make

them want to invite you outfor a cup of coffee so they canget to know you better.

Brainstorm ideas for essaysRemember, a good essay willdemonstrate who you are as aperson. Don’t get caught upwriting about how your grand-mother has been such anamazing influence in your lifewith details on every obstaclethat she has overcome _grandma is not applying tocollege, you are.

lege website for specific merit-basedscholarship opportunities. Some re-quire separate applications with es-says and interviews, and some col-leges will consider all students thatcomplete their applications by a spe-cific deadline.Check out other resources: There

are lots of web-based resources:www.meritaid.com,www.finaid.org,www.fastweb .com, www.gocollege-.com andwww.scholarships.com aregreat places to start.Ask about renewal terms:Colleges

and scholarships differ on their re-newal qualifications. Some haveminimal standards and others havehigh grade-point average hurdles.Make sure you won’t get caught at-tending a college where you aren’t100 percent sure you can commit toscholarship renewal terms. There islittle worse than loving a college butfinding yourself denied a scholarshiprenewal because your GPA slips.Need-based aid is typically renew-

ed as long as courses are passed andcanceled only if a family’s financialsituation dramatically changes.

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DETROIT — When WesternMichigan University sophomoreMitch Brownell sings “(I’ve got aGal in) Kalamazoo,” he substi-tutes in the word squirrel.“I’ve got a squirrel in Kalama-

zoo’ may be our new slogan,” saidBrownell, 18, of Vicksburg, Mich.,who is studying mechanical engi-neering.Brownell said he didn’t know

about the University of MichiganSquirrel Club when he and a bud-dy, Matt Kreiger, concocted aFacebook page last spring forWestern Michigan Universitysquirrel fans. The school’s Squir-rel Club page went nuts, drawing1,600 fans in about a week andphoto postings of Kalamazoosquirrels.“When we Googled ’squirrel

clubs,’ we sawU-Mhad one ... andwe kind of thought this could be areality” at WMU, Brownell said.Brownell has ordered about 300

T -shirts to sell for $10 each. Hehas a table reserved for the cam-pus-wide student-group orienta-

tion day, and will hand out littlebags of peanuts.“A lot of people think it’s kind of

out there,” Brownell acknowl-edged. He mentions the group ontours he gives for new and pro-spective students. He has evenmentioned the club to WesternMichigan University PresidentJohn Dunn.“He thinks we’re kind of crazy.

Weaskedhimto join theFacebookpage a couple of times, and hekind of shook his head,” Brownellsaid. “But we’ll get him to join.”Yes, it’s back-to-school season.

And for college students, whatev-er theirpassionorproclivity, thereis indeed a campus organizationfor them, which educators say ishelpful.Brian Dietz, assistant dean of

students at Kalamazoo College,said clubs benefit students in a va-riety of ways, such as honing lead-ership and communication, bud-geting and event-planning skills.“They’re in charge and they

have to create the mission, the vi-sion and the goals of the group,”Dietz said. Even whimsical and

light hearted pursuits “bring funand stress relief to members.”One group on the Kalamazoo

campus is called the ChildishGamesCommission,whosemem-bers engage in scavenger hunts,zombie tag and a Quidditch tour-nament based on the “Harry Pot-ter” stories.Good-natured ribbing between

pizza-eating students in aWesternMichigan University cafeteria ledto the light hearted creation of theDignified Educated United CrustEaters Society. The clubwas bornwhen freshmenBryanJones,19,ofNewport,Mich., andCraigKowal-sky, 19, of Commerce Township,Mich., were ribbing buddy JoshuaWhite, 19, of Delton, Mich., aboutnoteating thecrustofhis cafeteriapizza.“The argument went on for a

few days and finally Josh said ifyou feel so strongly about it, whydon’t you start up a club for crust-eaters,” recalled Jones, who at Jef-ferson High School helped startup abowling teamandanart club.“And as a joke, we applied for offi-cial recognition and—surprising-

ly — we got it.”Theydevisedaconstitutionand

submitted the application. As aregistered student organization,they qualify to use campus build-ings, can apply for funding grantsand attend leadership training.AtCentralMichiganUniversity,

student Crystal Sanders spendsseveral hours a week dressed as amedieval goblin brandishing afoam weapon. She’s a studentleader in the school club the Furyof the Called, which has its rootsin the imagery of J.R.R. Tolkien’s“Lord of the Rings” trilogy andmythical battle games known asDagorhir.Sanders, 23, was reeled in after

she saw her husband play. Teamscombat each other wielding foamweapons.“It’s faux-contact foam fight-

ing,” explainedSanders, an educa-tion major who travels to combatother clubs out-of-state.Although foam fighting, pizza-

crust chomping and squirrelwatching sound like fun, belong-ing to such unique organizationsalso may yield opportunities after

college.Jason Colman co founded the

University of Michigan SquirrelClub in2002whenheandabuddywere marveling how fat andfriendly campus squirrels were.“It was a joke, but the next

morning, it sounded like a goodidea,” recalled Colman, now 28and living in Alameda, Calif.,where he directs digitization fortheUniversity ofCalifornia librarysystem.Theymade posters displaying a

squirrel wearing a cap and theline: Answer the Call: SquirrelClub.” A handful of peopleshowed up for the first meeting,but its growth spiraled once theyhit the Diag bearing nuts. Hethinks it appealed to studentswholeft behindpets at homeandwant-ed animal interaction.Colman included his steward-

ship of the Squirrel Club on his re-sume.“It comes up in job interviews

because people Google me andfind it,” he said. “It’s one of thosequirky interesting things that setyou apart.

College clubs have something for everyoneBy PATRICIA MONTEMURRIDetroit Free Press

C O L L E G E G U I D E 2 0 11PAGE10

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home.Tyler Zabel, 18, had been con-

sidering film schools in Floridaand Chicago with tuition rangingfrom $25,000 to $42,000 a year.But he settled on MinneapolisCommunity and Technical Col-lege inpart because theprice tag iscloser to $7,000 a year.“It was the most logical route,”

Zabel said. He also likes thatMCTC’s program is hands-on,rather than theoretical. “MCTChas a similar program, but it’s alot cheaper andcloser tohome.”Za-

belwill

live with his middle-class parentsinShakopeeand take thepark-and-ride to downtown Minneapolis.Film isn’t necessarily a degreethat requires a college education,he noted, but “having a degree iskind of necessary these days.”The survey, focused on stu-

dents ages18 to 24, indicates thatmost students and parents agree.This year’s results showed a jumpin the “practical value of a collegeeducation to families.” More stu-dents and parents stronglyagreed that college is “an in-

MINNEAPOLIS -- Familiesstraining to pay for college aremaking savvier moves as costsrise.More middle- and high-income

students are choosing cheaperschools, living at home and get-tinggrants andscholarships topayfor college, according to the SallieMae-Ipsos “HowAmerica Pays forCollege” study.Last year’s study found families

grapplingwith the recession by re-achingdeeper into savings topayarecord-high slice of the growingcost of college.This time, the aver-age family surveyed paid a littleless for the 2010-11 school yearthan the year before, thanks to dif-ferent choices and more grants.“While families were able to

stretch in the shortest of terms ...that can only go so far,” said Clif-ford Young, pollster for Ipsos.“There’s some downsizing goingon.”But they’re still sending their

children to college. Nine out of 10

students strongly agreed that it’s“an investment in the future.”Meanwhile, parents’ anxietiesabout the economy, which peakedlast year, dropped a bit. Rising tui-tion remains their No. 1 concern.Families reported paying an av-

erage of $21,889 on college-relatedexpenses -- including tuition, text-books and rent -- in 2011. That’sless than last year butmore than in2009 and 2008.The price tag for wealthier stu-

dents dropped. Families making$100,000 or more paid 18 percentless than last year, while middle-income families paid about 6 per-cent less. But familiesmaking lessthan $35,000 paid14 percentmoreto meet this year’s college costs --from $17,404 in 2010 to $19,888 in2011. College now eats up morethan half of such a family’s house-hold income.Nearly all the 1,600 students

and parents surveyed in the studyreported making new or differentmoves to save money, such as go-ing to school part time, picking alower-priced college or living at

MCT ILLUSTRATION

By JENNA ROSSStar Tribune (Minneapolis)

Parents getting savvy about tuition

See SAVVY, Page 11

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tunities, internships, studyabroad, interdisciplinary ma-jors, clubs and extracurricularactivities.Read over their essays, only if

they want you to. Don’t edit toomuch or the essay will lose thevoice of a teenager. College ad-missions officials have becomequite adept at recognizing pa-rental interference. Rememberone of the essay’s chief objec-tives is to allowthecollege togetto know your child beyondgrades and test scores. If the es-say sounds like it was written bya middle-aged attorney, it haslost its flavor.Contact the financial aid of-

fice. Don’t wait until your childis accepted to be in touch withthe financial aid office.Ask themabout institutional and depart-mental need-based and merit-based scholarships and work-study options. Make sure youunderstand each college’s need-aware or need-blind policy andhow that impacts your personal

financial situation.Support, encourage and cele-

brate. Understand that as stress-ful as this may be for you as par-ents, many students freeze upjust at the mention of the wordcollege.Theyoften feel that theyare constantly being judged,compared to their classmatesand forced to begin planning therest of their lives.Support them by following

their lead when talking aboutcollege.Encourage them todreamand

apply to one or two reachschools that they have re-searched. At the same time,make sure that their final list iswell-balanced with reach, targetand safety schools.Celebrate all victories large

and small. For the small onessuch as completing college-re-lated assignments on time or astronger test grade, a heartfeltcongratulations or "I’m proud ofyou" means a lot. For the biggerones such as early-decision orearly-action acceptances or bigjumps in test scores, hang theircollege colored balloons on yourmailbox, treat them to their fa-vorite dinner or write them anote they’ll keep forever.

PARENTSContinued from Page 5

vestment in the future” andmorecited “earnmoremoney” as a rea-son to attend.But after recordhighs last year,

fewer parents were willing tostretch themselves financially fortheir students to attend. The per-centage who “strongly agreed”that they would “rather borrowthan not go” dropped from 59percent last year to 51 percentthis year. Students’ willingnessto borrow, at 61 percent, was un-changed from last year.Parents seem a little less wor-

ried than last year, survey an-swers show. “We’ve seen thewor-ry come down,” said Sarah Duc-ich, SallieMae’s senior vicepresi-dent for public policy. “They’vetaken these steps and they’vegot-ten a handle on their financing.”That seems strange to Ronald

Ramsdell, founder ofCollegeAidConsulting Services in Minnea-polis, who helps his clients navi-gate and negotiate within the fi-nancial aid process. “It’s stillbleak,” he said. “It’s awful. The

cost of education is still rising,Parents are still struggling.“It has not gotten better for

families.”Buthe agrees that “families are

now lowering their anxiety lev-els,” in part because they “realizethat a community college is agood choice in the first and sec-ond years.”About a third of poor students

attend public two-year colleges,a greater share than other in-come levels. But suddenly, a big-ger chunk of high-income fam-ilies are attending these low-costinstitutions -- 22 percent in 2010-11 compared to 12 percent in2009-10.“This might help explain how

middle- and higher-income fam-ilies were able to reduce theircontributions from income andsavings,” the study says, “and de-crease the overall amount theypaid for college.”More of those students also

got grants. For the first time inthe study’s history,more familiessaid that they filed the Free Ap-plication for Federal Student Aid-- 80 percent, compared to 72 per-cent who said so last year. Mostof that increase came from themiddle- and high-income catego-

ries.There are more poor students

in college. For several years, thelow-income category has beenswelling in size -- from20 percentof the survey sample in 2008 to32 percent in 2011. Young calledthat a “surprising” trend unex-plained by their survey.It might be that more students

from low-income families are go-ing to college. Or that more fam-ilies, hit hard by the recession,now fit in that category. Or thatincreased funding for the PellGrant program has brought inmore students who qualify.The percentage of students in

the Minnesota State Collegesand Universities system who re-ceived federal, need-based Pellgrants has grown from 45 per-cent in 2006 to 54 percent in2010.Brittney Hagstrom, who con-

siders her family middle-class, isattending Normandale Commu-nity College as a high school stu-dent, through the Post-Second-ary Enrollment Options pro-gram. She expects that evenonceshe has graduated from highschool, she’ll continue attendingthe public Bloomington, Minn.,college.

SAVVYContinued from Page 10

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Fabric tapestries are also popularwall decorations now, she said,and many students bring in cur-tains to cover the standard-issuewindow blinds. Rugs are alsopopular room additions and addcolor and comfort, Swantek said,and she’s seen students get verycreative for other décor, such asusing calendar pages and dollar-store frames for wall artTo maximize space, both

Swantek and Nudo recommendstudents use some of the manytypes of folding chairs availablefor using at outdoor sportingevents, which can be stored in acorner or under a bed when notin use. That valuable real estateunder the bed should be used forall typesof storage, saidSwantek,who has seen students rest thebed on top of shelves that can beused for book storage.Other useful items, Nudo and

Swantek said, include plasticcrates, which can be used to haulitems to school and then stackedfor bookshelves, dry erase or corkboards and some sort of file sys-tem for papers, as well as thingslike a can opener, eating utensils,surge protectors, a small vacuumand an item students often for-get, an umbrella. With recentpower outages from storms stillfresh in their minds, both resi-dent life experts strongly recom-mended flashlights and batteriesas must-have dorm items.Both Nudo and Swantek urged

students to bring personal itemsthat will make their dorm roomseem more like home, includingpictures, a favorite pillow or any-thing that will be comforting.“Don’t be afraid to bring a ted-

dybearor another comfort item,”Swantek said. “It’s not abad thingand a lot of kids will have them.”To save space and ease the load

to carry back and forth,Nudo rec-ommended that students get intouch with their roommate be-fore they come to school and co-ordinatewhowill bringwhat. For

instance, one might bring afridge for the room and the otherbrings the television. In fact, Nu-do said that communication isthe key to a good dorm experi-ence.“If you can meet before hand,

that’s best, but youshouldat leasttalk on the phone or by socialmedia. Preplanning and gettingto know each other will make theexperience better,” he said.“Communication and keeping anopenmind are the keys. You haveto be willing to work with eachother.”And Swantek said that one of

the most important things aboutstudents feeling comfortable intheir home away from home isn’tin the dorm room.“Colleges are full of activities

and clubs for students, so get in-volved and be part of what’s go-ing on,” she said. “At the end ofthe day, it’s your roommate andyour classmates that are themostimportant, not what’s in yourroom. Build your community socollege feels like your home awayfrom home.”

CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK PHOTOS/FOR THE TIMES LEADER

Junior Katie Drayton in Gildea Hall Misericordia knows plastic self-attaching hooks are OK for dorm room walls.

MisericordiaUniversity ju-niors Katie Dray-ton and AliviaRichter havelofted their bedsin Gildea Hall touse room spacemore efficiently.

DORMContinued from Page 5

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One of the many new things college studentsdeal with is the college meal plan, where stu-dents and their families prepay for a selectednumber of meals. A check with some local col-lege and universities showed that while someschools require freshmen to buy a plan that pro-vides threemeals aday for every school day andthe weekends, others offer a host of options toaccommodate the needs and schedules of stu-dents.

“The 19 meal (per week) planis our most popular, far andaway,” said Mary Wood, King’sCollege’s director of dining forSodexo Campus Services. Theplan allows for three meals a dayduring the week plus brunch anddinner on the weekend. “Fresh-men are away from home and re-sponsible for all their ownmeals,maybe for the first time, so thatplan covers them and is very pop-ular,” Wood said.Other plans vary, from those

that allow carte blanch access toall dining facilities for all meals,snacks and beverages, to 25meal

block plans, which are favored bycommuters and thosewhoattendclasses part-time.At Wilkes University, the plan

set up is a little different, thoughfreshmen are required to haveone of the larger meal plans, ac-cording to Elizabeth Swantek, di-rector of resident services.“Our plans are very flexible

andwe have a different structure.We have an all-you-care-to-eatplan, where you can go in 10times a day and have somethingto eat or drink, and we have thatbecause students pushed for it,”she said.While first year students

are asked to choose one of thelarger plans so they don’t have toworry as much about planningfor meals as they adjust to themany other challenges of collegelife, other students can choosefrom a variety of plans, includingthose that provide meals onlyduring theweek for thosewho gohome on the weekend or com-mute to block plans for commu-ter and off campus resident stu-dentswhoonly need an occasion-al meal at school, Swantek said.Misericordia University resi-

CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/FOR THE TIMES LEADER

Cafeteria worker Robin Parulis at Misericordia University has artfully arranged this turkey wrap plate.

Colleges offer flexible meal plansBy JANINE UNGVARSKYFor The Times Leader

See MEAL, Page 15

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dent students have the option of265, 190 or 125 annual mealplans,while townhouse residentscanopt for a75mealplan, accord-ing to Paul Kryzwicki, assistantdirector of marketing communi-cations. Other options are avail-able for commuters.All the local schools contacted

offer a broad range of diningchoices, from full service cafete-riaswithmultiple stations for sal-ads, grill, deli and other diningoptions to various cafes andsnackbars for quick food andbev-erage choices. And all said alter-native choices are available forstudents with allergies or specialfood needs, and in most cases,students can even meet with theschool chef to discuss special re-quirements.“Our chef will sit down with

them one-on-one to see what canbe offered,” Wood said, notingthis includes everything fromgluten free options to soy and al-mond milk to other more uniqueneeds. “We want them to be able

to eat comfortably without wor-rying about everything they putin their mouths.”When it comes to considering

their future dining needs, localcollege experts recommendedthat students investigate theirpotential school’s options, payingattention to what meal plans areoffered and whether certainplans are mandatory for fresh-men. Other things to consider in-clude the hours of operation ofvarious dining venues.“If you have an early class or

you have to work late, you mightneed to be aware of the hours thedining facilities are open,” saidSwantek. “It comes down tothinking about what you needand choosing the option that willbe best for you.”

MEALContinued from Page 13

“Our chef will sitdown with themone-on-one to seewhat can beoffered.”

Mary WoodKing’s College’s director of dining for

Sodexo Campus Services

CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/FOR THE TIMES LEADER

Jeanette Perucca, a sophomore at Misericordia University, carefully only picks vegetables from thehot food choices in the dining hall.

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There’s a special kind ofmath some first year col-lege students learn: a sec-ond helping of dessert + athird slice of pizza whilecramming for an exam +four night party week-ends = the freshman 15,the legendary weightgain that seems to creepup on many college stu-dents. Local college nu-trition experts agree theincrease does happen,but they also say it can beavoided.“The Freshman 15 is real…in

fact, I’ve seen some with thefreshman 20,” said Dr. Joy Ar-millay, E.D.D.R.D, LPN, a nutri-tion therapist in private practiceand an adjunct professor of nu-trition at Misericordia Universi-ty.Armillay said there are a num-

ber of factors contributing to thefreshman 15 phenomenon, fromthe new freedom from supervi-sion to thewide range of choicesand large quantities of foodavailable through college mealplans to the erratic schedulesand fast food choices to frequentparties, with or without alcohol.“Formost of them, it’s the first

time they’ve been responsiblefor all their ownmeals. At home,breakfast may be cereal, theymay take a turkey sandwich forlunch, and they have a preparedand portioned dinner. But cafe-teria food services are competi-tive, so breakfast isn’t just cere-al, it’s pancakes, waffles, andmany other things,” Armillaysaid. “There’s an endless arrayof food, choices almost beyondimagination…and there’s no par-ent offering a piece of fruit in-stead of a brownie…the studentshave new schedules and newfriends, and they start to devel-op new eating habits.”One of those habits is often

late night eating, and that con-tributes to the problem as well,said Diane O’Brien, CRNP anddirector of health and wellnessservices at Wilkes University.

“One of the biggest problemscomes at night, when they gethungry and order a pizza,” saidO’Brien, who added that pizzaboxes are everywhere when shewalks through a dorm. Armillaynoted that the sugar-laden ener-gy drinks many students turn toso they can maintain their latenight schedules make the prob-lem even worse.What’s more, the tendency to

gain weight isn’t limited to resi-dent students – those who com-mute and attend part-time arealso vulnerable to putting on thepounds.“We see it in commuters, too,”

said Armillay. “There is a timecrunch; they are running fromschool to work to home. Theirschedules are off, their foodchoices are off, they end up eat-ing fast food or quick meals andthey areThe key, the experts agree, is

to develop the right new habits.Mary Wood, the director of din-ing for Sodexo Campus Servic-es, the food service vendor forKing’s College, said that college

food services do offer healthychoices and options like take-out boxes so students can planfor times when they need to eatlate. The key, she said, is for stu-dents to realize they are facingoverwhelming choices and takesteps to bring that under con-trol.“Just because it’s there

doesn’tmean you have to eat it,”Wood said. “If you want to havedessert, maybe you don’t needthat second piece of pizza. It’sdifficult, but making healthychoices is something that onceyou make a habit of it, it’s likethe other things you do everyday without much effort. Youcan decide in advance you’re go-

ing to have a salad or sandwichand just make those choices ahabit.”O’Brien agreed. “Students

should try to get into a routinethat allows them to have mealsat appropriate times,” she said,noting this both increaseshealthy options and cuts downon late night junk food bingescaused by being too hungry.For those times when getting

to a cafeteria at meal time justdoesn’t work, Wood said King’sand many other colleges allowstudents some form of take-outmeal. At King’s, it’s a reusabletakeout box that students canfill and take with them for later.The boxes are returned to the

cafeteria in exchange for a tokenthat can be used another time toget a fresh, sanitized box for an-other meal.“It’s a very popular option

with students, faculty and staff,”Wood said.Exercise, whether in gym fa-

cilities at the school or by walk-ing on and around the campuswill help minimize weight gain,the experts agreed, but studentscan help prevent it by creatinggood habits even before theystep on campus.“Learn to think, ‘Am I physi-

cally hungry or mouth hungry,’”said Armillay. “Ask, ‘Am I eatingjust because someone else in theroom is eating?’ They need tothink who they are eating with,what they are eating, when theyare eating and why they are eat-ing.”“Know that this is part of col-

lege life,” saidO’Brien, “What toeat, whether to eat late, order-ing take out – these are typicalchoices they will have to make.Be aware of that and prepare forhow you’ll face it.”

Good habits can fight Freshman 15

CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/FOR THE TIMES LEADERA

Misericordia University freshman Megan Velehoski from Duryea, chooses a salad from the cafe.

By JANINE UNGVARSKYFor The Times Leader

The key, the experts agree, is to develop the right new habits.Mary Wood, the director of dining for Sodexo Campus Services,the food service vendor for King’s College, said that college foodservices do offer healthy choices and options like take-out boxesso students can plan for times when they need to eat late. Thekey, she said, is for students to realize they are facing over-whelming choices and take steps to bring that under control.

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PHILADELPHIA—Maggie Pearson is a socia-ble and articulate 21-year-old nursing student —

and a point person in securing the future of Temple

University.

She’s a campus tour guide, eagerly presenting a

fully accurate and relentlessly upbeat image of her

school to visiting high schoolers and their parents.

In an onlineworldwhere details about thousands

of colleges are as close as a computer keyboard, the

old-fashioned, on-foot campus tour has assumed

paramount importance.

The recruitment barrage ofemails, brochures and catalogspushes overwhelmed families tocheck the data against their in-stincts. And colleges are devot-ing money and expertise to en-sure that when those familiesshow up, the visit is a close-the-deal experience.“They’re coming to a diverse,

thriving institution, and we wantthem to experience that from themoment they step on campus,”said Niki Mendrinos, Temple’sassociate director for campus vis-it programs.Which is why it’s no accident

that Pearson has led tours. Herpoise and intellect helped hersurvive an interview process that

rejects12 of every13 guide candi-dates. Sheunderwent a semester-long training program beforeleading her first tour.“We have to know you’re going

to be energetic,” said Temple ad-missions director Karin Mor-mando. “No wallflowers.”Why somuch attention to such

a low-tech endeavor? Becausethe stakes have become huge forall involved.For parents facing years of col-

lege bills, and for young peopleabout to assume enormous debt,the choice of the right school isessential. For colleges facing de-mographic shifts that are reduc-ing the number of high schoolgraduates, competition for stu-

dents has grown keen.“All our literature, all our web

pages, are really designed to getstudents and families to scheduletheir visit,” said Courtney McA-nuff, vice president for enroll-ment management at RutgersUniversity, which had 56,000 vis-its last year. “You have onechance tomake that good impres-sion.”Mid-tier schools face enor-

mous pressure simply to keep upenrollment. Prestigious privatecolleges battle to enroll the verybest and brightest — who canpreferably pay full cost.Layered atop all of that is the

MCT PHOTO

Student guide Maggie Pearson leads a tour through the Temple University campus, July 28, 2011, in Philadelphia.

See TOURS, Page 19

Colleges use tours to seal the dealBy JEFF GAMMAGE The Philadelphia Inquirer

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ever-rising cost of attending col-lege, and a dismal economy that’sforcing just about everyone tomake do with fewer dollars.“The competition for talented

college students has escalated tounprecedented heights,” said GilVillanueva, dean of admission atthe University of Richmond.“Most colleges will do anythingto get them on their respectivecampuses.”That includes hiring consult-

ants like TargetX, a 13-year-oldConshohocken, Pa., firm thatworks with 250 schools to createtours that are authentic,memora-ble and fun. Company researchshows the campus visit is themost influential factor in where astudent decides to attend col-lege.“It makes or breaks their deci-

sion,” said Timothy Dawson, di-rector of admissions at Harris-burg University of Science andTechnology. “They need to makesure they feel comfortable there.And the only way to do that is tobe there physically.”A virtual tour may offer daz-

zling graphics and videos — butit can’t tell you whether the cafe-teria food tastes good. Or if thewomen are pretty. Or whether

the faculty is friendly or formal.As at other popular schools,

the number of people coming tocheck out the campus goes upand up. Temple runs two tours aday, every day, accommodating38,000 visitors a year. August isthe busiest month. And the de-mand for guides to be knowl-edgeable, helpful and positive isconstant.“You can reallymake or break a

college tour, and make or breakan impression for a family,” Pear-son said.On this day, she led16 students

and parents, showing off the wiz-ardry of the tech center and thecomfort of “the beach,” actually ahilly patch of lawn near the belltower. Everyone was offered achance tohear theechoproducedby the tiny brick amphitheater ofAlumni Circle, and to spin the3.2-ton black granite globe in thebusiness school.For colleges, the tour route has

become a strategic decision. Pro-spective freshmen are generallysophisticated consumers, sensi-tive to salesmanship. So the besttours have to be minutelyplanned — and completely un-scripted.The people put in charge of

that all-important presentationtypically are 21- or 22-year-old ju-niors or seniors who love theirschools. And who can walk longdistances, backward.“Our student ambassadors are

the single most important com-ponent of our programming,”said Jarrad Nunes, associate di-rector of admissions atClarkUni-versity in Worcester, Mass.In focus groups, families told

Clark that theywere weary of thebombardment ofmailings and In-ternet communiques. Once oncampus, they wanted a tour thatemphasized personal contact, tohelp them develop a gut-levelsenseofwhether the schoolwas agood fit. Now that human inter-action starts with a pre-visitphone call from a current stu-dent, Nunes said.Other schools, however, be-

lieve the campus tour is too cru-cial to be entrusted to anyone butapro.Astudentguidewhomakesan offhanded joke about a lousycampus sculpture may have justtold a prospective arts major tostay away.At Harrisburg, for instance,

tours are led byprofessional staff,who incorporate a hands-onlearning experience to connectthe visiting student to a teacher, amajor, or an activity.“Weall look alike inglossypub-

lications and websites,” said Alli-son Carter, director of admis-sions at Michigan TechnologicalUniversity. “Touring gives you in-sight into the real life of the col-lege. Are the students workinghard? Are they talking to one an-other as theywalk between class-es? Are they having fun?”

MCT PHOTO

Student guide Maggie Pearson leads a tour through the Temple University campus.

TOURSContinued from Page 18

MIAMI _ When college stu-dents begin classes thismonth, some arrive after get-ting their acceptance noticeson Facebook. Others are usingsmartphone applications tofind out which parking spotsare available. And others showup after taking walking toursthrough their campuses _without ever leaving theirhomes.Universities are turning to

newmedia, like interactivevid-eos and smartphone apps, tokeep competitive and attractfuture students. For example,takeBarryUniversity inMiamiShores, Fla., where studentsuse a Facebook app to browseavailable housing, pay roomdeposits and register for orien-tation. They’ll even be notifiedon Facebookwhen they are ac-cepted into the school beforeformal letters can make itthrough the mail. With oneclick, students can instantlyshare the big news to their net-work of friends.“Wewant to take our system

towhere they are,” saidMichelSily, assistant vice presidentfor enrollment marketing andInternet strategies at BarryUniversity.That’s the new mantra fuel-

ing the growth of YourCam-pus360, a startup that createsvirtual, interactive tours forcolleges for theuniversityweb-site, mobile apps and Face-book pages. Its founders arebased in Aventura, Fla., andNew York, and after going livelast year, the tours areavailableon 67 school campuses in theU.S. (40 of which signed upthisyear),which includeStonyBrook University, SyracuseUniversity, Brandeis Universi-ty and Ohio University.An animated guide narrates

with information about thecampus and student life as us-ers click to “walk” throughcampus. Similar to how Goo-gle Street View works, usersclick their way to move theirthrough a series of progressive360-degree images from vari-ous points in thewalking path,with audio facts playing

throughout notable land-marks.Abi Mandelbaum, chief ex-

ecutive officer, said so farmorethan1million users have takena virtual campus tour, andsome clients are reporting anincrease in physical campusvisits since implementing thetour, asmuch as 30 percent forsome schools, he said.The tours can be offered in

multiple languages and costbetween $5,000 and $15,000 ayear to create, maintain andkeep updated, depending onthe package a school choosesand if it will include an app orFacebook page.“The grand majority of

schools that sign up with us,they sign up with all the plat-forms. They recognize thatthey need to be out there,”Mandelbaum said.YourCampus360 is working

with one Florida school for thetime being: Ave Maria Univer-sity near Naples. Some SouthFlorida campuses already havetheir own flavors of virtualtours and apps. At Florida At-lantic University, prospectivestudents can send in an appli-cation from its Apple device

MCT PHOTO

Campus360 gives studentsa way to see and get in-formation on far away cam-puses and help narrow theircollege choices.

Virtual tours giveinsider’s view

McClatchy Newspapers

See VIRTUAL, Page 21

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LOS ANGELES — EmmaThalken’s best friend spent Au-gust in Ghana, where toured thecountry and did some volunteerwork. Thalken spent her summervolunteeringwith theHollywoodSenior Multipurpose Center 10minutes from her parents’ Han-cock Park, Los Angeles, home.Both of them could use their

summer experience to write acompelling essay as they try tofind their way to the college oftheir dreams. But perhaps sur-prisingly, college admissions offi-cials say the senior center experi-ence is just as valuable — andmaybemore so—than the exotictrip to Africa.“I’ve had other friends that

have gone, but for me I just want-ed to stay and help people in myneighborhood that needed help,”said Thalken, who has been vol-unteering with Assisteens, theteen arm of the AssistanceLeague, for three years.“There is never any reason to

ship off to do volunteer work,”said Michelle Hernandez, authorof “A Is for Admission” and foun-der of Hernandez College Con-sulting, currently based in Ver-mont. “And if you have to pay tovolunteer, it doesn’t count. Youshould look locally.”It’s a message that upper mid-

dle-class parents have started tointernalize. Over the last decade,increased competition for choicecollege spots has spawned an in-dustry of international travelwith a volunteer bent and a heftyprice tag for high school sopho-mores and juniors. But as doingreforestation in Costa Rica be-comes more cliche than cool,some families are starting tothink that paying for an amazingsummer experience won’t givetheir child the edge.This should come as a relief to

parents who don’t have the cashto pay for expensive trips, and forkidswhoneed toworkduring thesummer.Colleen Gold, whose twin

daughters are seniors this fall attwo of L.A.’s most prestigioushighschools—MarlboroughandHarvard-Westlake — said bothgirlswere toldby their college ad-visers that volunteering at homewould be more impressive to col-

leges than volunteering abroad.“I still know a lot of people thatdo it,” Gold said, “but we weretold that to some colleges it lookslike an excuse for an exotic vaca-tion.”Nancy Forman, who runs the

West Coast office for Camp Ex-perts and Teen Summers, a com-pany that helps place kids in sum-

mer programs, said she’s seen adramatic drop in the number ofparents willing to pay $5,000 to$7,000 to send a teenager to dofar-off volunteer work. Part ofthat is the economy, she said, andpart of it is a growing realizationthat a fewweeks ofworkwith ele-phants in Thailand doesn’t meanadmission to Yale.

Greg McKinnon, director ofcollege counseling at the SageHill School in Long Beach, Calif.,and the president of the WesternAssociation for College Admis-sions Counseling, said there canbe a place for elaborate and ex-pensive volunteer trips on a col-lege application. “Like every-thing with admissions, if it feelsorganic to the kids and is ex-plored in other ways in their life,then it is one more affirmationthat this is what they are passion-ate about,” he said.Still, he rarely encourages it:

“I’ve had lots of kids who’ve doneit, and it opens their eyes, but it’snot a golden ticket.”But parents, be forewarned:

Just as the era of the elaboratecommunity service trip has lost

its luster, anewtrend is raising itshead: teenage-run nonprofits.Brian Hawkins, a marketing

consultant for Kids Korps USA, aSan Diego-based organizationthat pairs kids with volunteerprojects, said he’s hearing fromhis teens that simply volunteer-ing is no longer enough — nowthey have to show colleges thatthey surveyed a community, as-sessed its needs, and created anorganization to help serve thoseneeds.“Weare finding that theprivate

high schools and colleges wantthe kids to be able to show theyare learning entrepreneurialskills,” he said. “So, a lot of ourteens will say, we really need todevelop our own projects.”

Volunteering close to home

MCT PHOTO

Emma Thalken, 16, has spent her summer vacation from school volunteering at the Assistance League Hollywood Senior Center deliver-ing food to seniors.

By DEBORAH NETBURNLos Angeles Times

Nancy Forman, who runs the West Coast office for Camp Expertsand Teen Summers, a company that helps place kids in summerprograms, said she’s seen a dramatic drop in the number of par-ents willing to pay $5,000 to $7,000 to send a teenager to dofar-off volunteer work. Part of that is the economy, she said, andpart of it is a growing realization that a few weeks of work withelephants in Thailand doesn’t mean admission to Yale.

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app. FAU partnered with Black-boardMobile, thesamevendorbe-hind apps for the University ofMiami and Florida InternationalUniversity,which launched its appin August.Every school is onnetworks like

Twitter, Foursquare, YouTube andFacebook _ but at UM, each grad-uating class has its own Facebookpage. The Class of 2015 Facebookpage used to be managed by theAdmissionsDepartment, but nowis overseen by Student Affairs andwill be taken over by the alumnigroup when the time comes.“It’s more about being reactive

to what students want,” said Ed-ward Gillis, assistant vice presi-dent for enrollment managementand executive director of admis-sions. “I’ve been doing this for 40years, and before you sent out abrochure and sent out an applica-tion, and some applied and somedidn’t. Nowadays it’s totally differ-ent.”FIU just began working with a

higher education marketing firm,

Stamats Communications, out ofIowa, on a virtual tour for its web-site.“The hope is to make it dynam-

ic, to do something more andbranchoff ofwhatwouldbea stan-dard virtual tour,” said Barry Tay-lor, FIU’s director of undergradu-ate admissions.Socialmedia this year has taken

a more important role at FIU thisyear, according to Matt Herzberg-er, director of Web communica-tions.“I think nowwe’re really getting

it to be something we spend a lotof time on, a real platform to con-nect on.”

VIRTUALContinued from Page 19

MCT PHOTO

Campus360 founders, from left, Abi Mandelbaum, Taher Baderkhan and Endri Tolka created theirbusiness to give students a way to see and get information on far away campuses and help narrowtheir college choices. The group is shown on Aug. 12, 2011, in Aventura, Fla.

An animated guide narrateswith information about thecampus and student life asusers click to "walk" throughcampus. Similar to how GoogleStreet View works, users clicktheir way to move theirthrough a series of progressive360-degree images from vari-ous points in the walking path,with audio facts playingthroughout notable landmarks.

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Lackawanna College is a two-year accreditedcollege. We offer over 30 majors and alarge number of certificate programsacross a wide academic range of interestin areas such as liberal studies, socialsciences, math and natural sciences,applied technology and health care services.Individual majors range from accountingto vascular technology and many more!

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LOS ANGELES -- Parents andtheir college-age sons anddaughters are tied by an elec-tronic umbilical cord. That’s thegood news -- and the bad news.It takes some effort on every-

one’s part if a family decidesthat frequent contact -- byphone, text, email, Skype orFacebook -- is not alwayshealthy for relationships.So what’s your average hover-

ing baby boomer parent to do?This is probably not welcomeadvice, but it’s repeated and re-peated throughout a new edi-tion of “Don’t Tell Me What toDo, Just Send Money: The Es-sential Parenting Guide to theCollege Years” (St. Martin’sPress, July 2011). Step back, theauthors say. Give up some con-trol. Think about the situationfrom the student’s point of view.Coauthor Helen E. Johnson

suggests that parents begin de-taching from their teenagers in

the sophomore year. That’s highschool, not college.Students should take the lead

in the college application proc-ess, she says, acknowledgingthat parents easily can be“sucked into maelstrom” ofcompetition for the best colleg-es.It’s no surprise that Johnson

and co-author Christine Schel-has-Miller are mothers as wellas professional experts in thistransition from child to adult.Johnson founded Cornell Uni-versity’s first parents’ program,and Schelhas-Miller teaches

about adolescence and emerg-ing adulthood there.So you can believe their de-

scriptions of the summer count-down to college. Parents feelstress about packing and plan-ning; teenagers don’t.The authors break down com-

mon moments, with sampleconversations followed by whatthe parent and child each mightbe thinking and how to ap-proach the tussle so that bothsides come out ahead -- or atleast not tearing their hair out.“The summer before they go

can be one of the toughest

times, I think,” Schelhas-Millersaid in a telephone interview.“They want to be autonomous.They’re anticipating the sep-

aration.Often they’re not getting or-

ganized, but you would likethem to get organized. Kidsstart pushing their parentsaway before they go.”The issues don’t disappear af-

ter that final dorm-room hug --and the gargantuan effort not tocry in front of the new room-mate.The fact that so many stu-

dents and parents are in touchevery day can make thingsworse.Parents can know too much

about late nights, carousingroommates, bad quiz grades orjust plain loneliness.Johnson calls it the stress

dump: “Everything is awful, I’mbehind in all my work, I’m notgetting any sleep, I just got a ter-rible grade on my paper.”She received just such a call

from a crying daughter, shesaid. And when she hung up,she asked her husband whatthey could do.He reminded her:“Isn’t this the stress dump? Idon’t think you’re supposed todo anything.”That, she said in an interview,

was her “aha!” moment, and itreflected a universalwish of par-ents: They don’t want their chil-dren to be in such pain.But Johnson suggested an-

other way to handle the mo-ment. “The best thing you cando is listen and maybe encour-age them to get help on campus,like, ’Go talk to your professor,’”she said. “Try to look at yourselfhonestly. What are you gettingout of being needed so much?”The authors also suggest

planning to talk once or twice aweek. “That means it’s inten-tional, not just this constantstream of contact with a childwho shares they got sprinkleson their ice cream cone,” John-son said.

A word of advice for parents: Be empatheticThe authors break down common moments,with sample conversations followed by whatthe parent and child each might be thinkingand how to approach the tussle so that bothsides come out ahead -- or at least not tear-ing their hair out.

By MARYMACVEANLos Angeles Times

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