You can read about colleges in the Princeton Review or the Fiske Guide, you can explore college websites, you can search Niche and Reddit. But now, thanks to Aly Beaumont at Admissions Village in Wilton, Connecticut, you can find students who are attending the colleges you are considering–and connect with them to ask them your questions about life at their

Jan. 12, 2021 A private research college in Colorado with about 6,000 undergraduates and 7,000 graduate students, the University of Denver is called, perplexingly, “DU” by its staff (the website is du.edu). It has five divisions: Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences, International Studies, Business, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and Engineering & Computer Science. Admission is to the university, not to

January 2021 For decades, high school juniors embarked on the spring-semester adventure of visiting colleges to glimpse what might lie in their futures. Families planned spring break around these visits, perhaps flying out of state and renting a car to hit a number of campuses within driving distance of a central location, such as Los Angeles or Chicago. Others started

Why Documentation Matters Don’t trust your memory! After visiting multiple campuses, details start to blur. That picturesque quad… was it at Dartmouth or Williams? The amazing student center… Berkeley or UCLA? Thorough documentation is your best friend for making informed college decisions. If you don’t have a preferred note-taking system, you can use this handy sheet, either electronically or by

Be prepared when you visit colleges by having a list of questions ready to ask admissions representatives or tour guides. They’ll give you lots of information, but the download below can help you personalize your visit.

Demonstrated Interest Demonstrated interest, or engagement, is a factor in admissions at some, but not all, colleges or universities. (I use “colleges” to cover both.)  It may be as simple as keeping a file of how often you’ve emailed them or attended information sessions, or as sophisticated as tracking your interactions on their websites. The University of Rochester notes which

Jeff Levy wrote this excellent explanation of the two dominant methodologies used by colleges to determine how much your family can afford to pay for college.

Now that those early action decisions are coming, you may be seeing financial award letters that differ in format from one college to another, making comparing the bottom line cost of attendance (COA) hard to decipher. The U.S. Department of Education has a tool to help you compare apples to apples instead of apples to oranges. This PDF is available

Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York, has an Engineering & Management program that should appeal to students who want to pursue STEM but still maintain and build their people skills.  The Clarkson campus is located in Upstate New York, near the Adirondack Mountains and situated along the Raquette River. Director of E&M Michelle Crimi said that even though it gets

Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York, has an Engineering & Management program that should appeal to students who want to pursue STEM but still maintain and build their people skills.  The Clarkson campus is located in Upstate New York, near the Adirondack Mountains and situated along the Raquette River. Director of E&M Michelle Crimi said that even though it gets