Jessie's Blog
nutsANDbolts
Can We Afford College? How Much Does it Cost, Anyhow? — Meet Bertha, The Financial Elephant In the Room
College aid formulas expect parents to contribute up to 47% of their after-tax income to pay for college each year. —Troy Onink SOURCE: Forbes
Last week an email came across the IECA Talklist regarding a high-achieving student who was graduating from a private high school but who couldn’t afford to attend any of the schools to which he had been accepted. He had had a significant financial aid package at his secondary school.
While we talklist folks don't know the specifics of this case, we kn…
UMass Ups Merit$ to Out-of-Staters
Photo Credit: Boston Globe, May 29, 2016Read the full article
College Visit Follow-Up Dos & Don'ts
The truth, straight up: Students that engage proactively land in better places. And, they feel better about things, too.
Visited a campus? Met an admissions officer at a college fair? Have a collection of college rep and tour guide business cards? If you’ve answered yes to any of the above, there is a next step, and it isn’t to let the cards migrate under the seat of the car, fall to the bottom of the backpack, or end up under your bed in the pile of college marketing glossies.
Is your goal to…
Testing — Tie a String on Your Finger
The Spring testing season is upon us. Each student's testing schedule is unique. Some have chosen to only prep for the SAT or ACT. That said, if your student is planning on applying to highly selective schools, your student's AP and SAT Subject Test scores matter more than you may suspect. Schools with admissions rates 30{475f6e8ad7be3161114314a988b7e8f491719bdeedead1da50322e1eadee8259} or less fall into these categories. The more competitive the admissions rate, the more these additional test s…ACT or SAT? — Three Considerations for Each
The landscape of standardized testing shifts more often than the faults running beneath California.
Like it or not, standardized tests play a significant role in an applicant’s file. In 2015 the ACT underwent “quiet” changes and in a few short weeks the new SAT will go live, in a “loud” way. Sometimes less information is more, so here are three considerations for each of the tests.
Knowing your students strengths will go a long way when deciding which standardized test is right.
The New SAT and Your Student
Illustration by Roger Chouinard, NYTimes
THE NEW SAT AND YOUR STUDENT
When I Grow up I Want to Be a Doctor
After careful deliberation and lots of texts, Anna chose Pitt over Lehigh, Lafayette, Fairfield & Muhlenberg. A few thoughts on combined programs: Baccalaureate/MD & Baccalaureate/DDS A doctor. A dentist. These are not uncommon answers to the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” One of our students this year, in fact, got to choose between two acceptances. She first earned admission to the Muhlenberg College/University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine 3-4 BioDental Prog…
When Should My Student Start Their College Essay?
How will your student bring their application alive? Has your student started thinking about college application essays? Have you? If your student is currently a junior, the time to engage in the process is now. You heard right — late spring and through the summer make for the best essays.
It's the one part of the app where the applicant completely controls the voice, that makes it a really valuable document for us. When you’re applying to an institution with thousands of students who have…
Admissions Q&A: Colorado College
Monica Jones, Assistant Director of Admission for Colorado College, talks about “Living, Loving, & Experiencing"
Q. Do you remember writing your college essay and if so, what did you write about?
A. Strangely enough, I remember my main college essay very well. I was talking about being African-American. One of the things about being African-American is an environment of being the only one, kind of a sense of isolationism. There are a bunch of feelings that come with it and there was a moment w…
Admissions Q&A: William & Mary
Kevin Cutro, Senior Assistant Dean of Admission for The College of William and Mary, tackles the college application and the essay — “simple, sincere, and good-humored”
Q. What happens to a student’s application after it’s been received by W&M?
A. Once an application is complete (meaning we received all required components — test scores, recommendation letters, etc.), it is read at least two times between December and February — once by a regional dean, once by a non-regional dean. Each dean i…