Laura Mueller-Soppart, graduating Thursday from Walter Payton College Prep in Chicago, knew Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service was her dream school when she visited last year according to John Pope of the AP . Her hero, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, is on the faculty. She had worked for President Barack Obama's campaign, and attending college in Washington would put her at the center of the political universe. She got accepted, but when the financial aid award letters arrived, her family's expected contribution was way beyond what they felt they could afford.

So when Northeastern University in Boston offered her a nearly full ride, she asked herself: "Do I go $200,000 in the hole because so many told me Georgetown was indispensable, or do I take the full ride?" She is taking the full ride. "It was really hard for me, hard to the point where I cried all the time because I felt it was so incredibly unfair," Mueller-Soppart said. "I told myself I could have worked half as hard as I did and ended up in the same place."

Sixty percent of high schools surveyed said they were seeing more students enroll in public instead of private universities, and more than 70 percent of public universities said applications were up. But more than half of private colleges also saw applications rise, indicating students are trying to give themselves more options.

Public universities stand to gain as students stay closer to home, but may also lose students to even less expensive community colleges; 37 percent of high schools reported more students attending two-year schools.

"It's very frustrating," he said. "I've had families in my office up in arms, and I've had numerous phone calls. I've had to call three financial aid offices this year - last year I called zero - advocating for students and trying to get an explanation about an award letter."

The fact that guidance counselors are being asked to do more and more means that a student may not have access to the same advocacy from school personnel. By looking outside of the traditional school system for additional assistance in college admissions and award letters, parents and students could find that they do not have to forego the "dream school" experience because of a temporary economic setback.

Janelle Jalbert

June 2009

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