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College List BuildingUC Berkeley Common Data Set
Sifting through a college’s Common Data Set can take a lot of time. Instead, we’ve gathered the most important information from UC Berkeley’s most recent Common Data Set to provide you with the information you need at a quick glance. This guide contains key information from UC Berkeley Common Data Set 2025-2026. Berkeley Common Data…
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College Financial Planning“Help! My College Freshman Wants To Transfer But She Has A Scholarship”
Recently a mom in our Paying for College 101 Facebook Group, Christine, shared the following quandary about her daughter who wants to switch schools midway through freshmen year at a university where she has close to a full ride. Like many students her age, she has a history of changing her mind frequently, which is…
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Student & Parent LoansParent Plus Student Loan Guide: How They Work, How to Get Them
Parent PLUS loans can help families cover financial aid gaps. However, a new law will take effect in 2026 that caps these previously uncapped loans. This Road2College guide explains how these loans work and can help you help determine if a Parent PLUS loan is right for your family. How Does a Parent PLUS Loan…
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Family JourneysWhat If Your Child Doesn’t Want To Go To College?
You’ve scrimped, you’ve saved, and for years you’ve promoted the benefits of attending college during car rides and at the dinner table, but your child announces they have zero interest in attending college. What do you do? The percentage of high school graduates who attend college hovers at around 62 percent, with roughly 40 percent…
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Advice4 Game-Changing Ways That One Family Mastered the College Application Journey
Kristin Bachtell, a parent in our Paying for College 101 Facebook Group, calls herself a planner — but not just any planner. A very disciplined, pragmatic planner who likes to start projects early and provide plenty of checkpoints along the way to ensure things stay on track. “My goal was to make this process as…
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AdviceA Mom of Triplets Shares Her Best Tips For Finding The College That’s A Perfect Fit
Sometimes what you hear and read about a school is far from accurate, and if you’re not paying attention, you can miss out on great opportunities. A mom in our Paying for College 101 Facebook Group recently shared her experience with her three triplet daughters who were all applying to college at the same time.…
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Apply“Help! My Son Says We’re Too Involved in the College Process, But He’s Dragging His Feet”
When it comes to helping your children apply to college, it’s hard to know how big (or small) a role you should play. On the one hand, they’re still kids and limited by both maturity and experience. On the other, it’s their college journey, not yours, and they need to be held accountable for any…
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AdviceThe Truth About Your College Acceptance Odds — What Every Student Should Know Before Stressing Out
Are you nervously awaiting colleges’ decisions? Did your student already receive an answer from their top school, and it’s not what they hoped for? Before anyone starts to stress or think themselves unworthy, here’s some admissions math to consider that may change the way you look at college acceptances and rejections. There are roughly 30,000…
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Family Journeys“What Exactly Is ‘Good Merit’ and How Do I Keep It Once I’ve Got It?”
Everybody wants to be awarded merit scholarships — and not just any ol’ merit scholarship, they want a ‘good’ one. But what, exactly, does that mean, and how do you search for one if you’re not sure? Recently the parent of a college senior and a college sophomore in our Paying for College 101 Facebook…
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Advice“We Went From $0 to $24,000 in Merit Aid Just For Asking”
Everyone has said that colleges are businesses, and it’s certainly true. Recently a member of our Paying for College 101 Facebook Group, Allie Tolbert, shared her daughter’s experience appealing merit aid, and it touched a nerve with other parents in the group. Too often we’re told to just accept what we’re told at face value,…
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SAT PrepUse These 5 Key SAT/ACT Tips on Test Day
The benefits of preparing academically for the SAT and ACT are obvious, but many students and families underestimate the importance of preparing emotionally and physically as well. Here are some tips for the day of the test: Get a Good Night’s Sleep It can be hard to fall asleep the night before the test. Since…
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AdviceThe Best and Worst College Early Decision Results
This story was first published in our Paying for College 101 Facebook community. It’s been edited for clarity and flow. As parents and students prepare to apply to colleges, it’s easy to get confused by the different deadlines available and what the implications of each mean, especially when it comes to Early Decision results. Recently,…
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AdviceDream School Costs: When Your Student Won’t Take “No” for an Answer
We’ve been hearing from a lot of parents in our Paying for College 101 Facebook Group that some students won’t take no for an answer when it comes to attending a financially out-of-reach school. If you’re stumped as to how to explain the impact that debt can have on their life as well as yours,…
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AdviceHow To Play The College Waiting Game to Maximize Merit
Once you’ve applied to colleges and started receiving acceptances, it’s hard to know what to do to maximize your chances of receiving the most scholarship and need-based aid possible. For many families, knowing this information is key to selecting a school, so you’re sort of at a standstill without it. Sabrina Malone, a parent of…
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AdviceWhen to Start College Visits: Is 8th Grade Too Soon?
This story was first published in our Paying for College 101 Facebook community. It’s been edited for clarity and flow. Recently a parent in our Paying for College 101 Facebook community with a child in eighth grade asked if it was too early to begin college tours. She felt that it would allow her child…
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AdviceA Full-Ride Scholarship Winner Shares His 7 Best Tips to Earn College Money
Student Ricky P. worked hard during his senior year to win scholarships. His effort paid off–he earned a full-ride to the University of Texas at San Antonio. Here’s his college scholarship journey filled with tips you and your student can use. This story was originally published in our Paying for College 101 (PFC 101) group.…
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Advice“Here’s Why My Daughter Thrived at a Small Liberal Arts College”
Small liberal arts colleges are often overlooked in favor of larger state universities, but for the right student, a small liberal arts college may be the best choice. These schools tend to have both smaller campuses and smaller class sizes than state schools. They’re known for having broad curriculums that emphasize degrees in fields such…
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Advice“The Best College Advice I’ve Received So Far”
While there are tons of websites like this one that can help guide you on the road to college, there’s nothing like getting advice from fellow students and parents who have been down this road already. We asked members of our Road to College Facebook Group to share the best piece of college advice they…
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AdviceNavigating College Prep on Social Media: The Pitfalls of Comparing Your Child’s Journey
Of all the differences between my college application journey and my son’s, the presence of social media has to be the most significant. On the one hand, it can be helpful to read about other families’ experiences and glean advice to help you and your student avoid some of the mistakes. On the other hand,…
