The University of California (UC) will begin raising tuition annually starting in Fall 2022 and extending through at least Fall 2026. However, tuition will be raised for each incoming class of first year and transfer students, then held flat throughout the remainder of their years at the UC. For Fall 2022 applicants, rising high school…
Amidst the rise of the academic meritocracy, as increasing numbers of students qualify for then apply to college, selectivity for admissions annually increases, yet high school counseling staff has been inadequate for the demand, thus many families seek the help of private admissions consultants. But, in the Era of Educational Experts, when qualifications and motivations…
As of July 23, 2021, 600 U.S. universities will require at least some staff, faculty, and students to have a COVID-vaccine to return to campus Fall 2021, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. As of July 15, 2021, the University of California (UC) is the largest public university system to require all students and…
Everyone has genius. Yet, few discover their genius. Every parent intends to unleash their child’s genius. Yet, the endeavor to help one’s child discover genius requires the intricate, on-going, at times, herculean effort to challenge expectations—one’s own, one’s extended family’s, as well as one’s culture’s and community’s—not to mention reconciling any gaps in a parent’s…
The effects of the COVID-induced disruptions to education have yet to be quantified in the intermediate and long term, thus educators struggling to redefine “normal” learning for years to come, as an entire COVID-affected generation, Pre-K through College, matriculates through the educational system. Additionally, the SAT, an 80 year old admissions requirement, is being summarily…
Soon-to-be first year college students all over the world are separating from their childhoods—saying, “Goodbye” to friends, leaving their childhood bedrooms, and now emerging as an adult, learning to partner with their parents. They’re establishing their first households outside their family homes, a complicated endeavor often involving new responsibilities. In readying to move, students are…
Students applying to the University of California (UC) for Fall 2022 admissions and beyond can now fulfill their third year of required mathematics with a variety of math courses, no longer required to take Integrated Math III, Algebra II or an equivalent. However, potential first year UC applicants should still take a Geometry or Geometry-equivalent…
While many may, as a child, dream of being a doctor when they grow up, few actually do. While many high school students intend to study “pre-med” once enrolled in college, few stay the course. While many college students intend to apply to medical school, only some do. And, of those select few, on average…
Most teens eventually seek more independence from the watchful eyes of their parents, and many of them believe the freedom they so desire will be found attending college. Yet, just like Thomas Jefferson and the American Revolutionaries (or anyone seeking change), as so aptly advised: Prudence, indeed will dictate that Governments long established should not…
College admissions officers award merit scholarships to demonstrate their “value” of a student’s high school experience like signing bonuses for highly sought after employees. A merit scholarship acts as a “discount” on tuition, reducing the overall Cost of Attendance (COA) of any college education, as merit awards are typically renewable for four years. Also, merit…
“Do you help with scholarships?” is often one of the first questions that parents ask me. Fearful of the ever-increasing cost of college tuition, they (mis)perceive a college education as a large purchase, rather than an investment. To invest in a college education, both institution and family mutually consent to a partnership. Yet, in any…
Education is often one of the most complicated investments people make in their lifetime. As such, accurate information is essential, yet often difficult to acquire thus only increasing the risk of educational malinvestment. There is a cornucopia of free information regarding every possible educational issue known to man, but remember the old adage, “You get…
Many college grads are newly certificated, soon to be jettisoned from the Bank of Mom & Dad, to assume full fiscal and otherwise responsibility as novice adults. But, adulting is complicated. As the astute Lewis Lapham noted about his own experience he needed to … take the college-boy thumb out of my mouth, come of…
In the increasing subjectivity of admissions, as grades are affected by the transition to virtual learning and many extracurricular activities have been canceled or suspended until further notice, college admissions officers are seeking information about what students had planned, yet did instead. Thus, students should reflect on their COVID-interrupted educational experience, to add context for…
As new college grads join the ranks of the career-minded, dutifully employed professional, hopeful yet apprehensive in the concomitant uncertainty, I’m sharing advice from Avni, who’s a few years post college graduation. Her wisdom as she reflected on her few years working full time wrangling adulthood, then wondering what if… I would give two pieces…
