The College Solutions Blog

August 5, 2009

I am the guest lecturer this week for an online college counseling course that’s offered through the extension service of the University of California, San Diego. It’s the second time that I’ve taught the class and it’s nice to get a chance to see what high school counselors, who are enrolled in the class, are thinking. Here’s a question that...

August 3, 2009

Merit scholarships have always been controversial in higher-ed circles because many of these awards end up going to rich kids. A study just released by the Cornell Higher Education Research Institute suggests that college scholarship practices have led to lower numbers of minority and lower-income students on campuses. This finding would refute the argument that many college administrators make that...

August 2, 2009

I told you so! That’s what I was thinking when I wrote one of my college blog posts last week for CBSMoneyWatch.com. With the media writing nonstop about how teenagers could only afford public institutions in this wretched economy, I must have looked like a lunatic when I insisted that private colleges could still be the cheapest alternative for many...

July 15, 2009

How much do you know about college financial aid? Take this financial aid quiz to find out. 1. If your adjusted gross income exceeds $120,000, you won’t be eligible for financial aid at any school. A. True. B. False. 2. After receiving a financial aid package from a college, the amount can only be increased for dire reasons such as...

July 6, 2009

The new federal student loan forgiveness program sounds like a great idea, but it’s not nearly as helpful as it could be. The public service student loan forgiveness plan is intended to help college students who are leery about going into lower paying public-service and nonprofit jobs, such as teaching and social work, because of their student debt. To nudge...

June 30, 2009

Here’s another victim of the stubborn recession:  College scholarships. A recent article in The New York Times concluded that students hoping to win college scholarships are going to experience a much harder time. The newspaper cites dwindling support from corporations, states and philanthropists as the culprits. While this is unwelcome news, I’d suggest that the reality is not as spooky...

June 29, 2009

If you are stressing about how to pay for your child’s bachelor’s degree, the news today from an association of private colleges and universities isn’t going to make you break out the champagne at dinner tonight. In a self-congratulatory press release, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, announced that the average tuition increase among private colleges and universities...

June 26, 2009

I wanted to share with you three college posts that I wrote this week for my other college blog  at CBSMoneyWatch. Hope you enjoy them! 1. Shrinking Your Federal Student Loans A great federal program will begin this coming Wednesday that will provide relief to many borrowers who are struggling with repaying their federal student loans. 2. Declawing the FAFSA...

June 24, 2009

Hallelujah. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is getting simplified. U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan  announced plans to make the FAFSA, which includes 135 questions on assets and income, more user friendly today. The news isn’t surprising. At his confirmation hearing, Duncan had this to say about the FAFSA form: “You basically have to have a Ph.D. to...

June 20, 2009

Today I’m providing links to the three posts that I wrote this week for CBSMoneyWatch.com where I also write about college. Hey, why be a slave to one time-consuming college blog when you can have two?? 1. Three-Year College Degree In this post, I wrote about what may be a nascent trend — the three-year college degree. Since I’ve been...