Transferring from one college to another is disruptive: moving to a new city, leaving the family home for possibly the first time, establishing new friend networks in a new place. Being 19-20 years old and taking more specialized, upper division courses, typically, transfer students are seeking other older students, but often worry about breaking into…
While annually rising college tuition is regularly reported in the news, frequently prompting much concern and discussion, few families discuss increasing housing costs. Yet, depending on the city where the college campus is located and the availability of on-campus housing, where to live can quickly create additional costs, both in opportunity and financially for undergraduates. …
Is it something in your headlights? Or is it something in your hindsights? You don’t know if it’s true. But these peeves are as real as those who are scared, those like me and you One moment in the sky, another in the ground, your fear is a smoking crater. For others it’s a swamp,…
Warren Buffet famously stated, “Price is what you pay, value is what you get.” Thus, in valuing the education at one college in comparison to the education at another college (or even a third campus), contrary to popular belief, families have the advantage. Families can negotiate college price, known in educational parlance as “Cost of…
Another generation is on the cusp of deciding what to do next, now that their youth has come to end. Those who applied to college then gained acceptance now must decide where they will be attending college in the fall and more importantly why, and for what purpose. Many college graduates when confronted with why…
There are three college admissions decisions: admit, deny, and the most confusing of all, Waitlist. Yet, students, choosing to remain on a waitlist by “opting-in” before the deadline posted in the admissions letter, should be sure they understand what the choice entails. First, understand there is no guarantee that any students will be considered for…
In the aftermath of high school seniors receiving their Fall 2022 college admissions decisions, many people are acting as amateur college admissions officers, including applicants’ themselves and their families. Many speculate why someone was denied, yet another (who seems less qualified) was admitted. In the speculative frenzy, often, urban myths are perpetuated: MYTH: Out-of-state applicants,…
“I’ve been rejected” is typically how students translate being denied admissions to a college. (Although, in reality, such a view is not true, many students, who have been trained to seek outward validation from teachers, parents, coaches, club sponsors, tutors etc as the arbiter of being “right”, “smart”, or “capable” thus worthy, lump admissions officers…
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” For any student who wants to attend four year college this Fall 2022, there’s openings still available, contrary to popular belief. The National Association for College Admissions Counseling recently released their annual College Openings Update, a listing of colleges still accepting applications for Fall 2022. So, students who…
As of March 23, 2022, all public universities in California are now test free, meaning no SAT or ACT scores are required, nor will be considered in admissions. The California State Universities (CSU) Trustees permanently eliminated SAT and ACT scores from consideration, joining with the University of California (UC) Regents who declared permanent test free…
As the legendary Mick Jagger belted, “I ain’t got no…sa-tis-fac-tion.” Mick’s words of wisdom can apply to many high school seniors and their families as the college decision making season descends. Robert Barkley via Rick Clark, seasoned Director of Admissions at Georgia Tech, is confronting the possibility for dissatisfaction regarding outcomes in the expectation laden…
Spring of senior year is a critical time in the college admissions process, in some sense, more pivotal than the application period, for a strategic blunder can be costly: misallocating 17 years of preparation for higher education, malinvestment of tens of thousands of dollars in tuition, and economic malaise that could last a lifetime. Seniors…
On Monday, March 14, California State legislators along with Governor Gavin Newsom, ratified legislation amending the California Environmental Quality Act, so UC Berkeley (Cal) admissions officials will not need to reduce Fall 2022 enrollment for first year, transfer, or graduate students, as previously predicted. As a result, UC Berkeley officials will no longer encourage 1000…
Choosing classes for the upcoming high school year is often fraught with questions, typically prioritizing how to meet and exceed the college admissions eligibility requirements: What’s the “right” number of Advanced Placement (AP), Honors and/or dual enrollment community college courses during one year to be competitive for college admissions? How do I balance managing the…
Each Spring Break, families pilgrimage to colleges reasoning that by visiting a college campus their teenagers will be motivated to select colleges. However, since many colleges are still conducting some classes online or not requiring in person attendance, in order to mitigate the on-going risks due to COVID, families may not experience students milling about…
