Feb. 28, 2024 Wake Forest University admits only a quarter of those who apply to the liberal arts school of about 5500 undergraduates and 3000 graduate students. In the scores of colleges I’ve visited, I’ve usually found that the more selective the school, the less they care about facilitating counselor visits. Nevertheless, the very-selective Wake welcomed my group of 40

Furman University Feb. 29, 2024 Furman’s 2300 undergraduates live on 750 beautiful acres all four of their college years. The residential requirement helps students stay engaged and involved even as they approach graduation from this liberal arts college.  With 18 Division I athletic teams and modern facilities, there’s plenty of cheering going on for the Paladins. (Paladins are knights. There’s

Elon continues to grow in size and stature while holding fast to its roots in experiential education. Since my daughter entered Elon as a freshman a decade ago, its tradition of handing out acorns to freshmen and saplings to grads continues, but new buildings abound. Experiential education is a buzzword in today’s academic landscape, but it was rarer in 2013.

Yale introduced another vocab word to the testing landscape: “test-flexible.” I listened to podcasts (linked within the article below) from Yale admissions that explain the “big picture” and “details” of their decision. Their research showed that standardized test scores were better than grades at predicting success at Yale. Applicants for fall 2025 will have to submit test scores; however, now

Karen A. Hott Hott off the Press Working with high school students, I champion their well-being and confidence daily. Right now, though, I’m acutely aware of the stress and strain that parents are feeling, helpless to make happen things beyond their control, namely, college admissions. If you’re a parent of a senior who has received or is awaiting college decisions,

Using the Common Data Set to answer that question Notes on presentation by Dewey Wilmot & Francine Block at HECA conference, 6/13/2023 Most of us know that Section C gives us information about admissions, but it’s good to look at other sections of the Common Data Set, too. CDS Section B Graduation rates are in Section B. Look at the

Saint Mary’s College of Maryland Don’t be fooled by the “saint.” St. Mary’s is not private or parochial. Located in the historic town of St. Mary’s City, St. Mary’s College of Maryland is “The National Public Honors College.” What does it mean to be a “national public honors college”? It doesn’t mean that it’s harder to get in; in fact,

Why this matters: Kids tend to ignore their emails. (Perhaps you’ve noticed.) When you ignore college emails, you miss important information about portals, missing documents, scholarship deadlines, and even acceptance notifications. The hundreds of unsolicited emails from colleges can be overwhelming, but creating folders gives you POWER over your mailbox. Students, do this: Extra credit: You don’t have to use

January 2024 The Seminoles of Florida State University in Tallahassee have loyal fans who execute the Tomahawk Chop with pride. They have good reason to be proud. Florida State holds up three pillars: Vires, Artes, and Mores. These stand for strength, skill, and character. It’s how they operate and also how they evaluate applicants to the very selective (25% admit

StudentAid.gov, part of the U.S. Dept. of Education, created a playlist of videos to explain the FAFSA. The 2024-25 version is significantly different from previous years, but it’s still the basis for all federal aid to college students: student loans, grants, and work-study. Make sure you know all the pros and cons before deciding that you (or your child) won’t