“The future belongs to the nation that best educates its citizens.”

-          President Barack Obama’s speech on education, March 10, 2009

Since President Barack Obama spoke those words last year, the government has significantly ramped up its efforts to improve Americans’ access higher education. Uncle Sam is now offering a new array of grants and loans to worthy students.

If you want to learn about government sources of financial aid, here are some links to online sources of funding information:

• The U.S. Department of Education’s main Website gives an overview of all government sources of financial aid.
• EDPubs offers a list of downloadable application packages for a number of grant competitions.
• E-grants.ed.gov is a portal to the Department of Education’s online grant application system, with links to application packages for a number of programs.
• GovBenefits.gov lists more than 1,000 government assistance programs for education and other purposes.
• Grants.gov provides a directory of government grant competitions – both for education and other programs.
• The Department of Education’s Guide to Student Aid Programs is a free downloadable PDF guide to sources of funding.
• The Discretionary Grant Application Website lists Department of Education grant programs that are currently open, with links to application forms and information.
• The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a standardized financial aid application that is accepted by nearly every college and university in America.
• The IES Funding Opportunities Website provides information on research funding opportunities from the Institute for Education Sciences.

So, is Uncle Sam waiting to help you pay for your college education? If you spend a little time investigating the links provided above, you will learn that yes, he is!

Myth #1: Canadian Universities Are Incredible Bargains

The truth behind this depends on your definition of “incredible bargain.” Tuition and expenses for international undergraduate students at McGill University, the University of Toronto and other top Canadian schools run about $26,000–$35,000 (Canadian) yearly. Canadians pay less, and residents of the province where the university is located pay less still. No mistake about it, those costs undercut the cost of attending comparable American institutions.

Also: Be sure to scour the Websites of Canadian universities for hidden bargains. If you are an American student with dual French/American citizenship, for example, you will pay in-province tuition to attend McGill University: About $2,500/year. Now that’s a bargain.

Myth #2: All Canadian Universities Are Huge and Impersonal

The truth is that Canada is also home to dozens of smaller specialized colleges – art colleges, community colleges, liberal arts colleges, technical colleges, and many other varieties. You can find out about them on a helpful Website called SchoolsinCanada.com.

Myth #3: It Is Difficult to Get Information about Canadian Colleges and Universities

True, they are not adequately represented in the U.S. News college rankings, or in The Fiske Guide to Colleges, which lists only four Canadian institutions. But information about Canadian schools is easy to find, both on SchoolsinCanada.com and through MacLeans Magazine university rankings, which are available online through MacLeans On Campus.

Myth #4: McGill University is the “Harvard of the North”

McGill is a world-class research institution with a world-class reputation.  But it is a lot different from Harvard. For starters, it is a large, urban school. And a lot of instruction takes place in individual schools – the Faculty of Engineering, the Faculty of Music, and so on.  A great university? Yes. Another Harvard? Not exactly. Think of it more as “The NYU of the north.”

Myth #5: I Will Get Free Health Care if I Go to College in Canada

True, health care is government-subsidized in our neighbor to the north.  Yet Canada is fiscally responsible, meaning that visiting students at most schools are required to pay a few hundred dollars every year for health insurance while they are studying in Canada. For details, visit the Websites of the Canadian colleges where you are applying.

Myth #6: If I Go to College in Canada, I Won’t Be Able to Work

The Canadian government recognizes the need for students to earn money, so holders of student visas are allowed to take work-study and other jobs on campus. To take regular jobs off-campus, however, is another matter. Consult with Citizenship and Immigration Canadian Canada.

Myth #7: I Have to Speak French to Attend a Canadian University

Not so. Canadian universities and colleges have official languages (either English or French) in which most of the instruction is conducted.  Some Canadian universities (such as Laval University in Quebec City and the University of Montreal) offer instruction exclusively in French. But McGill, the University of Toronto, Dalhousie and other top Canadian schools are English-speaking institutions.  Check out the information on individual university Websites.

Myth #8: Canadian Deadlines and Acceptance Dates Are the Same as for American Universities

This is generally true, but some quirks exist. For example, American-style early admission is pretty much absent, and most schools post an application deadline of January15th. However, many schools (including McGill and Queens University in Ontario) use rolling admission, meaning that they need not wait until April to inform you of their decision. The University of Toronto, in contrast, informs students on April 1, just like American schools. Visit university Websites to be sure.

Myth #9:  They Love Curling and other Weird Games in Canada, and Moose and Beaver Roam the Streets

Well, could be! We don’t want to spoil all the fun for you. Why not get up there and find out for yourself!

In addition to the so-called “authoritative” college ratings from U.S. News, here’s a sampling of other lists that you can find online . . .

• List of colleges that offer the best value.
• List of America’s most expensive colleges.
• List of schools that are not worth the money.
• List of colleges with the most beautiful campuses.
• List of colleges with the ugliest campuses.
• List of colleges with the happiest students.
• List of colleges with the saddest students.
• List of colleges that offer the best financial aid.
• List of the preppiest colleges.
• List of top 10 party schools.

The lists go on and on. It seems like you can find one for just about anything.  There’s even a Wikipedia entry that lists all the college mascots in America. (Stevens Institute in Hoboken has Attila the Duck, in case you wanted to know.)

But of all the lists, what’s the most important for you as you navigate the college application process?

Simple answer. The only important list is your college list. As you start your senior hear in high school it will be the list of colleges where you might apply. And then sometime after Thanksgiving, that list will be winnowed down to a list of colleges where you definitely will apply.

How do you select the colleges that go on those lists? Simple answer again.

Fit is based on some or all of the following factors . . .

• The personality of the other students you meet on campus. (This is often translated as, “I can see myself there.”)
• The costs of the school and the availability of financial aid.
• The distance from home, the religious life and other value-related factors.
• The presence of values that match your own, usually embodied in clubs, associations, off-campus programs and other non-classroom activities.
• The strength of specific academic programs and majors that can lead to your chosen profession or career. (If you have one – don’t sweat it if you don’t.)
• Athletics – either interscholastic or intramural, depending on your desires.
• The comfort factor, as embodied in residences and residential life.

Remember that before you know it, you will have the shortest list of all – it will be the name of the school where you will go to college. If you keep that goal of “a great fit” in mind, that college will be the only one that counts – for you, the greatest school of all.

Chances are that you have asking that same question, and possibly these too . . .

Which test suits me best? Some students do score noticeably higher on one test or the other, but that is unusual. The best strategy is to prepare and take both tests, then see which suits you better.

Which test is preferred by the colleges where I will apply? This question is difficult to answer. The answer lies partly in the application requirements that are stated by the colleges you are considering, so be sure to check their websites. (Note that although the Fisk Guide and other college reference books list test requirements, the information on college websites may be more up-to-date.) The problem is that if an admissions officer secretly prefers one of the tests, he or she will probably not share that information with applicants – especially if his or her college states that it accept either test.

If a college says that standardized tests are optional, should I submit my scores anyway? If you have strong scores that support your application, you should go ahead and submit them. If you score markedly higher on either the SAT or the ACT, then that is the test score you should submit.

If I take a test and don’t do well, will colleges find out and reject me? Relax! You have control over how the results of both tests will be reported to colleges. You can take either test for practice, without having scores reported. But be careful! Students have made mistakes, checked the wrong boxes, and mistakenly sent the wrong test scores to colleges. So be certain to understand your options about having your test scores reported to colleges. See the table on the next page (“Are all scores sent to schools?”) and review the score-reporting options on both the ACT and SAT Websites (see the table on the next page).

Information You Need to Know . . .