B.A. in Common Sense

“Common sense can be uncommon.”–Art Baird Every parent knows with certainty their kid is smart.  As Montaigne said, “Everyman has within himself the entire human condition.”  Yet, what does smart mean?  How smart is smart? Is our current generation of budding adults–actually legally an adult–but mere months away from teenager-dome, lacking common sense?  Have we,…

Continue Reading

Guilt? I Didn’t See that On My College Bill

Without understanding the value of a college degree, students can sense, what they often term, “guilt.”  They may not confidently understand why their families, and increasingly themselves (in the form of student loans), are paying the thousands of dollars (and rising each year) that a college degree costs. Listen to the following podcast, featuring Julie…

Continue Reading

College Tuition: Is a Private University Always More Expensive than Public?

According to the Wall Street Journal and the College Board, public university tuition is rising faster than private universities around the nation.  “In-state residents at four-year public schools, tuition and fees are up 25.1% from the 2008-09 academic year; over the same time period, tuition and fees at private universities rose 13.2%.”  While public universities…

Continue Reading

College Rankings: What Are They Worth?

College rankings and lists are not lacking–Forbes, US News & World Report, Washington Monthly, Newsweek–just to name a few.   And, for families already wondering about a kid’s chances of college acceptance, after 12 years of thinking and re-thinking every class, homework assignment and academic opportunity, not to mention the hours spent at sports practices, dance…

Continue Reading

Guest Post: “I Changed My Major Five Times”: Advice from a Harvard College Dean

Emelyn dela Pena, Ed. D. is the Assistant Dean of Harvard College for Student Life, where she is responsible for campus diversity programs, student leadership development and residential life training.  She generously offers the following advice to Creative Marbles: As eager freshman and nervous parents arrive at college this fall, I’m sure on the minds…

Continue Reading

To Transfer or Not to Transfer: The Community College Dilemma

Parents (and increasingly students) are asking us about transferring from a community college to a 4 year university from early in their high school careers and making transfer a primary option, rather than a Plan B.  Community college transfer became a more serious option when families were uncertain about admissions chances.  Now, younger students and…

Continue Reading

High School = College Tours “Invade” Family Vacations

Once students enter high school, parents start planning summer vacations to coordinate with college campus visits (often wondering where all the time went).   More exposure to college life helps students make informed decisions about applications and eventually enrollment. Listen to our tips that will help make time on campus more productive: Starting tours early also…

Continue Reading

What’s Unemployment Got to Do With Picking Colleges for Application?

Forecasting job prospects based on location of the college is another criteria for prospective applicants and their parents to consider, before deciding to apply.  If unemployment in general is high in a particular state, does a student and family want to invest their limited capital and 4-5 years of effort in a college, when they…

Continue Reading

Will the $10 Billion Deficit in Pension Obligations Affect the Quality of UC Education?

The perfect storm:  increasing numbers of qualified high school graduates for UC admissions, baby boomers maturing to retirement, who were promised generous pensions–which UC administrators did not fund for 20 years starting in the early 1990’s–and current reductions in state funding for higher education–all put pressure to increase tuition–while at the same time real wages…

Continue Reading