Great College Advice

Yesterday Scott Jaschik of Inside Higher Ed reported in a lengthy (but characteristically thorough) article that despite the economic downturn, the number of early decision applications to many expensive, private colleges is up this year over last. Mr. Jaschik offers the following possible explanations:

1.  Colleges are better communicating that college fit matters, so students [...]

I’ve received a number of questions from readers, clients, and friends about how to navigate the college admissions and financial aid process in tough economic times.  By far the biggest worry on everyone’s mind is finding the resources to pay for college.

In some ways we have a perfect storm a-brewing.  As personal savings and college [...]

The financial downturn has high school seniors and their parents running scared.  How can we reduce costs?  How can we get the best deal?

The conventional wisdom says that an in-state college is the cheapest option.  As with most conventional wisdom, this assumption is wrong.

Let’s compare costs for a Colorado student considering majoring in business at [...]

Clients have asked me repeatedly to explain the relationship between the financial aid and admissions offices, and to help them to understand how financial need is factored into admissions decisions.  Usually these questions revolve around whether a college is “need blind” or “need aware.”  So in this post, I’ll try to shed some light on [...]

The press is full of startling articles about the impact of the economic downturn on financial aid.  For example, George Washington University is likely to transfer a portion of its financial aid budget for next year to students currently enrolled.  The private university fears that a significant portion of its student may have to leave [...]

The Chicago Tribune ran a story on Monday about the lengths to which some parents will go to get their darlings into college.  The whole process of selecting and applying to college is certainly stresseful.  And there is no doubt that the competition is fierce.

It’s also true that in some school communities, the competition is [...]

A parent of a senior asked me the other day about college visits.  When is the best time to visit?
The answer is, “from whose perspective?”
There are two different reasons for visiting college.  The first is the student’s need to get an idea of what life would be like on that campus.  Students often have a [...]

Generally speaking, investing in yourself is a smart idea. More education usually leads to more opportunity, better jobs, and higher income. However, many students have no idea how to think about the investment in financial terms.
For example, does it make sense to spend $100,000 and take on tens of thousands in loans [...]

Montgomery Guides Students, Parents Through College Admissions Maze
by Rosemary Fetter
The Villager Newspaper
9 October 2008, p. 26

Reprinted with permission.

For many high school students and their parents, selecting the right college can be very confusing and even anxiety producing.  There are so many choices to be made:  Public or private college?  In-state or out of state?  Conservative [...]

I spent a beautiful fall day at recently at the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design, located in Lakewood, Colorado.  The occasion was National Portfolio Day.  Budding young artists attend one of about 50 portfolio events around the country in order to receive some critical feedback on their portfolios before they are submitted to [...]