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…
(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…
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…
Recently, I had the opportunity to ask questions of a couple of college admission counselors. I wanted to get the scoop about what they are really thinking as they read through applications from high school students. Originally, I was hoping to just pick up a few college application tips I could pass along to my…
The question in the title is not one I can actually answer for any student – without knowing a lot more about that student’s goals. There is not a “one size fits all” answer to, “How many colleges should I apply to?” The perfect number could be as few as one and as many as…
Unbelievably, I used to rarely get asked by any family about the financial health of a college that appeared on my list of recommended colleges for their student. Colleges’ financial health has always been a consideration for me as a consultant, but it is not something that most other people consider much. With the pandemic,…
If you’re the parent of a potentially college-bound child, chances are that you have spent more than a few minutes thinking about the best way to finance that dream. While I have written previously about how to understand how much college really costs, I have never written specifically about the best way to save for…
I’ve written dozens of articles about college admission, ranging from beginning the college search to financial aid. I recently realized that for some reason, the one topic I have never written much about is this one – the college admission essay. Without a doubt, it’s the part of the application that students seem to dread…
The Common Application platform for applying to college, has announced that they will be adding an optional question for students about COVID-19. Students are allowed to use 250 words to respond to this question: Community disruptions such as COVID-19 and natural disasters can have deep and long-lasting impacts. If you need it, this space is…
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,…