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...]
3 Steps To Take Before the End of 2015 for FAFSA
Applying for financial aid will soon be less of a headache for college students and their families. Beginning with the 2017-2018 academic year, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)—used to determine financial aid from the government as well as colleges—can be filed three months earlier, or as early as October 1, nearly a year before a student would start classes the following fall. This change in timing will allow completed tax … [Read more...]
Best Colleges for Engineering
Engineering is the application of science and math to solve problems. Engineers figure out how things work and find practical uses for scientific discoveries. Scientists and inventors often get the credit for innovations that advance the human condition, but it is engineers who are instrumental in making those innovations available to the world. Engineering is one of the cornerstones of STEM education, an interdisciplinary curriculum designed … [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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
