Guest Post: Is My Nest Going to be Empty?

About the Author: Both of Louise’s daughters worked with Creative Marbles Consultancy to navigate the college admissions process.  Emily is a third year student at Cornell University and Kate is a second year student at University of California, Berkeley.  Louise graciously shares her experiences about the transitions as both daughters moved away for college.   Before…

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A College Education May Include More Than You Think

“A college education” can simultaneously help teenagers transition to adulthood, prepare for a career, as well as gain academic knowledge. When researching colleges, finding information related to all three aspects of a college education can help families choose the most fitting college in the end. A campus academic environment can be compared with the culture…

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Are You Ready for the SAT and ACT?

Reviewing subject matter broadly does not constitute an effective preparation strategy for the SAT and ACT. Since the SAT and ACT constrain students’ performance within strict time limits, understanding the test format is essential. Being familiar with the test structure and testing circumstances, students can deftly navigate each section, and not become flustered when encountering…

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College Tuition Up 1225% Since 1978

As has been previously discussed, college tuition is increasing annually, and shows few signs of abating; however, at some point college education will be subject to the law of supply and demand.  As demand for college education continues growing – seen in each year’s record numbers of applicants, with total student debt growing beyond the record breaking $1.2 Trillion mark…

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Ahead of the Curve: August 9, 2014

Inspired by CMC Clients: OMG College ESSAYS! College essays are often feared. Topic selection can confound students, who’re under the impression that a traumatic-dramatic-life-altering experience makes a compelling college essay. However, choosing the “perfect” topic is not necessary to begin writing.  Simply start putting words on the page.  Then, students will have some thoughts to edit and…

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Top 10 Questions NOT to Ask a High School Senior

Where are you applying to college? You must be excited to graduate high school, aren’t you? Isn’t senior year the best time of your life? What is your GPA? What are your SAT scores? Why do you want to apply there? (referring to a particular college) My son/daughter/nephew/co-worker’s daughter’s boyfriend’s cousin went to _____ (fill-in-the-blank…

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The Chronicles of Procrastination

Bravado When first given an assignment, especially a project due beyond the end of the week, we’re often overly confident that we’ll complete the assignment in stages, so there won’t be a last-minute-panic-tear-streaked-temper-tantrum-tazmanian-devil-whirling-dervish kind of effort in the 24 hours before the deadline. We pridefully chalk up previous “all-nighters”, as “all in the past”, determined…

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Ahead of the Curve: July 5, 2014

Inspired by CMC Clients Advanced Placement (AP) Test Scores:  Students often believe that a score of less than 3 will hurt their college admissions competitiveness.  The belief is a myth.  A student’s willingness to challenge themselves academically by taking AP classes and the tests will be considered by college officials in the admissions process.  The score,…

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