The College Solutions Blog

February 6, 2013

The steady trickle of colleges and universities that have admitted to fudging the figures that they send to U.S. News & World Report could end up changing the college rankings submission rules. In an interview published today in Inside Higher Ed, Brian Kelly, the editor and chief content officer at U.S. News, said that the college rankings giant is considering...

February 5, 2013

Today I’m sharing a guest post from Stuart Nachbar, a former executive at a major education software company, who is the creator of a valuable website called EducatedQuest.com. On this website, you’ll find a growing number of in-depth profiles of state universities that Nachbar writes after campus visits that includes lengthy interviews. I have never seen anyone squeeze so much...

February 1, 2013

Colleges are beginning to realize that high tuition/high discount (scholarship) model is failing. Escalating tuition is leaving more students unable to cover college costs even as colleges continue to offer scholarships to offset costs. In my last post, I mentioned the latest drive by private colleges to rein in merit money, but, as one of the visitors to my blog...

January 30, 2013

In my last post, a mom (Rebecca) expressed her frustration with merit scholarship policies. Many parents responded, which I appreciate. It’s clearly an issue that parents like to vent about. If you missed the post, I’d urge you to read it: Are Merit Scholarships Are Fair? I have been in a position similar to what Rebecca described. When my daughter...

January 29, 2013

I wanted to share this note that I got today from a mother, who wonders about the fairness of merit aid scholarship policies. In my next post, I’ll comment on Rebecca’s note. I’d urge you to share your thoughts on this subject in the comment box below. — Lynn O’Shaughnessy Hi Lynn, I would love it if you would write...

January 25, 2013

I’m devoting my college blog to athletic scholarships again today. If you missed my last post on sports scholarships, here it is: Can This Teen Win a Sports Scholarship? When parents dream of sports scholarships, they are typically hoping for full-ride scholarships. There are, however, precious few of them. There are only six NCAA sports where athletes have a good...

January 23, 2013

I wanted to share an email that I got awhile ago from a dad whose son is a senior. I overlooked this email until now so any advice might be too late for this family, but others might benefit. Here is the dad’s questions: My oldest son is graduating high school this June/ 2013. One college is looking at him...

January 21, 2013

Are you intimated at the prospects of tackling your financial aid applications? Join the crowd. It’s easy to make mistakes on the forms and these errors could cost you a ton of money. Resources exist, however, to help you survive the process. Here are six resources to get you started: 1. Use FAFSA on the Web. The federal government can...

January 18, 2013

I’m answering a quick financial aid question that I received on my Facebook page. Plenty of parents are asking the same question. Lynn O’Shaughnessy Mom’s Question: My son applied Early Action to a number of colleges and has gotten into a variety of them with varying amounts of merit aid. Even with this aid, the schools are still very expensive....

January 16, 2013

Do you assume that most teenagers face lousy odds of getting accepted into a good college? Lots of families believe that the admission process is stacked heavily against applicants, but this isn’t true. I largely blame the media’s obsessive coverage of the most elite universities for that misconception. A report from the College Board, Trends in College Pricing 2012, clearly...