The value of college may not be reflected in the cost of college. However, the media attention to average student debt and annually rising college costs can mask the value of college. In addition, when the average costs of goods and services (i.e. inflation) is greater than the average rise in earnings for 99% of Americans…
Tag: Parent
General Thinking According To Google Trends
What’s on people’s minds… Hat tip to zerohedge.com (8/21/2013)
Private Universities May Not Cost More Than A Public University, In the Final Analysis
Dismissing a college based only on cost, as many families tend to do when considering private universities, may overlook a valuable choice for an individual student. The following podcast discusses how to “value” a public university in relation to a private university, as well as offers tips for planning for future college expenses. For more…
College Costs: Myth vs. Reality
A tongue-in-cheek look at rising college costs, yet gives another incentive for college bound teens to think thoroughly about their college choices.
The A B C’s of the New Common Application Essays
College essays that add value to the application explain the meaning of the applicant’s life experiences and give insight to the applicant’s personality. Being able to craft that content, while in the middle of the fall semester of Senior year, and fit their 17 years of life into 500 words or less can be a…
Is College Financial Aid Really Aid?
The difference between the value of college, indicated by price and intrinsic worth, and what a family feels they can afford to pay creates the need for financial aid. But, college bound buyer beware: NOT ALL FINANCIAL AID AWARDED BY THE UNIVERSITY IS ACTUALLY AID.
Part 2: Learning May Not Be Simple–The Student’s Perspective
In Part One of our “Learning May Not Be Simple” series, we discussed the complexities of presenting new information in an average classroom, as well as how a teacher’s management of the class can influence the learning process. The following highlights the student’s perspective and the complications of understanding new information, particularly for high school…
Moving Away to College May Be More Complicated Than Expected
Move-in day is looming for soon-to-be college freshmen all over the country. What to pack, what to leave at home, saying good-bye to close friends, concerns about an unknown roommate(s), signing up for the “right” classes at a brand-new school, and moving out of a childhood home can make for a bittersweet time. On the…
Paying for Childhood: Average Cost of Raising Children
Wondering how your parents were able to raise multiple kids (and none of you felt deprived) on a single income back in the day? A new report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates families with children born in 2012 will spend an average of $241,080 in the next 18 years to raise their offspring–NOT…
Finding A College Can Feel Like Searching for a Needle in the Haystack
But, in reality, the student is the needle. No, that’s not some obscure Master-Yoda-Jedi-training-mind-trick. What it means is that the more that college bound student, knows about himself/herself (i.e. interests, vision, goals–career and otherwise), then the narrower the field of possible colleges for both application and enrollment becomes. Plus, the six figure price tag of…
Paying For College Tuition
Student loans, grants and scholarships are replacing parent income and savings in paying for college. Source: Wall Street Journal
Letting Go: College Move In Day Approaches
For parents anxiously facing their soon-to-be-college freshman’s move away from home… ‘ Photo Credit: The New Yorker Magazine, August 2012
Summer = College Essay Writing?
For parents of rising Seniors, summer can seem like the ideal unstructured time to get a jump on college essays. For the average rising Seniors, maybe not so much. Take a listen to our podcast about how to combine summer vacation and college essay writing: For more information about college essay writing, see our previous…
Meaning Is In the Eye of the Beholder
In reference to the picture below: Proud Momma Duck*? Conversation starter when college students call home to ask for more money? Or teasing refrain uttered by teens as they roll their eyes? Perspective can change meaning. *Referring to the University of Oregon Ducks Photo Credit: Creative Marbles Consultancy, 2013
When is “Enough” Enough?
When is “enough”, enough? To answer this question, let’s define “enough”. In my experience, an outside (read: someone else’s) definition of “enough” may provide a starting point, but knowing when I’m “enough” is an inside job. Clients and friends time and again have reinforced the notion that “trusting my own experience” will be the true…