“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 […]

For those of you who took the PSAT last month, you may have been surprised to see your score reports on your College Board Accounts earlier this week. I was – they’re usually late, so it’s clear that the long-awaited digital transition of this particular rite of passage is having at least one positive impact. So now […]

I received an email today from a mom who is a client with an 11th grader, asking about our plans for next summer. This made me so happy! You see, we just passed a key college deadline (November 1) – my 12th grade students were so ready — and are already reaping the benefits of planning and […]

We are in the peak of college application season, and I wanted to take a quick minute to remind you of three key early action deadlines coming up a week from Sunday, October 15 for FSU, UGA, and UNC.  In addition, many other schools have early deadlines of November 1 or November 15. And still […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]