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 […]

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 […]

With Valentine’s Day only a week away, I’m asking all 9th, 10th, and 11th grade college-bound students NOT to fall in love. With any particular college, that is. But before getting into all of that, I must confess that I’m a hopeless romantic. I married my college sweetheart, entranced by her beautiful blue eyes, Cheshire […]

If you know me outside my “College Pete” work persona, you may know that I am a die-hard sports fan, specifically for the Miami Dolphins. I was sitting on my couch with my daughter last Sunday, tirelessly watching (and screaming at the TV) the Miami Dolphins struggle against and lose to the Los Angeles Chargers […]

When you attend a live concert (assuming of course that you could get tickets –  hello, Swifties);  or even when you watch someone give a motivational Ted Talk on YouTube, you can bet those presenters probably had a ‘realistic’ rehearsal with a sound check. You know: “Testing, testing,1, 2, 3. Am I coming in loud and […]

‘Tis definitely the season – and no, I’m not referring to the fact that Home Depot has Christmas decorations for sale. For me, my colleagues and our college-bound families, we’re plowing through this year’s admissions/applications season. (We spent the weekend wishing the best to all our Florida applicants as they submitted their FSU applications this […]

The annual US News & World Report college rankings were released yesterday, and the media (both social and traditional) were abuzz with folks either a) touting their schools or b) ‘splaining away their precipitous falls from ‘grace.’ Columbia University – you know, the Ivy one – had a lot to say after dropping 16 slots, from number 2 […]

Last month I was up in New England (a little business and a little vacay before the Oct crunch). I stayed just outside of Boston, not far from where I was born and pretty close to where Jill and I met (first day of college, to be exact). Coincidentally, it was move-in week and the […]

The Common App opened this past Monday, on August 1. Needless to say, it’s been a busy week helping students as they begin the application cycle. It’s a great feeling to witness a student take ownership of their future and launch the college application. I did that many times this week, and I know that these kids […]

At the University of Florida, they get right to the point. I visited UF yesterday, and the opening remarks at their info session were all about numbers (SAT 1330-1470, ACT 30-34, GPA 4.4), deadlines (Nov. 1) and the selective nature of their admissions process. Note to students: Apply by Nov 1. Period. End of story. And […]