Education Cuts Hurt Somebody-But Who? Non-Financial Aid Edition

I truly believe where there's a will, there's a way and with stick-to-it-iveness, things can be accomplished. But I say that as a girl who's never had a "safety school" and never been rejected from a college she's applied to. I have, in fact, rejected colleges. But with budget cuts, someone is going to feel the hurt. Let's see if we can find who that is and help them out. I do warn that what I say is from a Southern Californian point of view, though I feel my advice would benefit everyone.

Let's start with the most obvious of applicants: high school students. I'm actually more worried about them since the cost to support them all "four" years at a four-year school (four is in quotes because it can be closer to six years) is less than for them to transfer in as a junior. In fact, I've noticed that application dates for any given semester at some colleges has a later cut-off date for transfer students than freshman applicants. The formula for high school students is an easy concept though: get good grades, do well on the SATs, participate in extra-curricular activities, and write a good essay. I took a gamble in high school I don't think many students could afford to do these days, but I will point out I had a weighted 3.8 GPA and leadership roles in extra-curricular activities. I only got a 940 on the SATs. It wasn't exactly an earned 940; my dad and I learned I skipped a line on one of the tests and answered at least 20 questions on the wrong line. But I wasn't willing to sacrifice another $60 and another Saturday at sixteen, and felt a 940 was good enough. I did get into the school I applied to, but I rejected them when I couldn't get sufficient financial aid. With the budget cuts, I would suggest that students put up the money and give up the Saturday to take the test over. But that isn't to say you can't get in if you're not perfect: school's accept whichever students they think will offer their school the most. If you only have a 2.9, leadership in extra-curricular activities can help save you. If you're applying from out of state, I wish you good luck, because you have to stand out even more: everything otherwise equal, schools tend to accept local students first.

I suspect very little can hurt a transfer student...except a kink in their momentum. Say you finish all your requirements to transfer in a Fall semester. Many schools aren't letting students transfer mid-year any more... You would have to take a year off! And trust me, one year turns to five very quickly. Well, how would you like to get more credits out of your way while you wait? It takes 60 semester units to transfer as a junior, but you can transfer up to 72 semester units. That's about an extra semester's worth, so you can continue at your current school in the Spring and transfer it all the next fall. But you don't want to transfer next fall? Try to finish in summer school, then. Or if you're truly inclined...wait a year. My advice for out of state transfer students is the same as out of school high school students: do a lot to make yourself stand out.

So, who do I think that budget cuts are hurting? The out of state kid, the kid who doesn't want to waste time and money to retake a test, the kid who isn't doing extra-curricular activities, and college students who finished their transfer credits in the wrong semester. But who knows, if you write your essay on how you plan to overcome that diversity, you might have a shot.