Do you graduate in 2017 or after? If so, you’ll be taking the new redesigned PSAT, starting in October 2015, the new PSAT will be given to all juniors across the country. Some 9th-10th graders take this test as well. So what's new about the PSAT? Let’s dive into the changes being made to the redesigned PSAT. Changes in Format The new redesigned PSAT is 35 minutes longer than the old PSAT. It clocks in at 2 hours and 45 minutes, rather than … [Read more...]
Dept of Ed Announces Change Simplifying Application for Federal Financial Aid
Two weeks ago, President Obama announced a significant policy shift that will help low-income students access college financial aid by making the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) simpler to complete. This key administrative change will allow applicants to complete the FAFSA using income tax data from two years prior to the current year. This change is a major win for students, significantly simplifying the aid application … [Read more...]
Best College Business Program Rankings
Here are the rankings for the best undergraduate business programs at US universities in 2016, courtesy of the US News and World Report. Cost of tuition includes tuition and fees, but not room and board costs. OOS= out of state # College/ University Cost of Tuition 6 yr Grad Rate 1 University of Pennsylvania $49,000 98% 2 MIT $46,000 98% 3 University of California- Berkeley $13,000 in state $38,000 … [Read more...]
Factors That Help Students in College Admissions
Your high school grades are the #1 factor in the college admission decision. Other factors count, but the body of work you develop in high school is what matters most—as it should. Colleges do not choose students by the numbers only—they don’t simply take the students with the highest grades and test scores. Colleges use many other factors to add depth to the numbers, and to compare applicants with each other to build a class that fits the … [Read more...]
New College List Ranks by Service to the Community
US News College Rankings is the 'popular' college ranking lists, but since they use questionable data that skews towards the Ivy Leagues, many professionals in the field want more, a better list, more information. Washington Monthly has given that to us. Using new criteria, Washington Monthly has developed a ranking system based on the three issues that are most important to higher education: social mobility, research, and community … [Read more...]
New College Scorecard Website
Two years, President Obama announced that the government planned to start ranking colleges based on their students' outcomes, such as their graduation rates, salaries, and success paying back loans. The idea was to help young adults make more informed decisions about applying to school while humiliating the worst-performing institutions into mending their ways. The administration also wanted to tie schools' eligibility for certain kinds of … [Read more...]
Top 4 Websites for College Research and Information
There are lots of resources for parents or students looking for college admission information online. The admission website for the specific college that the student want to apply to or attend is always the most accurate and relevant, but sometimes we need more information or comparisons. This is when these top four websites come in handy. College Results is a website with thousands of profiles on colleges. It lets users enter specific … [Read more...]
Common App Essay Requirements
Update January 28, 2016- The Common Application has announced that the 2016-2017 personal statement essay prompts will be the same as the 2015-2016 prompts. Juniors should write essays the summer after junior year. The Common Application went live on August 1st so many rising seniors started filling in their apps. As soon as they added a college, most were able to see additional writing requirements and supplements. These are in addition … [Read more...]
Class of 2015 College Admissions Data
The Class of 2015 high school graduates are soon off to college and about to become the Class of 2019 (for the lucky few who will actually graduate from college on time). But do we know which colleges they are headed to? We do know the most recent college acceptance rates, number of applications and number of students … [Read more...]
6 Questions to Ask When Selecting SAT/ACT Test Prep or Tutoring
Selecting a test prep method can be a daunting task. Every student is different, so there isn't one option out there that works for everyone. You know yourself better than others, so ask yourself the questions below, and make sure you do your research! When will I have time to prepare? Consider your academic course load and extra-curricular activities. If you have a busy schedule, have a job, or are involved in many different activities, it … [Read more...]
