April is a tough month for high school seniors and their families. They are receiving college acceptance or rejection letters, preparing for finals and AP exams, getting ready for prom and graduation, all while trying to choose the “best” college to attend. One of the key factors in deciding which college acceptance to select is the financial aid award letter. Families can help students decipher these letters and the types of financial aid … [Read more...]
Texas Universities on Best Computer Engineering Ranking List
Computer engineering is a discipline that integrates several fields of electrical engineering and computer science required to develop computer hardware and software. Computer engineers usually have training in electronic engineering (or electrical engineering), software design, and hardware-software integration instead of only software engineering or electronic engineering. This field of engineering not only focuses on how computer systems … [Read more...]
Quiz: Is Your Teen Ready for College?
Part of the “American Dream” is to send children off to college after high school. We envision them living in dorms, enjoying the true ‘college experience’, learning and growing into adults. The reality is that some children aren’t ready for that independence. Many college students return home after a semester or two of college, usually because of failing grades, lack of friends, or simply too much partying. So how do parents know if their … [Read more...]
Are You Managing or Controlling Your Child’s College Plans?
“Hanging back and allowing children to make mistakes is one of the greatest challenges of parenting.” This is perhaps one of the best points made in a recent New York Times article, Raising Successful Children, and couldn’t be more poignant than during your child’s senior year. In today’s college admissions, everything is competitive and overwhelming. This makes it easier for parents to want to step in, help, and guide their child through the … [Read more...]
Major Changes to SAT Announced
The College Board, creators of the SAT, just announced major changes to the SAT! These changes won't go into effect until Spring 2016, so will only affect the class of 2017 and younger students. Here are the major changes: The essay will become optional, and will require students to analyze a passage. (Keep in mind that colleges may still require the essay for admissions. The overall scoring will revert back to the 1600 scale, with just … [Read more...]
Doesn’t Anyone Graduate from College in Four Years Anymore?
According to federal statistics on college graduation rates, only 27% of college students who attend public colleges graduate in four years. Private schools have a slightly better track record: 48% of students get their college degree in four years. Private for-profit colleges have even worse graduation rates (don’t get me started on those so-called “schools”). Either way, those are some disappointing figures! Colleges also use their 6 year … [Read more...]
Financial Aid Secrets and 4 Tips
Something interesting happens every summer before high school graduates head off to college. Most people in the higher education industry refer to it as ‘summer melt’. It’s a yearly occurrence when extra financial aid is unclaimed and returned to the college’s pool of resources. It’s a result of students who had previously accepted admissions to that college deciding not to attend, thus leaving their financial aid package on the table. That aid … [Read more...]
Can My College Acceptance Be Revoked?
Can colleges revoke admissions offers? What behaviors can cause this, and how can students protect themselves? It’s the time of year again. No, not tax time. I’m referring to senoritis. The time of year when senior year high school students start getting acceptance letters to college and then, promptly, start slacking off in school. It’s tempting, I know. They already got into college, why bother with maintaining grades or doing homework? One … [Read more...]
Houston Universities Top List of Best College Campuses
Houston has a wide selection of higher education opportunities, from a plethora of community colleges to private and public universities. If you're looking to attend college in Houston, you have lots of choices. The Houston Press is making those choices even harder with a list of the best buildings on Houston college campuses. University of Houston received the most honors, with 4 buildings on the list, including Cullen Building, their … [Read more...]
Top 25 Colleges for Entrepreneurship
Think you've got what it takes to start a business? Time to get educated. To get your schooling underway, Entrepreneur presents the annual Princeton Review ranking of the top 25 undergraduate and top 25 graduate entrepreneurship programs offered at U.S. institutions. 1. Harvard University About the Program Harvard University currently offers 33 entrepreneurship-related graduate courses. Over the last five years, its graduates have started 182 … [Read more...]
The Most Expensive College Dorms
eCollegeFinder is back with another map series, this time looking at which colleges charge the most for on-campus room and board in each state. We all know how expensive college is these days. From massive tuition fees to costly text books, it really burns a hole in the pocket. Aside from tuition, room and board is usually one of the top expenses for each student. This got us thinking, which colleges charge the most for on-campus living? Is it … [Read more...]
Avoid Expensive Errors While Saving For College
It’s just about back-to-school time again. If you have young children, you might be hustling them to the store for backpacks and binders. But if you fast-forward a few years, you can envision driving your kids a little farther — to their college dorms. And when that day comes, you’ll want to be financially prepared. So you’ll want to avoid making costly mistakes when preparing for, and paying, those big bills. Here are some of the most common of … [Read more...]
New College Ranking Lists Published by Money Magazine
For the longest time, U.S. News & World Report was considered THE college rankings system. Every Fall, a "new" list would be released, which would almost always put Harvard was the best college in America. Every once in a while, it would tie with Princeton. Those rankings were based on many factors, including SAT scores, acceptance rates, and graduation rates. But it did not include many other factors that are becoming increasingly important … [Read more...]
What NOT to Write about in College Essays
What NOT to Write about in College Essays: 6 Bad Essay Topics for College Admissions College essays can play a vital role in college admissions. Often times, it is the only way a student can get his or her voice heard. The application itself provides the biographical information: class rank, SAT scores, class choices, and community service. But the essay lets the student really speak to the admissions officials who will be deciding his or her … [Read more...]
SAT Subject Tests and Average Scores
The College Board, the creator of the original SAT, has also created SAT IIs, better known as SAT Subject Tests, to help students showcase their knowledge in certain subject areas. These Subject Tests are the only national college admissions tests where the students get to choose which subject they want to be tested on. SAT Subject Tests allow students to set themselves apart from other applicants and send a “send a strong message regarding … [Read more...]
