I recently zoom’d with Dr. Will Davenport for The Dr. Will Show podcast about how to find value in education. Take a listen and share with others who are seeking guidance as they help their children discover their life’s purpose. To learn more how Jill and other experts at Creative Marbles Consultancy, a full service…
Tag: College admissions
Labor Market Mirage
In February 2020, approximately 165 million people were employed out of an approximate civilian population of 250 million Americans. In the economic recession of March 2020, 20 million jobs were lost. Since then, in the interim 12 months, only 10 millions jobs were re-created, leaving 10 million people still seeking employment. Of that 10 million,…
Major Problems
In spring when high school juniors begin devising their lists of colleges in preparation for fall applications, panic can quickly arise, when asked the typical first question, “What do you want to study in college?” which to a teenager translates to: “I must choose a career, right now at seventeenish years old, sign my name…
Common Application Prompts to Change for Fall 2022 Admissions
A new 650 word Common Application (bolded in the list below) essay prompt is being added for Fall 2022 admissions, as a replacement for one prompt being “retired”. Regardless of any prompt chosen, I recommend to avoid approaching the college essay as yet another school assignment, where students try to write and edit simultaneously, crafting…
College Grads Confronted by Diminished Employment Prospects
Many soon-to-be college graduates—in a time of economic upheaval and pandemic induced doubt—fatalistic and full of dread can relate to the most recent college student-produced meme. Currently, unemployment and underemployment of new college grads is increasing, and gateways to employment like internships and other extracurricular activities are drying up or are suspended at closed or…
All California State Universities Are Test Blind for Fall 2022
The following is the emailed response from the California State University (CSU) Chancellor’s Office in relation to our Open Letter to California State University Chancellor Castro, asking for clarification about the CSU Fall 2022 testing policy. Of note: Dr. Grommo, CSU Systemwide Director of Enrollment Management Services, states that all 23 CSU campuses will enact…
Success Redefined
Artie Shaw, the renowned Jazz clarinetist said, “Success is an opiate.” Success is not what people think of you, not what you do, the awards you receive or the material trappings you have collected. Instead, confidence in one’s purpose, a calling that defines a higher esteem, an evolution of our spirit, often requires a Guru…
Open Letter to California State University Chancellor Castro
Dear Chancellor Castro: I respectfully seek clarification about the suspended requirement to submit SAT or ACT scores for Fall 2022 admissions, concerned that Fall 2022 applicants may wrongly assess their opportunities for admissions, thus potentially affecting their decision to submit a CSU application. In preparing to advise clients about Fall 2022 admissions, I noted a…
It’s All About Confidence
Confidence is what makes the economy move. Falling confidence is a drag on economic growth. Right now, Americans are mixed yet leaning toward a recovering economy once pandemic restrictions are lifted. Yet, only roughly a third of all Americans are confident to make a major purchase: Thus, as acceptance letters trickle back to students during…
College Recruitment Rebooted or Refined
On-going cancellations of the SAT and ACT administrations has interrupted the traditional college admissions recruitment cycle, which may eventually affect demand for college. Rick Clark, Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Georgia Tech, writes: The mass cancellations and ensuing test-optional landslide has severely limited a big part of how colleges solicit applications through what we call…
Motherly Unemployment Blues
Two income families have become synonymous with modern parenting. Yet, in the recent COVID-induced economic disruption, when women are more likely to be unemployed or underemployed than men, the family dynamic may also be shifting. ….by April [2020] the COVID-19 crisis had created a 3 percentage point gender gap in unemployment. A similar gap emerged…
Do I Take the May 2021 AP Exams?
For students questioning whether to take the AP exams, wondering if they’d score a 3 or higher to merit college credits, especially since adjusting to virtual learning may have detracted from learning subject material, I offer the following advice: First, consider what information on the test may not be presented in class before the test…
Virtual College Marketplace
Each Spring Break, families pilgrimage to colleges, promoting the potential rewards if students continue achieving, reifying the belief that a college degree equals long term prosperity. However, we’re still living through a pandemic, with some experts fearing another outbreak fueled by variants of the original COVID virus, could emerge at the end of March, coinciding…
Should I take the SAT or ACT? Part 2
Many high school juniors who will be applying to college for Fall 2022 admissions are desperate to understand whether major universities will require SAT or ACT scores as part of their applications. I would first caution parents and students to be patient and flexible when defining an SAT or ACT test-taking strategy given admissions policies…
On Children
Kahlil Gibran’s timeless poem provides a contemplation as we all share concerns for the youngest generations. And, while parents are typically the primary adult mentors for children, we all bear the responsibility of helping children realize their full potential. Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for…