In a previous post, I mentioned some very helpful online resources for those of you who will be filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the well-know (and newly revised) FAFSA. If, after reviewing the online resources I mentioned, you still have FAFSA questions, you now have a chance to get answers for those questions real-time and online from financial aid experts.

Here, from a new press release, are the details: More »

Are you of Asian heritage? Are you aspiring to a so-called “elite” college? If so, you probably don’t need me or this blog post to tell you that there are rumors (and even some semi-hard evidence) that top colleges “discriminate” against Asian applicants. Why is that?

First of all, if you want to hear about this topic from an avalanche of “real” Asians, got to the College Confidential discussion forum. There, you will find a thread with over 1,300 posts that dissects the topic from almost every angle. Here’s the premise: More »

America’s (and the world’s) economic woes are having a direct impact on some of the weathiest colleges and universities.  College endowments cover a multitude of purposes, not the least of which is financial aid.

Before the “crash,” a number of top schools in the U.S. moved to a no-loan policy, where they would not require certain students to incur loans as part of their financial aid packages. One of those top schools is Williams College in Massachusetts. Well, things have changed there. More »

The New Year brings some critical deadlines for new and current college students’ financial aid needs. The most familiar and perhaps most ubiquitous aid issue is the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

If you’re going to be a college rookie this year (that is, you’re a high school senior right now), you’ll want to get familiar with the FAFSA information site. Beyond that, you’ll need to seek other information resources and options that can help you with the aid application process. Here’s some information about one such resource that could prove to be helpful: More »

It won’t be too much longer now. Over the next two months, many of you will be receiving your college application decisions. By early April, you may have a nice pile of responses. Hopefully, the “fat” envelopes will far outnumber the “thin” ones. Next, of course, comes the often difficult decision of which acceptance to choose from, among all the others. Once that’s out of the way, you’ll be staged and ready to become a first-year college student. It’s not all that unlike being called up from the minor leagues to the majors.

Those of us who are college veterans will never forget our freshman year at college. Some of us may like to forget our freshman year, but in general it is a time filled with anticipation, some anxiety, and wonderful discoveries. But what will it really be like? More »

College Confidential senior advisor, Sally Rubenstone, posted a thoughtful question on the College Confidential discussion forum:

College Students: Do You Attend a College that Once Deferred You?

If you are a current college student who now attends a school that deferred you in the Early Action or Early Decision round, what–if anything–did you do to improve your admission chances while you waited for your Regular Decision verdict?

Did you write a letter that included information about new accomplishments? Did you send extra recommendations? Maybe try something cute or gimmicky? Call on clout from VIP alums? Etc.?

You can check out all the responses from parents and students, but one reply in particular stands out:

My friend’s daughter was deferred ED at Duke (double legacy) a few years ago. She continued to politely update the admissions office about a grand community service project that she headed. She did nothing gimicky, she just sent a couple of well written letters letting the admissions office know of her success. She got admitted with the RDers.

So what should this mean to you? Hang with me here and let me tell you about dealing with deferrals and waitlists. More »

Granted, most of you high school seniors out there have no doubt completed all your college applications. However, for those of you who are still looking to apply to some rolling-admissions schools, and for all you high school juniors who will be in the college-app barrel this fall, here’s some excellent information from Smart Money about how to approach those apps without having to utter the Big Duh!

More »

Feeling a bit overwhelmed with the Federal government becoming more and more intertwined in your daily life? If you’re a college-bound student, or even a current student, you and your parents should be aware of the the latest Federal initiative: the elimination of private lenders from the student loan market.

I’m a big anti-fan of one of the most dreaded phrases ever heard: “Hello, I’m from the Government and I’m here to help.” So, what’s the deal here with this anticipated takeover of student loans? Here’s a excellent overview from CNS News: More »

Here’s some interesting information about a scholarship opportunity from Upromise. If you’re looking for additional college funding, Upromise is now accepting applications for its third annual scholarship program, which will award $2,500 to 100 deserving students for the 2010 – 2011 academic year.

This year, to add a unique twist, Upromise will use Facebook to help the company reach the million dollar mark. For every new fan of Upromise on Facebook from now until February 15, one dollar, up to $25,000, will be contributed to the Upromise scholarship.

Since 2007, Upromise has given $750,000 in scholarship funding to hundreds of dedicated students. Check out Upromise’s YouTube channel to see where some of these students are now.

Here’s the Upromise scholarship press release: More »

If you have been paying any attention at all to the world of college admissions, you surely must have noticed a stark trend: Colleges are getting more applications every year. In some case, the increase is dramatic.

One particularly impressive example of this is the University of Chicago. This highly regarded institution reports a 42% increase in application this year. U.S. News’ The Paper Trail blog reports some details: More »