While college admissions interviews are not the norm, they are not uncommon either. Even if a college interview is offered, it’s sometimes not mandatory. But, if any of the colleges on your student’s list offer the option, your student should seize the opportunity. Interviews are a great chance to impress admissions officers and they can…
I have a confession: Until last winter, I was anti-college fair. There were a number of reasons for that. The major one was that we were able to visit all the schools on Kids #1 and #2’s college lists at some point prior to college application time. We were not as fortunate for Kid #3…
The FAFSA and CSS Profile open up on October 1st. If you have a student planning to attend college next year, now is the time to get familiar with these financial aid forms. Before completing the forms, you will need to compile some of your financial information (okay, just about all of it!), as well…
Those of you that know me, know that I’m a fan of CTCL colleges. But not everyone knows what that even means! “CTCL” stands for “Colleges That Change Lives.” The designation came from a book by that name, published by Loren Pope over twenty years ago. His goal in writing the book was to…
We are inundated with college ranking lists these days, from US News and World Report, which is probably the most popular, to Niche. And no two lists are quite the same. Is one better than another? What should you consider as you look at the rankings? A better question might actually be, “Does college ranking…
It’s that back-to-school time of year. For many parents of high schoolers and their teens, that means that it’s time to get serious about focusing on the college preparation timeline. Trust me, it’s much easier to start early than it is to tune in to the admissions game at the end of a student’s…
There are a variety of types of higher education after high school in the United States. You may wonder what the differences are. Here’s a breakdown of some post-high school educational choices: Universities Often, the terms “university” and “college” are used interchangeably when referring to higher education. Students in the US will usually say that…
In fact, all of the other goodbyes I’ve said to him so far have been just practice goodbyes, in anticipation of the goodbye in the college dorm.
As I started to think about what I wanted to write about possible college majors, I realized that frequently, as a student decides what to major in, there is controversy. Should a student pick a so-called “practical” major even if it’s not of interest or should they pick a major in a subject that they…
Anyone else out there have a kid who needs help to narrow their college application list a bit? Most college admissions counselors will tell you that applying to seven schools is a good target. And many students actually struggle to even get to seven on their list. Or, they have intentions of applying to that…