What Outcomes Do You Want from Your College Experience?

Last week, at the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) Fall Conference, I had the opportunity to hear from Dr. Anne Kerr, President of Florida Southern College. Dr. Kerr’s talk focused on the outcomes that colleges measure to gauge the efficacy of their programs. She mentioned some of the things you would expect – retention rates,…

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Who is Teaching This Class?

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…

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The Basics of the College Visit

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…

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The EFC and COA: A College Pricing Primer

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…

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Don’t Let Disappointment Derail You

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…

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Scholarship SOS – Part 2

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,…

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Scholarship SOS – Part 1

Developing Your Strategy I recently attended a webinar where supposed experts in the area of student scholarships dished out advice to those advising students on how to win scholarships. One morsel of advice that made me shudder was this, “your students should apply for any and every scholarship they can find.” One member of the…

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Set Yourself Up for College Essay Success

Interviewer: How much rewriting do you do? Hemingway: It depends. I rewrote the ending of Farewell to Arms, the last page of it, 39 times before I was satisfied. Interview: Was there some technical problem there? What was it that had stumped you? Hemingway: Getting the words right. -Ernest Hemingway, The Paris Review Interview, 1956…

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What Size College is Right for You?

Large Universities vs. SLACs With over 4,000 colleges and universities to choose from in the U.S., one way to focus your search is to consider what size campus is a good fit with your college and career plans and your personality. It is important to understand what the differences will mean to your college experience.…

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