The College Solutions Blog

October 19, 2012

How do you know if the college or university that your child ultimately attends will provide him or her with an excellent education? You won’t. College pricing is inching closer to transparency thanks to net price calculators, but it’s largely impossible to form an educated opinion about the strength of a school’s learning environment beyond checking  an institution’s graduation rates....

October 15, 2012

I’m sharing an email that I received from an anxious dad in North Carolina, who asked me for advice about an early decision application.  I ran this post last year, but it will be just as helpful today for those contemplating applying to colleges via early decision. Here is what the dad wrote: Dilemma from a Dad from North Carolina...

October 12, 2012

Is your university need blind? I once saw a couple of  enthusiastic young admission reps from a pair of Catholic universities back East try to answer that question at a college conference. The reps were specifically asked whether their schools might reject some applicants if they required a lot of financial assistance. Both admission reps vigorously assured the counselor who...

October 1, 2012

I want to major in art. This is the college major that perhaps more than any other strikes fear in the hearts of parents, who worry that an art degree will condemn their children to a life eating Cheerio’s for dinner and driving old subcompacts with bald tires. The truth is there are a myriad of careers in a wide...

September 24, 2012

Note: I wrote this post about priority applications a year ago, but it’s just as timely now. LO I received an email yesterday from a friend of mine whose son is a brilliant high school senior. She wanted to know what they should think about invitations her son has received to apply to colleges through VIP or priority applications. Here...

September 16, 2012

It seems to me that too many parents are stressing about what their children should select as a college major. I’m of the opinion that what’s important is getting a degree. I believe it’s less relevant what that degree is. Students are more likely to be successful if they choose a discipline that they are passionate about. In this rush...

September 10, 2012

Note: I will be conducting my quarterly college workshops through the University of California, San Diego Extension on Sept. 22 and 29. Please scroll to the bottom of this post to learn more. Lynn O. When deciding whether to take the SAT or ACT test keep this in mind: the ACT AND SAT require different kinds of skills. Some teens...

September 5, 2012

In my last post, I shared a question that Mike, a frequent college blog visitor, asked. Mike’s daughter is struggling with this college application question: Why do you want to attend this college? If you missed the post here it is:  A Puzzling College Application Question Today I wanted to focus on the second college application question that is perplexing...

September 3, 2012

I received an email over the Labor Day weekend from a father named Mike, whose daughter is unsure about how to handle a couple of typical questions on her college applications. I’m sharing Mike’s first question today and I’ll direct my next college blog post to his second question that involves declaring a college major. Question No. 1: Why do...

August 20, 2012

Are you stressed about all your children’s college choices? Plenty of parents are.  And it’s not surprising when you consider that there are roughly 2,700 four-year colleges and universities in the U.S.  The littlest ones have less than 100 students while the biggest state school nearly equals the population of Santa Fe, NM. A TED Talk on Choice With the...