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

The pandemic has upended the process of applying to college. Four college admissions officers spoke in late November about how the pandemic has changed admissions and how students can navigate this new landscape. Stefanie Niles of Ohio Wesleyan University, Robert Alexander of the University of Rochester, Anika Olsen of Northern Arizona University, and Rachelle Hernandez of the University of Texas

Jeff Selingo is the smartest guy I know of when it comes to college admissions, and you can be sure that his advice is as up-to-date and well-researched as it gets. Here’s what he wrote after the release this September of his book Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions: Over the last month, I’ve led more than

Helpful hint: It’s a 50-minute video, but if you go to settings and change the playback speed to 1.5, you get through it in less time. Plus, it’s funny to hear them talking fast (hee hee hee).

The PSAT/NMSQT has traditionally been important for juniors who score high enough to merit scholarships. After all, “NMSQT” stands for National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.” Fortunately, the January administration of the PSAT–added only for this Covid-impacted year–will still be figured into the scholarship eligibility. Usually, the test occurs only in October. Revised Test Dates We have revised some of the