Last Thursday I conducted a college admissions and financial aid workshop at a local library.  Among the (small) audience:

A mom. And her 2nd grader. 

Her only child.

(Insert punch line here.)

Obviously, I told her she was late to the party and should have started planning for college while her daughter was in utero.

No, I didn't.  But I did attempt to keep a straight face the entire night, which is typically not in my skill set. 

On a serious note, even though I'm the guy who sends emails like "Don't start too late" or "You better do this now, or else," I have my limits. 

God, that was hard to write. 

Yet, therapeutic, because sometimes Pearl and I can't believe what we actually do for a living.  Thursday night was one of those times.   

If you're worried about being That Mom or That Dad, this should help.  

If your kid tells you that you're nuts, neurotic or taking the college thing too seriously, feel free to share this example with them. 

You'll be able to point out that...

Two quickie college admissions and financial aid announcements for you:

We still have seats left at the Bryant Library (Roslyn) tonight, 6pm, for my presentation, How to Get The Edge in Admission to an Ivy League or Other Elite College...and win boatloads of scholarships.

As of yesterday, they told me 16 were signed up, and I believe the room holds 25.

More details are here (if the link doesn't work that means the room is full and registration closed out):

Bryant Library 1/16/25

Proclamation Two:

Our head tutor Marissa and I just agreed to do a short, live, "Town Hall" on the recent changes to the SAT and ACT, and what they mean for you and your kiddos.

It's Sunday at 7pm, online.   

The SAT and ACT matter waaaay more than last year or the year before, so if you have an 11th or 10th grader, definitely do whatever it takes to tune in.  Here's the information you need:

Sunday 1/19/25 SAT/ACT Town Hall

That's it - over and out!

- Andy "Back to Your Regular Programming" Lockw...

I wanted to give you a heads up that this year, like virtually every year past, we've had multiple students get into multiple Ivy League and other elite colleges.  Even two of my own four kiddos cracked the Ivy code in the past couple of years.

They've all used what I call the Admissions Edge Method, to stand out on their applications, answering the Invisible Question that's technically not on the Common Application...

Why Should We Choose YOU Compared to 20,000 Near-Identical Competitors?

The Admissions Edge draws heavily on marketing principles (like this email. I eat my own cooking).  Because college admissions is largely about marketing, not a meritocracy.

I wish that weren't the case, but I calls 'em like I sees 'em.

It takes more than high (inflated) grades and near-perfect SAT or ACT scores to be a contender at a top college today.  Some factors are in your control, many are not.

I'll be sharing these fact, theories and strategies tonight, Wednesday,January 15 and tomorrow...

We stuck a new "text us" thingy on our website the other week, and some of the incoming messages have been heart breakers.

The sad ones are from parents with kids who either 1. got into their top choice college, but didn't get anywhere near the financial aid or merit aid they needed, or 2. got denied from colleges they thought were slam dunks.

Here's the thing about these situations....

They're Avoidable.  Easily Avoidable.

I'm polishing off the notes for my upcoming new, local presentations this week (Wednesday,January 15 and Thursday, January 16) and thinking through which mistakes I want to share, and how.

There are two types of mistakes:  those of commission -- where you do something wrong, and omission -- where you fail to do something.

Examples of the former:  applying to the wrong colleges.  Writing the wrong essay. Submitting your SAT or ACT when you shouldn't.

Examples of the latter:  failing to learn strategies to get merit and need-based aid. Not applying for aid beca...

Good morning!

Today at 10:00am EST on College Coffee Talk, join us for a discussion of how to appeal your financial aid award due to natural disaster.

This episode will be recorded if you can't make it live.  Here's the page for both the live and recorded versions:

College Coffee Talk

 - Andy Lockwood

The College Board reported that college tuition isn't as expensive as we think, which I'm betting is surprising to you.  It sure doesn't feel right to me (we have three kids in college), but why shouldn't we trust everything in the news these days?

According to a recent study, in-state public university tuition dropped 40% in the last decade, accounting for inflation (hmmm). And private college tuition increased by only 4%, inflation-adjusted, compared to 58% two decades ago.

What does this mean for you (families with college-bound teens?

The short answer:  Maybe nothing.  

Costs at competitive private universities are in the mid 90K per year range. And out-of-state public universities still charge a hefty amount to non-residents, overall.

If you're looking for merit aid or other financial aid, it's critically important to fish in the right pond.  Not to rely on some academic study that contradicts common sense.

That means focusing on 1. colleges that are historically generous an...

Good morning,

Quick announcement for local (NY area) parents of kids in grades 9-11:  I'm running two "College Admissions and Scholarships Secrets" live, in-person workshops (not webinars) next week, on Wednesday,January 15 and Thursday, January 16.

The gist, short and sweet:

You will discover tested and proven strategies and tips to help your child get into their "dream college" and how to win tens of thousands of merit scholarships, even if you think "no way do families like us ever qualify for anything!"

We're nearing the tail-end of another wild and wacky admissions cycle for class of 2025 kiddos, so this workshop will give families with younger children the current, real-time lay of the land from inside the trenches.

Just the stone-cold, politically incorrect truth about what it REALLY takes to get into a top college, today.

You won't get this information from your guidance counselor, either. Unlike This Guy, they're bound by traditional constraints such as "professionalism"...

Tutoring | Student/Parent Loan Relief

There are a few reasons why a child can achieve a high GPA but you-know-what the bed on the SAT or ACT.

It could be test anxiety.

It could be lack of preparation.

It could be lack of PROPER preparation (we see this with high school teachers who tutor on the side. Frequently these teachers cover the semester's worth of content, instead of focusing on the material that's actually tested on the SAT and ACT).

Or, it could be the widespread phenomenon of grade inflation.  More than 92% of students in high school have A averages today.  Where are the C students of yesteryear?

(Answer: they have 84 averages now.)

Regardless of the answer, there is a small, growing movement away from test-optional college applications that started two years ago, initially by Ivy League and comparable colleges (like MIT), but slowly spreading to other competitive colleges.  

To be clee-ah, as we say up in Beantown, test-optional is not dead.  But given the choice, a...

Tutoring | Student/Parent Loan Relief

Good morning!  We're delighted to start off 2025 with a banger of an offer for you, a big discount off our SAT and ACT Crusher small group tutoring classes:

125 bucks off, coupon code NEWYEAR.

Almost every one of our clients who got into Ivy and near-Ivy colleges submitted their scores, proffering evidence that "test-optional" is not everything that it was cracked up to be.

Ditto for merit scholarships: as these offers roll in, it's becoming clear as glass that colleges strongly prefer to see an SAT or ACT in order to be considered for merit-based aid.

That's why I've been beating the drum with this tri-part message for the last four years:

*Figure out Which Test Is Best

*Get that test score as high as humanly possible

*Decide on a school-by-school, case-by-case basis, in the context of the TOTALITY of the application, whether or not to submit that SAT or ACT score

Our ACT prep small group class starts tomorrow and we have four spots avail...

Application Edge Bootcamp

Registration Closes in:

This morning I had a fun time interviewing a Class of 2025 student, Kate, who is currently 10-for-10 (with four to go) in college acceptances.  Plus she's received a healthy amount of merit scholarships. 

I'll post that interview on our podcast in the next few weeks, but in the meantime, I wanted to give you one last reminder about our 11th annual College Application Edge bootcamp, especially the Early Action Discount and super valuable bonus:

When you sign up now, before the ball drops, tonight, you'll 1. save 500 bucks and 2. we'll do your FAFSA, CSS Profile and all other financial aid forms (value:  $3,500).

Once we hit deadline,  the registration window slams shut.  Assuming we re-open it later this spring, the price will be higher, no ifs, ands or but-tocks.

If you want to give your kiddo The EDGE over his or her competitors, and position them to win tens of thousands in fat, juicy scholarships, this group coaching program ...