College Tuition Up 1225% Since 1978

As has been previously discussed, college tuition is increasing annually, and shows few signs of abating; however, at some point college education will be subject to the law of supply and demand.  As demand for college education continues growing – seen in each year’s record numbers of applicants, with total student debt growing beyond the record breaking $1.2 Trillion mark…

Continue Reading

Ahead of the Curve: August 9, 2014

Inspired by CMC Clients: OMG College ESSAYS! College essays are often feared. Topic selection can confound students, who’re under the impression that a traumatic-dramatic-life-altering experience makes a compelling college essay. However, choosing the “perfect” topic is not necessary to begin writing.  Simply start putting words on the page.  Then, students will have some thoughts to edit and…

Continue Reading

Sometimes You Gotta Go Slow to Go Fast

Parents are often afraid that summer vacation will render their children’s minds into mush. Plus, the indulgence in what can be considered mindless activities, like playing video games, for hours on end is a seeming threat to a kid’s long term college admissions competitiveness. Realistically, most students brains, nor their chances for college admissions, were…

Continue Reading

Guest Post: Follow Your Instinct to Choose a College

A second blog post from Stephanie about how the “feel” of the campus helped her choose a Mills College in Oakland, CA.    I graduated last year (2013) with a BS in Biopsychology and minor in Ethnic Studies. I was originally interested in medicine, but discovered that I enjoyed laboratory work after doing research under scholarship for a…

Continue Reading

Stamina, Attitude and Tranquility: Essential SAT & ACT Skills

At approximately 4 hours of testing time, the SAT and ACT measure the endurance of a student, as much as their knowledge and ability to reason.  Test taking skills can help students access their knowledge during the long testing period, and pace themselves appropriately.  Padma, CMC’s resident 8 year old Renaissance Man, shares the following test…

Continue Reading

How Major is a College Major?

Choosing a college major is not the fork-in-the-road life moment, where the only consequences are becoming the next Steve Jobs or complete destitution.  Many will equate “deciding a major” with “deciding a career.”  However, major choice doesn’t always match exactly with careers.   Ask any college graduate if their career directly correlates with their academic major. …

Continue Reading

Colleges Without Makeup, The Supplement

Social media can give information about the culture of a college campus – beyond the smiling, shorts-clad undergraduates playing Frisbee on the ubiquitous green quad.  Of course, any effective search starts with what a student wants in their own college experience, making some self-reflection a priority. About the University of Chicago – from @UofC_Overheard: Theory…

Continue Reading

Tough Love

As regular readers recall, the news about stagnant American household median income is not a new story, more of an evolving story about how more American middle class families are adjusting to life with less income.  Lifestyle adjustments are just one possible shift in American households.  More often, I’m hearing parents ask questions about how…

Continue Reading