Reviewing The Week In Education: March 31-April 6

Highlights in Educational and College Admissions Happenings for March 31-April 6: In College Admissions: The last of the college admissions acceptances and denials were returned to anxiously awaiting Seniors and their parents. Creative Marbles Consultancy’s Commentary: For students denied admissions, speculation about why s/he was denied has ranged from “only the Asian kids in my…

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Life in College: A Glimpse of Smaller Class Sizes in Action

Many universities publicize the small class sizes as a benefit for student’s learning. Wanting to understand more about what small class sizes looked in practice , I talked with a Creative Marbles Consultancy client and a current freshman at the University of San Diego (USD), Jarett.  He graciously agreed to let me summarize his experience…

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Denied?!? WHAT THE WHAT?!!!?

The email inbox for a college applicant at this time of March can be an emotional minefield.  Each “ding” alerting the Senior to a newly received message can create a heart-pounding, nervous-butterflies-in-the-stomach-hand-quivering-as-you-click-the-mouse-on-the-bolded-new-message-from-such-and-such-college, frantically searching the opening text for, “Congratulations!” and instead seeing, “With a record number of applications, we regret we were unable to admit you…

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The Admissions Waiting Will Be Over Soon: University of California Response Dates

From January and Mid-March can be re-named, “The Waiting Season” for Seniors and their parents.  While Early Admissions applicants may know admissions decisions by now (end of February), which can lead to rampant speculation amongst regular decision applicants, the admissions decision waiting will soon be over for University of California (UC) applicants.  Then, comes a…

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More About Waiting for College Admissions Decisions: Is The Glass Half Empty or Half Full?

Perception can change everything.  I was complaining recently about something not going my way, and a friend reminded me about the neighborhoods in Syria being bombed daily, a roof over my head from the recent winter rain storm, you get the picture.  My friend got me thinking–how do we maintain a realistic view without falling…

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“How Do I Select Colleges for Application If I Don’t Know My Major?”

One of the first questions that arise when high school juniors start thinking about selecting colleges for application is, “What’s my academic major?”  However, choosing a major can seem risky, like locking oneself into an academic concentration with no chance to change, as well as declaring career for the rest of one’s life–all at age…

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Viewing the University of California Fall 2013 Application Numbers

Ok. Ok. Ok.  Each year, when colleges start releasing the numbers of applications received, I hear from parents and Seniors worried about their chances for admissions. The numbers of applications can spark speculation and fears about one’s chances of being accepted. Looking closer at the University of California’s (UC) application numbers can help gain some perspective and may…

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