Parents, teachers, college professionals, and students know the positive and negative effects of college admissions: from the joy of getting acceptances, to the intense pressure in applying, to the unending questions from well-meaning friends and family. Many professionals in the higher education field are also aware of the mental and emotional stress placed on students and the advantage of more affluent students from more well-resourced schools. … [Read more...]
Is College Worth the Investment?
Is that fancy, expensive college degree really worth the cost of several years of tuition, room and board and books? Everyone knows that the cost of education is skyrocketing, but the answer is still YES! Wondering which colleges have the best ROI? Return on investment is the "financial return" from any investment of money, or in this case, the income amount above and beyond what a high school graduate would make. The investment is the cost of … [Read more...]
What You Will Actually Pay at Texas Colleges
There are two prices for every college degree: the sticker price and the net price. The sticker price is the number that most schools list in their brochures. The net price is that very same number less scholarships, grants and financial aid. It is what you actually pay. For an incoming freshman, this net price is the number that matters the most, and until recently, it was also the number that we knew the least about. This month, the … [Read more...]
How To Prepare for the College Interview
Some colleges require an in-person interview with all applicants. Other colleges allow the students to request an interview if desired, and will consider it as part of the admissions file. In both situations, college interviews provide an opportunity to learn more about the college and whether or not the student would be a good fit on the campus. If you are applying to a college that doesn't require, but does allow for, college interviews, you … [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...]
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...]
Texas Universities in the National College Rankings
U.S. News and World Report has ranked the top National Universities for more than 25 years. They recently released their new rankings and here are the Texas colleges that were ranked nationally in the top 200 colleges: #19 Rice University #53 University of Texas at Austin (also #7 Business school) #61 Southern Methodist University (also #43 Business school) #70 Texas A&M University (also #29 Business school) #72 Baylor … [Read more...]
Which Colleges Superscore the SAT?
A student's test scores from the SAT or ACT are crucial for college admissions. But it's tricky to know when and which scores to send to which of the colleges on your list. Most colleges will use the highest scores sent to them, either from the same test day or highest score in each section over time, called superscore. What is an SAT Superscore? According to College Board, the creators of the SAT, Score Choice is "score-reporting feature that … [Read more...]
College Acceptances for Class of 2015
Yay! All of our college admissions decisions are in and all of our clients have selected their college! Colleges that accepted a senior student who was a client of Brand College Consulting, class of 2015: Texas colleges University of Texas- Austin Texas A&M University Texas Tech University University of Houston Texas State University Baylor University Southern Methodist University Texas Christian … [Read more...]
College Acceptance and Financial Aid Award Letters
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...]
