Great College Advice

I recently bought a pair of shoes. I’m hard to fit. I have small feet for a guy (7.5). My feet are pretty wide. And they pronate, or roll in when I walk. Add to the fit issue, I’m pretty picky. Not just any shoe that fits will do. [...]

A recent op-ed piece in the Providence Journal by Donald V. DeRosa, the president of the University of the Pacific, makes the case that even in tough financial times, students and their parents should not overlook the possibility of a private college.

His case is built on the following pillars:

1.  Private colleges, with their endowments and [...]

The New York Times ran a piece today about the rise of club sports at colleges across the country.  These are very professionally run organizations, but are not funded and managed by the college athletic departments.  Students volunteer their time and energy to plan everything from practice schedules to competitive league play.  Some teams enjoy [...]

The Denver NBC affiliate picked up my post offering Ten College Planning Tips for Tough Economic Times.  A segment on college planning and financial aid aired this morning on 9 News KUSA.

Have a look at yours truly on air.

While they billed me as a financial aid planner, those who know me think of me as [...]

Welcome to the 5th Edition of the Carnival of College Admission. As promised, and in commemoration of the America’s Holiday, we offer the “Turkey Edition.” Today you’ll learn all sorts of fun facts about turkeys that you can share with your friends around the dinner table tomorrow. So not only will you [...]

One of the most daunting tasks in the college admission and financial aid process is completion of the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.  A colleague forwarded this link to a great video that explains what the FAFSA is and how to complete it in five entertaining minutes.  Have a look.

Okay, it glosses [...]

One of my most popular posts is about how to calculate your “real” GPA.  Some readers have asked how to translate grades expressed as a percent into letter grades, and then into a GPA based on a 4.0 scale.

Below is a chart that can serve as a starting point.  Recognize,  however, that all schools and [...]

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 [...]

Brad Ward and his colleagues in the admissions office at Butler University put together a short, little video about what happens to your college application when it arrives in their office.

While the video is meant for students applying to Butler, it’s a great explanation of the process in place at most smaller, privat colleges.

Mark Montgomery
College [...]

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 [...]