Generally, room and board is about $10,000 per year. Tuition does not include room and board, even if the cost of tuition is over $30,000 per year.

Before financial aid, the difference is approximately $10,000 per year. Local colleges generally do not give financial aid to help you live on campus. For example, a graduating senior got a financial aid package at St. John’s (tuition and fees = approximately $25,000) of $24,000. To live at home would cost her $500 per semester. To live on campus would cost her $10,500 per semester. Colleges that you cannot commute from home to are more likely to consider the cost of room and board when putting together a financial aid package.

Apply early and fill out the FAFSA early. (You cannot fill out the FAFSA before January 1st.) For most students, the largest sum of aid they gets come from the college they attend. But colleges do not have unlimited money in their budget. Once they give money away, they don’t always have money for students who apply later. Students with an average over 80 attending CUNY schools this year were automatically eligible for City Council Scholarships. However, those that applied late did not get them. Similarly, a student who applied in March to the University of Hartford was not even considered for scholarship money even though she had more financial need and better grades than a student who got a great financial aid package the year before had did. Also, if you think you may be eligible for New York State programs for low-income students (EOP, HEOP, SEEK, College Discovery) talk to us. These programs provide a lot of money to eligible students. In addition, go to a scholarship search site and apply for outside scholarships. Two students attending Brooklyn College, who graduated last year ago, received the City Council Scholarship and also an American Federation of Teachers Scholarship for future speech therapists. They paid $900 a semester. Finally, find out if your church has a scholarship program or if your parents are a member of a union that does. Every year students whose parents are members of 1199 receive union sponsored Joseph Tauber Memorial Scholarships.

Based on family income, size of your family, number of children in college and age of the older parent, the Federal Government will decide upon an EFC (estimated family contribution) that your family must contribute. Whatever the difference between the EFC and the cost, will be offered to you in a financial aid package. This package can include scholarships, school grants, government grants as well as loans.

Application Questions

For most schools, except CUNY, recommendations, essays and mid-year grades can make a difference. This is especially true for a student who is just below the general admission requirements for the school.

“Most college acceptances” depends on what colleges you mean. For example, this year Baruch and Brooklyn Colleges required an 80 average and 900 SAT scores. (math and reading). Hunter also required an 80 average but wanted 950 SAT scores. Temple wanted approximately 85+ and 950. SUNY Stonybrook and Binghamton wanted approximately an 88+ average and 1100 SATs. Buffalo University wants the same average but does not seem to require the same SAT scores. About 900 will be okay. Buffalo State and Old Westbury seem to accept students with an 80 average and 900 SAT scores. St. John’s and St. Joseph’s want approximately an 80 average and 900 SAT scores also. St. Francis and LIU will go lower than this as will City Tech and John Jay.

This will depend on the college, your SAT or ACT scores, personal statement (tell them why), recommendations, senior year course selection and mid-year grades. Brooklyn, Hunter and Baruch will only admit students with a 3-year average under 80 if their combined SAT score, reading plus math, is over 1050. A senior who graduated this year and did not do well his first two years was accepted to Stony Brook and the University of Buffalo on the basis of his SAT scores, junior year grades, overall course selection (difficult classes) and personal statement. Another student who did not do well her first two years but who had good junior senior grades and decent but not spectacular SAT scores was accepted to St. Joseph’s College after an interview. In general, colleges do want to accept students but they are looking for proof that the student will be successful at the school.

Check with the colleges but remember that the guidance department wants you to complete your applications and submit materials to guidance by December 1^st. This is so we have time to in the mail before Christmas vacation. Getting your applications in early improves your chances of not only getting in but also of getting a good financial aid package.

College Questions

Generally about 120. Most classes are 3 credits and students typically take 5 classes a semester. That’s 10 classes or 30 credits a year, for 4 years. Some math classes and all classes that have labs, i.e. science and engineering classes, are 4 credits. In general a class that meets for 3 hours a week is a 3-credit class. A class that meets 4 hours a week is a 4-credit class. However, science classes typically meet 7 hours a week (4 hours of class/lecture and a 3-hour lab) and are 4 credits! So, be don’t overload on lab classes, especially at first. Not only does the class meet for more hours, there’s also a lot more work to do for the course.

One of the best places to find info about a major is on the college web sites. Go the site of a college you’re interested in (www.collegename.edu), click on academics and then go to the department you want to find out about. Also, talk to people. Getting information is not that hard but it does take time, effort and initiative.

Like anywhere else, some good, some great, some not so good. Although you may not be able to do this your first semester, once you’re there you’ll hear from other students which are the best professors to take and who to avoid. Also, if you have a professor you really like, try to take that professor again. The key to doing this is to register as early as you can. This way you will have the most choices when it comes to classes and professors.

One way to really find out how ‘good’ a program is, is to find out what graduates with a degree in the program do. All colleges have a Placement Office which brings recruiters from many different businesses, government agencies, etc. to campus to interview students who are graduating for jobs. The web sites of these offices will tell you who comes to campus to recruit. They will also give you information about internships and p/t employment. Get to know what the Placement Office does soon after you begin college. Ask questions about the Placement Office when you go on a tour of the college.

Generally not. However, in some education programs students start to do observations the second semester of their first year. In most two-year associate degree R.N. programs students may start clinical work the second semester of their freshman year.

Depends on where you’re going. Students going away will use trains, buses, planes and cars to get there. Commuters will likely use public transportation and in some cases drive.

This also depends on the school and is important to check out. Talk to people. You can ask questions about safety when going on a tour. Most live away schools have escort services for students staying late in the school library to study. (From library to dorm room.)

Most colleges have a number of payment plan possibilities including monthly payments. You cannot fall behind. Again, look at web-sites, talk to people and ask questions about this when going on a college tour.

You may but generally as a full time student you will be in class between 12 and 18 hours a week. Most students are in class 4 days a week, not 5.

Again, this depends on the school. Most schools have varsity teams and intramural programs. Information is available online. Go to the college web site (www.schoolname.edu) and click on athletics. For information on NCAA eligibility requirements go to www.ncaa.org. Also talk to your coach and/or Ms. Roberts in the guidance office.

College size varies greatly. Penn State, University Park campus has about 40,000 undergraduate students most of whom are juniors and seniors. Stony Brook has about 14,000 undergraduate students; Buffalo State about 10,000; St. John’s about 15,000; St. Francis about 3,000; St. Joseph’s about 1,500; Brooklyn College about 10,000; Hunter College about 15,000 and Baruch College about 13,000. Think about whether you want to go to a large or small school. Visit colleges to find an atmosphere that’s right for you.

Again, visiting is the best way. Ask yourself is this a school where I will feel comfortable. Also some web-sites have this information but it is generally hard to find. The Princeton Review College Guide gives a lot of info about the student bodies of many colleges: Baruch College is about 24% African American and 22% Hispanic; Buffalo State is about 11% African American and 4% Hispanic; Hunter College is about 21% African American and 24% Hispanic; CCNY is about 39% African American and 35% Hispanic; St. Francis is about 24% African American and 17% Hispanic; St. Joseph’s is about 39% African American and 8% Hispanic; SUNY Albany is about 9% African American and 6% Hispanic; SUNY Stony Brook is about 9% African American and 8% Hispanic; SUNY Old Westbury is about 28% African American and 15% Hispanic; Syracuse University is about 8% African American and 5% Hispanic; NYU is about 8% African American and 9% Hispanic. The Princeton Review’s web-site is www.princetonreview.org. Click on colleges, student body and then more information. You will have to establish an account and provide a password to do this. Doing this will take only a few minutes. If you need help finding this info, or any info, about a college come to guidance for help.

Colleges have many types of extra-curricular activities. Some like are like those offered in high school: sports, clubs, newspaper, community service. Some are very different: i.e. college radio stations. Go to the web-site, visit colleges, talk to people to get specific info about the extra-curricular activities at the colleges you’re interested in.

This really depends on your major. Most liberal arts and science majors (i.e., psychology, computer science, biology, English) are offered at all schools and it’s best to find a school where you’re comfortable, feel you can do well and can afford. For some majors, especially health care, engineering, business and education it’s especially important to make sure the school you’re interested in offers the major you’re interested in. Again, go to the web sites, visit, talk to people, including guidance counselors about this.

This is a very important question and the answer, like most answers, is different for every one. A safe school is not only a school where we are basically certain, based on your grades and SAT scores that you will be accepted but also a school that you know your family will be able to afford before financial aid/scholarships are awarded. While we can predict that you will be awarded money at a certain on previous Nazareth students we cannot guarantee this. For this reason it is super important to have a school you know you will not only get into but can afford. Most students use CUNY or SUNY schools as well as St. Francis or St. Joseph’s as safe schools.

Again, this depends on you. Many students say they don’t want to go to schools in the middle of nowhere. Students on suburban campuses sometimes come back and say that it’s boring, things close down early and there’s nothing to do. Others say this is good: that because there’s nothing to do they focus a lot on their college work.

Any time is good. There will be a lot of open houses in the fall. Try to go. It is definitely okay to apply to a college without visiting it. But you schooled not go to a college without visiting it. That is especially true for live away schools but also true if you are going to stay at home/

CUNY stands for City University of New York; SUNY for State University of New York. CUNY Schools are all located in New York City and, at present, do not have dorms. Because of location (upstate and Long Island), SUNY schools are really all live away except FIT, Fashion Institute of Technology, which is in Manhattan. Tuition is about the same, $4,000 CUNY, $4,350 SUNY for the 2005-6 academic year. However, at SUNY there is also room and board to consider which comes to about another $10,000 per year where ever you go.