Hott off the Press

A blog about college insights and more.


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George Washington U. embraces D.C. locale

By Karen Hott, December 2024
The George Washington University takes full advantage of being at the center of Washington, D.C., the seat of the U.S. government and also a hub for business, health, and technology. The 10,500 residential undergraduates join 11,000 graduate students and 2,400 medical and law students on an urban campus just four blocks from the White House. Choose urban or suburban home
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Denison: Connection driven, relationship focused

By Karen Hott, December 2024
If you’re a parent who’s skeptical that a liberal arts school can prepare your child for a successful business career, admissions at Denison University said you can call and they’ll explain it to you.  Denison doesn’t offer a degree in business. Yet most students at Denison major in something leading to business or the medical field. Its “pre-business” advising involves
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Carnegie Mellon Qatar sounds like paradise

By Karen Hott, December 2024
I worked with Ragad and Tala as they explored and applied to colleges in the U.S. They went to an international school in Saudi Arabia and their English was impeccable. Originally, their goal was to study in the States, but ultimately, the twins decided to stay closer to home and to study at Carnegie Mellon Qatar. Here I’ll share what
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Forms you need when your teen turns 18

By Karen Hott, November 2024
This 2023 article does a good job of explaining! https://blog.massmutual.com/planning/legal-forms-for-18-year-olds
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How hiring a college consultant can save money

By Karen Hott, November 2024
A college adviser helps you think about what you want in a college.
Karen Hott with TCNJ mascot

TCNJ is #1 but little known outside NJ

By Karen Hott, November 2024
The College of New Jersey has so much going for it, recognized by USNWR as #1 overall in Northeast regional publics (2025) for its great retention and graduation rates and its focus on undergraduate teaching. But only 6% of its undergraduates come from outside New Jersey, even though they’ve lowered out-of-state tuition to within $6000 of in-state tuition. C’mon, Maryland, New
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Duquesne commits to every student’s success

By Karen Hott, November 2024
Duquesne University overlooks the Monongahela River, one of the three rivers that intersect in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It has access to the cultural center and downtown businesses in Pittsburgh yet is set on 48 acres of secluded, park-like campus. The university is affiliated with the Catholic Spiritans. Students who identify as Catholic make up 45% of the population; 27% are students
1862 church on Seton Hall campus

Seton Hall eases transition to college

By Karen Hott, November 2024
I met with Director of Admissions Katherine Fainer (pronounced “Finer”) and Assistant Director of Admissions Joey Puleo on November 14, 2024. Reducing food waste Joey and Katherine treated me to lunch in the school dining hall, which, renovated in 2018, was clean, bright, and open. The signs to reduce food waste weren’t only on the screens above the food stations;
Scupture at Carnegie Mellon called Walking into the Sky

Carnegie Mellon aims to use knowledge for good

By Karen Hott, November 2024
The sky’s the limit The first thing I saw when I found the campus of Carnegie Mellon University was a silver pole reaching diagonally about three stories into the sky, with colorized sculptures of men and women walking up it. It’s called Walking to the Sky, and it represents the belief that at Carnegie Mellon, “the sky’s the limit.” Know
Cathedral of Learning at Pitt

Rolling admit means early answer from Pitt

By Karen Hott, November 2024
On my first day ever in the city of Pittsburgh, my friend and colleague Dianne Keilholtz and I left Carnegie Mellon, lunched at a sidewalk table in the sun (it was in the 80s on Oct. 22), and then walked downhill to learn what makes Pitt so appealing to students. Cathy The Cathedral of Learning rises from the campus like