If you are advising a student who needs help paying for college, remember that the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is something that you should file.
The FAFSA is a form that the Government provides online to help colleges understand a family’s financial picture and to determine eligibility for federal, state and school-sponsored financial aid. Read more
In the eyes of many college admissions officials, the “perfect” applicant is a student who has a top GPA, near-perfect scores on the ACT or SAT tests, and whose family is ready and able to pay full tuition.
Yes, applicants who meet those criteria will not have any problem getting into the colleges of their choice. But let’s face reality. How many students are you teaching or counseling who can meet all those criteria? Chances are, very few. But the good news today is that because colleges are working hard to fill their incoming classes, there are plenty of colleges out there who are eager to admit students who don’t necessarily hit all those high benchmarks.
Many of today’s colleges want your students, just the way they are. And in today’s post, we will explain how “imperfect” students can still be admitted to great colleges of their choice. Read more
Are you a high school student, a parent, a teacher, or a college counselor? Remember, it is never too early to start researching sources of financial aid.
First, speak to the financial aid officers at the colleges you are considering. Take notes and follow their advice and instructions. Don’t overlook important details, such as application deadlines. Read more
As we publish this blog, we have learned that the law schools of both Harvard and Yale have decided to stop submitting data that USNews will use to rank them alongside other law schools. We think other law schools will follow suit. Will colleges also stop submitting their data to USNews for the college rankings issue? We have no way of knowing.
We do know, however, that USNews will not stop ranking law schools. That magazine will continue to rank law schools by considering data that schools do not provide – like job placements that students get after graduation, acceptance rates, and other factors that can be gathered from other sources. Read more
The recent revelation that Columbia University – that’s right, that Columbia University, the one that is a pillar of the Ivy League – was misreporting data to USNews has further discredited the college rankings that are published there.
Can anyone continue to believe that the USNews rankings, which once were considered valuable by students, parents, and guidance counselors, contain information that is accurate or reliable? Read more
A recent story reported in The New York Times, in The New York Post, and on network news programs reports that Prof. Maitland Jones of New York University was recently fired after a group of students filed a petition complaining that it was too hard to earn a high grade in his Organic Chemistry class.
It seems that the course Prof. Jones taught was just too difficult and that Prof. Jones, a respected professor who had been teaching for many years and who even wrote the most often-used textbook on Organic Chemistry, was not helpful enough to students who were earning low grades. According to reports on the news, the underlying problem was that those low grades would hinder the ability of his students, who were mostly pre-med, to gain admission to med schools. Read more
Teachers and school administrators, are there Hispanic students in your classrooms? Or are you instructing non-Hispanic students about their Hispanic neighbors across the U.S.?
In either case, here are some statistics you should have available. Read more
“When I arrived on campus as a first-year college student, the differences between me and my peers were clear. So many of my fellow classmates seemed at home, not just among the beautiful buildings and green spaces, but also with the small nuances of the higher education experience — from skillfully finding the right courses to simply approaching faculty and staff for help. As the first member of my immediate family to go to college, I very quickly realized I had a longer, more stressful road ahead than those who showed up already knowing what to expect.” Read more
According to data compiled by Inside Higher Ed, the number of public four-year universities in America declined by 2.3 percent from 2019-20 to 2020-21 and the number of private nonprofit four-year colleges fell 0.8. During those years, the number of community colleges dropped by 2.7 percent. Read more
“My older son, who is graduating from an elite college this year, was most looking for high status in the colleges he put on his list five years ago. Now our daughter, who is just as accomplished academically, is thinking about costs and the careers that colleges can prepare her for. It looks like a new era of practicality has dawned.”
– Jaime, a mother who lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia