The College Solutions Blog

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

Applying
Featured image for “Deferred? 8 Things You Can Do”
January 2, 2013

Deferred? 8 Things You Can Do

What happens if your child recently received a college admission deferral in the mail? Plenty of students, who applied to schools via early action and early decision applications, received their deferral notices around the holidays.  The news clearly wasn’t the kind of gift these teenagers were expecting, but students need to understand that a deferral doesn’t mean that their hopes...
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Featured image for “A Lovely College Essay Example”
December 21, 2012

A Lovely College Essay Example

I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that most students dread writing their college essays. I fear that the task will become harder for many students beginning in the next admission season. As I mentioned in a previous post, the nonprofit that overseas the Common Application has announced plans to eliminate what many consider to be the best college...
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Featured image for “Uh Oh! Messing With the Common Application Essay”
December 19, 2012

Uh Oh! Messing With the Common Application Essay

Many of you probably aren’t aware of the changes that are in store next year for the main essay in the Common Application. The news isn’t good.  After conferring for 1 1/2 years, a committee of counselors decided to strike a blow against teenage creativity. If you’ve seen the Common Application, you can appreciate that there isn’t a lot of...
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Featured image for “Comparing Your Teenager’s SAT Scores”
December 5, 2012

Comparing Your Teenager’s SAT Scores

A mother recently asked me what constitutes a good SAT scores. I told her that it depends on the caliber of the school. At some colleges a 1600 out of a 2400 score is above average while at other schools, applicants with that kind of score wouldn’t even be seriously considered. At some of the nation’s most prestigious schools, a...
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Featured image for “The Latest College Admission Trends”
November 30, 2012

The Latest College Admission Trends

This week the National Association for College Admission Counseling released its 10th annual report on college admission trends. Here are some of the study highlights: College Enrollment Since the turn of the century, college enrollment has grown 37 percent. In 2000, 15.3 million Americans were attending college while today there are more than 21 million. The number of high school...
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Featured image for “Need Aware vs. Need Blind Colleges”
November 14, 2012

Need Aware vs. Need Blind Colleges

My last post focused on whether families should indicate on a college application whether they will seek financial aid. Here’s my position: if you need financial aid to attend college, you should apply for aid. In case you missed it, here is the post: Why Failing to Apply for Financial Aid Can Be a Mistake My post prompted a mom...
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Featured image for “Why Failing to File for Financial Aid Can Be a Mistake”
November 12, 2012

Why Failing to File for Financial Aid Can Be a Mistake

Here’s a variation of a question that I always get at this time of year: Someone told me yesterday that it’s better to answer “No” to the “Do you intend to apply for need based financial aid” question on the Common Application.  My son has already submitted his applications and he answered “yes” to that question as we are not...
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October 29, 2012

Should You Apply Early Decision?

Should a student apply early decision? At some schools, the deadline for early decision applications is as soon as Nov. 1. Today I am sharing a post written by Peter Van Buskirk, a veteran admission expert, on his take on Early Decision applications. Last  week I ran Peter’s post on Early Action applications. If you missed that one, here it...
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October 24, 2012

A Great New Tool to Pinpoint Financial Aid Awards

Earlier this year, I wrote a college blog post after hearing from an affluent mom in Washington state named Lynne, who used 66 net price calculators (!!) to determine which schools would offer the best awards to her bright daughter. Making Cost Comparisons a Snap It can take a long time to using these invaluable net price calculators and clearly...
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October 22, 2012

Applying Early Action to Colleges

Applying early action and early decision has become an increasingly popular practice among teenagers who are aiming for highly selective colleges and universities. Today I am happy to share with you a post written on this important topic by Peter Van Buskirk, a former admission dean,  higher-ed speaker and educational advocate for families. You can learn more about Peter by...
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