I couldn’t help but think about college planning
during the AFC and NFC championship games this weekend,
could you?

Bear with me…here’s what I mean.

In each game, mistakes decided the outcome.  My
beloved Pats escaped OT when the Ravens kicker
pulled the tying field goal attempt left.

The Giants capitalized on two special teams errors
by the 49′rs – botched returns.

Each mistake had critical implications, denying the
Ravens and 49′rs Superbowl berths.

In my practice, I see parents – and children  -
committing even more important mistakes every day.

Mistakes like applying to the “wrong” colleges.

Or holding their college savings in the “wrong” types
of places.

Or listening to the WORST sources of information about
college planning – peers, uninformed fellow-parents
and, sadly, most guidance counselors.

The difference between a football mistake and a college
planning mistake is gi-normous:

An NFL guy goofs up, the season ends a week or two early.

But a college planning mistake can have repercussions that
last the rest of your child’s life.

I’m holding two college planning workshops this week – each
will disclose key, costly mistakes you must avoid if you
hope to pay less than “sticker” price for college.  You’ll walk
out of there with a spring in your step, confident that you
have finally started to formulate your gameplan to tackle the
college planning process.

Yes -  “tackle” – pun intended.

The workshop at the Mid-Island Y JCC is slightly over-booked,
but the workshop at the South Huntington Public Library
has approximately 18 spots left (it’s a big auditorium – not
quite as large as Lucas Oil Stadium).

www.CollegeFinanceWorkshop.com

The biggest mistake you can commit is blowing off this
process until you have no more options – and it’s too late
to try anything other than a desperate Hail Mary pass.

Come out to my workshop and you’ll feel like you scored a TD and
the Point After!

www.CollegeFinanceWorkshop.com

Hope to see you this week,

- Andy “The Belichick of College Finance” Lockwood

P.S.  Since I suspect many of you are not Pats fans, I promise NOT
to wear my Vince Wilfork 3XL jersey at the workshop…if you agree
not to bring up 2008!

P.P.S.  “Pass” this along to a friend or family member if you think
they could use it!

Dear Subscriber -

I had a funny thing happen to me the other day.

Lisa (my assistant) told me that she had information that I
wouldn’t like.

“What is it?” I asked.

She hesitated.  “Hofstra won’t let you hold your workshop there any longer.
They said it’s a ‘conflict.’”

Now, I’ve lectured on college finance strategies at Hofstra for
more than three years, I believe.   They’ve always
welcomed me with open arms.

But now, it seems like the elephant in the room has awakened.

Someone over there must have taken a peek at my ads that
talk about how to “Beat the overpriced, rip-off colleges at
their own game,” perhaps.

Geez, how OVERSENSITIVE can you be?!

And it was no use trying to explain, “Um, yeah, I meant
all the OTHER colleges…yeah, they’re the scammers, not
Hofstra of course!”

I didn’t try to fight it, actually – because I typically do not like
banging my head into a cement wall.  Or brown-nosing.

And, truthfully, I knew deep-down that Hofstra’s civic-minded
encouragement of my information was way past its shelf-life.

After all, if you were a college, would you like some “rogue” college
consultant coming onto your campus to teach parents

* How to play colleges off against each other to force them to
cough up more scholarships and grants

* How to legally and ethically “reposition” yourself financially
to become more eligible for grants and other financial aid than
you thought you deserved

* How to multiply your chances of graduating in four years, instead
of the average 5.5 years it currently takes

* Why you’d be a fool not to apply for grants and scholarships even
if you earn a healthy six-figure income

* How to improve a stinky-pants, low ball offer from the financial aid
office, without a gun!

Yeah, I guess that’s why most colleges don’t like me (sniff).

Look, I may cry myself to sleep tonight ,but don’t let this get YOU down.

In fact, you should make it a point to learn this information before the
colleges, student lenders, lobbyists or others force me to keep a lid
on my tips and strategies.

I’m conducting three workshops this month, in Roslyn, Plainview and
Huntington.  There are only a few seats left in Roslyn and Plainview, but
more availability in Huntington (S. Huntington Public Library).

www.lockwoodcollegefunding.com

There is currently no charge for the workshop, but the “stuff” you’ll
walk away with could be worth thousands – even tens of thousands
of ducats – to you.  Don’t miss out.

Your Correspondent,

- Andy Lockwood

P.S.  Please forward this to a friend or family member who feels overwhelmed
about getting in – and paying for – college in today’s tough times – they’ll
thank you for it.  If they – or you – have a Junior or Sophomore in high school,
NOW is the ideal time to get started.

www.lockwoodcollegefunding.com

P.P.S.  If you need more info, please do NOT call or e-mail – we are knee-deep
in “FAFSA Season” and  – please don’t take this the wrong way – Lisa simply does
not have time for chit-chat.  Just sign up for a workshop – chances are, most of your
questions will be answered there!
Lockwood College Consulting, 497 South Oyster Bay Road, Plainview NY, 11803© 2012 All rights reserved.

Dear Subscriber -

If you’ve been reading my newsletter for any period
of time, you won’t be shocked by my assertion that
college is a business.

You may not even register a hint of a surprise when
I tell you the number of college presidents who
made a Mill or more in 2009, according to a recent
Chronicle of Higher Education article:  39.  (There, I
told you right off the bat!)

But I know you WILL be surprised – even shocked -
when you find out what colleges some of these
presidents head!

First, I’ll dispatch with a couple not-so-surprising
ones:

* Nicholas Zappos – Vanderbilt University (1.89M)

* Jehuda Reinharz – Brandeis University *(1.53M)

I’ll stop here – most of the presidents of Ivy League
and other colleges with big endowments compensate
their presidents in this range.

But check out THESE college presidents:

* Charles Polk – Mountain State (1.8M).

* Jack Varsalona -Wilmington University (1.2M)

* Kevin Manning – Stevenson University (1.5M)

* Timothy Cloyd -  Hendrix College (1.1M)

* Frances Lucas – Milsaps College (1.2M)

* David Sargent – Suffolk University (1.48M)

* Steadman Upham – University of Tulsa (1.18M)

* Anthony Catanese  – Florida Institute of Technology ($983,349)

I would bet that most of you readers would have been
hard-pressed to identify ANY of these colleges as
employing a top-paid college president.

Honestly, if you even listed 50 colleges would any of
these showed up?

Colleges are businesses. They make business decisions,
including hiring whom they perceived as top-talent
to lead them.

Just the same way a corporation employs a CEO.

Each does so in an effort to maximize the value
to its stakeholders, whether manifested by college
ranking in US News and World Report, or stock
price.

If you want to maximize YOUR value, you’ve got to
learn how to navigate this process and beat the
colleges at their own game.

What kind of student are they looking for?

How do you convince them that you have what they want?

Why should they admit your child compared to the other
3,000 applicants with virtually the same grades and
scores?

How do you get merit-based scholarships and grants
out of them?

I answer many of these questions – and more – in my
book, “How to Pay ‘Wholesale’ for College.”

It’s an instantly downloadable, easy-to-read and,
at the risk of patting myself on the back too
vigorously, even entertaining at times.

If you pick up your copy now, you’ll also be
entitled to two bonus webinars:

* How NOT to Screw Up Your FAFSA – an online walk-through
of an actual FAFSA, highlighting the dangerous, m.oney-
losing shoals you must steer clear of and identifying
the m.oney-making “loopholes” that could save you
thousands – per year.  Available this month.

* A new webinar – “College Admissions Secrets” – How
to Make Admissions Officers Practically Crawl Naked
Over Broken Glass to Admit YOUR student.”  This
presentation goes beyond grades and scores, covering
the “right” extra-curricular activities to engage
in, the “Wrong” ones to steer clear of, College
Essay Tips and more.  You will be invited to this
bonus webinar in January.

These bonuses are available for people who buy this
month only.  So grab your instantly-downloadable copy now -
you won’t be sorry!

Your Correspondent,

- Andy Lockwood

P.S.  If you’re wondering, I don’t have anything against
these colleges for paying their presidents so much -
I’m not launching an “Occupy College” movement.
But I DO resent the deceptive way colleges depict themselves
as non-profit, holier-than-thou institutions of higher education,
above the crass, mercenary world of business. That’s
a load of B.S.   If you want to fall for it, fine. If not, arm
yourself with the knowledge you need to get the grants
and scholarships you deserve.  Here’s where to get
your copy, one last time.

Note – this post originally appeared as a special
edition of the College Success Bulletin, a publication
I send out twice per month to my e-mail list.  There
is no fee to subscribe – just visit my website and
select any of the information offered and you’ll be
subscribed automatically.

College Success Bulletin Special Report:
Why NYU Sucks

A client who would prefer anonymity referred
me to a recent Village Voice article that painted
an ugly picture that I’ve seen over and over.

Wilma (not her real name – but I told her I’d
come up with a goofy one if she didn’t let
me use her name) has a talented daughter who’s
first choice is NYU.

Despite my repeated snotty, snide comments about
NYU’s lack of generosity over the past months to
Wilma and her daughter, Gertrude (also not her real
name, but it’s fun to picture them rolling their eyes at
this piece), they still had it as Number 1 on their
personal list.

This is understandable – NYU is a cool place.
It’s done a great job marketing itself (last
year a record high 42,242 kids applied for
approximately 5,000 spots.

But how do they pay – and what happens to them
after graduation?

I won’t belabor the answer, because the
Village Voice article is very descriptive.
(Thanks again, Agnes! [Alternative name]).

But here are some highlights, or lowlights,
as the case may be.

* One student profiled in the article will
graduate with about $165,000 in debt.

* The student says that NYU indicated that
her award would increase after the first
semester – but it decreased.

* Tuition increased, however.

* NYU was “busted” by Attorney General
Cuomo for a kickback scheme involving
deceptive marketing practices. The scheme
earned NYU a cool 1.4 Mill over five years.

* NYU has made a choice to use its endowment
funding to expand locally – Brooklyn and
Governors Island – and beyond – Abu Dhabi
and China.

Since I’m on the verge of breaking my promise
NOT to belabor my point, I’ll stop here – and
give you a link to the article so you can
read and judge for yourself.

The bigger picture is that you can protect yourself
- or your son or daughter – from the fate suffered
by “Lyndsey” – the student profiled in the Village
Voice – who apparently isn’t as clever with fake
names as yours truly.

How?

* Research historic generosity of colleges BEFORE
you decide on your Number One choice.

* Apply to a group of colleges that have historically
competed against ONE ANOTHER for your “type” of
student…then play them off against each other
after the admissions offers come.

* Know the rules of financial aid – what assets
count against you more than others, what don’t
count at all. (Example: money in your child’s
name will be PENALIZED more than if it were
in your own name.)

* Beware the pitfalls lurking in the forms to
mess you up. One question asks how much the
student’s parents can afford to pay for college.
Another asks self-employed families to value
their businesses.

Where to you find out this information?

If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, a great resource
is the Common Data Set that each college reports.

This is detailed statistical information that
each college must report to the Department of
Education. For NYU, you’d google ‘NYU Common
Data Set.”

The College Board is also a great resource.

My college finance workshops are another good
overview of all of the above, and they are
currently f.ree of charge (but worth thousands,
thank you very much!).

www.LockwoodCollegeFunding.com

I hope you found this information valuable.

Your Correspondent,

- Andy Lockwood

P.S. I don’t really mean to pick on NYU that
much. It’s not the only college that’s deceptive
about financial aid. Here’s the link to the
Village Voice article – judge for yourself.

Andrew Lockwood, J.D.
Lockwood College Funding
497 South Oyster Bay Road
Plainview, New York 11803

516.882.5464

www.AndyLockwood.com

www.StudentAthleteMagazine.com

Dear Subscriber -

I spend a lot of time in these emails about how you should be
swayed by high “sticker prices” of college, because they
do not indicate the true “net cost.”

But even I was taken aback by some of these figures. Check
out this list of the 25 most expensive colleges in the country,
factoring in tuition, fees and room and board:

Most Expensive Colleges 2011-2012

1. Sarah Lawrence College $59,170
2. New York University $56,787
3. Columbia University $56,310
4. Harvey Mudd College $55,998
5. Eugene Lang College
(The New School) $55,890
6. Claremont McKenna $55,865
7. Wesleyan University $55,706
8. Bard College $55,617
9. Barnard College $55,566
10. Trinity College (CT) $55,450
11. University of Chicago $55,416
12. USC $55,384
13. Dartmouth College $55,365
14. Drexel University $55,335
15. Bates College $55,300
16. Johns Hopkins University $55,242
17. Vassar College $55,135
18. Bard College at
Simon’s Rock $55,110
19. Haverford College $55,050
20. Pitzer College $54,988
21. Fordham University –
Lincoln Center $54,972
22. Connecticut College $54,970
23. Bennington College $54,960
24. Occidental College $54,950
25. Carnegie Mellon $54,922

Source: Campus Grotto

Comments:

I bet you could have guessed two out of the top three
colleges on this list – but it’s unlikely you would have
come up with Sarah Lawrence if you had a gun to
your head.

Surprised who’s NOT on this list? Harvard, Yale, Princeton?
Amherst, Williams? Stanford? This list doesn’t correlate
with the most prestigious colleges.

Can someone please explain why Bennington and Bates,
in remote, upper New England states, cost practically the
same as colleges in New York City?

Would you cough up 55 G’s to attend Bard College OR
Bard College at Simon’s Rock. They’re great schools, but 55K?

And where the hell is Simon’s Rock, anyway? (I’m kidding about
that one, but did YOU know? Be honest.)

Most, but not all, of the colleges on this list are very generous
with tuition discounting. Sarah Lawrence meets 91% of financial
need, according to the College Board. NYU is particularly stingy
at 69% of need met, despite their huge endowment.

Like I said, there’s a big difference between “Sticker” and “True”
price. Check out an upcoming workshop if you want the
scuttlebutt on how to pay “Wholesale” for college.

www.LockwoodCollegeFunding.com

Your Correspondent,

- Andy Lockwood

Dear Subscriber -

This might be the most commonly asked question
I get this time of year:

“Should I Check the ‘Yes’ Box?”

In other words, will indicating on the Common Application
that you are applying for financial aid hurt your chances
of admission?

Many parents and students suspect -or believe -
that if they DO NOT check that box, they
increase their chances of getting in.

The rationale is that, because college
is a business, they want a certain amount
of kids paying sticker price – and they’ll
admit them first, ahead of kids who cannot
pay full fare.

In other words, if you can afford to pay
the full cost of attendance, your chances
of getting in are just a smidge better.

I won’t lie to you, this is not an easy
question to answer. Because there’s no
hard, statistical evidence one way or the
other.

But understand the following points about this
issue:

First, hardly any admissions officer in America
will say – on the record – that full-pay students
get priority consideration.

Many colleges trumpet their “need-blind” policies,
which state that if a student is qualified for
admission, it doesn’t matter whether she needs
financial aid or not.

That being said, we know that this is not ALWAYS
the case from off the record comments.

A year or two ago the New York Times published
an “inside” article at a competitive college’s
admissions office that described how the officers
were asked to remove 100 qualified students in
the “needs aid” pile and replace them with “full-
pay” students.

What college?

Reed College, in Oregon.

Never heard of it?

Have you heard of a company called “Apple?” A
guy named Steve Jobs?

Jobs went to Reed. (I’ll pause while you
recover from the awe you must be feeling at
my ability to make this piece extra topical…
OK?)

Anyhow, it’s undeniable that Reed was not the
only college forced to make such decisions.
There have been a smattering of articles recently
describing similar practices at other top schools.

But I believe that this is not as meaningful
as many parents think. Consider the economic
framework at the top colleges.

Through establishing a superior brand and by
aggressive marketing efforts, America’s
most prestigious colleges have created a
crazy, weird demand for their spots.

The result is that many admit less than 10% of
applicants.

And their wait lists regularly exceed
one thousand applicants, each.

So they don’t have a problem filling their
slots. In other words, supply is far
exceeded by demand.

Financial Aid offices and admissions offices
balance the amount of full-price-paying kids
with those receiving tuition discounts.
It might be 55% who want aid, and 45% who
do not request it, for example.

But as long as the top colleges enjoy this pent
up demand for their slots, their admissions
offices will have no problem filling
their classes up with each type of student.

That’s why I say that, if your student
is qualified to get in – it’s immaterial
whether he or she needs scholarships, grants
or student loans. Sure, in some, rare cases,
it can help marginally.

But let’s say that you simply cannot float the
cost without assistance from the college, but
you do not check off the “Yes” box.

Then your child gets in, and you quickly submit
a financial aid application. Now what?

Again, this answer is not based on scientific
or statistical evidence. But I know from
off-the-record, late night comments at boring
conferences that admissions and financial aid
officers “get” that you’re trying to game the
system.

Will they deny you every last cent of financial
aid? No. But they will feel less inclined to
offer you the full amount that you deserve,
on paper, according to the formulas used by
the financial aid office.

I recommend starting out on the right foot with
your new relationship with the college. If you
need financial aid, be up front and honest about
it.

- Andy

P.S. It’s one thing to indicate you need
financial aid – it’s quite another to get the
maximum you could qualify for. For example,
how do the formulas work? Why do some colleges
have more grants and scholarships to give than
others?

I’m hosting two f.ree college finance workshops
in the next three weeks. You’re invited.

Please feel free to invite anyone you think may
benefit from information like this – which is
merely scratching the surface of how the whole
process works.

Send them this email and they’ll love you forever!

Here’s the link to register:

www.LockwoodCollegeFunding.com

Andrew Lockwood, J.D.

The big news around Long Island the other day was the arrest of the
Emory University student alleged to have taken the SAT – again and again -
on behalf of at least six Great Neck high school students.

For roughly 2,000 clams a pop.

Apparently this enterprising young man spent several weekends flyng
from college to sit for the SAT on behalf of his clients.

I know what you’re thinking, “What if you can’t afford 2,000
to hire someone to take the test”

(You were thinking that, right?)

The answer – check out the growing list of colleges that do not
require the SAT. There are 850 on this list.  Of course, I’m betting
that there are at least 750 that you would never entertain even
a hint of a passing thought of applying to, but there are several surprises
on this list – even to me.

Here’s the link – check it out!

http://fairtest.org/university/optional

I don’t see this list growing too much, because, like it or not, SAT
performance IS a good predictor of how well a child will do
in college.  So colleges will not be that quick to abandon it.

Fair?  Nope.

It’s just the way it is.

Here’s another predictor, one I’m sure you’ll also think is not fair:

Family affluence.

Yup, kids from relatively affluent homes tend to do better in
college than students from poorer households.

Like I said, it’s not fair or unfair, good or bad.  It just “is.”

But if your student is torturing himself because he can’t
crack a certain score on the SAT, I suggest you consult the
list.   Plenty of great colleges on there.

I hope you found this post helpful,

Your Correspondent,

- Andy Lockwood

Dear Subscriber -

Today’s USA Today ran a story about how more
college admissions officers are using Facebook
to check out applicants.  Apparently this
practice has quadrupled in the past year.

A few comments.

* Is this really news?  Front page news? Maybe
I’m in a weird bubble, but didn’t you know
this already?

* Notwithstanding my crankiness, you really need
to “audit” your various and sundry social media
footprints to avoid showing admissions officers
your formidable chugging talents or other skills
that should remain undisclosed.  Some kids
create a false personna for Facebook (Nom de
Facebook?), which is not a bad idea.

* 24% of admissions officials at 359 “selective”
colleges say they use Facebook.  My guess is
that the real number is at least double that
amount.

* Another cranky comment – check out how stupid
some of these admissions folks are – the article
quoted a Kenyon College (a great school, by
the way) official as strongly against this
practice, comparing it to “wire-tapping phones
and reading diaries.”

Really?  Phone calls and diaries are private – or
at least that’s the expectation of the caller/
writer.

Posting goofy photos of you at the concert does
not even remotely compare – you’re telling the
outside world, “Hey, look at me!!!!”

Bottom line – understand that your digital
footprint will be looked at by someone.  If not
by an admissions officer, a potential employer.

If not a potential employer, your kids, grand-
kids, great-great-grandkids and so on down the
line.

so keep the embarrassing stuff private, will
ya?

Your Correspondent,

- Andy Lockwood

P.S.  I’ve recorded a brand new workshop about
College Endowment-based Scholarships.  Check
it out  – no charge – at

www.LockwoodCollegeFunding.com