-
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…
- ACT
- Advice
- Apply
- Careers
- College Admissions
- College Financial Planning
- College List Building
- College prep
- College Sports
- Community College
- COVID-19
- Curated Articles
- Family Journeys
- Federal Loans
- Finance
- Financial Aid Appeals
- Find Scholarships
- Gift Ideas
- High School Academics & Activities
- ICYMI
- Learn
- Merit Scholarships
- Military
- News
- Paying Off Loans
- Plan
- SAT
- SAT Prep
- Season
- Standardized Testing
- Student & Parent Loans
- Student Athletes
- Survive
- Test Taking
- Uncategorized
- Vocational schools
- What You Need to Know
-
High school to collegeWhy 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 rise in “non-traditional” students: those who choose nonlinear options to academic and career success. In fact, nearly 40% of college…
-
College LifeWhat I Wish I Knew About Access to My Child’s College Records
College students are legal adults, and as such, colleges will not discuss academic and medical issues with parents without a student’s permission.
-
High School Academics & ActivitiesPassing On My Top Lessons To High School Freshmen
If you could change one thing about your high school experience, what would it be?” I get this question more often than you might think, from parents and students looking to get some perspective on maximizing their child’s or their own success in the formative years between ninth and twelfth grade. Although I’m eternally grateful…
-
ApplicationsAdmission Expert’s Advice on Applying Early Decision vs. Early Action
Applying Early Decision (ED) and Early Action (EA) are increasingly popular options for college applicants. The following is a breakdown of what you need to know before you apply ED or EA. What Is Early Decision for College? Early Decision is an application opportunity offered by many of the nation’s selective institutions that provides the…
-
College SearchHow Your College Major Impacts Lifetime Earnings
One of the dilemmas many parents grapple with when they send their kids off to college is being torn between wanting them to broaden their horizons, explore all opportunities, have “fun,” and wanting them to buckle down and get serious so they can leave after four years with a degree and a job! While the two…
-
Financial Aid AppealsFive Criteria That Can Affect Your Financial Aid Appeal
How does one determine whether or not to appeal a financial aid award letter? Should I bother appealing a financial aid award letter? We asked these questions and many more of Jodi Okun, from College Financial Aid Advisors. Here’s what Jodi, author of “Secrets of a Financial Aid Pro,” said: The Five Criteria That Can…
-
AdvicePaying For College: How to Fill the Gap
As a parent, you hope you can find a way to pay for college. With college prices rising rapidly, how much college will cost has become a commonplace worry these days. To ease this concern, many parents believe that if their child works hard, gets good grades, and scores well on tests, they will get…
-
College Financial PlanningTeaching Teens About Money Before They Head to College
There are many life skills that your teen needs before heading off to college. Hopefully, you’ve already spoken to them about understanding your finances and affordable colleges, but something else you mustn’t forget is making sure they have a sense of their own financial situation. And considering most of them will be on their own…
-
Financial aidHow Colleges Determine Need and Need-Based Financial Aid Awards
If the idea of figuring out how to pay for college is keeping you up at night and even causing panic attacks, you’re certainly not alone. Almost every family needs help in this critical area. One of the most challenging parts is understanding what your financial need is for specific colleges and figuring out if…
-
FinanceHow Much Will YOU Have to Pay for College?
Your child is not a senior, and you’re wondering, “Why do I need to worry about tuition costs and estimating my expected family contribution? Can’t I wait a few years?” NO. Don’t wait! The more information you have, the better decisions you’ll be able to make. And talking about how much you can afford to…
-
Plan10 Talks to Have With Your High School Student to Help Manage Their Stress
High school can be a very stressful time in a teenager’s life. There are pressures from all directions: internal, social media, family, friends, schoolwork, college admissions, and more. Along with these pressures, is constant change. Change is an inescapable part of life and stress comes from having to meet the new demands and challenges that…
-
AcademicsIt’s All About Grades
It’s all about grades… (And course selection, the “right” high school, and more!) Do Grades in High School Really Matter? The decisions 9th or 10th grader makes this year could have a major impact on whether or not they get into the college they want when they apply in 12th grade. It’s important to understand,…
-
ApplyOne Family’s Lessons for Graduating College Debt Free
We learned many lessons through our journey of trying to help our oldest child finish college debt free. Much of our plan was formulated through the necessity of thinking creatively about how to stretch our money and how to pay for college while staying committed to not burdening ourselves or our son with student loans.…
-
College List Building4 Reasons to Visit a College Website
My first job out of college was working as a research associate for a university’s business school. My boss was an economist with a PhD and liked to tell about her first visit to a dog race track. She had studied all the stats for the dogs in the upcoming race, made her bet, and…
-
ApplyFollow Your Expected Family Contribution to Your Target Colleges
If you are still with me after my other articles on how FAFSA calculates your EFC and strategies to reduce your EFC, then pat yourself on the back. You’ve already made it through the tough part. Those articles are full of details that may have made your head spin and are akin to a college…
-
FinanceWhat I Wish I’d Known About Paying for College
As a parent, I like to learn as much as I can from other parents who have already blazed the trail on a road I’m about to embark on. Why reinvent the wheel? Right? That’s one of the reasons I started a Facebook group (Paying For College 101), so families could learn from other families…
-
ApplyFind the Right College: How Do You Know a School Is a Good Fit?
Is there such a thing as one perfect school for your student? Finding the right mix of academics, financial help, and culture can be like finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Fortunately, it’s not really like that. There are a lot of schools out there, and there are far more…
-
College SavingsStep-by-Step Guide: How to Apply for Student Loans
When it comes to paying for college, the loan process can be confusing. There are a lot of options, but they are far from equal. It’s important to make sure you understand how to apply for each type of loan, and that your student focuses on low-cost loans before taking on more expensive debt. As…
