Paying for College
What’s in a Name?
How did I land on Bell & Arch Consulting as the name that represents my business? It is tied to the fact that I want every student I serve to find their perfect fit school. My goal for my students is not just to get to college, but to get through college to graduation. Bell…
Read MoreWhat 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,…
Read MoreDon’t Let College Admissions Deadlines Turn You into a Stressed-Out Zombie! Understand ED, EA, RD, and RA Before Your Senior Year
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…
Read MoreThe 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…
Read MoreScholarship 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,…
Read MoreScholarship 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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