“Too late” doesn’t apply to college admissions. And, no, I’m not talking about enrollment only at a community college. Every year, after May 1st, colleges begin sorting who’s coming and who’s not coming to campus next fall. Typically, several hundred campuses around the country are still open for admissions, given the lack of enrollment. For…
Tag: College admissions
May 1st: Not Just May Day for Seniors
For graduating Seniors across the world, May 1 is the deadline decision day to enroll in a U.S. college for Fall 2013. Today is the culmination of the college admissions process, of which the year long college application process from Fall 2012 to now was the latest step for Seniors and their families. Although, the college…
By the Numbers: University of California Fall 2013 Admissions
Note: a negative number in the last column represents less overall applicants admitted as Freshmen to the UC campus. Most all of us can recall a story of the 4.0+GPA earning, 2000+SAT scoring, class president for 4 years, started and is running a charity in Ghana, India and Brazil, plus helps little old ladies across…
More Details About Federally Funded Student Loans
As interest rates for subsidized Stafford loans (i.e. interest is withheld throughout college) is poised to increase from 3.4% to 6.8% as of July 1, 2013, Congress is considering to postpone the increase, as happened in 2012. (BTW, unsubsidized Stafford loans, where interest begins accruing from the date promissory note is signed, is already 6.8%.)
What Does College Tuition Really Buy?
Harper’s Magazine reported in November 2012: 81% of Americans who viewed college as a good financial investment in 2008 dropped to 57% in August 2012. Now, there’s much room for interpretation of “good”–however, is the change in the average value of a college degree indicating a shift away from college, and if so, what experience…
College Degree: Gateway to Middle Class Prosperity or Financial Burden?
While many students and their families pursue a 4 year college degree for the imagined financial security and solid middle class living, the cost(s), both to pay for the degree and the long term effects of earning the degree, may be greater than the return. Generations have been raised to expect that their standard of…
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…
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…
Are Families “Shopping Around” For the Best College Deal?
The growing gap between the rate of inflation and increasing tuition, since 1985, may cause families to more carefully consider the worth of a college education, and “shop around” for the “right” campus.
College (Un)Affordability: Real, Perceived or A Little of Both?
We’ve been hearing questions from increasing numbers of families about paying for college, as we also posted earlier. Many of the families asking questions are professionals, college educated, with two incomes and making the same dollar figure of salary as past years, but find these same dollars aren’t stretching as far as in the past.…
To Seek Tutoring or Not
From the middle to the end of any semester, I start receiving calls from worried parents for tutor referrals. What I’ve learned in my decade of experience is that families hire tutors for a variety of reasons. Being clear on the specific reasons for engaging a tutor can make the the tutoring relationship the most…
ACT vs. SAT
Since college admissions officers will consider the highest score on either the SAT or ACT (and in some cases mix and match the highest subsection scores from multiple SAT test dates, aka “Superscoring”), then students often ask me, “Should I take both tests?” Students are usually trying to determine which test will merit them the…
College and The Middle School Years
Middle school parents’ sixth sense about positioning their ‘tweens for college often becomes more pronounced, as families are considering choices for high school. Often, the question, “Which high school will best prepare my student for college?” is introduced into the discussion. Parents begin paying closer attention to stories about so-and-so’s daughter’s boyfriend’s cousin’s neighbor…
“I Got In. Now, How Do We Pay for College?”
“How do I pay for college?” is an often heard question from Senior parents at this time of the year. As college acceptances and financial aid award letters arrive, the reality of an imminent, multi-thousands of dollars per year over multiple years expense may be blossoming in the consciousness of families, especially when a…
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…