The College Solutions Blog

December 4, 2009

Here’s my advice for the day:  Cut the apron strings. I have run into so many parents with talented teenagers who want their kids to stay close to home when they start college. By insisting on this, they severely limit their teenagers’ college choices. I ran into one of these mom’s today at the dentist office when I was getting...

November 8, 2009

When my daughter Caitlin was exploring colleges a few years ago, I worried that she would have to be more accomplished than the boys she was competing against to boost her college admission chances. As you’ll read in my college blog post for CBSMoneyWatch.com, Are Colleges Discriminating Against Girls, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is investigating whether private liberal...

October 17, 2009

Yesterday was bittersweet for me.  My son Ben and I wrapped up our final college tour before he begins applying to colleges. Our last stop was Lawrence University, a lovely liberal arts college in Appleton, WI., where the autumn leaves provided a stunning backdrop for a campus that’s perched above the picturesque Fox River. I am keenly aware of the...

October 15, 2009

My son and I have one more stop this week on his last college tour of schools before he starts applying to his favorites. We arrived in chilly Appleton, WI, tonight and we’re looking forward to touring Lawrence University tomorrow. Ben is one of three million high school seniors who are contemplating their college choices during this admission season. Coincidentally,...

September 14, 2009

My son Ben’s best friend just returned from a tour of some liberal arts colleges that I suggested he visit in the Midwest. Nathan visited Carleton, Grinnell and Macalester colleges and I’m sure that any one of these schools would be thrilled to welcome him as a freshman next fall. Nathan is slated to be his high school’s valadictorian, his...

June 24, 2008

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...