Reading about Helen Gurley Brown’s death today inspired the following post. (No matter your opinion of Ms. Brown and her positions on social issues–she was the editor of Cosmopolitan magazine for 32 years and wore mini-skirts into her 80’s, according to the New York Times–she stirred discussion.) A discussion does not happen when everyone agrees…
Tag: Parent
Advice for Parents: Thinking about Alternatives to College
The expectation of college, as the next step after high school, is a lifetime of effort. To stop and consider an alternative is complicated. Julie Nguyen, CMC’s CFO & Managing Partner, knows the complexities of choosing options other than college. She offers the following podcast of advice for parents:
Back To School…More Complex Than Buying New Notebooks
BACK TO SCHOOL: Three words that can send excited nerves through a student’s, parent’s and teacher’s bodies. Students may lament, yet their friends are waiting on campus, after all. At the same time, there’s a frenzy of last minute summer reading and assignment completion while parents buzz in the background, brimming with “I told you…
Plagiarizing Doesn’t Happen Only in School
Original thought that contributes to common knowledge and greater understanding is demanded of students across the country. New software that scans students’ work and rates the percentage of the document that is potentially plagiarized are being used in high school and college classrooms. One high school junior told us that her teacher returned her history…
How Are Middle & Upper Income Families Affording College?
For families with $94,000 to $205,000 in yearly income, the percentage of debt is increasing. The Wall Street Journal reports, 25.6% of these middle-upper income families incurred student-loan debt in 2010, up from 19.5% in 2007. With the costs of college increasing and use of debt is increasing, will families begin making college decisions with…
Guest Post: Advice about the College Essay from a Graduated Senior to The Class of 2013
About the Author: In a few weeks, Hunter will be a Freshman at UC Berkeley, considering a major in Physics. He applied to 10 colleges and wrote 18 short answer and full length college application essays in Fall 2011. _________________________ Tips for writing college essays (from someone who wrote quite a few): Don’t sacrifice your…
“Parent Involvement”: Only for Bake Sales?
The recently upheld “Parent Trigger” law in California, which allows a 50% + 1 majority of parents at a state defined “failing” school and/or incoming feeder school to petition to change the school to a Charter, fire the principal and staff, close the school or restructure the school, gives parents additional tools to shape their…
Fail to Succeed?
Steve Jobs on Failure: I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter into one…
The Separation Between Parent and School?
There was no required class called, “Parent Involvement” during my teacher credentialing and graduate program at Harvard. No where in my teacher certification for both Massachusetts and California was I required to prove I could work with parents or community. Yet, I entered the classroom, with my credential, at 24, a mere 8 years older…
To Cheat: Not A Simple Decision
To Cheat: to deprive of something valuable by the use; to practice fraud or trickery of deceit or fraud (Merriam-Webster.com) If deprive means to withhold, what is missed in the end by both the withholder and others? What possibilities could have been realized or ideas built? In a student’s mind, what is the value that comes…
Thinking Outside the Box to Pay for College
What are you willing to risk to pay for college? Would you seriously consider these alternative methods of paying for college? If it sounds too good to be true, definitely take a second (or a third) look. From the Wall Street Journal, 7/31/2012
Location, Location, Location: Keystone to College Selection
To tour or not to tour? What activities should be arranged when visiting colleges and new cities? These questions and more are answered by Art Baird & Julie Nguyen, Creative Marbles CEO & CFO respectively, in the following podcast, after their return from visiting Chicago area universities. For more information, listen to our previous podcast.
Who’s Responsible for College Bills?
Why do parents expect to pay the entire bill for college? Often, parents tell us that they want their kids to apply for scholarships and are frustrated, if that doesn’t happen. Yet, they’ll move forward with paying for college. Is it a parents’ responsibility to ensure the bills are paid for college, without at least…
Guest Post: Parent to Parent Advice about College Applications
Norman’s daughter will be starting her Freshman year at the University of Washington in Fall 2012. He offers the following perspective, having just completing the college application process: _________________________ Applying for college is an exciting time for every family. It represents all the hopes and dreams that your student has had since he or she…
Before Choosing Transfer Admissions…
The Community College Transfer option to a 4 Year College, while seeming to save money in the short term, can include other costs. Currently, community colleges in California are challenged to service their students, given the budget reductions from the state. At the same time demand is rising for space in California community colleges–300,000 students…