Scholarships & Financial Aid | Great College Advice

Great College Advice Blog

Educational Consultants Can Add Value to College Admissions Process, says Newsweek

September 28, 2010

Newsweek offers 6 new realities in college admission. #6? Consider hiring an educational consultant: 25% of top students already do.

How To Choose A Major? Listen to Your Heart and Forget What Everyone Else Says

September 27, 2010

A student Mark advised shares his story about making his college plan and choosing his major. Moral of the story? Do what you love.

How Do You Get Into UCLA?

September 8, 2010

The third in a series about writing the personal essay for UCLA applications. The key to the perfect essay is all in the L.I.D.

Public Colleges and Universities Gorge on Debt–What Will Be the Impact?

September 2, 2010

Total borrowing at public colleges and universities has increased 31% in the past four years–faster than the rise in tuition revenues. Is this sustainable? The mortgage industry collapsed. Could there be a similar crisis in higher education?

Which College Is Best? What Are the Objective Indicators?

September 2, 2010

How do we know what college is best? What are the objective indicators of educational quality. Zac Bissonnette reminds us that there is no objectivity in this business.

Debt Free U–Investing in College and Choosing a Major

September 1, 2010

Zac Bissonnette continues his guest post on our blog by talking about the dangers of thinking of college of an “investment,” and on the perceived perils of choosing the right major.

An Irreverent Take On College Admissions–Zac Bissonnette and Debt Free U

August 31, 2010

Not enough college counselors talk frankly about financial aid. We do. And Zac Bissonnette is helping us do it.

Financial Aid: Changes to Student Loan Programs Explained

July 10, 2010

A recent article in Business Week does a great job in explaining the many changes to the Federal student loan program that went into effect

A Caution About Student Loans

June 7, 2010

Is taking out a student loan a good investment? Some think it is a good idea to stay away from student loans in order to finance a college education.

Early Yield Reports

May 8, 2010

InsiderHigherEd.com ran an article yesterday on early yield reports from a handful of schools. While most colleges and universities are still counting their deposits, a

Why and How to Talk to a College Prep Advisor Online

January 8, 2024 / Sarah Farbman

Why and How to Talk to a College Prep Advisor Online It’s no secret that the college admissions process is long and mind-bogglingly complicated. If you’ve decided to seek independent

AP, IB, and Dual Enrollment: Which Is Better for College Admission

November 17, 2023 / Jared Hobson

IB, AP, and dual enrollment: which is better for admission to top colleges and universities in the United States. An admissions expert shares his views.

Should I Take a Gap Year?

November 16, 2023 / Jared Hobson

As high school ends and college approaches, many students ask, "should I take a gap year?". We believe that a gap year has many benefits, and colleges and universities are

a girl looking at college admission essays

Dance With An Admissions Officer: Eight Steps to Get You Admitted to College

October 23, 2023 / Jared Hobson

Good communication with admissions counselors can make or break it for some students. Know when to make the right moves and how to avoid stepping on toes.