The FAFSA or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the government form required to apply for financial aid at any U.S. college or university, will be released on October 1, 2016. The October date is a full three months earlier than previous years, when the FAFSA was released on January 1. What the earlier release…
Guest Post: A First Year Reflection
About the author: Born and raised in Northern California, now studying at New York University, Daniel is majoring in Business with a concentration in Accounting and Information Systems with a Minor in Computer Science and Mathematics. After gaining three job opportunities and extensively volunteering in Brooklyn over the past year, here is Daniel’s reflection of his…
“I Have Student Debt?”
[Sung to the tune of Heigh Ho from Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs] “I owe, I owe, so off to work I go…” Even though I remember singing this refrain in jest, Millennials, the current generation between age 18 – 35 , may not be so light-hearted. According to Bloomberg News in April 2016: A…
And, You Thought College Tuition Was Expensive…
A new report from the Economic Policy Institute shows that in multiple states, childcare expenses are greater than college tuition…
Mind the Gap
Malia Obama recently became a famous representative of a Millennial trend, The Gap Year. Defined as a “year-off” between high school and starting college, most “Gap Year-ians” aren’t just loafing around, playing video games and drinking Bobo teas all day. For a generation raised on scheduled play-dates, year-round athletics, and regimented community service activities, the…
“I Forgot My Calculator for the ACT!”
About the author: I’m Karli Ching and I graduated with C.K. McClatchy High School’s Class of 2015. I attend University of California, Davis as a biological sciences major pre-med student. ____________________________________________________ When I was taking the ACT for the second time during my senior year in October, I was taking it to improve my math score…
The Middle Class Squeeze
In the last several years, our middle class clients are being confronted by flattening incomes and college costs that have risen over 1000%. More and more families are finding themselves not only planning to pay for college when their children are quite young, but asking for more financial assistance when their children are ready to…
University of California Flagship Cuts Staff
The stress from the continuous reduction in state funding over the last decade has finally come to the University of California’s flagship campus, Cal Berkeley. The Washington Post reported on April 13: a workforce reduction of about 6 percent that comes as the prestigious public flagship is moving to erase a large budget deficit. In…
CONGRATULATIONS!
CONGRATULATIONS to the Creative Marbles Consultancy Class of 2016 for acceptances to: American University Arizona State University Baylor University Boston College Boston University Bryn Mawr College California Lutheran University Cal Poly, Pomona Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo California State University, Channel Islands California State University, Chico California State University, Fullerton California State University, Long Beach California…
Depth Over Breadth?
“Well-lopsided” is the new catchphrase in college admissions. In CMC’s recent conversation with an Ivy League admissions officer, she mentioned that the trend for applicants are either well-rounded, with depth in each activity or well-lopsided—which means if applicants are going to focus on one activity, like a sport, Olympic training should be in view for such a candidate. In…
The University of California Unveiled Brand New Application Essay Prompts
In Fall 2016, both freshman and transfer applicants to the University of California (UC) will choose from brand new writing prompts when composing the required personal application statements. After ten years, the UC has retired their previous two essay prompts. With annually record-breaking numbers of applicants—which increases the selectivity in admissions—admissions officers are seeking a fuller understanding…
Denied and Qualified
When the #1,256 ranked student at your high school gets into a highly selective university and you don’t:
Texts from a College Admissions Victor
About Karli: She’s a freshman at the University of California Davis, currently studying Biology and Chemistry. Karli is a former Creative Marbles Consultancy client; we advised her as a high school senior through the college admissions process, knowing the pressures she experienced in completing her college applications. In response to a recent New York…
And, The Oops! Award for Fall 2016 College Admissions Goes To…
….University of California Santa Cruz! We’ve all “clicked prematurely”, but on Wednesday, March 15, 2016, the Maryland, Virginia and Washington DC regional admissions officer for UC Santa Cruz sent 4000 “Congratulations on your admissions to UC Santa Cruz!” emails to students who hadn’t even applied. At least this application season (knock on wood), only UC Santa…
Acceptance Anxieties
Clicking “Submit” only allows momentary relief. New anxieties rise Leaving many to exclaim, “Good Grief!” The months long wait for a response has begun Leaving everyone Undone The compulsive checking of the email inbox Seems to only mock The seriousness of the hunt for the (virtual) “large envelope” “Maybe tomorrow…” they hope Others…