In Search of a Match

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Online Tools and Resources for Choosing a Match College • College Board, Big Future College Cost Calculator • Cost and Aid Comparison Sheet Enrolling in a Match College Many students fail to enroll in college even after they have made a formal commitment to attend; nationally, between 10 percent and 40 percent of high school graduates who intend to go to college don’t enroll the following fall. Among low-income students, these “summer melt” rates are even higher. 11 You can play a role in preventing summer melt by continuing to advise and support students during the crucial months between high school graduation and the first semester of freshman year. Figure 6 lays out the stages of the suggested timeline for enrolling in a match college, beginning in June of senior year and extending through the following August, before freshman year begins. Stay in touch with students over the summer. Obtain students’ summer contact information and let them know that you’re available to help them. The information that the school has on record may no longer be valid during the summer, so you should have a phone number, e-mail address, and home address on file for each student. Contact students at least two or three times during the summer to confirm that they have completed specific milestones. Ask them if they have submitted college acceptance and registration forms and fees, identified on-campus resources, planned their travel to college (if it’s outside the local area), and formulated their plans for winter break. Box 8 provides a checklist of the tasks that college-bound students should complete over the summer following high school graduation. Tip: There are various ways to keep in touch with students over the summer. For example, you can use digital platforms to send group texts or e-mails with reminders to your students. If possible, you can also hold an activity such as an “Event in the Park,” where students can have fun, catch up with each other, and update you on their enrollment plans. 11. Castleman, Page, and Snowdon (2013). 36 | In Search of a Match
FIGURE 6 Timeline: Enrolling in a Match College JUNIOR YEAR SENIOR YEAR MARCH JUNE SEPTEMBER JANUARY MAY AUGUST SENIOR YEAR JUNE Counselor or adviser meets with students to get summer contact information and to troubleshoot. Students touch base with counselor or adviser on their progress filling out the checklist. JULY Counselor or adviser contacts students to monitor the status of the checklist completion and to troubleshoot. AUGUST Counselor or adviser: ■ Contacts students to monitor the status of the checklist completion and to troubleshoot ■ Contacts students to find out whether they have enrolled and are attending classes Help students identify key resources on campus. Encourage students to create a document with names and phone numbers for each of the following college contacts: • Financial aid office • Academic adviser • Student retention office • Residential life office • Student health service • Multicultural affairs office • Student affairs office Match, Step by Step | 37
Page 1: In Search of a A Guide for Helping
Page 4 and 5: Funders Funding for the College Mat
Page 6 and 7: Contents
Page 8 and 9: List of Exhibits
Page 10 and 11: PREFACE
Page 12 and 13: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Page 14 and 15: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (continued) the pan
Page 16 and 17: For some readers of this guide, the
Page 18 and 19: Undermatching has financial as well
Page 20 and 21: A key lesson of the College Match P
Page 22 and 23: Match, Step by Step In this section
Page 24 and 25: TIP: There may be organizations in
Page 26 and 27: Identifying Match Colleges The coll
Page 28 and 29: elevant factors, including post-gra
Page 30 and 31: liberal arts colleges versus resear
Page 32 and 33: Engage with external partners. Stud
Page 34 and 35: Applying to Match Colleges As stude
Page 36 and 37: ties and assignments that help stud
Page 38 and 39: Case Study 3 Putting the College Li
Page 40 and 41: FIGURE 4 Timeline: Assessing the Co
Page 42 and 43: Tip: Introduce students and parents
Page 44 and 45: Partner with others to support FAFS
Page 46 and 47: Choosing a Match College The match
Page 48 and 49: Case Study 5 A Tough Choice: Moving
Page 52 and 53: Continue to emphasize “match” w
Page 54 and 55: Conclusion As an adviser to low-inc
Page 56 and 57: Appendix
Page 59 and 60: Creating a Match Culture College Bo
Page 61 and 62: College Board, Expected Family Cont
Page 63 and 64: References Avery, Christopher, and
Page 65 and 66: Notes
Page 67 and 68: About MDRC MDRC is a nonprofit, non

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