Each Spring Break, families pilgrimage to colleges, promoting the potential rewards if students continue achieving, reifying the belief that a college degree equals long term prosperity. However, we’re still living through a pandemic, with some experts fearing another outbreak fueled by variants of the original COVID virus, could emerge at the end of March, coinciding…
Many high school juniors who will be applying to college for Fall 2022 admissions are desperate to understand whether major universities will require SAT or ACT scores as part of their applications. I would first caution parents and students to be patient and flexible when defining an SAT or ACT test-taking strategy given admissions policies…
Like everything else in our COVID-colored reality, Fall 2021 college admissions decisions will be historic. Let’s review how: Two-thirds of all US universities and colleges are not requiring SAT or ACT scores as part of applications, and some are not considering the SAT or ACT scores at all, implementing what’s known as “test-blind” admissions, for…
On January 21, 2021 by executive order, President Biden continued the suspension of all Federal student loan payments as well as interest until September 30, 2021. With President Biden’s extension, student loan borrowers will be granted a total of 18 months of loan and interest deferment, since payments were suspended since the enactment of the…
First, in Spring 2020, as we retreated into our homes concerned for the health risks of contracting COVID, we re-centered our lives. Following stringent social distancing guidelines, we imported the world to our personal fiefdoms. Thus, we’re spending more on groceries to prepare our own meals, purchasing cable and satellite TV for news and entertainment,…
The criminally fraudulent actions of Rick Singer and 50 parents and college administrators indicted in the college admissions scandal in 2019, highlighted the disparities and weaknesses in the college admissions system, as well as the cultural bias that a college degree is a salve for life’s uncertainties. As Washington Post journalist, Jeff Selingo writes: These…
For students who’ve submitted Part 1 of the Georgetown Application, they can extend submission of their supplement application through January 13, 2021, extending their time to work on their essays. Why are a noticable number of universities extending their Fall 2021 Regular Decision deadlines, more than during a usual college application season? Specifically, are college…
Twas the first days of winter vacation In hopes of relaxing from a semester of deprivation Not a teenager eschewed a multi-days long hibernation Where the XBOX was humming, punctuated by the occasional deviation To the refrigerator. All finals were taken No impending projects to be done As the holidays arrived Full of food and…
For Fall 2021, MIT admissions officers have added two optional questions to understand the context of a student’s current COVID-disrupted reality. During a recent conversation, an MIT admissions officer explained the intent of the two questions. For the first question: If there is anything we should know about your school’s grading system or course offerings,…
Pitzer College in Southern California and Barnard College in New York City both extended the Regular Decision application deadline for first year applicants. Pitzer’s deadline is now January 8, 2021 and Barnard’s deadline is now January 4, 2021. As a trend is forming amongst private universities to extend deadlines, applicant should check their email frequently,…
Good writing is rewriting. Truman Capote Typically, high school students write one draft of an essay the night before the assignment is due amidst the myriad other homework assignments. Thus, drafting and editing and revising of each sentence happens simultaneously. But, typically, in writing college essays, drafting, editing, and revising are three separate steps, repeated…
Private universities discounted tuition in the form of merit scholarships and grants nearly 50% on average in the 2019-20 school year. Furthermore, tuition discounts for the 2020-21 school are forecasted to be 52.6% for full time, first year students, according to data from National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO). And, in the…
Although college applications are technically due at 11:59 pm on the deadline day, “11:59 pm” might be hours earlier or later than the time zone where the applicant lives, depending on the admissions policies of the college. Thus, applicants should pay attention to the local time zone where a college is located. Although The Common…
In response to a reported case of COVID-19, K-12 school administrators and teachers in one California district must navigate the myriad, interlocking actions as outlined below: While everything works in theory, when created in a vacuum, the theory may be less useful in practice. One teacher shared that their school nurses, working in conjunction with…
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is the latest university admissions office to extend their application deadlines for Fall 2021 admissions. Other colleges, including the 23 California State Universities (CSU), the nine University of California (UC) campuses, as well as the University of Texas Austin and Texas A & M have all already extended their application…
