“Get a college degree and you’ll get ahead.”  That is the message that has inspired young people for generations to study, save and sometimes even beg, borrow (too much) and sadly even steal (hello, Varsity Blues) to get one. But is it worth it? That’s a question on a lot of folks’ minds. Especially now. Candidly, I’m fielding calls daily […]

With Thanksgiving just days away, I wanted to re-impart a message to high school students (and the relatives who love them) about how best to handle inevitable, often uncomfortable, conversations surrounding college admissions and post-high school plans. I first wrote this message in 2015 to help my own niece and daughter navigate our family’s Thanksgiving […]

Usually at this time of year, I’m neck deep in preparing and submitting financial aid documents on behalf of my students (note: these documents must be re-filed each year your child is in college – like a tax return but based on an entirely different and complex set of rules, regulations and formulas). Typically both […]

I have in my office an 8-1/2 x 11 piece of paper that has survived many iterations (not to mention years and office moves). It’s a list of 40 ‘Old-Fashioned Skills’ that every child should acquire by the time they’re ‘an adult.’ I’m talking about the kind of life skills that all fully formed adults need […]

Last week, many colleges announced their results for Early Decision and Early Action. Needless to say, it was an emotional week for a lot high school seniors  (and of course, the parents who love them). Locally to my home office, no school garnered more attention that Florida State, which saw nearly 22,000 students across the […]