Private Universities May Not Cost More Than A Public University, In the Final Analysis

Dismissing a college based only on cost, as many families tend to do when considering private universities, may overlook a valuable choice for an individual student.  The following podcast discusses how to “value” a public university in relation to a private university, as well as offers tips for planning for future college expenses. For more…

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Common App Essays Part 2: How to Write College Essays

Knowing what the college essay adds to a college application, as we discussed in the first podcast of our Common Application essay series, is only the first step in developing a competitive personal statement.  The following podcast advises Seniors how to actually write the autobiographical college essay, and addresses common challenges in the drafting process.   The college…

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“But, I’ll Be Bragging…” And Other Perils of Writing College Essays

Mention the words “college essays” to any soon-to-be high school Senior, and watch their faces contort.  Although expected, the autobiographical college essay that’s included in college applications can provoke a unique stress, as few 17 year olds are: A) used to promoting their qualities and qualities, and B), has thought in detail about big questions,…

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Finding A College Can Feel Like Searching for a Needle in the Haystack

But, in reality, the student is the needle.  No, that’s not some obscure Master-Yoda-Jedi-training-mind-trick.  What it means is that the more that college bound student, knows about himself/herself  (i.e. interests, vision, goals–career and otherwise), then the narrower the field of possible colleges for both application and enrollment becomes.  Plus, the six figure price tag of…

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Choosing Extra-curricular Activities When There’s No Magic Formula for College Admissions

Unfortunately for college applicants, there is no magic, straightforward formula for earning an acceptance in the college admissions process. Since the evaluation for college admissions is completed by human beings, about other human beings, in an environment with yearly increasing numbers of applicants who excel and exceed the requirements for admissions, subjectivity in decision making…

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College Admissions & Financial Aid 101: The Expanded Edition

After facilitating a lively Brown Bag Lunch discussion at Hewlett Packard in Roseville, CA called, “College Admissions & Financial Aid 101”, I wanted to l expand on a few answers, as well as offer additional tips for families: About the information college’s review in applications during admissions decision making:   The four main areas of…

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What Trends in Public University Tuition Means for College Bound Seniors

Public universities and colleges are partially funded by student tuition and partially by state and local government revenues (i.e. taxes collected), alongside subsidies by the Federal government and private donations.  Public funding is then allocated per full time student, as shown in the map below. Alaska contributes the most per student at $14,837, while the…

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Choosing Harvard: Thoughts About a “Prestigious” University

As Juniors and their families begin sizing up prospective colleges for application and weighing the value of a college’s reputation, I thought I’d share I came to be a Harvard graduate, along with thoughts about a recent New York Times article, Measuring College Prestige vs. Cost of Enrollment.  Quotes from the New York Times article will…

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Greek Life: One Perspective on College Fraternities & Sororities

Clients often want to consider colleges where they’ll be opportunities to join Sororities and Fraternities, also known as Greek Life.  In response to clients’ questions, I interviewed Drew, a former Creative Marbles Consultancy client, Fraternity member and soon-to-be-graduated college student with a degree in Biology.  He talked with me about how joining a fraternity added to his…

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