Yesterday’s post, which explored the school options of a brilliant teenager from Wisconsin, generated many insightful comments from parents. Here is the post: Should a Kid Borrow $80,000 for a Brand-Name University? If you missed the post or the comments, I’d urge you to check both out. To summarize, the teenager managed to get admitted [...]
When Two Children Head to College
on April 20, 2012 in Admissions, Applying, College Costs, Financial aid, Money, Student Loans
Should a Kid Borrow $80,000 for a Brand Name University?
on April 19, 2012 in Admissions, Applying, Financial aid, Money, Parents, Student Loans
I am sharing an email that I received Tuesday from a Wisconsin mom, who is stressed about the admission decision that her teenage son must make by May 1. What follows is a cautionary tale for any families which have not been through the college admission process yet. Read on to discover how to avoid [...]
A Recruiter’s Take on Hiring Students from No-Name Schools
on April 17, 2012 in Academic quality, Academics, Admissions, Applying, California universities, Careers, Ivy League, Liberal Arts Colleges, Universities
I’ve been receiving some fascinating comments lately that were triggered by recent posts that shared the agony of students who aimed for the Ivies and other elite schools and got spurned or who couldn’t afford the tab. If you missed the posts, here they are: Should You Blow the Budget on Cornell? The Odds of [...]
The Odds of Getting Off a Wait List
on April 16, 2012 in Admission practices, Admissions, Applying
This weekend I heard from old friends who wanted to share with me stories of brilliant students who got shut out of elite universities. At a party on Friday night, a former colleague of my husband’s mentioned that he was stunned that his son’s friend didn’t get into Stanford University. The boy is a stellar [...]
10 Ways to Pick a College
on April 10, 2012 in Academic quality, Academics, Admissions, Applying, Evaluating Schools, Research
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I’ve been getting questions from parents who are agonizing about where their teenagers should attend college. It’s a tough decision and time is running out to pick the winners. The national deposit day for freshman is May 1. Here are some of choices facing a family that contacted me [...]
What’s Wrong With College Dream Lists
on April 4, 2012 in Admissions, Applying, California universities, Colleges, Ivy League, Universities
I recently took a look at The Princeton Review’s latest lists of America’s most popular dream colleges and I immediately saw a problem. Before I explain why, check out the dream colleges that teenagers and parents cited most often. Teenagers’ Dream Colleges Stanford University Harvard University New York University Princeton University Massachusetts Institute of Technology [...]
About Lynn
In addition to writing her nationally known blog here on TheCollegeSolution.com, Lynn O’Shaughnessy is an author, higher-ed journalist, speaker and college consultant. Lynn writes about college strategies for CBSMoneyWatch and US News & World Report. She's the author of The College Solution, an Amazon.com bestseller and... Continue Reading...




