The college application process is something that we only have to go through once…if we are lucky. It can be exhausting, defeating, and upsetting. However, college is an investment. An investme...
Pros and Cons of Greek Life
When people imagine the stereotypical college party, chances are it’s taking place in a Greek organization. In fact, Greek life and “college life” are so intertwined that they’re sometimes synonymous ...
How Brand Name Colleges Lose Their Attraction
I had just turned 18 and graduated a semester early from high school. My dream was always to go to UC Berkeley. I planned on fulfilling that dream, but first I wanted to spend a semester at my state c...
What I Have In Common With Lori Loughlin & Felicity Huffman
For the last three consecutive years, it’s essentially been my full time job to help get my oldest four kids accepted into the best colleges we can afford. Which is a bigger task than most people woul...
Seven College Planning Pitfalls To Avoid
As a psychologist, I see many teens immersed in the college planning process. Unfortunately, the sequence of events that unfolds typically follows this well-worn path: anticipation and excitement; tak...
Explaining $80K in Student Loan Debt To A 17-Year-Old
As teenagers, we feel like the future is open to us. The idea of going into debt isn’t scary because the repayment comes years later — and we just figure that we’ll have a good job and be ...
Would a Trade School Be a Better Option vs. College?
Going to college isn’t the only way to get ready for the real world… Trade School Can Be An Alternative to College Not every student is interested in a traditional four-year undergrad edu...
Why Taking a Gap Year Could Be A Senior’s Best Next Decision
…Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. ~from “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost There has been a dramatic ri...
What’s An Honors College vs. Honors Program?
As a high school senior, it can be tough choosing between a small college and a large university, and knowing which school can be the right fit. For those who have never been away from home, a small s...
Helping vs. Helicoptering: Parents And The College Admissions Process
Many parents of high school students want to help their child through the College Admissions Process. They recognize that applying to college is not what it was 20 or 25 years ago. Costs are fa...