Purposeful Failure
“I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Thomas Edison
I am the anti-Thomas Edison. I fear making mistakes. I fear mistakes will expose me to others’ (mis-)judgements, like being seen as stupid. I’ve evolved into a cautious reactor, preferring to watch others from the sidelines go first, make my own conclusions about when I feel safe to dip my toes in the water so to speak, BEFORE acting. Sometimes, the caution turns into yielding, which turns into benching myself altogether–in an ultra-self-consciousness. Mr. Edison’s quote, as well as his numerous achievements, are testament to the value of mistakes; however, I’m still circumspect. So, I’m writing, well more of a thinking-out-loud-but-written-in-full-sentences, to mull over mistakes and their value. read more…
While families know they’ll pay for college textbooks, the actual expense may be seen as, “OMG, ONE more thing I have to pay for?!?” When families may already feel limited in savings and income to pay for rising college tuition, planning ahead can help reduce stress. Knowing the average annual textbook expense at potential colleges, especially any variations in costs between majors, the more realistically a family can approach the process to earn and pay for a college degree. read more…
Guest Post: Cultural Musings
Many high school and college students intend to study abroad, with only vague notions of foreign escapades and intrigue, as a sort of extended tourist vacation. Haven, a current New York University Sophomore and former Creative Marbles Consultancy client, agreed to share a more detailed picture for students wishing to live and study internationally, while she’s spending her Spring 2013 semester in London.
“My adventures in London, and the primary school students I work with here, have lead me to think a lot lately about culture and cultural identity. It’s one of those vague, unhelpful terms that people say when they are trying to sound smart or worldly, but I think I’m beginning to wrap my head around it. Well, I’m beginning to understand its significance, anyway. I came into the semester with the nice, and not wrong, but admittedly somewhat naive attitude of “How hard can it be? we are all people, right?” But culture can be a difficult thing to over come, and it is something that I need to keep in mind when interacting with people. This realization inspired me to ask my parents about my own heritage, something that I’ve never really considered as part of my identity until I came here and experienced real cultural dissonance for the first time. I am hoping that knowledge of my own heritage and culture will orient me not just in London, but in my larger life as well.”
For more about Haven’s European sojourn, see her blog: There and Back Again: A Haven’s Tale
Photo Credit: Haven Mitchell-Rose, 2013
Choosing a college based on price or which campus offers the greatest amount of financial aid can seem like a foreign concept to many families. However, as tuition continues rising annually and parents face the quandary of balancing saving for retirement and paying for college, at the same time their income seems to be shrinking, families may be facing increasing pressure to consider the price of a college education, thus determine the value of a college degree given the individual needs of each of their children. Approaching decisions about college like other consumer purchases, as we reported in an earlier post, can provoke feelings of guilt that parents are limiting their children’s choices for a future education–especially when parents often expect to pay the majority, if not the entirety of college costs for each of their children. Similarly, students can feel frustrated that their multi-years of effort to achieve may not be justly rewarded, with the best college for their merits, not the best college for their family’s pocketbook. The emotions around college decisions and talking about finances can make for complicated conversations. Creating an on-going dialogue may be one way to build a consensus about college where both parents and the college-bound child can agree. In addition, to give families one example of determining the value of college, Julie, Partner of Creative Marbles Consultancy, shares her experience in the following podcast.
For further guidance to help define the value of college to be able to select colleges that fit students’ needs and the family pocketbook, or an objective moderator for complicated conversations about family finances and education, contact Creative Marbles Consultancy at info@creativemarbles.com or (916) 457-4090.
“Too late” doesn’t apply to college admissions. And, no, I’m not talking about enrollment only at a community college. Every year, after May 1st, colleges begin sorting who’s coming and who’s not coming to campus next fall. Typically, several hundred campuses around the country are still open for admissions, given the lack of enrollment. For Fall 2013, 210–4 year colleges recently announced their campuses have space for both freshmen and transfer students. For those still seeking to enroll at a 4 year college, here’s a complete list: 210 College Campuses With Space for Fall 2013 Contact each campus for admissions and application information.
From the “Space Availability Survey 2013″ of the National Association for College Admissions Advising
Photo Credit: Creative Marbles Consultancy, 2013
Everyone knows drinking in college happens. Yet, until there’s an injury or some assault or worse, underage college drinking can be rationalized as a youthful indiscretion and a rite of passage. And, for many, drinking and partying is nothing more serious than an occasional hangover. Of course, if and how much an individual participates in underage drinking will vary. As a Resident Advisor (RA) in college, I saw quite a spectrum amongst first and second year students. read more…
For graduating Seniors across the world, May 1 is the deadline decision day to enroll in a U.S. college for Fall 2013. Today is the culmination of the college admissions process, of which the year long college application process from Fall 2012 to now was the latest step for Seniors and their families. Although, the college application process may seem like the longest, stressful, most drawn out step in the entire college admissions process for Seniors and their parents. So, step back, look holistically at the years of effort from elementary school through now to understand the rewards earned. From saving birthday money and scaling back vacations to assist in paying the multi-thousands of dollars a Senior and her/his family will spend for college to years of completing homework, carpool, hours of sports practice and science fairs, summer reading, AP exams, SAT prep courses…you get my drift, college acceptances and the Statement of Intent to Register was earned through the work of entire families. So, congratulations! Take a long, deep breath. Take a break (albeit a short one, given AP and IB exams in the next weeks) and slide on to graduation.
Note: a negative number in the last column represents less overall applicants admitted as Freshmen to the UC campus.
Most all of us can recall a story of the 4.0+GPA earning, 2000+SAT scoring, class president for 4 years, started and is running a charity in Ghana, India and Brazil, plus helps little old ladies across the street, while playing 3 Varsity sports a year (of which s/he is a 4 year Captain & MVP of each team) who was NOT admitted to the University of California (UC) campus of her/his choice. While the admissions selectivity at UCLA, Cal Berkeley and even UC San Diego may be expected, when the same previously described “uber-student” is denied admissions to Santa Barbara or Davis or Irvine, more than heads are scratched and shaken side to side, a loud utterance or two may follow–prompting arm-chair college admissions speculation about what qualities are needed to be admitted to the UC. A closer look at what the numbers in the above table represent may shed some light on both acceptances and denials. read more…
As interest rates for subsidized Stafford loans (i.e. interest is withheld throughout college) is poised to increase from 3.4% to 6.8% as of July 1, 2013, Congress is considering to postpone the increase, as happened in 2012. (BTW, unsubsidized Stafford loans, where interest begins accruing from the date promissory note is signed, is already 6.8%.) read more…
What Does College Tuition Really Buy?
Harper’s Magazine reported in November 2012: 81% of Americans who viewed college as a good financial investment in 2008 dropped to 57% in August 2012. Now, there’s much room for interpretation of “good”–however, is the change in the average value of a college degree indicating a shift away from college, and if so, what experience is going to replace the function that college currently serves for the maturing of youth in America? As many teenagers share with Creative Marbles Consultancy that one of their primary motivations for going to college is to “gain independence and move away from home”, what other experience is going to help youth mature into economically contributing members of society?
For more details, read our previous posts.
Cartoon Source: The New Yorker, September 24, 2012
While many students and their families pursue a 4 year college degree for the imagined financial security and solid middle class living, the cost(s), both to pay for the degree and the long term effects of earning the degree, may be greater than the return. Generations have been raised to expect that their standard of living can and will surpass their parents. However, with annually increasing college costs and the ease of borrowing student loans amongst the current generation can be creating a ripple effect of unintended consequences for our future prosperity, and not fulfill the expectation to exceed their parents’ wealth. Creative Marbles Consultancy analyzes a recent report by Bloomberg News, American Dream Eludes With Student Debt Burden: Mortgages, addressing the value of a college degree for long term prosperity, which as our regular blog readers know we’ve been continuing to highlight. (See the links throughout our commentary.) In this blog post, the italicized quotes are from the Bloomberg News article followed by Creative Marbles Consultancy’s commentary and thoughts.
A worker with a bachelor’s degree had a median weekly income of $1,066 in 2012, compared with $652 for someone with a high school diploma, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate for a college graduate was 4.5 percent, compared with 8.3 for people with only a high- school degree. read more…
Highlights in Educational and College Admissions Happenings for March 31-April 6:
In College Admissions:
- The last of the college admissions acceptances and denials were returned to anxiously awaiting Seniors and their parents.
- Creative Marbles Consultancy’s Commentary: For students denied admissions, speculation about why s/he was denied has ranged from “only the Asian kids in my (Senior) class were accepted” to “I guess you need a more than a 4.0 and Captain of the Varsity Basketball team to get in” to “If a 4.0+ GPA with a full IB diploma, first in their Russian immigrant family to go to college in the US is denied admissions to every University of California campus where he applied, I’m never going to stand a chance” to “Maybe if I had applied “undeclared” [in my major] I would be accepted.” I spoke with several admissions officers this week from both public and private universities, and all replied that even when reviewing a specific individual’s application, s/he could not pinpoint the exact detail that kept the applicant from being admitted. The majority also replied that they had an abundance of highly qualified applicants again this season, and had difficult choices, since not all could be admitted; space constraints being the most often cited reason. read more…
Many universities publicize the small class sizes as a benefit for student’s learning. Wanting to understand more about what small class sizes looked in practice , I talked with a Creative Marbles Consultancy client and a current freshman at the University of San Diego (USD), Jarett. He graciously agreed to let me summarize his experience for our blog. read more…
The growing gap between the rate of inflation and increasing tuition, since 1985, may cause families to more carefully consider the worth of a college education, and “shop around” for the “right” campus.
We’ve been hearing questions from increasing numbers of families about paying for college, as we also posted earlier. Many of the families asking questions are professionals, college educated, with two incomes and making the same dollar figure of salary as past years, but find these same dollars aren’t stretching as far as in the past. The chart below may shed some light on why income, despite nominal growth (the red line) or the numerical amount, the ability to afford one’s current standard of living is requiring more income, as the blue line represents the negative growth in purchasing power of family’s income.
To Seek Tutoring or Not
From the middle to the end of any semester, I start receiving calls from worried parents for tutor referrals. What I’ve learned in my decade of experience is that families hire tutors for a variety of reasons. Being clear on the specific reasons for engaging a tutor can make the the tutoring relationship the most productive. If the student is seeking understanding, the tutor may have to create lesson plans and bring in other reference materials besides the class textbook to explain the concepts. If an improved grade is the goal, homework assistance with the tutor teaching “tricks” to arrive at the correct answer may be all that’s needed. The more clear a student can be about her/his aims for seeking tutoring the more direction can be given to guide the tutor’s efforts. Then, not only does the student achieve her/his aim, the money spent was worthwhile.
ACT vs. SAT
Since college admissions officers will consider the highest score of either the SAT or ACT (and in some cases mix and match the highest subsection scores from multiple SAT test dates, aka “Superscoring”), then students often ask me, “Should I take both tests?” Students are usually trying to determine which test will merit them the highest score, to stay as competitive as possible for admissions. I recommend taking both the SAT and ACT. read more…
College and The Middle School Years
Middle school parents’ sixth sense about positioning their ‘tweens for college often becomes more pronounced, as families are considering choices for high school. Often, the question, “Which high school will best prepare my student for college?” is introduced into the discussion. Parents begin paying closer attention to stories about so-and-so’s daughter’s boyfriend’s cousin’s neighbor getting into an Ivy League from such-and-such local high school, in order to compare their children to the protagonist in the story. What parents may be trying to accomplish in their comparison, is size up their kid’s chances of being accepted to college, especially highly selective colleges, while being simultaneously concerned that they’re jumping the gun and starting to plan “too early” for college. In our 35 years of experience, a bigger perspective on the entire college admissions process, including paying for college, can help allay concerns and view the next right step to take. read more…
“How do I pay for college?” is an often heard question from Senior parents at this time of the year. As college acceptances and financial aid award letters arrive, the reality of an imminent, multi-thousands of dollars per year over multiple years expense may be blossoming in the consciousness of families, especially when a commitment to enroll needs to be made by May 1st for Seniors. (Not to say that the idea hadn’t occurred to parents before now, as we posted earlier about middle class families, but, as is typical, there’s imagining what might happen–which can leave room to procrastinate–and then, there’s it’s happening right now.) The following post can be a cautionary tale for younger families, as well as advice for Senior families. read more…
Denied?!? WHAT THE WHAT?!!!?
The email inbox for a college applicant at this time of March can be an emotional minefield. Each “ding” alerting the Senior to a newly received message can create a heart-pounding, nervous-butterflies-in-the-stomach-hand-quivering-as-you-click-the-mouse-on-the-bolded-new-message-from-such-and-such-college, frantically searching the opening text for, “Congratulations!” and instead seeing, “With a record number of applications, we regret we were unable to admit you to the Class of 2017…” or something to that effect. The possible wind-knocked-out-of-me feeling that materializes as you realize you’re not breathing can come next. Then, the flood of why questions and what if’s…and comparisons to who did get accepted and “Why them, not me?“ speculation can take over in the middle of being shocked, possibly embarrassed. The mental swirl can become outwardly apparent when the first person anxiously asks about the admissions office’s response, and a torrent of emotion bursts out. After all, who wants to be told, “No”? Yuck. Double yuck yuck. read more…
The Many Definitions of Smart
Memorizing a large number facts may not mean smart. You gotta know how to use the facts, too.
Photo Credit: Science is Awesome
Contrary what the media often reports, not all student loan balances are unmanageable amounts.
Further, since not EVERY student loan borrower is delinquent on payment, adds credence that not all student loan balances are unwieldy.
Graphs from The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, February 28, 2013
One benefit of Advanced Placement (AP) classes and exams has been the ability to earn college credits, while still in high school, for an exam score of 3-5 on a 5 point scale. However, before assuming EVERY college will provide the college credits and the college credits for the SUBJECT in which the test was taken, AP students and their parents would be smart to check out the AP credit policy at potential colleges for application. Not every college awards AP credit using the same criteria or with the same results. For example, Dartmouth College recently stopped granting college credits for any AP exams, regardless of score or subject, joining Amherst College, Boston College, Colby College, and Williams College among others. Also, some colleges, like California Institute of Technology (Cal Tech) and Harvey Mudd College utilized AP exam scores as placement tests, although not for college credit. Another variation can be colleges, like Stanford, that only grant AP credit for a score of 4-5, and not for General Education requirements, except Foreign Language. The moral of the story: check the AP credit granting policy at each college.
A life lived without failure is not success, it’s mediocrity. – Liz Lenz
After reading a Facebook post with this quote, I started thinking about my fears of failure and how much effort I’ve spent trying to avoid failure like the plague, in some cases, not trying some new endeavor to spare myself even perceived disappointment. And, in comparison with times when I have been less inhibited, the thrill of having tried and successfully completed my new undertaking is intoxicating. So, I understand both Ms. Lenz’s intent in her message, as well as the complexity of steering away from mediocrity by daring failure. The college applicants (and their parents) in the Class of 2013 are experiencing first hand the complexities of not living in mediocrity, as they wait for college admissions responses in wincing apprehension and adrenaline fueled anticipation. ”I’m on pins and needles,” a Senior parent recently replied, when I inquired how she’s doing read more…
Parents fret over the costs of college; so do students. However, each party’s reactions to concerns over the multi-thousands of dollars per year costs of college can differ. The degree of challenge in working together to pay for a college experience can depend on the family’s communication patterns, which may determine the ability to bridge any possible differences in concerns over the expense of college. Based on my decade of advising hundreds of families, the more open both parents and students can be about the family’s finances and each of their concerns about the effects of college expenses–predicted and real–on the family’s financial resources, the greater the ability to work together. read more…
California Community Colleges (CCC) and the California State University (CSU) systems recently started a transfer guarantee program for selected majors, where students can earn both an Associates Degree from a Community College and their Bachelor’s from a four year CSU, called the Associate’s Degree for Transfer. Basically, if students complete a set of required general education and lower division major courses, equalling 60 units, and an Associate’s Degree from the CCC in selected academic concentrations, then the receiving CSU and academic major department will guarantee the student admissions to the major and institution.
Here’s a few myth busters and facts about the new Associate’s Degree for Transfer Program: read more…
At this time of the school year–after first semester grades and well-into the next semester–I receive increased requests for tutor referrals. Parents and students naturally assume that a less than expected grade in a class is due to content deficit–that somehow the student just “isn’t getting it”; “it” being the ideas and concepts presented in class. The actual issue may be more layered than simply lacking knowledge. read more…
“I can’t get my daughter to pick up the phone and call a college admissions office,” is a common frustration and concern I hear from Senior parents. After a lifetime of watching from just behind mom and dad, teens on the cusp of leaving home are starting to experience the independence and self-reliance they crave. Yet, at first glimpse, standing on one’s own two feet may be more daunting than expected. And, parents think since their children are high achieving, they can talk on the phone to arrange whole proms and community service days, that surely they can call a college admissions officer and ask a few questions, right? Nope. There’s a difference between calling on behalf of the Class of 2013 and calling to represent oneself–and on top of that, then calling a college admissions officer, where in teens’ minds a single misstep (perceived or otherwise) can lead to an immediate denial letter. Transitioning from teenage-hood to maturing young adulthood is not always simple or smooth for Seniors and their parents. read more…
Change Comes, Even for the SAT
An extreme fear for SAT takers and their parents.
The College Board recently announced that the SAT will be considered for revisions, although no time frame for a revised test to be used by students and colleges was stated. Despite speculation about why the SAT is being revised, given the previous changes were made only a decade ago, the reality for prospective college applicants is that the SAT is not going to be abolished from the college application process, although some colleges have implemented test-optional admissions policies, giving students the choice to submit SAT and ACT scores or not. I can hear the moans and groans now. A 3 hour and 45 minute testing experience can provoke loud protestations and stress for high school Juniors and their parents. So, here’s additional information to consider, when faced with having to take the SAT, to possibly give some perspective to compliment any complaints and stress. read more…
From January and Mid-March can be re-named, “The Waiting Season” for Seniors and their parents. While Early Admissions applicants may know admissions decisions by now (end of February), which can lead to rampant speculation amongst regular decision applicants, the admissions decision waiting will soon be over for University of California (UC) applicants. Then, comes a “good” problem…making a final decision from amongst the variety of college acceptances, as well as contending with possible disappointments from admissions denials.
The following is a list of the expected response dates by University of California campus, as well as their featured open house for students newly admitted to gain more information. Unless indicated, the UC campus will respond to applicants online through the applicant accounts established by each student: read more…
