California Community Colleges (CCC) and the California State University (CSU) systems recently started a transfer guarantee program for selected majors, where students can earn both an Associates Degree from a Community College and their Bachelor’s from a four year CSU, called the Associate’s Degree for Transfer. Basically, if students complete a set of required general…
Tag: College admissions
“Treat Me Like An Adult…Until I Need You.”
“I can’t get my daughter to pick up the phone and call a college admissions office,” is a common frustration and concern I hear from Senior parents. After a lifetime of watching from just behind mom and dad, teens on the cusp of leaving home are starting to experience the independence and self-reliance they crave.…
Change Comes, Even for the SAT
The College Board recently announced that the SAT will be considered for revisions, although no time frame for a revised test to be used by students and colleges was stated. Despite speculation about why the SAT is being revised, given the previous changes were made only a decade ago, the reality for prospective college applicants…
The Admissions Waiting Will Be Over Soon: University of California Response Dates
From January and Mid-March can be re-named, “The Waiting Season” for Seniors and their parents. While Early Admissions applicants may know admissions decisions by now (end of February), which can lead to rampant speculation amongst regular decision applicants, the admissions decision waiting will soon be over for University of California (UC) applicants. Then, comes a…
More About Waiting for College Admissions Decisions: Is The Glass Half Empty or Half Full?
Perception can change everything. I was complaining recently about something not going my way, and a friend reminded me about the neighborhoods in Syria being bombed daily, a roof over my head from the recent winter rain storm, you get the picture. My friend got me thinking–how do we maintain a realistic view without falling…
“How Do I Select Colleges for Application If I Don’t Know My Major?”
One of the first questions that arise when high school juniors start thinking about selecting colleges for application is, “What’s my academic major?” However, choosing a major can seem risky, like locking oneself into an academic concentration with no chance to change, as well as declaring career for the rest of one’s life–all at age…
The Skinny on Increasing College Tuition
Wondering why college seems more costly than in the past? According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, college tuition has increased 559% since 1985. Over the same time, disposable income has increased only incrementally, which can create the perception of greater costs for each family.
Viewing the University of California Fall 2013 Application Numbers
Ok. Ok. Ok. Each year, when colleges start releasing the numbers of applications received, I hear from parents and Seniors worried about their chances for admissions. The numbers of applications can spark speculation and fears about one’s chances of being accepted. Looking closer at the University of California’s (UC) application numbers can help gain some perspective and may…
Sleep, More Sleep and Summer Camp: A Teen’s Summer Vacation Agenda
The months long stretch of unscheduled summer vacation can be enticing to both teens and their parents. For teens, the idea of sleeping in until afternoon and no pressure about daily homework assignments is enthralling. For parents, summer can be an unrestricted time to explore other academic interests and hobbies. (And, in fairness, for teens…
Do You Wonder if College Admissions Offices are Single-Handedly Keeping the U.S. Postal Service In Business?
Availability of information is not the problem when starting a search for colleges. The sources of information–admissions statistics, YouTube, college websites, college search engines, Facebook pages, parents swapping stories on the sidelines at the soccer game, alumni returning to high schools to talk about their college experience, aunties and uncles freely offering college advice at…
How to Reduce the “Yuck” in Preparing for the SAT & ACT
The SAT and ACT are unlike tests students see in high school. First, teenagers will need to be awake at 7:45 am on a Saturday morning, bright-eyed and bushy tailed, knowing the score will play a role (although how large is unknown) in determining their competitiveness for admissions to colleges of their choice. Second, teenagers…
“Demonstrated Interest” & College Admissions
Parents know from experience that relationships and networks can create opportunities in the job world. Often, moms and dads will apply this same “build a relationship” thinking to the college admissions process, to try and gain an advantage for their rising Senior student. The theory is that the more the kid makes himself/herself known to…
“Study Abroad” May Not Mean What You Think
“Study abroad” in college can have multiple definitions. Not every student will immerse themselves for a year at a foreign university, studying concepts in a foreign language. Universities are expanding the range of opportunities to travel and study abroad, as well as varying the duration of programs. Summers, spring breaks, semesters-long, month long trips between…
Need Based Financial Aid Explained
Paying for college can sometimes be a separate worry from concerns about admissions. Often, parents ask us nervously about how to afford college, as well as the family’s chances of actually qualifying for any financial aid. I find that parents are most concerned about need based aid, given the family’s income and asset values. The…
The Waiting Game
I sometimes wonder what’s more stressful for Seniors and their families–applying to college or the months long wait for responses from the colleges. At least with applying, there’s a deadline, a definite end point to the frenzied energy. Plus, the activity of writing essays and collecting letters of recommendation, completing the application keeps one…