A student loan, well any loan, is future income brought forward. While there are consequences to debt, the key is being educated to the realities of repayment in the long term (i.e. opportunity and financial costs) and being rigorously honest in the intermediate term about the value of the college education your debt is purchasing.…
Tag: College selection
What’s a College President Got to Do with Me?
Prospective students and their parents would be smart to investigate the view of the presidents at colleges they’re considering for application to know if they share values and the college will be able to help the student reach his/her individual goals, since college presidents’ views regarding the role of colleges varies depending on the type…
What Successful College Students Do
No student starts college expecting to NOT graduate; yet the most recent statistics indicate the college completion rate is 55% within 6 years of enrolling full time in a 4 year college. So, what does make for success in college, including a timely (and actual) graduation?
Future Success + Financial Constraints = College?
More families, and younger, are asking Creative Marbles about financial aid and paying for college. Parents are facing difficult choices between supporting multiple kids through 4 years of higher education and saving for retirement, while confronting the challenge of encouraging their children to dream big, yet understanding the realities of financing that educational dream.
Are College Going Attitudes Changing?
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…
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…
PTA in College?
Parents are “graduating” from 12 years of PTA/PTO/PTSA meetings, alongside their high school seniors, so joining a college’s Parent Association may be the last idea on their list of moving junior/juniorette out of the house. Plus, aren’t kids meant to be finally on their own in college? For the secret helicopter parent, a college parent…
A University for the Students?
Is college education a public good or a student-centered model for individual development or both?
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…
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…