Words.
"For low-income applicants to U.S. colleges, April remains the cruelest month. By early April, almost all admission decisions are known. Colleges shift from screening applications to wooing admitted students. Affluent students can attend "pre-frosh" events and enjoy being courted.
Most low-income applicants, however, spend April trying to figure out whether they can afford to pursue their dreams.
...Our country needs a better system.
For low-income families, particularly those whose students will be the first generation to attend college or who are not native English speakers, understanding whether they can afford to send a child to college can be the hardest part of the admission process.
The federal government has helped in some ways. In 2009, the number of students who submitted the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) jumped almost 21 percent. The newly simplified FAFSA and the FAFSA4caster, which gives an early estimate of likely federal funding, assist all low-income applicants, especially first-generation-to-college students. The student loan overhaul that President Obama recently signed will make it easier for parents to borrow federal funds and for future graduates to repay student loans. The legislation included a slight boost in the number and size of Pell grants, which are based on need, but that won't transform the financial aid landscape.
...As a matter of fairness, colleges should make sure their practices at this time of year encourage -- not discourage -- the enrollment of first-generation-to-college students. Colleges should also recognize that students' difficult experiences with the financial aid office affect how many admitted students decide to attend.
Colleges that accept the common application should take the lead in simplifying next year's delivery of financial aid information by using a common offer form. If they agreed to enclose such a form with each admission decision, or at the latest by April 15, low-income students would have at least two weeks in which to review and compare offers, refer questions and clarifying information to the same aid official, confirm their final choice, and submit their enrollment deposit by May 1. Low-income students would have more time to enjoy good news in April, and -- most important -- better tools to make an informed college choice."
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