Clients often want to consider colleges where they’ll be opportunities to join Sororities and Fraternities, also known as Greek Life. In response to clients’ questions, I interviewed Drew, a former Creative Marbles Consultancy client, Fraternity member and soon-to-be-graduated college student with a degree in Biology. He talked with me about how joining a fraternity added to his…
Author: Jill Yoshikawa, Ed M, Partner of Creative Marbles Consultancy
Jill Yoshikawa, EdM, Harvard ’99, a seasoned, 25 year educator and consultant, is meticulous in helping clients navigate all aspects of the educational experience, no matter the level of complexity. She combines educational theory with experience to advise families, schools and educators. A UCSD and Harvard graduate, as well as a former high school teacher, Jill works tirelessly to help her clients succeed.
What’s The Value of a University of California Education?
Roughly 30 percent of every dollar we take in from tuition we reinvest back in financial aid. So the nominal tuition is $12,000 but the real tuition is probably about $8500. It’s like the sticker price on an automobile: 62 percent of our students don’t pay the sticker price, [which is] income adjusted. But it’s…
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…
812% = Rise of College Text Book Prices Since 1980
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,…
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…
What’s College’s Value Given Today’s Prices?
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,…
Wanted: College Students for Fall 2013 Enrollment APPLY NOW
“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…
Shhh…Let’s Talk About Underage Drinking At College
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…
May 1st: Not Just May Day for Seniors
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…
By the Numbers: University of California Fall 2013 Admissions
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…
More Details About Federally Funded Student Loans
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%.)
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…
College Degree: Gateway to Middle Class Prosperity or Financial Burden?
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…
Reviewing The Week In Education: March 31-April 6
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…
Life in College: A Glimpse of Smaller Class Sizes in Action
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…