The Problem with Grade Inflation

Remember the movie The Incredibles? I’ll never forget the scene where Syndrome, the villain, is holding the superheroes hostage. He says, “When I’m old, and I’ve had my fun, I’ll sell my inventions so that everyone can be superheroes, everyone can be super. And, when everyone’s super, no one will [...]

Colleges Respond to FAFSA Delays

If you are a high school senior or the parent of one, you likely are aware of the problems that have plagued the new FAFSA since it became available at the end of December.  Not only was the FAFSA's release delayed by nearly three months, but there have been several [...]

How to Have a Fun, Meaningful, and Engaging Summer

I don’t know about you, but where I live it’s still cold. Spring has definitely not sprung. And yet, I know summer is just around the corner. When I was in high school, it was a given I’d have a summer job. I worked at a fast food restaurant, a [...]

By |2024-03-06T19:57:08+00:00February, 29, 2024|College Preparation|0 Comments

The Perils of “Achievement Culture”

In November, I attended a webinar with Jennifer Breheny Wallace, author of Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic and What We Can Do About It.  During the hour-long webinar, I typed nearly four pages of single-spaced notes, and while I will do my best to summarize them, I highly recommend [...]

By |2024-01-16T20:06:24+00:00January, 16, 2024|College Admissions, College Preparation|0 Comments

Deferred? Demonstrate Continued Interest

Many high school seniors received college admissions decisions in December.  Some were excited to be admitted, others were disappointed to be denied, and still others may have been confused because they were deferred.  If you applied early action or early decision and received a deferral, this means the college is [...]

The Pros and Cons of Colleges’ Parent Facebook Groups

Almost as soon as a student commits to attending a specific college, their parents will receive information about that university’s parent Facebook group. While the groups can provide valuable information on what to pack in addition to XL twin sheets and how much spending money a student needs per month, [...]

By |2024-01-03T22:19:15+00:00January, 3, 2024|College Life, Transitioning to College|0 Comments

Coming Soon: The New FAFSA

Just in time for the holidays, the U.S. Department of Education is giving families the gift of a new and improved FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).  Set to be released in December, an exact date has not yet been announced.  But before you add "completing the FAFSA" to [...]

By |2023-11-13T01:25:37+00:00November, 14, 2023|FAFSA, Financial Aid, Paying for College|0 Comments

COVID’s Impact on Students’ Transition to College

It has been nearly four years since the COVID-19 pandemic began.  Since then, considerable research has been conducted on the pandemic's impact on students, both in terms of academic performance and mental health.  In a previous blog post, we discussed how Covid resulted in learning loss and impeded students' development [...]

When Writing College Essays, Read the Prompt

Have you ever sent a text or email asking someone two simple questions, such as “What day and time would you like to meet?” only to get a response which provides just one of the answers? It happens to me frequently. Not reading these sorts of questions carefully and failing [...]

Fall is College Fair Season

I recently attended an event where everyone was asked to introduce themselves and to say their favorite thing about fall.  Common answers included changing leaves, cooler temperatures, various types of pumpkin foods, and Halloween.  But for high school students (and their parents), fall should bring to mind another important occurrence: [...]

By |2023-09-14T17:07:21+00:00September, 12, 2023|College Research|0 Comments
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