Good morning!

We're hitting the airwaves this morning  with college cost-cutting news you can use -- 10:00am EST --  for College Coffee Talk, our live show about all things college admissions and financial aid!  

Here's what's on tap for today:  

"Hidden" College Costs and How to Defend Yourself

This episode is worth thousands of dollars, even though it's free!  Here's where to join us...

Tune In!

Grab a cup of joe and we'll see you at 10am EST (recorded if you can't make it). 

Feel free to pass this invitation along as you see fit.

- Andy Lockwood

I'm going to go a bit negative this morning, if you'll indulge me.

This time of year, it's rare for a day to go by without having to break bad news.  We get several calls and emails per week from Class of 2024, high school senior families, looking for help with appealing wait lists or rejections from colleges.  And more requests for help negotiating financial aid and merit aid offers.

We have to turn down 9 out of 10 of these requests.

The worst part is that an alarmingly high percentage of inquiries come from moms or dads who have followed us -- reading these emails, attending our webinars and in-person workshops, even speaking to us 1:1 -- since last year, or longer.  Had they retained us a year or two earlier, we could have helped them avoid the pickles they're currently in.

It all could have been avoided.

Tonight, I'm doing one of my last presentations of the year for Rising Seniors -- yes, that means current 11th graders, but not for long -- to help you...

Hidey-ho

I'll be quick as greased lightening because we don't have much time...

I'm running a brand new webinar tomorrow night for rising seniors, i.e. Class of 2025 families who have been putting off their college planning for months, perhaps years...

...and who feel like THEY are running out of time, have no clue about how to make a college list, write an essay, get scholarships or grants, whether to submit the SAT or ACT, whether to TAKE the SAT or ACT, pant, pant, pant...

If you're feeling under the gun, especially given the latest College Chaos to grip the land, then this webby is for YOU!

Sign up today, and I'll have you feeling better tomorrow night!  At least a little bit better.  Here's where to find all the deets:

Learn more...

- Andy "Calm Amidst Chaos" Lockwood

P.S.  Share this with anyone you know who is freaking out about college applications, essays, getting into college, etc. etc. etc.

Good morning!

We're hitting the airwaves this morning -- 10:00am EST --  for College Coffee Talk, our live show about college admissions and financial aid news that you can use!  

Here's what's on tap for today:

*How college protests affect families' decisions

F*AFSA mistakes continue

Tune In!

Grab a cup of joe and we'll see you at 10am EST (recorded if you can't make it)

- Andy Lockwood

For 2025 students: 

Our 10th annual summer Get College Ready Bootcamp is open for Early Action Registration.  I've been sending more emails about this than anyone wants to read. 

But the thing is, in college applications, you're either quick or you're dead. 

I don't really know what that means either, but tomorrow, I am ruthlessly and mercilessly jacking up the price of the Bootcamp. 

If you have rising high school senior, and you want to avoid the sh-t show that class of 2024 kids experienced this year with college acceptances (and denials and wait lists), I think you should hustle on over to the enrollment page while you can still save a few bucks, and whilst we still have room.

Here's where to learn more:

Bootcamp Details

You can attend the bootcamp live -- in our new office (yay)  -- or virtually.  

- Andy Lockwood

P.S.  Here's what you get, short and sweet:

*Help crafting killer essays that "sell," not bore (unlimited...

There's an "Invisible Question"  on the Common Application.   At least that's what I call it.

It's not written anywhere.  You can search high and low, but you'll never find it.

But if you FAIL to answer it, you might as well kiss dreams of acceptance to your Dream College goodbye.

Although it's not spelled out in black and white on the Common Application, this question is in the hearts and minds of every admissions officer pouring over your and the other 999 applications they're tasked to review.

See, when you submit your application - which contains your transcripts, SAT or ACT scores, letters of recommendation, list of extracurricular activities, etc. -- the plain fact is that you will look substantially THE SAME as 20,000, 50,000, 90,000 or more competitor-applicants vying for the same spot you're trying to win for yourself.

That's why you must do some hard THINKING about how you'll answer the Invisible Question...

Why should we take YOU, instead of tens of...

Tutoring | Appeal Your Award

I never do this, but I wanted you to look over my shoulder for this client conversation about the anti-Israel protests.  Actually, this is a mash up of three-four similar conversations I've had in the past few days with Class of 2024 families.

The gist of the conversations:  I'm reluctant to put down a housing deposit at [college] because of the out-of-control, anti-Israel, antisemitic protests.  What do you think?

Obviously this is guesswork, but I'll share my thoughts.

First, I hope and suspect that, as the academic year winds down and ends and college kids return home, the protests at most colleges will organically peter out.   I would guess that the summer reprieve will give college administrations time to discuss and implement actions to ensure order on campus in the fall, unlike what's happening at Columbia.

This may be a bit of a leap, but I don't think we'll see as much strife on campus next year. But of course...

Tutoring | Appeal Your Financial Aid

Yesterday morning, on our weekly show College Coffee Talk, I covered the story about Harvard and CalTech ending their experiments with allowing students not to submit their SAT or ACT.  I suggested (for the umpteenth time) that this seems to be part of a slow trend for Ivy and other elite colleges -- and less elite --see College of The Ozarks a/k/a Hard Work U (go Bobcats!).

Today Cornell University said See ya, wouldn't want to be ya, to test-optional policies, citing familiar reasons for reinstating testing requirements:

They're helpful predictors of academic performance in college. 

Another interesting bit of information:  42% of students who submitted scores were admitted. Yes, I understand that students with stronger scores tended to submit them, but still.

I don't know if you're a betting man or woman, but were I placing a wager, I would bet big that this trend is picking up steam.  Which means...

Good morning!

Come join us this morning if you can -- 10:00am EST --  for College Coffee Talk, our live show about college admissions and financial aid news that you can use!  

Here's what's on tap for today:

• Another blow to test-optional;
• The latest on student loan "forgiveness" developments;  and 
• Your questions, we'll be live and chatting!

Tune In!

Grab a cup of joe and we'll see you at 10am EST (recorded if you can't make it)

- Andy Lockwood

Tutoring | Webinar

It seems like more colleges abandon their test-optional policies every week.  Last week it was Harvard and CalTech.  I believe we're still in the beginning stages of a standardized testing comeback.

Why?  Mostly because rampant grade inflation makes it super hard for admissions officers to gauge the college readiness of applicants. When everyone has a 94 average, how to you separate the wheat from the chaff?  

A full discussion of that topic would take too long, but it appears that that the (new, digital) SAT and ACT are back to help resolve that issue.    

The SAT changed formats earlier this year, switching from paper to digital.  Reviews were mixed, to put it mildly, making it more confusing for students wondering which one to prep for, and take, in order to boost their chances of getting accepted to the colleges they want to attend...

...and clean up with fat, juicy scholarships :)

That's why, tonight,...