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Research and Consulting
Right Major + Right College = Success!
College Talk Blog
If you have accepted your admission offer...you are not done yet. Not reading and acting on email can lead to the cancellation of your admission acceptance.
If you have accepted your admission offer...you are not done yet. Not reading and acting on email can lead to the cancellation of your admission acceptance.
Blog
The Competitiveness Incline
Posted on February 17, 2020 at 10:43 AM |
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As a college consultant for over a decade, I have been waiting for the promised decline in admission competitiveness due to predicted changes in population patterns. Specifically, the prediction was that admission will become less challenging at more competitive colleges when the predicted decline in teenaged population occurs. In addition to the increase in the college going rate, the other factors likely to keep the competition high at traditionally competitive colleges include the growth in educational opportunities in k-12 for ambitious families and the increase in private opportunities to enhance student competitiveness. Other factors that could affect college admission patterns include political shifts that will affect who will apply and be offered admission to which colleges. For example, how would the idea of free college affect admissions at public colleges? Would forgiveness of parent student loan debt result in a change in where the children of parents with student loan debt apply? What will be the impact of an increase in students attending college outside the US? How will shifts in the job market in relation to technology affect the desire for a college education? Will the popularity and cost savings of online college opportunities at prestigious colleges reduce the desire for a residential college education? Will the movement to obtain as much as two years of college credit in high school eliminate the freshman year? One thing is for certain, change is coming to our notion of higher education. |
Turtle Syndrome
Posted on August 20, 2018 at 9:01 AM |
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Don't look now but your senior could be growing an outer shell. It is not unusual for high school seniors to avoid working on college planning and applications much like a frightened turtle withdraws into its shell. Seniors can panic when they see college coming at them. Some of them tell me it seems to soon to be working on applications. Others say, they just can't get started. While students make those statements, their dads sometimes say: "Hey, it's just an application, what's the big deal?" The big deal is that your son or daughter can get paralyzed at the thought of jumping from high school to college. To some students this feels like jumping off a cliff without a parachute. Take a step back and think of what a BIG DEAL college represents to you and your teen. If your son or daughter is a rising senior, they have already spent their last summer at home as a k-12 student. Their next summer will be right after graduation from high school and full of college preparation activity. But they have to get in first and that is the second shock to their system, they may be conflicted about where to go and what to study and why college should be considered as one of their post high options. High school seniors need family support to navigate college tasks. Parents need to be involved because they are the underwriters of the cost of this activity. Where your teen applies will dramatically affect your cost. Residential college costs 19k to 75k per year and parents should weigh in with their child on the realities of their decisions to avoid high debt levels for students and parents later. Some parents tell me they plan to let their kids borrow to cover college costs. News Flash: your rising college freshman can only borrow $5500 in student loan money from the government. The rest that is not covered by scholarships and grants will be covered by parents. |
Prestige Kills
Posted on August 13, 2018 at 10:40 PM |
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There are over 5,000 colleges in the United States. Like other products on the market, consumers are most familiar with the most pricey or otherwise notable institutions. I like to call them the shiney colleges because they distract families from considering other amazing options. Families who push their children toward the most difficult colleges to enter sometimes kill something precious; the input of their teen. It is easy to get caught up in the prestige of a college as a student and as a parent. It is natural that students and parents like to announce that they are considering colleges that are prestigous. Another casualty of college prestige can be the relationship between student and parent. This is an unfortunate situation any time but most unfortunate during the last year the student will live at home. |
What size college does your kid wear?
Posted on September 4, 2017 at 10:16 PM |
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Pulling all the pieces together
Posted on July 20, 2017 at 9:08 PM |
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The best way to approach the college process is to write down goals before beginning the process. Think about the class size that will work best for academic success. Consider how far from home is most comfortable and what price point is affordable. Conduct research to determine which colleges offer the desired major and, of those, which have the best track record for employment and salary level. Armed with goals, families can evaluate college options much more clearly. For example, if a college costs $55,000 per year and does not have a reputation for being generous with scholarships, it is not a good choice for a family looking to keep costs at $20,000 per year. Similarly, if graduates tend not to get employment in their field, that is another red flag. Approach the college process like a consumer and outcomes will be more in sync with goals for costs and outcomes. |
Just what are you paying for?
Posted on July 10, 2017 at 9:42 PM |
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Buy what you need in a college for a price reasonable for your circumstances Don't fall into the trap created by thinking that people who are successful in a career had to spend big bucks on college. College choice IS important to student success but not in the way people often think. Prestige (which often means higher cost) does not guarantee a student anything except bragging rights. It is great to choose a college in part for prestige if that is important to a student and parents but they better also want:
There are over 4,000 colleges in the US and great options in other countries. There are also colleges near just about anywhere in the US. There is a way to obtain a quality education at an affordable price with a great outcome for families who shop for college just like they shop for everything else. |
Is your teen looking for Club Ed?
Posted on July 6, 2017 at 11:02 PM |
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awesome dorms great sports teams good food amazing fitness center coolness factor a place where my current peers will not be far enough from home Other things on student college shopping lists include prestige, where my friends are going and a where I can play my sport One helpful exercise is to have your teen make a college chart with majors, costs, locations and "other reasons I want to go there" on it as they make a very important decision. The chart will help in family discussions about which college is the best option. |
College Choice is Where You Save Big Bucks
Posted on June 22, 2017 at 11:35 PM |
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There is an inverse relationship between college prestige and scholarships. The more prestigious the college, the less likely the college offers large merit awards. The most prestigious colleges often award most money based on need. It is also often true that a college that is considered less prestigious or at least less popular is more likely to offer money to students whose GPA and test scores are higher than average for that college. When you son or daughter opts for Most Popular U, they are often also opting to pay more. It is important for parents to share information on how much they are prepared to give or borrow toward college tuition early in the college process so that the student can apply to colleges accordingly. |
How difficult do you want the freshman year to be?
Posted on June 19, 2017 at 10:54 PM |
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I like to ask students how difficult they would like their freshman year of college to be. This question has helped students who are looking at colleges by prestige only. It has usually not occurred to them that if they should get in to the highly selective colleges on their list that the work will be commensurate with the average GPA of the admitted class. So a college where the average admitted freshman had a 4.0 GPA in high school will be a little more brisk in terms of workload difficulty than a college with a more diverse student body. Not everyone is ready for that. Readiness is important in college planning. Students should choose colleges at least partly in relation to their current level of academic development. They should also realize that although they may not be ready to compete at Stanford today, they may be ready to do that later when their skill level has actualized. |
You Matter
Posted on June 10, 2017 at 9:39 AM |
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Just like you, colleges are also distinctly different. There is a college for everyone. I am not just saying that. I know, it sounds cliche'. But...like people, each college has a different personality, offers different opportunities and serves different types of people. The mission, if you want to choose college as a place to grow into your gifts, is to match your gifts, needs, desires and budget to colleges that are the perfect growth medium for you. See, I told you there is a college for everyone :) |
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