The College Solutions Blog

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

Liberal Professors: Are Their Days Numbered?

There is a interesting story in The New York Times today about the changing of the guard among professors at colleges and universities. The article suggests that aging Baby Boomer professors, imprinted with the experiences of the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement, are more liberal in their outlook and that has effected how they teach. What I found...

SAT versus ACT: How to Compare the Test Scores

Millions of teenagers have suffered through both the SAT and the ACT in the hope of getting the best scores possible to impress college admission officers. Some teenagers fare better with the SAT, while others swear that the ACT is a friendlier test. But what bewilders many teenagers and their families is how the scores compare to each other. The...

Historic GI Education Benefit

If you’ve served in the military since Sept. 11, 2001, the government wants to pay for your college education! President George Bush signed an historic bill on Monday that will usher in the biggest educational GI benefits program that America has witnessed since World War II. The legislation, which was the shepherded through Congress by Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA), will...

Diversity Friendly Colleges That Welcome Minority Students

Like lots of teenagers, minority students frequently overlook schools that they assume cost too much or are too exclusive. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, however, has collected data over the past decade that strongly suggests that bright minority students should broaden their horizon. The journal’s research documents that many of the nation’s most prestigious liberal arts schools warmly...

Merit Scholarships: 9 Ways to Win a College Scholarship

Traditionally college and universities reserved their academic scholarships for a handful of their brightest applicants. But today, schools are handing out merit awards to far more students. At plenty of schools, even teenagers with “B” averages can cash in on this scholarship bonanza. These academic prizes are definitely worth pursuing. The average private school, for instance, is awarding academic scholarships...

Getting Into College at the Last Minute

Every year this nightmare happens: Teenagers get rejected at every school where they’ve applied. Others students simply mess up and skip all the admission deadlines. If that happens to you, you shouldn’t necessarily panic. Each year plenty of schools welcome late comers. Lots of schools continue taking applications after the traditional May 1st application response deadline. In fact, some public...

Engineering Majors: A Road Less Traveled

I’ve been a great admirer of liberal arts colleges for years. Students who attend these colleges enjoy small classes, get to know their professors, and, per capita, they tend to go on to graduate schools in greater numbers. My son has watched his sister thrive at her liberal arts college which prompted him to say that he’d like to attend...

The Beauty of a Liberal Arts Education

When my daughter started thinking about college, she naturally wanted to attend one of our state’s biggies — UCLA or Berkeley. It became clear by the 10th grade, however, that her GPA wouldn’t be enough to qualify. If you don’t have at least a 4.0, your chances are grim. This was actually a blessing in disguise because the reality led...

When the SAT Flunks Its Own Test

A study released today couldn’t have made the executives at the College Board happy although they put on their game face when discussing the results. Research indicates that the “improved” SAT test doesn’t predict college success anymore than the old version did. Three years ago, the College Board added a writing section to the SAT, which was already testing teenagers...

Getting an Academic Bargain Across State Lines

If you want to attend a public university outside your state, the price tag can often be outrageously high. It’s easy to understand why. States are usually only interested in holding down the costs for their own residents. You might, however, be able to capture a higher-ed bargain if your state maintains a reciprocal agreement with its neighbors. States commonly...