To Take Or Not to Take The College Entrance Exams?
Whether it is worth taking the college entrance exams – the ACT and/or the SAT – has been a dilemma for high school students.
Is It Worth Hiring a College Admissions Consultant?
My answer to the question in the title may surprise you. Of course I think a college admissions consultant brings value. But my answer to the question about whether it’s worth hiring one is — it depends! Whether or not college admissions consulting services are right for your family depends on things ranging from your…
An Overview of the Grad School Application Process
I’ve recently begun getting lots of questions about the grad school application process. Repeatedly, students are surprised when I explain what they need to consider and what actions they need to take to apply. While there are some similarities to the undergraduate application process, applying to graduate school has some important differences. Generally, it’s a…
After the College Early Admission Result: What Next?
As early admission decisions begin to roll in this month, it’s a good time to review what happens next in the admissions process. The most important consideration for next steps is whether your student is receiving a positive Early Action decision, which is non-binding, or whether they are learning their Early Decision result, which comes…
What You Need to Know About a College Financial Aid Appeal Letter
Did your teen receive a disappointing financial aid award from their “dream school,” after you were celebrating their acceptance just days before? Not receiving the anticipated financial aid award feels like a blow – this could put that college out of reach financially, and no parent wants to disappoint their child, especially now. If this…
Should Students Agree to the FERPA Waiver for College Recommendations?
Most families have never been asked to waive their FERPA rights for any reason throughout their children’s years of school. And then suddenly, college applications contain a FERPA waiver that asks students to specifically give up their right to see a piece of their college application – their teacher recommendations. It may seem alarming. The…
Does Listing a Major on College Applications Help or Hurt?
Does the major listed on college applications play a role in whether or not a student is accepted? If you answered, “yes,” you are correct! And too often, students don’t know that. Many teens are not sure what to list as a major. In fact, sometimes, they’re overwhelmed by the possibilities when they check out…
6 Important Life Skills Teens Learn Through Applying to Colleges
It’s fall of your teen’s senior year of high school. They are busy. They are stressed. They are up late at night doing homework and working on their college essays. As a parent, you want to help, but feel like there is not much you can do. So, to relieve some of the burden, maybe…
What Does It Take to Get Into an Ivy?
(And Other Super Selective Schools) Know that the information I’ll talk about in this article does not only apply to Ivy league colleges. It will be true for any college that accepts only a small percentage of applicants, Ivy or not. But, since the question in the title is, “What does it take to get…
The Class of 2021 and College Admission
Is There Reason to Worry? There are so many rumors floating around about how the class of 2021 will be impacted for college admission. I’ve gotten nervous phone calls from parents and lots of questions from students. So, I thought it might be time to weigh in with my perspective. What Has Changed for the…