The College Solutions Blog

Valuable insights from Lynn O’Shaughnessy
a nationally recognized college expert.

Getting Into College: Success Stories

Just thinking about what it takes to get into college today can be exhausting. High school kids are supposed to take challenging classes, study for the dreaded SAT/ACT, round up teacher recommendation, complete applications, nag their parents to fill out financial aid forms ….it never seems to end. But today was a triumph for the two seniors who ride in...

Watch Out for That Financial Aid Surprise

I bet when you were touring college campuses you never heard anyone utter the word “gapping.” Gapping is an unpleasant phenomenon that strikes many families in the spring. It happens when a college offers a student a skimpier aid package than the financial aid formula would suggest. Here’s an example: Let’s say the formula concludes that your family could afford...

Top Party Schools of 2009

When I was in college I owned a fake ID. One of my friends, who worked at the DMV in St. Louis, gave it to me as a birthday present. So I wasn’t exactly a prude in college though I don’t remember ever making a fool of myself at a kegger. But now that I’m a mom with two teenagers,...

ACT vs. SAT: How to Compare Scores

This is prime test-taking season for the SAT and ACT. My niece and nephew both took the ACT in St. Louis earlier this month. I know a bunch of teenagers, including my son, who will be taking the SAT soon. Both tests play to different strengths which is why plenty of kids end up taking the SAT and the ACT....

What To Ask At a College Fair

Yesterday I hung out at San Diego’s largest annual college fair. If you want to attend one of these mega college fairs, the National Association for College Admission Counseling has posted its list of spring college fairs on its website. Here’s where you can find fall college fairs. Spending the morning at the San Diego college fair reminded of the...

Obama Administration’s New College Student Loan Proposal

I’m petrified about taking out any student loans for my teenagers. Okay, petrified might be a bit strong, but as I’ve spent the last few years researching college issues, I’ve learned how rapacious the student loan industry is. It didn’t used to be that way. The federal student loan effort was launched as a way to help middle-class and lower-income...

How to Negotiate for a Better Financial Aid Package

Colleges loath the “N” word. Administrators hate it when parents call them up and want to negotiate a better financial aid package. Well, that’s too bad. Colleges cost too much money for families to automatically agree to a six-figure commitment. If you’re going to negotiate, however, you’re nearly out of time. The traditional deadline for deposits to secure a spot...

College Twitter

Do you Twitter? I don’t, but I’ve been getting pressure from people to start tweeting about college. I’m still on the fence on that one, but I have started reading up on Twittering. I ran across a fascinating story this week about Twittering in the higher-ed world. A Twitterer (Is that a word?) at The Chronicle of Higher Education asked...

New College Blog

If you enjoy reading The College Solution Blog, you’ve got another source now for learning the secrets of financial aid, scholarships, admissions strategies and much more. I can now officially announce that I am the college blogger for CBSMoneyWatch.com. I will be posting on the television network’s blog at least three times a week. I am also writing articles for...

The Odds of Getting into Berkeley or UCLA

Some high schools prepare teenagers for college better than others. Duh. But here’s something that many parents in California don’t realize. Sending your child to a top high school could reduce their chances of getting into UCLA or Berkeley. During the past couple of weeks, I’ve run into parents who are mystified and angry that their teenagers didn’t get into...