The College Solutions Blog

Valuable insights from Lynn O’Shaughnessy
a nationally recognized college expert.

Ivy League
December 13, 2010

What Ivy League Professors Don't Want You to Know

Ivy League schools always hog the top spots in the college rankings, but are Ivy League professors the best teachers? Heck no. I’ve written a college blog post for CBS MoneyWatch that reveals that the undergrads who attend Ivy League schools aren’t nearly as happy with their teachers as you might expect. I drew that conclusion after looking at the...
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August 5, 2010

Why It's Harder Getting Into Harvard

It’s not your imagination. It’s become even harder to get into Harvard, the rest of the Ivy League gang and the other super elite schools. In the college blog post that I wrote for CBSMoneyWatch.com today, I explain 5 reasons why it’s become even more challenging trying to storm the gates of Harvard and other schools of that ilk. Here...
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April 18, 2010

Waiting List Cry Babies: Stop the Tears

I have been reading the annual sob stories from students who are stuck on waiting lists at the nation’s snobbiest schools. These are the colleges and universities that reject almost everyone. The students on these waiting lists, which can contain 1,000 or more names, complain mightily about being stuck in limbo. They can’t psychologically get on with their lives until...
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April 1, 2010

Ivy League: Rejecting More Students – Yawn

Surprise. Surprise. The Ivy League and other elite universities have just gotten even more selective. The Ivy League schools will be notifying applicants today whether they won the higher-ed lottery. And, according to some preliminary numbers gathered by The New York Times, more applicants will be receiving bad college admission news this year than ever before. Or, what is more...
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January 22, 2010

Why I Chose Yale – Not

If you haven’t seen the campy You Tube musical called “Why I Chose Yale, you might want to check it out. I imagine that watching it will only increase the anxiety of any parent or high school student who thinks Yale (or some other Ivy League school) is the only higher-ed trophy worth bagging. If you feel that way, or...
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December 21, 2009

Yale Accepts Quadruplets in its Next Freshman Class

Here’s a college admission success story that’s going to make you jealous. Yale University just accepted four teenagers from the same Connecticut family for its next freshmen class. This is the first time in anyone’s memory that Yale has accepted quadruplets. The New York Times wrote about this stunning feat over the weekend. This wasn’t some sort of gimmick. Yale’s...
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December 20, 2009

College Bowl Money Pits, Studying Abroad and More

It’s a relief to be sitting down to write this post. My husband, kids and I survived our annual holiday party. I cook for days, not including spending an entire Saturday making Christmas cookies, and by the time the party rolls around my back is screaming. Anyway, I survived the party for 65 people and the highlights included mini brie...
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October 11, 2009

The Price of High School Success

Last week I was talking to the college counselor at my son’s high school about research findings that suggest that Asian students face much greater odds in getting into Ivy League and other elite institutions. During our conversation, the counselor took a hardback from his book-lined room and suggested I read it. School of Dreams: Making the Grade at a...
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October 10, 2009

College Blog Roundup: Green Colleges, Ivy League Discrimination, 529 Problems

Every Saturday I share the college blog posts that I wrote for the week for CBSMoneyWatch. As usual, this was an eclectic bunch. Are Elite Universities Discriminating Against Asians The post that I found most fascinating was about a book — soon to be released — that examined the admission practices of seven elite (unnamed) universities. The author, who is...
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September 9, 2009

The Secrets of Getting Into Harvard

I’ve always wondered why the media fixates so much Harvard and the other seven Ivy League schools. After all, the percentage of college freshmen attending these schools is a miniscule .2%. I came up with that percentage after crunching numbers that I pulled out of The Chronicle of Higher Education’s Almanac. But if you’re eager to see your little darling...
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