An unprecedented $1.2 trillion in student debt has grown exponentially in the last several generations, showing few signs of abating. In less than one generation, college graduates have tripled their debt burden. According to the Wall Street Journal, over 70% of the Class of 2014 will graduate college with an average of $33,000 in student…
Tag: High school freshmen
Summer Is Not a Time For Slacking Off or Is It?
Parents often wonder how kids can use summers to stay competitive for college admissions, and at the very least, not lose all their academic knowledge from the previous school year. On the other hand, kids are planning how late into the afternoon they’ll be able to sleep, how many Call of Duty levels they’ll be…
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…
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,…
Gotta Read ‘Em All
Let the summer reading games begin! In this corner, Whatever Novel that your kid does NOT want to read, but is required to read for Class X! In this corner, Kid + Team Distraction—Instagram, YouTube, XBOX, Hulu, Sleeping In…you get the picture. Additionally, parents may wonder if summer reading is a cruel revenge fantasy of…
Guest Post: Follow Your Instinct to Choose a College
A second blog post from Stephanie about how the “feel” of the campus helped her choose a Mills College in Oakland, CA. I graduated last year (2013) with a BS in Biopsychology and minor in Ethnic Studies. I was originally interested in medicine, but discovered that I enjoyed laboratory work after doing research under scholarship for a…
A $60 Trillion Inheritance…in Debt
Wishing a better life for our children is normal. Actually setting aside our personal wants in favor of our children is more complicated in practice. The next generation will inherit a record $60 Trillion in total U.S. debt—government debt, business debt, mortgage debt and consumer debt. (See chart below) Furthermore, the growth of student loan…
How Major is a College Major?
Choosing a college major is not the fork-in-the-road life moment, where the only consequences are becoming the next Steve Jobs or complete destitution. Many will equate “deciding a major” with “deciding a career.” However, major choice doesn’t always match exactly with careers. Ask any college graduate if their career directly correlates with their academic major. …
Parenting Is Neither Simple Nor Straightforward
As if there needs to be more evidence of the complicated relationship between parent and child, the October 2013 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair poll results stated that 55% of those surveyed would die for their children; yet of those same folks, only 10% would die for their parents. So, while parents may willingly sacrifice themselves, their…
Youthful Lessons
Teenage hubris born of naïve invincibility is often mistaken for insolence – punishable by grounding, cell phone revoking, internet banning, and parental embargoes on any activities outside of school. Yet, teenagers may be mere reflections of humankind’s inherent pride – our belief that we as a species and we alone are masters of the universe. The…
Ahead of the Curve: May 3, 2014
Inspired by Creative Marbles Clients: More often, clients are asking, “How do I pay for college?” The idea that 10-30% of their yearly income will go toward college expenses is a tough nut to swallow for any family. While the answer to parents’ question is more complex than this post, in short, planning, planning and more…
Guest Post: Colleges Without Make-Up
About the author: I’m Kerina, a high school senior interning at Creative Marbles. I’ve lived to tell the tale of having completed the college application process. After all the acceptances rolled in, I was faced with the daunting task of having to choose only one college. I can now happily say that I am committed…
Tough Love
As regular readers recall, the news about stagnant American household median income is not a new story, more of an evolving story about how more American middle class families are adjusting to life with less income. Lifestyle adjustments are just one possible shift in American households. More often, I’m hearing parents ask questions about how…
ACT and SAT AT-TI-TUDE
Attitude counts when taking the SAT or ACT. An “I Will” mentality goes a long way to sustaining test-takers in those inevitable moments when confronted with the doubts, “Why are BOTH A & B the right answer?!? Which one do I choose?” or “I think it’s A now, not D – but time’s running out…
College Admissions Is Not a Race
When choosing colleges for application, the first criteria considered is often, “Where can I get in?” Students are really asking, “How do I measure up?”, creating a competitive mindset. Then, in comparing the strength of their application to those of other possible applicants, students can generate unfounded or stereotypical conclusions, building nervous energy and aggravating…