Maybe you saw the story - a lawsuit alleging that over a dozen top universities, some of the wealthiest, ultra-selective / highly rejective schools, have for nearly two decades operated as a cartel and colluded in a price fixing scheme to limit financial aid for students. A cartel! Price fixing!  How did this story not get more play?? Sadly, the reason may very well be that this behavior just wasn't that surprising at all. 

Make the Most of Your Minutes - a solid mantra. There are a few action items that juniors should keep top of mind in the first few months of any new year.  In this episode we'll cover them in detail. Find dates for virtual and In-Person College Fairs: https://www.nacacnet.org/

PSAT scores are back.  What do those numbers mean? In this episode I break down how to effectively use the test to create the blueprint for the bridge you'll build to get you from here to where you want to be when you take the real thing. https://blog.prepscholar.com/national-merit-semifinalist

A primer on the importance of sustained attention to task in a world of distraction and the game changing power of looking up when everyone else is looking down.

Hitting 'SUBMIT' is the sound of the season. When it comes to filing out your college applications, attention to detail maters. In this episode I highlight some common mistakes and how to avoid them in order to be certain you’re maximizing your odds of acceptance. Colleges that allow self-reporting of SAT/ACT scores:  https://www.compassprep.com/self-reporting-test-scores/ https://www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/self-reporting-ACT-and-SAT

As you've researched application requirements/deadlines, you’ve no doubt come across terms such as Early Decision, Early Action, Rolling Admission, and ED II.  It’s essential to have a good handle on the options, the risks /rewards, and the advantages/disadvantages of the various application pathways and how they can potentially impact your chances of admission to the schools on your list.

The Common App is 'live' for 2021-2022. In this episode I provide an overview of how to get started, track requirements, and navigate the platform. Getting a jump on it before school starts is the smart play.  List of colleges that allow self-reporting of scores (to be updated soon): https://www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/self-reporting-ACT-and-SAT

Your Personal Statement and supplemental essays are golden opportunities to showcase who you are and what you're made of in ways that the other parts of your application are unable to do. In this episode I discuss the key ingredients and offer advice to help guide the composition of original and indelible essays that will capture the attention of a college admissions panel. Johns Hopkins "Essays That Worked" : https://apply.jhu.edu/application-process/essays-that-worked/ PrepScholar Essay Examples & Analysis: https://blog.prepscholar.com/college-essay-examples-that-worked-expert-analysis

While you may not be able to repeat the past, old sport, you can certainly expand your vocabulary by making it point to read widely and look up words you are unfamiliar with. Fitzgerald's classic tells a mesmerizing story with sentences that enchant and offers ample opportunities to increase your word power and improve performance on the Reading passages of the SAT & ACT. 

In this first installment of my book review series I discuss Ron Lieber's The Price You Pay For College, a dynamite read that offers an abundance of insights and advice to help guide your college search and selection process. Pick it up or request it from your local library. College Savings Calculator: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/paying-your-share/college-savings-calculator Tuition Fit: https://tuitionfit.org/