Sometimes you attend a session at a workshop that is a real sleeper session. I don't mean a session that you sleep during, I mean a session that you go into assuming it will be about one, relatively straightforward thing, and leave with your mind racing about how many different facets there were to this previously simplistic issue. The session I attended on Saturday morning about Net Price Calculators (NPC) was a sleeper session.
I went into it figuring that I should brush up on NPCs because they will be mandated to be available from every school starting in November. (For those looking for some background, a NPC will allow a family to get a financial aid estimate from the college well before their official package is calculated. It isn't final, but it is supposed to illuminate how much the school will actually cost the student out of pocket.) What I discovered wasn't so much how the NPCs will work. Turns out they will be individualized to each college, some more complicated than others, usually with the more complicated and longer the calculator the more accurate the estimate is assumed to be. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. What the panelists shared is that some schools may actually use the NPC as a yield tool; research shows that students that complete a NPC are actually better prospects than those that don't. In other words, completing the NPC is actually way to show demonstrated interest. Schools are also going to be forced to be much more transparent much earlier in the process, showing their hand, if you will, before a student has even pressed submit. This is going to be particularly influential at schools where merit aid is awarded as students may end up shopping around to find schools that are going to throw some scholarships their way. I really loved how this session made me think about the NPC in a new and deeper way. I'm very very eager to see how this all plays out in the next year. Will there be any influence on application rates? Deposit rates? Will fewer huge loans be taken out? I encourage any senior to run through the NPC for each of their schools once they make their list. If you don't end up with any affordable numbers, maybe reconsider swapping out a school or two. (Remember, NPC is only an estimate, no financial aid package is complete until the FAFSA is completed in January and the offers are made by the Financial Aid office).Visit here to see a compilation of some of the existing NPCs out there.
The last session I attended was a panel discussion of current high school and college students in the New Orleans area who were questioned by the audience about the use of technology in the college process. As a person with a college office blog, I was interested to see what students had to say. Some of it was things I knew already (high school students are not on twitter). Other things surprised me (high school students react positively to being called by colleges after they have applied). But one thing that I commend the session on most is the use of real live students instead of just industry experts. More NACAC sessions could benefit from student involvement.
Many thanks to the supportive PTA for sponsoring my trip to NACAC. My colleague noted the disproportionately small number of public school counselors in comparison to private and independent counselors at NACAC. I'm so fortunate to be able to represent a New York City public school. Thank you!
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