Want tips for an upcoming Princeton interview? Wondering whether to send your ACT scores to US colleges? Need advice on filling out international financial aid forms?

Did you know that College Confidential has a discussion forum that is dedicated to international students? Check out the questions posed by others, or ask your own.

See http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/international-students/

This winter, as high school seniors wait for their admission verdicts, it’s time for the juniors to wade into the college selection and application quagmire … and a unique search option can help. SuperMatch–a new college-selection tool created by Hobsons (parent company to USA Education Guides and College Confidential) can assist prospective students as they identify U.S. colleges and universities that meet their preferences and academic profiles.

SuperMatch stands out from other existing college search tools in a couple significant ways:

#1. SuperMatch provides “fuzzy matching.” This means that you can select how important each criterion is for you, and the search won’t eliminate every school that isn’t a perfect match. For instance, let’s say you indicate on the search questionnaire that you would like to attend college in the Northeast USA. Most search engines will discard all schools outside that geographical region before you get your results. But SuperMatch will ask you if your preference is “Kinda Important,” “Very Important” or a “Must Have.” So, if several institutions in different parts of the country meet all your other needs, these schools won’t automatically be eliminated. Instead, they will still come up on your “Results” list, but you’ll get to see right away that they don’t fit your preferences 100% … and why.

#2. SuperMatch provides “soft criteria.” Sure, a college might be just the right size, and in the part of the country you want, and it offers all your top-choice majors. But is it really the spot for you? What if you want a place with a liberal student body, or one where students seem to love to party … or maybe where they don’t? Although such factors are based more on opinion than fact, it can still be helpful to get a shove in the proper direction when you’re convinced that a specific campus climate is a high priority.

But as you look for a “super” match, be wary of settling only for what you think is a “perfect” one. A recent article in U.S. News & World Report cautions against focusing on only a single school. Admittedly, I’ve often preached that, when choosing a college, the best “fit” is more critical than the prestige of the name on the sweatshirt. But, on the other hand, as U.S. News writer Kim Clark wisely notes, “Now, a few counselors are starting to worry that the emphasis on college ‘fit’ is giving too many high schoolers the romantic—and possibly harmfully inaccurate—notion that there is a ‘perfect match’ college out there for them. In fact, these counselors argue, typically dozens, or even hundreds, of colleges out of America’s 4,300 accredited degree-granting institutions would serve a student well. … The focus on a ‘perfect fit’ college not only makes students miserable, but can be a waste of time and energy because the typical high schooler doesn’t actually know what he or she wants in a college.”

For the whole article, see http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2011/01/19/searching-for-a-perfect-fit-college-can-be-a-big-mistake

So, whether you’re using SuperMatch to create your college list or you’re relying on advice from counselors, guidebooks, Web sites, friends or others, don’t focus only on those places that seem to meet your current needs 100 percent. Instead, be open to other options that might become great fits down the road as you learn and mature.

Looking for the best places for you or your family to stay when you visit U.S. colleges–hotels that will give you a feel for your potential new city and not just for the campus and its immediate surroundings? Check out http://www.academicambassadors.com/.

Okay, I admit that this is a shameless plug for a good friend’s business. But I’m including it here because I think it’s a great idea that could help some international students and their families.

My buddy Adam Siegel launched this endeavor not quite a decade ago when he was working as a fundraiser at Smith College in Massachusetts. Through his job, he traveled around the U.S. wooing donations for Smith and, while doing so, he realized that there were so many college-affiliated travelers on the road (admissions officials, advancement folks, professors, etc.) that there might be a way to create a loose affiliation of all of the above that could translate into hotel group rates.

So Adam contracted with various hotels across the country (most in urban areas) that have agreed to provide reduced rates and other benefits (e.g., upgrades when available) to Academic Ambassadors members.

But here’s where international students can benefit:

1) Anyone can join Academic Ambassadors for free. It takes about 30 seconds to join, and you don’t need to be an admission or advancement official, a professor, etc. Prospective members can just sign on as “college student” or “college parent,” etc., listing their college—or their child’s college–under “Institution.”

2) Adam has great taste in hotels, especially when it comes to getting people to the best part of town. For instance, if you will be heading to an unfamiliar place to start school in September (Milwaukee or Miami, Chicago or Dallas, etc.) choosing an Academic Ambassadors hotel is likely to land you in a nice neighborhood, often with cafes and restaurants within walking distance. Admission office Web sites may offer hotel suggestions, too, but I’ve found that they can often favor chain hotels on highways or are not as discriminating as Adam is when it comes to picking out the best spots. Granted, many families will prefer chain hotels on highways, but if you or your parents really want to really experience the new city where you will spend four years, then Academic Ambassadors can be an excellent starting point.

If you make your reservation through Academic Ambassadors, you can count on getting a great hotel at the best available rate. But AA hotels aren’t always the cheapest hotels around. If you find that they’re out of your price range, note that College Confidential also has a “Campus Vibe” section (http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/vibe/) where CC members review their college visits and often provide suggestions of convenient hotels on or near college campuses. Many institutions, especially the larger universities or any college with a hotel-management major, have hotels right on campus that offer discounts to admission visitors. So check with admission offices to see if there are hotels on campus and to find out if these—or any others—provide lower rates to admissions guests. In addition, you can ask if there is an opportunity for prospective students to spend the night in a college dorm, hosted by a current student. You may not get the posh decor, high-thread-count sheets, or terry robes that you might find at an Academic Ambassadors hotel, but you’ll certainly get an up-close look at what your life might be like in the years just ahead.

At many American colleges, “agent” is still a dirty word. Unlike “advisors” or “counselors,” “agents” are typically individuals who are hired by colleges to recruit students. The college pays an agent for each recruited student who enrolls. Some agents “double dip,” meaning that they receive a fee at both ends … from the student who is placed and also from the college the student attends.

In the U.S., it is illegal to pay an agent to recruit domestic students, but this same prohibition does not extend to foreign ones. And, increasingly, in tough economic times, even some U.S. college admission officials who once scorned the use of agents in the past are now open to the idea. See http://new.oacac.com/2010/08/24/from-taboo-to-hot-topic/

But, when working with agents … whether you are an institution or an individual … it’s important to do everything you can to seek out those who are experienced and scrupulous and to watch for warning signs that you may be making a bad choice. The lists below can help you to know the difference.

WHAT TO AVOID:

Be wary of agents or advisors who …

- promote colleges you aren’t interested in attending, even after you’ve researched unfamiliar recommendations and have explained to your agent why these schools aren’t well suited to you. (But, on the other hand, do give consideration to new options that seem like good matches. See “Look for Agents who …”, below.)

-primarily direct you to proprietary (for-profit) colleges and universities, not non-profit.

-guarantee that they can “get you admitted” to your top-choice U.S. colleges. In particular, if your top-choice schools are the most sought-after ones, those that admit 30% or fewer of their applicants, then run as fast as you can when you hear a “guarantee.” (Note, however, that when an agent offers a guarantee, it is not the same as saying that a college is “Safe” for you. Good counselors will be able to assess whether an institution is a “Reach,” “Realistic,” or “Safe” choice. Compare your statistics, especially grades, SAT’s, and TOEFL scores with the medians at your target colleges to see if you are getting sound advice. If you are applying for financial aid, NO college is ever truly “Safe.”)

-promise to fill out applications for you and, especially, to write your essays. In the last Admissions Without Borders, you read how “‘Secret Agents’ Can Hurt Your U.S. College Acceptance Chances”. Remember, when your application essays are not in sync with your TOEFL scores, SAT/ACT scores, and writing samples, admission committees are likely to discredit your entire application. Admission officials are also skilled at identifying other details that don’t mesh, such as false claims of athletic abilities, leadership roles, or major awards.

LOOK FOR AGENTS WHO …

- are honest about which colleges will compensate them when their advisees enroll. It’s not necessarily a negative to matriculate at a college that will pay a fee to your agent, but you need to carefully research suggested colleges to see if they seem to meet your preferences and academic profile. (And, of course, it’s not always possible to tell if your agent is being straightforward with you. That’s why you have to look for warning flags, like the insistence that your best chances are at proprietary colleges or at those colleges that don’t seem to suit your needs and interests.) In fact, you may be better served by working with an independent counselor who is not an agent. This counselor will charge you a fee (and an agent may not, since he or she expects to be paid by colleges). The idea of fee-free guidance may be attractive, but it could also limit your choices to those schools that provide your agent with a commission.

- suggest colleges you haven’t heard of but which do seem like good choices for you after you’ve researched them carefully. Too often, international students are focused on a short list of well known colleges and universities that are out of reach for most applicants. If you’re determined to attend college in the U.S., you may have to be open to a broader roster of options. But, remember, if you are applying for financial aid, your grades and test scores usually need to be MUCH higher than the college medians. (Good agents should direct you to such places and will warn you of how difficult it is to get financial aid, even when your profile is stronger than that of the typical admitted freshman.)

- can verify that they have experience working with students in your country and outside it and who seem knowledgeable about a range of overseas college and universities, about the application and financial aid process, and about the logistics of obtaining a visa. Ask for references and check them carefully. Let your instincts help you determine if the references are genuine, or if the names on the list are the agent’s uncles and cousins.

“Agent” need not be a dirty word. The U.S. college search and application process can be a confusing maze, especially when you are not in an American school and when your classmates aren’t making the journey with you. It can be helpful to have a seasoned guide to lead the way. But do be cautious when you choose this guide. Make sure that you end up where you really should be and don’t land at a place that is most beneficial to the agent, but not to you.

Last year, my friend and colleague, “Sarita” (not her real name), returned to her native India to tend a sick relative. Sarita is an independent college counselor here in the United States. Because she had spent her childhood in India and still has many ties there, she was optimistic that she could relocate her counseling business to India, too. However, as she began to search for prospective advisees, she repeatedly encountered the same surprising expectation: Students (and, especially, their parents) assumed that Sarita would be writing their application essays. They didn’t think she would be merely reviewing them or even editing them. Instead, they thought that she would do all the work! But, when Sarita explained that the applicant had to write his or her own essay, the prospective clients went elsewhere, claiming, “The other counselors will write the essays and fill out the applications!”

During her months in India, Sarita discovered that there were many college advisors and “agents” who did indeed write essays and who completed applications for their students and who even promised sure-thing acceptance at top-choice colleges due to their purported ties to these institutions.

Sarita, however, refused to write student essays or to complete applications … not just for the obvious ethical reasons but also because she was experienced enough to know that such falsified documents are often very obvious to admission officials. A student who has the grades, test scores, and other strengths to be a viable candidate at a highly selective U.S. college might be turned away when admission officials sniff out application dishonesty. So Sarita realized that those “sure thing” acceptances were often empty promises.

Last week I read a related post on the NACAC (National Associate for College Admission Counseling) listserve. It came from Anne Richardson, the Director of College Counseling at Kents Hill School, a private boarding school in the state of Maine. (See her “AdmissionsQuest” blog here. )

Anne Richardson is Director of College Counseling and also Director of the International and ESL Programs at Kents Hill School

She gave me permission to share what she wrote:

We have now confronted our third case this fall of overly keen agents abroad writing and rewriting college essays for our students. We have had agents add school traditions that do not exist in our school, change genders of teachers and coaches, invent life-changing circumstances, convert our students into instant Ph.D. caliber writers, embrace all manner of flowery adult language that has no bearing on teenage writing, and more.

This has been an endless discussion in our office, and we have come up with a plan which I share with you all, in case any of you confront the same issues and find this helpful.

1. Any school or college will find this unacceptable.

2. NACAC finds this unacceptable and agents will be reported to Overseas ACAC.

3. College admissions folk expect essays written by teenagers and are instantly suspicious when they are not. If the colleges suspect a problem, they can and will compare the essay to the SAT writing sample. If they are not compatible, the colleges will be question the entire application.

4. This could seriously jeopardize a student’s chances of admission at any college to which s/he applies, particularly because the student signs a document saying that the work is his/her own. From the Common App: I certify that all information submitted in the admission process – including the application, the personal essay, any supplements, and any other supporting materials – is my own work, factually true, and honestly presented …”

We also ask that the parents discuss these issues with the agents that they hire.

I don’t pretend that this will solve the issue overnight; it may scarcely make a dent. However, we feel that it is important that the parents become aware of the issue, as they are the ones hiring the agents in addition to the services we offer. If the parents understand the magnitude of the potential problems and damage that this can cause to a student’s college applications, maybe the system will slowly begin to change and the good agents will supplant the not so good ones.

Like Sarita, Anne Richardson and the other administrators at Kents Hill recognize that application “doctoring” by agents and other outside advisors can ultimately jeopardize a candidate’s admission chances. Sure, there are students—both international and domestic—who cheat on applications and get away with it. But, increasingly, college admission officials are looking closely for signs of dishonesty, and applications from international students often get extra scrutiny.

Years ago, when I worked in the office of admission at Smith College, my director, Nanci Tessier (now Vice President for Enrollment Management at the University of Richmond) used to exhort her staff members to “be detectives.” She showed us how to watch for inconsistencies and for other “flags” that might suggest that information on the application was exaggerated or downright untrue. (Example: A teacher recommendation describes a senior as “smart but almost pathologically shy.” The student lists on the application that she is president of her school’s student government. This seems an unlikely role for a timid teenager and, after a follow-up phone call, it does turn out to be a fabrication.)

Similarly, essays written by adults are often easy to spot, especially when the “voice” in the essay doesn’t resemble the one in the writing section of the SAT or ACT. Admission officials do give their applicants the benefit of the doubt. They understand that an essay composed under pressure during a timed session can’t benefit from the same careful editing that an application essay might. But, even so, as Anne Richardson points out, there are many essays—especially from foreign students who are not native English speakers—that set off alarm bells in admission offices.

After Ms. Richardson posted her comments on the NACAC listserve, other admission professionals responded by agreeing that they, too, are struggling to convey to international students and their parents that the assistance they receive from agents and other overseas advisors is not only unscrupulous but also inaccurate.

Of course, the U.S. college admissions maze is difficult to navigate … even for Americans who attend high schools where all their peers are enduring the same confusion and where skilled college counselors may be available to serve as guides. So it’s understandable that parents who live outside the U.S., who are new to this process, and who may not speak English will be eager to enlist a seasoned expert to lead them.

But keep in mind that any “expert” who volunteers to write essays, to complete applications, or who promises acceptance at specific colleges is truly not an expert at all. Even if they insist that their involvement will be “secret,” it is likely that the essays they write will be viewed as inauthentic in admission offices (and they may even recycle the same essays among multiple clients!). Telltale signs of agent involvement will hurt chances of acceptance more than any agent assistance will help. Thus, when hiring a private consultant, look for those like Sarita who can provide evidence of appropriate education and experience, a list of references (preferably from students outside your home nation as well as within it), and who—above all—insist that they will help you to understand the application expectations but won’t do the work for you.

Next Admissions Without Borders: How to benefit from working with agents … ethically

I’ve long been a believer in what I call the “Groucho Marx Theory.” Marx was an American actor and comedian, who is credited with saying, “I don’t care to belong to a club that accepts people like me as members.”

So my contention is that, if it’s human nature to eschew organizations that are welcoming to all, it’s likewise human nature to seek membership in those that are the most exclusive. I’ve long insisted that, if America’s hyper-competitive institutions would accept students via lottery (even if certain standards were required to gain entrance into the lottery pool), then these universities might lose some of their luster, and high school seniors would be less determined to gain a place at only a small handful of institutions and might be more willing to search more widely to find the best fit.

On a related note, I came across this editorial this morning in Princeton University’s Daily Princetonian,”Trying to join the Indians-at-Princeton club.” It was written by Srijit Ghosh, a high school student in New Dehli, who is hoping to be admitted to Princeton this year. Ghosh discusses the huge numbers of Indian applicants who aim for this New Jersey Ivy League university and other “elite” U.S. colleges … as well as the daunting odds of getting good news at decision time. Ghosh claims that Princeton’s overall acceptance rate is merely 8.8 percent but that these slim chances drop down to just 3 percent for Indian aspirants. He borrows this latter figure from College Confidential, where you’ll find an entire discussion forum aimed specifically at Indian students. (See http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/india/ ) I’ve pointed out for years that Indian students—whether from the U.S. or abroad—are held to a higher standard at America’s most celebrated colleges than those from other backgrounds. It’s a somewhat controversial stance but one with which many do agree, albeit sometimes quietly.

According to Ghosh, among the allures of American universities for Indian candidates is the lack of specific acceptance imperatives … no minimum SAT scores, GPA, or required extracurricular achievements. The absence of clear criteria creates a huge element of unpredictability which is often a source of complaints among many students and parents and yet which, perhaps ironically, Ghosh calls a “refreshingly open system” and thus a plus for Indians who are accustomed to strict entrance exam cut-off scores at their own most selective institutions.

Another irony, notes Ghosh, is that the low acceptance rates at Princeton is yet another attraction to Indian candidates who are drawn to the exclusiveness that such statistics provide. So that’s my Groucho Marx theory once again. We all do tend to want what we’re not likely to get.

In previous “Admissions Without Borders” blogs, you may have read about proprietary colleges and how they can be a magnet for international students.

Proprietary schools are “for-profit” institutions (as opposed to most U.S. colleges and universities that are “non-profit”). For-profit colleges may offer “brick and mortar” campuses (i.e., actual physical sites where students take classes), only-online courses, or a combination of both.

These schools can be attractive to international students because:

-they often admit all or most applicants. Test scores are usually not required and, if they are, low scores are rarely a barrier to acceptance.

-they may offer loans to international applicants who can’t otherwise get them

-their admission representatives typically promise speedy degree completion and excellent job prospects

While proprietary colleges can certainly be legitimate options for international students, it’s important to tread extra carefully when considering such schools. This week, The New York Times highlighted several reasons for such caution in, “Scrutiny Takes Toll on For-Profit College Company.” NYT writer Tamar Lewin noted that:

On average, for-profit colleges spend about 30 percent of their revenue on advertising and marketing.

Such schools enroll about 11 percent of the nation’s college students, and get a quarter of all federal student aid. But their students account for 43 percent of those defaulting on student loans.

The article also claimed that proprietary college graduates often finish their schooling with substantial loans (which they often cannot repay) and limited job opportunities—not at all the career success promised by admission staff, which is a common critique made of for-profit schools.

Thus, the U.S. department of education is currently considering a proposal that would curtail federal financing to those programs whose graduates “have high debt-to-income ratios and low repayment rates.” New “gainful employment rules,” if implemented, could force disclosure of job-placement statistics and provide prospective proprietary-college applicants with a tool to help weigh the value of a for-profit degree.

Although international students rarely benefit from U.S. federal financial aid (only U.S. citizens and permanent residents qualify) or may not require financial assistance in the first place, the U.S. government scrutiny of for-profit colleges should be a warning flag to any applicant.

For more proprietary college pros and cons and on the proposed “gainful employment” rules that may restrict federal funding, see: http://www.nebhe.org/2010/11/03/for-profit-colleges-futile-degrees-or-fruitful-employment/ and http://www.nextstudent.com/student-loan-blog/blogs/sample_weblog/archive/2010/10/18/New-Bill-Bans-Restrictions-on-Student-Loans-at-For-Profit-Colleges.aspx

At many U.S. colleges and universities, October is the time for mid-term exams, heated football rivalries, fall foliage rambles, and, above all, for the long-held tradition of “Parents Weekend,” when Mom and Dad trek to campus to reunite with their sons and daughters while surreptitiously checking under dorm-room beds and on closet floors for mildewing laundry and fossilized pizza crusts.

In recent years, the term “Family Weekend” has often replaced the time-honored “Parents Weekend” in acknowledgment of the fact that today’s collegians hail from a broad range of backgrounds. Some have been raised by Grandma and Grandpa, some by more distant relatives or guardians. Some are themselves adults with spouses and children in tow at “Family Weekend” festivities.

But, for many of the nearly 700,000 international students studying at U.S. institutions, this annual occasion is neither “Parents Weekend” nor even “Family Weekend.” Indeed, when home is multiple thousands of miles away, the activity-packed autumn event could merely be called “Weekend”—distinguished only from other weekends by the onslaught of classmates’ loved ones–a grim reminder to international students that they might have to wait months … or years … to see their own.

Thus, I was pleased and amused to read an article yesterday (October 25, 2010) in Yale University’s Yale Daily News called “International Students Beat Family Weekend Blues.” According to the story, Yale’s International Students’ Organization offered distractions for those without guests, including a “Who’s Your Daddy?” dessert party where freshmen were paired with upperclass “parents.”

When I was a freshman at a women’s college, my alma mater hosted “Father’s Weekend.” This was in an era, more than four decades ago, when most students came from traditional two-parent households, and few looked askance at this now outdated concept.

But my own father had died just two months before my first “Father’s Weekend,” and seeing all my friends with their dads was nearly unbearable. So I have great empathy for today’s international students who find Family Weekend to be a lonely time. I applaud efforts like those at Yale to provide alternatives. I also suggest that “Family Weekend” on campus might be a good “Road Trip Weekend” for international students … perhaps a chance to visit friends from home on other campuses, especially those places where “Family Weekend” is already over!

–Do want to study in America, but your English skills aren’t strong enough?
–Are language classes too expensive or would you rather find a better way to improve your fluency ?
–Do you love kids and enjoy spending time with them?
–Are you good-natured, responsible, and flexible?
–Are you over 18 but under 26?

If you’ve answered “Yes” to all these questions,there may be a way for you to perfect your English … and get paid for it at the same time.

Have you considered spending a year (or even two) working as an “au pair” America?

An “au pair” is a household helper who lives with a “host family,” usually in a foreign country. The term “au pair” is French, and it means “on a par.” In other words, an au pair is not a servant. He or she is treated with the same respect that is accorded to every family member. The au pair duties focus on child care not on cooking or cleaning, although there will inevitably be some of each that is related to tending children.

The Au Pair program in the U.S. is sponsored by the Department of State. This means that it is completely legal, appropriate visas are provided, and there are specific rules that govern salary, work hours & conditions, vacations, and educational benefits. You can read more about these here: http://exchanges.state.gov/jexchanges/programs/aupair.html

You will see that your salary will be close to $200 U.S. per week, with a day and a half off every week, plus your own room and all meals and a stipend to take classes. (You must complete at least six hours of academic credit during your year in the U.S. at an accredited US post-secondary educational institution.) You will have one free weekend each month

In order to be eligible to serve as an au pair, you must be proficient in spoken English, but the standards of such “proficiency” are well below what most U.S. colleges expect. Typically, your English will be assessed during an interview instead of via an examination. You will have to go through an application process that can feel similar to the college admissions process. (In addition to the interview, you will probably write an essay, submit references, proof of high school graduation, and a list of your child-care experience. You will also take a psychological evaluation that is designed to evaluate mental health more than mental genius ).

There are currently 13 agencies that are authorized by the Department of State. (See link to list, below.) In considering the different agencies, look carefully at agency fees, which will vary (and some agencies will charge a fee when you apply; others only do so once you are placed with a family).

Also check out which countries are served by each agency (yours may not be) and where placements are located. (In addition to the U.S., you can master English in such other locales as Great Britain and Australia.)

But don’t think of the au pair experience as a paid vacation in America. The screening process is a thorough one, and the responsibilities–if selected–are great. But the opportunity can also be “great,” in a different way, and could be an excellent stepping stone to a full-time overseas education when you’re finished.

More au pair information from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Au_pair

For a list of designated-sponsor agencies, go to: http://eca.state.gov/jexchanges/index.cfm?fuseaction=record.list&cat=2

Thinking of broadening your horizons by heading to the U.S. for college? Well, perhaps consider broadening them even more. Yesterday U.S. News & World Report senior writer Kim Clark alerted me to her new story with the intriguing headline, “Some Top International Colleges Offer Free Tuition.

I turned to my 13-year-old son, who will be facing the college selection process all too soon, and said, “Where do we sign up?” and “What language will you have to learn?”

I was only half kidding … and even less so when I delved into the article and discovered that many of the featured universities require only three years of study for a bachelor’s degree and that some offer a curriculum in English.

Of particular interest was the University of Amsterdam, which draws students from around the world to a city I’ve always loved, and which offers a number of academic options for English-speakers.

Although Kim Clark’s article also cites some of the negative aspects of choosing an overseas education, most of these issues–which include “hassles” and “homesickness”–are those that international students aiming for U.S. colleges would probably encounter anyway.

So if you’re eager to pursue your education outside of your home nation, do keep in mind that there are a range of highly ranked institutions that will truly offer “admissions without borders.”

See a slide show of the universities featured in Kim Clark’s story:
http://www.usnews.com/education/worlds-best-universities/slideshows/world-bargain-universities