Additional insights to answer the complex questions Hewlett Packard employees asked during our second College Admissions and Financial Aid Brown Bag Lunch, since we were limited in our discussion time last week. Each topic is bolded, with the details listed below: College Application Essays The autobiographical college application essays are a meaningful part of any…
Tag: High school freshmen
Choosing Extra-curricular Activities When There’s No Magic Formula for College Admissions
Unfortunately for college applicants, there is no magic, straightforward formula for earning an acceptance in the college admissions process. Since the evaluation for college admissions is completed by human beings, about other human beings, in an environment with yearly increasing numbers of applicants who excel and exceed the requirements for admissions, subjectivity in decision making…
“Summer Reading” Is Not An Oxymoron
As summer vacation begins, so too does the back and forth negotiation to complete summer reading assignments. Even for avid readers, summer reading assignments can sap the pleasure derived from reading. Both parents and teens know all the logical, rational reasons TO complete summer reading sooner rather than later, but there’s that part of the…
Choosing Harvard: Thoughts About a “Prestigious” University
As Juniors and their families begin sizing up prospective colleges for application and weighing the value of a college’s reputation, I thought I’d share I came to be a Harvard graduate, along with thoughts about a recent New York Times article, Measuring College Prestige vs. Cost of Enrollment. Quotes from the New York Times article will…
To Seek Tutoring or Not
From the middle to the end of any semester, I start receiving calls from worried parents for tutor referrals. What I’ve learned in my decade of experience is that families hire tutors for a variety of reasons. Being clear on the specific reasons for engaging a tutor can make the the tutoring relationship the most…
College and The Middle School Years
Middle school parents’ sixth sense about positioning their ‘tweens for college often becomes more pronounced, as families are considering choices for high school. Often, the question, “Which high school will best prepare my student for college?” is introduced into the discussion. Parents begin paying closer attention to stories about so-and-so’s daughter’s boyfriend’s cousin’s neighbor…
“I Got In. Now, How Do We Pay for College?”
“How do I pay for college?” is an often heard question from Senior parents at this time of the year. As college acceptances and financial aid award letters arrive, the reality of an imminent, multi-thousands of dollars per year over multiple years expense may be blossoming in the consciousness of families, especially when a…
Learn HOW to Learn: The Legacy of Mr. Coombs
At this time of the school year–after first semester grades and well-into the next semester–I receive increased requests for tutor referrals. Parents and students naturally assume that a less than expected grade in a class is due to content deficit–that somehow the student just “isn’t getting it”; “it” being the ideas and concepts presented in…
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.
“Talk With Your Teacher”: Not Always a Simple Task
“Talk with your teacher” is usually advice that parents give to their high school aged student when an academic issue arises. Teens can typically have the following reactions to their parents’ suggestion: they silently agree, then don’t actually talk with the teacher or they protest, with reasons about the teacher not liking them or being…
The Wisdom of Our Parents
Do any of the following concerns sound familiar? “Is my student motivated enough?” “I don’t want to be a nag. How much do I remind my high school student to get her/his homework done?” “When do teenagers normally start taking greater responsibility for their homework and academic achievement?” I don’t want my daughter/son to lose…
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…
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…
Academic Cheating: No Simple Explanations
Harvard recently required 60 students to withdraw for up to two years, after being found responsible for cheating on a take-home final essay exam last spring. (The students will be eligible to re-enroll after the forced withdrawal period is over.) Is it surprising that Harvard students cheat? Or surprising that 125 students, about half the…
On Being Educated
Supposedly, the older you get, the less you know, which can be a sign of wisdom. For me, the Harvard educated, lifelong ‘A’ student, however, the idea of knowing less is deflating. I was the nerdy kid, the one in the corner, even at extended family gatherings (which my cousins kindly remind me every chance…