In this article, we discuss the growing test-optional reasons. We talk about why the test-optional movement has so much momentum right now. We list the advantages to a school making the decision to drop the ACT and the SAT as requirements for admissions. Reason 1: Students hate completing the ACT and the SAT. You may [...]
One year ago, Anika Madden and I started planning to launch our podcast and five months ago, Anika and I launched the “Your College-Bound Kid” podcast. It has been one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. People often ask, why did you do it? Well, from one perspective, it doesn’t make a lot [...]
The test-optional movement is alive and well. On October 28, 2015, the New York Times published an article entitled “Test Optional Surge.” The article said the following: For those who argue that the SAT and ACT should be dropped as criteria for college admission, this has been an affirming year. Forty-seven colleges and universities have [...]
There are two primary sources of scholarships. There are what are known as “institutional scholarships,” which are scholarships from the college or university itself. These are often quite large and, by far and away, are the major source of free money for families above the poverty line. The other source of scholarship money is what [...]
There was a time when it was very easy for me to convince people of the danger of private student loans. I would tell families that private student loans almost always require co-signers and usually that was enough to scare them away. If that didn’t work, I could point out that private student loans are [...]
Last month I received a call from a college counselor in New York. Five minutes into the call, he said, “My kids are hearing at school that they should apply to 30 colleges. What do you think?” We are caught in a revolving, pernicious cycle and there is no end in sight. Here is [...]
If you currently have a kid in college, or if you have had a kid in college for the last three years, you should be getting/or have been getting between $1000-$2500 per kid refunded back to you. This article uses questions and answers from an IRS document to answer the most frequently asked questions [...]
Students face incredible stress going through the college process. Their very self-worth is at stake. This article shows four things students and parents can do to diminish the stress and make the college process fun One of the biggest problems I encounter in my coaching practice is unduly stressed out-students who see their college [...]
Parents and students are often surprised to find out that a college major is not as important as they think it is when it comes to getting a desired job. This article debunks this myth with evidence and it also points out just what it is that employers are looking for when they hire [...]
Students and parents know that test scores, grades, course rigor, teacher recommendations, and essays are factors that colleges use to determine which students they will accept, wait list, or deny. A smaller group of student and parents know that colleges use demonstrated interest, aka DI, another criterion they factor in to who they admit. Demonstrated [...]
