Tutoring | Financial Aid Consulting

Big news in California, where Governor Gavin signed a law that bans the consideration of legacy In college admissions for all colleges in Cali, whether public or private.  The law is slated to go into effect in Fall 2025.

It's clearly a reaction to the Varsity Blues scandal of 2017, which featured celebrity and wealthy parents bending and breaking rules to get their kids into California colleges USC and Stanford, among others. But how much will change?

I was interviewed on NewsNation in the wee small hours of the morning today and, as usual, didn't have time to spit out all my talking points that I'd like you to know. So here's an abridged version:

How big a "problem" is legacy admissions?.  At Stanford and USC, approximately 14% of the class admitted in 2024 were legacies.  Apparently most of them were within the academic range of the entire admitted class.

Point #2.  There are no...

Financial Aid Workshop 

I'll keep this quick like a bunny because we're all busy and I don't know if I'll do this again this year.   

We're hitting their airwaves with our online class, How to Slash College Costs by 56.1%..Even if you think you can't possibly qualify,  tonight, 7:30pm EST.

Here's where to go, hope you can make it!

LIVE WORKSHOP

- Andy "Not Quite Ready for Prime Time" Lockwood

P.S.  Reminder of tonight's topics: 

*How to "hide" your money from the financial aid office, legally and ethically

*How to negotiate a scholarship or financial aid award

*How high income and ultra affluent families can qualify for tuition discounts of 25%, 33% or even 56.1%, guilt-free

*10 deadly, self-inflicted financial aid mistakes overwhelmed families make before they apply to college (and how to avoid them)

*The disappointing state of last year's "Simplified"  (HAH!) FAFSA rollout and now to cope with more delays and mistakes that seem...

Financial Aid Workshop | SAT / ACT Prep

I'm back at it again, re-running the financial aid strategies webinar, How to Slash College Costs by 56.1%...even if you think you can't possibly qualify for anything. 

It happens tomorrow night, 9/25/24.

If you're interested in learning how to qualify for scholarships and financial aid, even if other people think you don't deserve it, I recommend that you attend this free workshop.  I'm running it again because a bunch of the 339 folks who originally signed up couldn't make it and requested a replay.  

Topics include:

*How to "hide" your money from the financial aid office, legally and ethically

*How to negotiate a scholarship or financial aid award

*How high income and ultra affluent families can qualify for tuition discounts of 25%, 33% or even 56.1%, guilt-free

*10 deadly, self-inflicted financial aid mistakes overwhelmed families make before they apply to college (and how to avoid them)

*The...

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:

College consultants Pearl and Andy Lockwood unravel the mystery of how to find and WIN merit scholarships!

Catchy, right?  Can't wait :)

Here's where to join us at 10am EST (if you like, follow or whatever Zuck wants you to do, you'll never miss out on our program.)

Tune In!

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

- Andy Lockwood

The SAT and ACT have each changed formats recently, leaving many parents and kids wondering, "Which Test is Best...for me?"

We'll help you answer that question, tonight, in a free online class.

Topics to be covered:

• The new ACT Changes and how they affect your child
• Which test - SAT or ACT -- is best for strong math students?
• Which one is best for weaker math students?
• Which test is best for slow test takers?
• The "High GPA, Bad Test-Taker" phenomenon
• How to combat test anxiety

More, including your questions!

The whole kit and kaboodle will run 60 minutes or less.  If you're around tonight, it will definitely be worth your while to attend, so you can discover the key differences between the SAT and ACT...

...so that your kiddo can CRUSH the test, get into the college of their dreams and win tons of fat, juicy scholarships along the way!

Learn more...

See you in class!

- Andy Lockwood

P.S. Results not guaranteed. Batteries not included.  Some assembly required....

Financial Aid Workshop 

Pardon the interruption, but we're all busy and I wanted to send this now because I don't know if I'll do this again this year.   

We're hitting their airwaves with our online class right after I hit send on this email.  Here's where to go, see you in a few moments:

LIVE WORKSHOP

- Andy "Last Call" Lockwood

P.S.  Reminder of tonight's topics: 

*How to "hide" your money from the financial aid office, legally and ethically

*How to negotiate a scholarship or financial aid award

*How high income and ultra affluent families can qualify for tuition discounts of 25%, 33% or even 56.1%, guilt-free

*10 deadly, self-inflicted financial aid mistakes overwhelmed families make before they apply to college (and how to avoid them)

*The disappointing state of last year's "Simplified"  (HAH!) FAFSA rollout and now to cope with more delays and mistakes that seem inevitable this year

*Special tips for business owners and other...

Financial Aid Workshop | SAT / ACT Prep

Tonight is all about grabbing the cashola you need and deserve from your kid's college, so that you can actually afford tuition without being forced to eat mac 'n cheese every night, plundering your retirement savings or having to sell a vital organ.  

(Apologies to the mac 'n cheese community, sorry if I offended you.)

In tonight's brand spanking new online workshop, How to Slash College Costs by 56.1%...Even if you think you can't possibly qualify for any type of financial assistance, I'll be showing you how to:

*Legally shelter your savings from the financial aid office

*Negotiate with a college

*Identify which colleges will be generous, and which colleges will never cough up a dime of aid

*Qualify for 56.1% off, even if you make six or seven figures

I know these claims sound hypey, but I'll back them up tonight. 

 All details are here:

<<<<< FINANCIAL AID WORKSHOP ...

Financial Aid Workshop | SAT / ACT Prep

If you're frustrated that nobody at your high school has offered to help you figure out how to "work" the system to get financial aid and scholarships, I have news for you:

It's not your fault.

It's weird when you think about it - college is SO freakin' expensive, and you've heard that there's money "out there."

You know, like those scholarships for left-handed oboists of Viking descent with spastic colons.

But your guidance counselor, CPA or Financial Guy is clueless about how it works.

I'm running a new free online financial aid class for you tomorrow, but today I want to talk about mistakes I'll help you avoid when you join us.

There are two kinds of mistakes:  those of commission, and those of omission.

Commission means things like inputting the wrong information into one or more financial aid applications. 

This is easier to do than you might think.   For example, the CSS Profile is more than 200...

Financial Aid Workshop | SAT / ACT Prep

I've gotten a lot of flack online about a free report I wrote called How to Hide Your Money from the Financial Aid Office, Legally and Ethically.

The criticism falls into two categories, broadly speaking.  Either 1. "This guy's a scam artist, or 2. It's not fair to help families who don't deserve it.

I don't know how to respond to the first argument, except to point out that I've been calling myself Long Island's Greatest Unindicted College Advisor since the "Varsity Blues" scandal of 2019.

Re:  helping the "wrong" families, that's a different kettle of fish.  My responses:

*I honestly don't see what's wrong with helping families who lived under their means and acted responsibly to save for college, who wake up at the 11th hour and realize that they've been punished by the financial aid formulas for this otherwise admirable behavior

*Helping these families get more financial aid and scholarships doesn't take...

The Wall Street Journal said it best:

In financial aid, it's not how much you've saved, but where (paraphrasing).

The rules that dictate how much -- or how little -- you'll receive in college financial assistance are complicated and unfair to many who lived below their means and learn, too late, that they'll be penalized for their responsible behavior.

If that sounds like you, I recommend that you turn into our newest online class this coming Wednesday, September 18, called How to Slash College Costs by 56.1%...even if you think "No way!  Families like us NEVER qualify for any financial assistance."

One of the key topics I'll cover is that WSJ notion of "where," not "how much."  

Specifically, which types of savings accounts penalize you (reduce your eligibility) more than other types...

...and which are completely penalty-free.

In addition to strategies to get more cash for college, I'll go over at least 10 mistakes families make in the financial aid...