Are students’ and their families’ attitudes changing about college? 375 colleges, an increase of 96 institutions from 2011, report still having space available for freshmen and/or transfer students for Fall 2012. Has the economic uncertainty caught up with families’ choices? Is the $1 Trillion total student debt and consequences for individual borrowers causing families to…
Tag: College admissions
3 hours and 45 minutes…Preparing for the SAT or ACT
The ACT with Writing and the SAT are 3 hours and 45 minutes of testing time alone; not to mention–given on a Saturday morning, requiring teenagers to arrive at the testing center by 7:45 am, and can be a 5 hour endeavor with the standard breaks and registration checks. Plus, these can seem like “the…
To Take AP or Not to Take AP…
The number of Advanced Placement (AP) classes being offered and the rates of passing scores on the tests are increasingly being used as one criteria to rank high schools. (Washington Post, Newsweek) As parents become more savvy about the college admissions process, many know that the number of rigorous courses offered at a high school…
A University for the Students?
Is college education a public good or a student-centered model for individual development or both?
Middle Class Families Concerned about Affording College
Real wages haven’t increased, at the same time as pension values are decreasing, state budgets uncertainties are reducing funding for public universities and children are maturing into college age. What a perfect confluence for many middle class families and contributing to nervousness that the lifelong dream of a college degree–demonstrated through multiple honors and Advanced…
Why Teens Don’t Always Apply for Scholarships
Shifts in the views of parents with children aged 16 or younger about when adulthood financial independence should begin coincides with parents concerns about paying for college. In Creative Marbles experience, parents expect to shoulder the majority of college costs, at the same time expecting children to contribute toward their education. However, the shift in…
What I Did for Summer Vacation: College Tours
With summer breaks, many families are busy planning vacations that include college campus tours. The expense and time families invest in visiting colleges can be more valuable, with preparation by both parents and students. Here’s a few tips:
College Admissions Yield? Why Students Should Pay Attention
The college admissions yield is the percentage of students who enroll from the total number of students admitted to the school. A higher yield shows the greater likelihood that an admitted student will enroll; thus, colleges will often admit less students and may have shorter wait lists, if any. So, for prospective applicants, a higher…
What’s Test Optional Admissions?
While many colleges require students to take the SAT or ACT (with or with the Writing exam) as part of admissions, a number of colleges don’t require students to take the tests or report scores as part of an application process. Test optional admissions policies sometimes ask students to send additional letters of recommendation or…
College Tuition Rises and So Does Demand
As the University of California Regents debate a 6% tuition increase for Fall 2012, see how tuition has changed at California colleges, since 2001. (The database provides information for 2 and 4 year colleges, both public and private.) While students and their families are concerned about rising tuition and student debt is at $1 Trillion…
College costs more than 4 years of tuition
Student loan debt is future income brought forward. To an 18 year old college Freshman, with little experience in financial responsibility, this concept may be foreign. Financial literacy is only part of the resolution; students and parents need foresight and continued roll-up-their-sleeves effort to pick colleges that will give them the greatest value for their…
Will continuing tuition increases eventually cool demand for college?
Total student loan debt hit the $1 Trillion mark this week and continues growing. Congress is debating to stop the increase in the student loan interest rates from 3.4% to 6.8% on July 1, 2012. And, UC’s are considering an additional 6% tuition hike on top of the 47.6% tuition increase, since 2009. With more…
ACT & SAT Scores Can Affect Financial Aid, Too
Many families ask Creative Marbles about preparing for the ACT and/or SAT, as a way to boost a students’ competitiveness for admissions. There’s another reason to prepare. Merit aid scholarships can be awarded on a sliding scale, based on ACT & SAT scores and GPA–as scores and GPA increases, the amount of merit aid increases.…
Campus “Vibe” vs. Academics: Why College Selection Takes the Whole Family
College students aren’t just gaining an education and future career training, they’re moving to a new community. Parents often express concerns to Creative Marbles that their student is paying more attention to “atmosphere” or “how s/he feels on campus”–not “what do I want to study.” These differences in perspective can create conflict, and also are…
CA College Freshmen Moving Out of CA: A Shift or Temporary Reaction?
Since 2000, 90% more California resident high school grads are choosing to enroll in out of state colleges–both public and private. While speculation from budget uncertainties in California to affordability of out-of-state tuition is circulating as reasons for the trend, Creative Marbles asks, “Are families and students simply approaching college as a consumer purchase, and…