183,272 is the number of single applications the University of California (UC) received for Fall 2014 admissions. The record numbers will make admissions decisions again unpredictable for applicants this year.
Guest Post: Life of A Naval Academy Mom
About the author: Samantha’s son enrolled at the Naval Academy in Fall 2012, after considering colleges, like University of California Los Angeles and Boston University. She highlights the support of the Navy Academy parent groups in the local area to bring families together, building a connection with their sons’ and daughters’ experiences at the Academy from…
The State of the Recent College Graduate
Just in the last month, more recently graduated or soon-to-be-graduated college students have re-connected with Creative Marbles for post-college advising. Degrees (almost) in hand, “Now what?” is the question, as these grads move back home with mom and dad. The current sentiment as published in today’s Wall Street Journal gives insight into the world our…
Free Money For the Asking
Imagine someone wants to give away money to help pay for college, and publicly extends their offer to many people. The only step needed to get the money is to ask for it. Asking for the money happens as a written request – usually consisting of some forms requesting basic personal contact information and a…
Ahead of the Curve: January 23, 2014
From the News: Some Parents, Educators are Rethinking the Role of AP, Baltimore Sun January 18, 2014 Who Cheats and Why, The Atlantic Monthly January/February 2014 More on Net Costs, Higher Ed Data Stories January 13, 2014 From our Clients: SAT, ACT or Both? The format of each test is different, and students can respond…
Resting on Our Laurels
“It’s not enough what I did in the past — there is also the future.” Dr. Rita Levi-Montalcini, commented when asked continuing her work as a pioneering neurologist at 100 years old. I was struck by her matter-of-fact attitude, that a life’s work doesn’t have a “done” point. The tendency to rest on our laurels…
Parents Mean Well
There may be a point of “too involved”… Photo credit: New Yorker Magazine
Ahead of the Curve: January 5, 2014
From Our Clients: More Common App Problems: January 1 is one of the common college application due dates for popular and highly selective colleges, like Stanford, Harvard, Rice, Brown, Notre Dame, Claremont McKenna, Northwestern – just to name a few. In the midnight hours starting on the East Coast and moving West, the Common Application website,…
Brrrrrrrr….Its Yippy Skippy Cold
The idea of seasons can be a selling point for colleges with prospective applicants – especially for students in sunny California, where I live. For me, wanting to live in snow was definitely a reason for choosing to attend Harvard. (Although, when faced with a choice between University of Michigan and Harvard, Ann Arbor was…
Out With the Old, In With the New
Today, a friend’s eight year old son told me about a New Year’s tradition in Colombia. An effigy is stuffed with mementos symbolizing bad memories and slips of paper scrawled with fears of bad luck, then dressed in old clothes. Then, its burned with fireworks to represent the fresh start of a New Year. However…
Caution: For Soon-to-Be-Graduated College Students
As the chart shows, 18% of college graduates are currently living with their parents. In addition, unemployed college graduates are more likely to live at home (45% vs. 29%),
Procrastination or Provocation?
“Waiting for Inspiration”? (AKA the day before the college application deadlines?)
Ahead of the Curve: December 26, 2014
From the News: The Selling of Attention Deficit Disorder, New York Times December 13, 2014 Graffiti Club’s The Write Place at S.F’s Lincoln High, San Francisco Chronicle December 15, 2013 Young, Multi-employed, And Looking for Full-time Work in San Francisco, The Billfold May 30, 2013 From Clients: P-R-O-C-R-A-S-T-I-N-A-T-I-O-N: Teenagers explain waiting until the last minute…
As Winter Break Begins…
Let your imagination run!
Holiday Gifts for the College Student
6 Gift Ideas for College Students: Community Supported Agriculture Veggie Boxes: worries that college students aren’t eating healthy can be reduced by ordering weekly, locally grown vegetable boxes. Not only will college students be able to pick up fresh veggies every week, but they’ll also be reducing their carbon footprints. A Loan Payment: student debt…