As admissions decisions have come in this year, like every year, families will try to figure out why one applicant got admitted and another did not. The perception is that there is indeed a college admissions competition among applicants. But applicants are usually not competing for admission against who they think they are competing against. …
Colleges will use preferential financial aid packages as a tool to help them shape the incoming class. How can your student benefit?
Is Senioritis real? Ask any parent of a high school senior this question, especially after winter break, and you’ll have your answer! But is it a malady that needs a cure? Like any illness, the answer likely depends on just how serious the case is. Some seniors do seem to be immune to it, although…
You’re on the homestretch of your teen’s senior year in high school. You’ve survived a tough year that likely included virtual and in-person college tours and time spent nagging about college essays, on top of your student’s usual academic load. Acceptances are beginning to roll in. Maybe more than even anticipated (yay!). Or maybe there…
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…
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…
As the list of colleges planning to re-open grows daily, I have questions. I’m guessing I’m not alone. Some might be so happy that their teen will get to move to campus as planned, that they have not yet stayed awake half the night thinking up all the questions. But, as an expert level over-thinker,…
(Updated 2/21) The class of 2020 had a difficult and disappointing end to their senior year. And so far, the class of 2021 has not fared any better. The disappointing senior years have left families wondering whether maybe their students should consider a gap year? Last year, the idea was so prevalent that juniors were…
Now that we have mostly gotten answers to our earliest questions about the Covid-19 impact on college admissions, this big one remains – will colleges be open next fall? Cornell University recently released a preprint of a study that showed that nearly every student on campus (98 – 99% depending on the size of the…
As we are currently immersed 24/7 in news about COVID-19 here in the United States, I considered whether anyone could stand to read one more word about it. But, I also know that the families I work with have questions about coronavirus and college admissions impacts. And, as I sit in my home like many…