College Pete

Winners & Losers in The College Rankings Sweepstakes

Winners & Losers in The College Rankings Sweepstakes

Each fall, as you may already know, the US News produces its ubiquitous ranking of American colleges and universities. And not surprisingly, each fall, the heads of admissions of said colleges and universities, wait with bated breath to beat their chests (hopefully) – or spin their narratives (if not so fortunate) – to the media, their […]

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New College Admissions Data You Need To Know – and What YOU Can/Should Do About It

New College Admissions Data You Need To Know – and What YOU Can/Should Do About It

Happy Monday… and… you might want to sit down for this. I’m just kidding… you can definitely stand. However, the new data I’m about to discuss, or at least how I’m using it, might be a little – albeit unintentionally – controversial. Anyhow, last week, there was a shocking (tongue firmly in cheek) study released by Opportunity […]

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How To Overcome the Summer Doldrums & Do Something Positive That Will Help You Get Into (& Pay Less For) College

How To Overcome the Summer Doldrums & Do Something Positive That Will Help You Get Into (& Pay Less For) College

We’re in the 2nd half of July, which means we are closer to the first day of the ‘next’ school year than we are to the last day of ‘last’ year. And that means that too many soon-to-be 12th graders (or more likely, Moms and Dads who love them), are entering a code red, heightened […]

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What’s Next for College Admissions? A Reflection on the Supreme Court’s Affirmative Action Decision

What’s Next for College Admissions? A Reflection on the Supreme Court’s Affirmative Action Decision

I’m guessing that you’ve heard about last month’s Supreme Court decision to reverse Affirmative Action. But just in case you’ve been on an extended summer vacation sans technology (lucky you) and didn’t get the memo, the June 29 ruling effectively forbids colleges from utilizing ‘race-conscious’ admissions practices to diversify their campuses. Now as you might […]

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These are the 5 ‘Must Do’s’ for All College Bound Teens (and the Parents Who Love Them)

These are the 5 ‘Must Do’s’ for All College Bound Teens (and the Parents Who Love Them)

Last night I had the privilege of attending commencement ceremonies for the Xceed Preparatory Class of 2023! And I’m not gonna lie, I got a little emotional. You see, we’ve been advising Xceed families since the school’s inception 6 years ago and we were so thrilled to celebrate with the students, to help shine a […]

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Huge Changes in Financial Aid Rules- What Every Family Needs To Know!

Huge Changes in Financial Aid Rules- What Every Family Needs To Know!

In 17 years of helping students and parents navigate the college admissions and financial aid landscape, I have personally prepared and submitted around 4,000 financial aid applications. During that time, there have been a few, relatively minor tweaks to the main financial aid application – the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Well that’s about […]

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Record Setting LOW Admit Rates – What you need to know about your child’s admissions chances

Record Setting LOW Admit Rates – What you need to know about your child’s admissions chances

Today is ‘Decision Day’ for our college-bound high school seniors  (and the parents who love them). May 1 is the day that the deposits are due, and let’s just say it can be an equal parts anxiety-inducing and euphoric day. Mostly euphoric we hope, but the day can be anxiety-inducing for many because this year has been yet another record-setting year […]

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A New College Rankings System – And How to Build Your Optimal College List

A New College Rankings System – And How to Build Your Optimal College List

Faced with what The Wall Street Journal once called a ‘mind-numbingly complex’ process of evaluating 4000 universities and determining which are the ‘best’, families often turn to independently produced and widely-touted but rather dubious indices and rankings systems (yes, US News, I’m talking ’bout you). I have so many students who, when they’re first building […]

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Secrets to a Successful Financial Aid Appeal

Secrets to a Successful Financial Aid Appeal

Here’s a little something that many of our newer readers are surprised (in a good way) to learn. Unlike typical admissions decisions, the financial aid offers that accompany your admissions letters are far less final. With financial aid, you have more room to maneuver, to appeal, even (gasp!) to negotiate a stingy offer than you […]

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How March Madness Can Lead to Real Money in April

How March Madness Can Lead to Real Money in April

March Madness is around the corner, and with it comes my 15th annual University Generosity Bracketology. So I’m going to get right to the point. Some colleges are generous. Some colleges have strong basketball programs… …and some colleges are both generous AND have strong basketball programs. Why does all of this matter? There are two […]

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