One of my parents who always asks great questions recently sent me an inquiry. He said he was asking for a friend, but I’m not sure I believed him. He wanted to know about the importance of writing short sentences versus long sentences in application essays. Here’s his wonderful set of questions, and my reply…
Read MoreOctober 1 has always been the first day any U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen expecting to apply for need-based financial aid can access, complete, and submit the necessary forms. The most common of these forms is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), required by every institution before need-based financial aid can be awarded. This year, because of the overhaul to the FAFSA and federal aid methodology, release of the 2024-2025 FAFSA has been delayed until December 2023.
Read MoreOctober 1, 2022 is the first day families can access, complete, and submit the 2023-2024 FAFSA and CSS Profile. Anyone logging in sooner will find themselves completing forms for the wrong school year. But September is the month to carefully consider the pros and cons of applying for need-based aid. We cover this fully in our companion guide, Applying for Financial Aid: Should I, or Shouldn’t I?
Read MoreBecause the sticker price of college is beyond the means of most families, the decision of whether to apply for need-based financial aid may seem like a no-brainer. But anyone venturing into this thicket quickly learns that the landscape is complicated, stressful, and full of traps. We hope this brief guide will help you decide if applying for need-based financial aid is right for your family. If you do decide to soldier on, please see our companion guide, FAFSA and CSS Profile: 21 Important Tips.
Read MoreAs someone who largely works with international students, I wasn’t overjoyed when I heard that international SAT exams would be completely digital beginning in March of 2023. My head filled with memories of issues that students had from when the international ACT exam went digital in late 2018, and I wondered what this College Board announcement would mean.
Read MoreAuthor and New York Times columnist Ron Lieber just wrote an excellent piece titled “Early Decision Isn’t Binding. Let Us Explain.” He deservedly calls out NYU and the Common App for providing misleading guidance on ED rules, and he helpfully clears up some myths. His most important point: if you can’t afford to enroll at the price the college asks you to pay, you can back out of the agreement. True, but there is more to this story than Lieber’s piece can address.
Read MoreIn a bipartisan vote, the FAFSA Simplification Act of 2020 became law on December 27. The rewritten federal financial aid guidelines will replace current guidelines on July 1, 2023, the first day of the 2023-2024 school year, and the redesigned Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)—the interface sitting atop this new methodology—will go live on October 1, 2022. There is much to celebrate about the new law, but…
Read MoreA month before the end of his final term in Congress, Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee) received the best retirement present he could ask for. As chair of the Senate education committee, he had been trying for years to simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly called the FAFSA. In a rare show of bipartisanship, the Senate delivered and Alexander got his wish. The FAFSA Simplification Act of 2020 became a 167-page insert…
Read MoreA college education is one the most important investments that a family will make in their lifetime. Because of this, an important aspect of our work is helping students find colleges or universities that are not only strong academic and social matches but good financial choices. Figuring out how to pay for college can be confusing and stressful for anyone, but particularly for international students.
Read MoreMany families believe that Early Decision is the best way to get into highly selective colleges. They know that ED admit rates are often higher than those of Regular Decision, sometimes even twice as high or more. And when looking at low RD admit rates, anything helps! Your child will need to decide soon if she expects to apply during this round with its application deadlines of October 15, November 1, and November 15. But is applying Early Decision the right decision for your child?
Read MoreWhen it comes to your child’s college list, everyone talks about finding schools that are a great fit. To most people, this means two things: academic and social. Academically, these should be schools that have strong programs in the disciplines your child expects to pursue, places where they will be challenged and successful. Socially, these should be schools where your child will fit in, will be honored for who they are, and will find friends for life.
Read MoreMany people think that the University of Chicago’s admit rates have always been infinitesimal. But attached to its reputation for academic rigor was a sarcastic dig that the institution couldn’t shake: The place where fun comes to die. While the applicant pool at comparable schools in the northeast and far west grew exponentially, UChicago’s languished. But in 2005, its Board of Trustees decided to change all that. This engineered rise in the rankings tells us a lot about the business of college admission.
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