College MatchPoint

I am thrilled to open an office in Cedar Park- 201 S Bell Blvd.  #109; 243-6181.  We had a great Open House last night!  What I love about the office is that I have a room big enough to offer workshops and classes.  I’m offering a number of kick off events and hope you can join us! Continue reading »

I was thrilled with this article as it provides great advice to parents on the financial aid process.  I especially like the counsel it provides in working with the financial aid office at a prospective school.

http://www.kivitv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9996606

I loved this article!  It really captures the funny little family moments during the college search process.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/08/nyregion/long-island/0308Rgen.html?_r=1

This is an interesting article about college’s offering 3 year degrees.  Historically, some students have graduated in three years by entering college with credits from community colleges or AP courses. With the economic downturn this is another option for families to consider.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/25/education/25hartwick.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

This is an excellent article about the difficulty many families experience completing the much dreaded financial aid forms.  Don’t let the complicated nature of the FAFSA keep you from completing the form.  It is the entry point for most aid. Trust me on this- go complete the form if you haven’t already!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/22/education/22fafsa.html?hp

For great resources and an online financial aid calculator, check out www.finaid.org .

I had the pleasure of touring Southwestern University today.

Here’s the quick facts:

Student Body: 1271

Location: Georgetown, Texas (just north of Austin)

SAT Middle 50% Range: 1120-1320

Acceptance Rate: 65%

The campus is nicely laid out with old stone buildings.  It is difficult to distinguish old buildings from new buildings.  There was a welcoming feeling to the campus.  Students were busy studying and attending classes as it was mid day.

Academics at Southwestern are rigorous.  The average class size is 14.  My tour guide said this allows for a great deal of participation.  Many students choose to double major.  Popular majors include business, biology, and fine arts.

I liked the housing options.  Freshman are required to live on campus and over 85% of the students live on campus all four years.  Freshman have the option of living with their core class in a living and learning community or they can live in traditional dorms.  The dorm rooms were large and modern. Upperclassman can choose from traditional dorms or campus apartments.

There is one central dining hall on campus.  The food looked tasty although I did not have a meal.  The tour guide said he had been pleased with the food options.

The campus had a very comfortable feeling.  The library was especially cozy with great little study nooks and a coffee bar.

Georgetown is a wonderful location.  It is about 30 minutes from the center of Austin.  This provides students with plenty of entertainment options.  However, the campus seemed to be full of social activities.

My favorite building: The Fine Arts Center- this building was beautiful and quite impressive for a school of this size.

Most interesting program: Paidea Program- this is a program that students begin during their Sophmore year.  It includes study abroad, community service, and research.

Southwestern had all the great attributes of a solid liberal arts education- top notch professors, beautiful campus, innovative programs, a diverse student body.  I highly recommend visiting this campus.

The Wall Street Journal  had a great little article  about writing college essays.  The writer reminded students to consider writing about the mundane things in your life.  The key is to make sure that your personality comes through.  You want to stand out as someone they would like to meet.

Here’s the article:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123250818350501045.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Good news out of Rice University- they are raising the income threshold for families to receive financial aid.  This is change will help middle income families.  It is wonderful to see colleges and universities responding proactively to the financial crisis.  Now more than ever, it is critical for families to research the financial aid policies of the schools their children are applying to.  If you haven’t done so, go to www.finaid.com, and find out your Expected Family Contribution (how much you are expected to pay).

http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2008/12/15/daily24.html

I really enjoyed this article.  It makes some critical points about paying for college in a recession or anytime.  One point that is critical for families to consider is applying to a few generous colleges.  Each college varies on how it awards aid- both merit and need based.  It is critical to find out which colleges are going to be “generous” for your situation.

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/college-cash-101/2008/12/15/the-4-rules-of-paying-for-college-in-a-recession.html

Kids with LD and/or AD/HD continue to struggle when they reach college. Fortunately, information and help is available! Here’ a list of resources for college students seeking information on college planning and selection, test accommodations, financial aid, legal rights and responsibilities, and study skills.

http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/showarticle/2524