Bell and Arch Blog

College admissions advice, news, tips, and more!

Don’t Let College Admissions Deadlines Turn You into a Stressed-Out Zombie! Understand ED, EA, RD, and RA Before Your Senior Year

By Jennifer Martin | Oct 30, 2021

Halloween is the turning point where the low simmer of college admissions for high school seniors turns into a full-blown boil. Students applying to Florida schools are scrambling to meet the early November 1 deadlines at most public Florida universities, and students who have their eyes on the other coast are preparing for the California…

A Continuation of “Who is Teaching This Class?”: Job Titles of Faculty and Contingent Faculty

By Jennifer Martin | Oct 10, 2021

The person at the front of your college classroom can have any number of job titles. The very best students understand the significance of these different designations and how the hierarchy of the professoriate matters. Now that we have shed some light on those pesky honorifics in the first blog in this series, let’s see…

Who is Teaching This Class?

By Jennifer Martin | Sep 20, 2021

How to Address that Person Standing at the Lectern in Your College Classroom Did you know that the relationships you build with the professors at your college can have a significant impact on your success both in your undergraduate work and in your pursuit of graduate school or a career? I’m here to tell you…

College Visits Part 2: Getting the Most from Your College Visit

By Jennifer Martin | Jul 30, 2021

College visits are a big business on campuses – in some cases, hundreds of students and their families may pass through the campus on a visit on any given day. Therefore, you need to plan ahead and make reservations and appointments to ensure that you can have all the experiences you want while visiting. This…

The Basics of the College Visit

By Jennifer Martin | Jul 22, 2021

Summer is a great time to add a college visit or two to your family’s travels. This summer, after over a year of mostly being closed to visitors, colleges are opening again to in-person visits. Virtual tours and webinars are just not the same as standing on the quad of a campus and seeing firsthand…

The EFC and COA: A College Pricing Primer

By Jennifer Martin | Jul 2, 2021

My dad always had an interesting perspective on pricing that was out of line with the product being offered. On my very first trip to New York City with him, I was incredulous that a bagel at the hotel cost $12 (and this was MANY moons ago). He laughed and told me that price in…

Now is the Time to Start Thinking about College!

By Jennifer Martin | Apr 29, 2021

Tips to get a Jump Start on College Admissions Preparing for college admissions is a marathon, not a sprint. Back in my marathon running days, one of my running books asked this question, “How do you eat an elephant?” The answer, “One bite at a time!” I would offer the same advice to students preparing…

Don’t Let Disappointment Derail You

By Jennifer Martin | Apr 7, 2021

Well, it is certainly an understatement to say it’s been a year. I think we all need a very deep cleansing breath to move forward into whatever the “new normal” holds for us. Despite the disruptions to our lives, the college admission cycle for the class of 2025 carried on in one of the most…

Scholarship SOS – Part 2

By Jennifer Martin | Mar 11, 2021

Understanding the Field You’ve heard it too many times to count, those well-meaning words – “There are plenty of scholarships out there, so you can go to college for free!” Well, you and I both know that perhaps that is just a bit overstated. It’s not like you can close your eyes, snap your fingers,…