The College Solutions Blog

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

University of California
Featured image for “Are Flagships Worth the Price for Outsiders?”
April 9, 2014

Are Flagships Worth the Price for Outsiders?

I received an email recently from a mom who was upset because her smart daughter didn’t receive any scholarships from the schools on her list. All the school were prestigious public flagships outside her state. These institutions will be among the toughest to receive meaningful scholarships from because they are most demand from their own state residents and they can...
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Featured image for “What Nonresidents Need to Know About Attending State Universities”
January 30, 2014

What Nonresidents Need to Know About Attending State Universities

If  you have to pay nonresident tuition, are public universities worth the price? I think this is a good time to examine this issue since the Princeton Review just released it’s 2014 best value list of public colleges and universities. The Princeton Review included many state schools on its value list that are extremely expensive for nonresidents. According to federal...
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Featured image for “A Mom Stressing About College”
August 16, 2013

A Mom Stressing About College

I recently received an email from a single mom who is stressed out about how she is going to afford college. I wanted to share her email and solicit suggestions from you. I have my own ideas, but I’ll hold onto them for the next post. I always love to read the suggestions from my readers so if you have...
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Featured image for “Where Should This Teen Attend College? Part II”
July 18, 2013

Where Should This Teen Attend College? Part II

I was delighted with all the insightful comments that parents sent me this week after they read my last blog post entitled: Where Should This Teen Attend College? I’d urge you to read the post about a high-achieving, future valedictorian from North Carolina, who wants to attend the University of Virginia and has other elite public and private schools on...
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Featured image for “8 Things to Know About Attending State Universities Outside Your Borders”
May 8, 2013

8 Things to Know About Attending State Universities Outside Your Borders

If  you have to pay nonresident tuition, are public universities worth the price? That is the question facing three families whose children are heading to a state university as nonresidents this fall or are contemplating one of these institutions in the future. In my last post, I shared the issues the families faced and also solicited advice or comments from...
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September 5, 2012

Answering the College Major Question

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...
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March 14, 2012

Getting Disappointing Scholarship News

I have started getting emails from parents who are disappointed that their teenagers’ financial aid packages are so meager. I wanted to share one story today from a mom, whose daughter is a stellar student and who was hoping for the University of Delaware’s top scholarship. A Mom’s Email My daughter just received her acceptance today from the University of...
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November 3, 2011

States With the Highest and Lowest Student Debt

Student loan debt is at its highest level ever. That’s the conclusion of a new report released on Thursday by The Project on Student Debt. Two thirds of students in the class of 2010 graduated with college debt that averaged $25,250, which is the highest it’s ever been. Students mostly borrowed through federal loans, but at least 22% of the...
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November 1, 2011

Where Are the Freshmen Coming From?

Today I want to share a nifty interactive tool on The Chronicle of Higher Education’s  website that you can use to see where students, who attend any college or university, are coming from. When I used it to look up the the University of Michigan, I discovered that the biggest contingent of nonresidents were from New York (361), Illinois (319),...
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August 24, 2011

Is That Flagship Worth the Price?

I wrote yesterday about the hazards of attending high-priced private colleges and universities that can’t support their students with solid financial aid packages. If you missed the post, here it is: Attending Expensive East Coast Universities I think one reason why students gravitate to pricey schools on the East Coast is because they don’t put much effort into finding wonderful...
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