If you’re worried about the high cost of college, then consider this: college tuition has only increased (never decreased) since 1981. With a ever rising cost commodity, you can only imagine… it is going to get worse. What is one to do? A great way to save on college costs is to get started early. Of course there are things you can do during the financial aid and admissions processes, but we encourage you to consider taking community college courses or AP/ IB courses. The reasons are plentiful. First, if your child takes a class at a local community college (or even an online program through a college), then he/she has an advantage in admissions. By taking college-level work, your child has demonstrated…
Blog
How to Pick the Best College
At College Planning Experts we are asked, time and time again, how to pick the best college. Parents and students always want to know what the best college is in the United States. Some argue that it is Stanford with its less than 5% of admitted applicants. Others argue that it is Harvard with its prestige and networking potential. Well… I am here to tell you how to pick the best college. First of all, there isn’t a “best college in the United States.” Colleges are institutions of learning. You go to college to learn about issues, topics, history, scientific breakthroughs, etc… so here is the first thing I must say: there is no “best college in the United States.” Sure, there are lists…
Celebrate College Commitment with Taco Tuesday!
Class of 2015 (and transfer students): This year Cinco de Mayo falls on Taco Tuesday. That is awesome. So we wanted to take a moment to pause. We want to pause on the stressers out there (like admissions, applications, loans, essays, etc.) to focus on the positive. National College Commit days was four days ago. You have done it. Now take a moment and celebrate! Take today to reflect on your accomplishments and enjoy the future that is to come. You’re on your way to higher education and a new adult life. Take today and avoid over analyzing your plans, your careers, your majors, etc. We want you to enjoy how far you’ve come. You’ve hit a crucial point in your college planning…
13th Grade?
Many families worry about affording college. They fear that with rising costs and impacted course offerings that their children are going to be stuck in debt (forced to take student loans) and will take longer to obtain a Bachelor’s degree. One unique solution I came across is called 13th grade. Some high schools are offering what is now referred to as 13th Grade. This extra year of high school is integrated with college. Essentially the high schoolers enrolled in this type of school take college courses throughout high school and with their 5th years they take all college courses. It allows students to graduate with significant college credit (and Associate’s Degree, in some cases), and enables them to get free college. It’s pretty incredible….
Be Careful Taking Advice Online
Today I read an article entitled “Your Income May Disqualify Your Child for College Aid Regardless of Your Assets” on Forbes.com about income disqualifying families for college aid. In the article we learn how a common college planning tip (moving money out of a custodial account) may not benefit a family with financial aid at all, and in fact it could hurt the family in the long run. Well, I was a little perturbed by the article. It was short and gave general advice on a topic that cannot be made so general. Every family has a very unique financial situation, and more care should be given when recommending ways to secure financial aid and fund college. For example, the author of the…
College Counseling: Under-resourced
I read an article today in the Huffington Post about the lack of college guidance for bright students in low income areas. The article focused on the many hats guidance counselors must wear in a public school (behavioral interventionist, career adviser, scheduling pro, and study skill instructor), and their workload. They stated that the average workload of a guidance counselor in the U.S. is 476 students. As Huffington Post so articulately put it: it’s crowd control. The trouble is that smart kids in areas that are less affluent typically don’t come from college-going families, nor do they plan for college or seek college advice. They get left out of the college prep game because their schools don’t have the resources to prepare them and their…
How to Get the Best Financial Aid Package
It’s that time of year. Seniors are about to commit to college, and financial aid award letters have arrived. So… what do you do if you have not received the financial aid offer for which you were hoping? As we posted previously in “5 Things You Must Know Before Appealing” some families turn to the appeals process. This is a negotiation process with the school for a better deal. Colleges can give you a better award for the right reasons. Do those reasons include an edit from an “A-” to an “A” on your transcript? No, they don’t. But if your family has extenuating circumstances then the school should know. As CBS News reported earlier today, there are reasons to appeal. If you have…
College Admissions Re-Write
The Washington Post published an article today about the inefficiencies in college admissions. With our current system, millions of students apply to college after being recruited heavily and/or hearing of schools through T.V., friends, and family. At College Planning Experts we are lucky to work with families who begin thinking of college picks earlier than most, and we can give much needed guidance and direction to find the right fit; however, many students don’t have that service. They rely on themselves. This got us to thinking. If you could re-write the college admissions process in the U.S., what would you do?
7 Tips to Reduce College Costs
USA Today published an article yesterday that shared 7 strategies to reduce college costs. We had to share it. Enjoy! http://college.usatoday.com/2015/04/22/paying-for-college-7-tips-to-reducing-costs-and-getting-more-financial-aid/
College Pay Day
Too often we meet students who want to attend college simply because “they’ll make more money.” While it is true (studies have shown) that a college graduate makes roughly $1,000,000 over his/her lifetime, that is an average. If you really want to capitalize on the marketability of your Bachelor’s degree then you MUST have a direction. If you’re going to invest a significant amount of money and time into your education, know its purpose. Time Magazine put out an article today about the average salary for a fresh college grad. If you want to know, the average salary is $45,478 (table below). That is just a little over $21 per hour. While that is a starting salary and would be expected to grow over…
