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FAQ about Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC) for the University of California (UC)

Each spring, California high school juniors, who are likely within the top 20% academically in their class, are invited to submit their official high school transcripts to the University of California (UC) for their potential Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC) status when applying for admissions.  Lastly, there is no downside for parents to permit…

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Do You

The title should be the guiding principle of every college applicant. The college admissions process is inherently student-centric, driven by the student’s quest to identify the one institution of higher education where each person discovers more about their unique aptitude.  Yet, today, students and parents perceive the admissions process as college-centric, forced to contort into…

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Essential Advice for High School Juniors & their Families: Applying to College—Phase 2

The following is the second installment of our blog series for high school juniors turned rising high school seniors in preparing for the college application process. During Spring of a high school junior year, families are conscientiously selecting colleges for application to reduce the risk of educational malinvestment. To guide the selection process, students should…

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Biden Erases Default or Delinquency Status with Latest Student Loan Payment Pause

In addition to extending the pause of Federal student loan repayments to August 31, 2022, any borrowers who were in default or delinquency prior to March 2020, will have their status reset when repayment is scheduled to start on September 1, 2022.  ….all borrowers with paused loans to receive a ‘fresh start’ on repayment by…

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More and More Ivy league Colleges, plus Stanford, Will No Longer Report Admit Rates

In college admissions, applicants often perceive exclusivity, translated as less than 5% admit rates, as a higher quality education, and (sometimes more importantly) a guarantee of lifetime prosperity, The Golden Ticket, as one is forever branded with elitism. However, in coming years, applicants may be guessing more often than not about the selectivity of a…

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Medical School Applications: Opportunity for Clarity within Complexity

Answering “Why do you want to be a doctor?” is the essence of medical school personal statements. Aspiring family practitioners, specialists, surgeons, radiologists, you name it, must make an argument why they are a healer, who needs additional training to gain a greater realization of an inherent ability for easing other humans’ suffering of both…

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Post Fall 2022 College Admissions Decisions Analysis

Each Spring, I’m often asked, “Why wasn’t I admitted to _____ University, when others with lower GPA’s (grade point averages) and fewer extracurricular activities were accepted to that same university, believing a particular set of qualifications automatically merits an acceptance, while those “lesser” qualified should be denied admissions, a misconception of the modern academic meritocracy.  In…

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Advice From One Transfer Admissions Student to Another

Transferring from one college to another is disruptive: moving to a new city, leaving the family home for possibly the first time, establishing new friend networks in a new place. Being 19-20 years old and taking more specialized, upper division courses, typically, transfer students are seeking other older students, but often worry about breaking into…

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Housing Crunch

While annually rising college tuition is regularly reported in the news, frequently prompting much concern and discussion, few families discuss increasing housing costs. Yet, depending on the city where the college campus is located and the availability of on-campus housing, where to live can quickly create additional costs, both in opportunity and financially for undergraduates. …

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College Price Is, Contrary to Popular Opinion, Negotiable 

Warren Buffet famously stated, “Price is what you pay, value is what you get.” Thus, in valuing the education at one college in comparison to the education at another college (or even a third campus), contrary to popular belief, families have the advantage.  Families can negotiate college price, known in educational parlance as “Cost of…

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