If your kiddo just got into the college of their dreams but you finally took a look at the REAL cost of attendance --  and you're sweatier than a passenger in a window seat of a Boeing 737...

...If you're stressed and anxious about how on God's green earth you'll come up with the scratch to pay for college, THIS should cheer you up a wee bit: 

Your "final" offer may not actually be final!

Colleges have a little-known process -- little known because they don't want you to know about it -- to negotiate or appeal your financial aid or merit scholarship award.  And the more expensive the college, the more likely they are to bargain!

Why?  Simple.  They're businesses, and need to put paying customers in their empty seats.

Now that we're in the midst of yet another RECORD year of application volume, that injects more uncertainty and pressure into the process...for the COLLEGES.

They have to hit enrollment targets, which ain't easy.  This time of year, behind...

Lads and lasses

It's that time of year when colleges finish up sending out their admissions decisions...

...followed by offers of financial aid and merit scholarships.  Is yours a little bit on the "light" side?"

This may shock you, so I hope you're not operating any heavy machinery...did you know that sometimes -- SOMETIMES -- the financial aid and admissions offices don't give their "highest and best" offers?

Yes, it's true.   Colleges aren't always as generous as they might lead you to believe, readin' all that malarkey on their websites about making college "affordable for all" blah blah and BLAH.

Let me ask you another question, Snooki Lumps..  Did you know that you can actually APPEAL (negotiate) your offer? 

Yes, it's not a case of "You get what you get and you don't get upset."  You should always try to get more than their initial low-ball offer, because there's zero downside to asking!  They can't rescind their offer of...

Hi, we're about to go live but it's not too late to join us for our annual College Predictions Webinar!

*** Join College Predictions Webinar *** 

Tune in if you've got an 11th grader, 10th grader or younger, and want to know how hard it will be to get in, how much it will cost, how AI will impact admissions, financial aid and other related subjects...

...but only if you can handle the sooth!

-Soothsayin' Andy Lockwood

Webinar Registration

P.S.  Will it be harder or easier to get into college next year?

With the rise of ChatGPT and AI, will colleges scrap the essay altogether?

Will more colleges go "test-optional?"

What effect will the "seismic" changes to the FAFSA have on your ability to get financial aid?

How has the Supreme Court's decision to declare affirmative action in college admissions policies unconstitutional affected college acceptances?

These are some of the topics we're going to cover...NOW!

Will it be harder or easier to get into college next year?

With the rise of ChatGPT and AI, will colleges scrap the essay altogether?

Will more colleges go "test-optional?"

What effect will the "seismic" changes to the FAFSA have on your ability to get financial aid?

How has the Supreme Court's decision to declare affirmative action in college admissions policies unconstitutional affected college acceptances?

Pearl and I have thoughts about these questions, and we're not afraid to share them...

Tonight (Wednesday January 24), we are going to peer into the future and boldly issue our annual predictions!

 If you have Class of 2025 or younger kiddos and are wondering what things will be like for them re:  college admissions and financial aid, I recommend that you drop whatever else you have planned and join our little event tonight!

Here are the details:

Webinar Registration

Please pass this invitation along to anyone with high school juniors, sophomores or younger...

2024 is shaping up to be an extremely different, interesting year for college-bound teens, so tomorrow, Wednesday January 24, we are going to peer into the future and boldly issue our annual predictions!

Which Colleges Will Be "Hot"
Schools that are seeing an uptick in college applications

Which Colleges Will Be "Not"
Colleges that have fallen out of favor

Financial Aid 

How to cope with the "seismic" changes to the FAFSA rules

Test-Optional
Is test-optional here to stay?  It it helpful or hurtful to not submit your SAT or ACT score?

ChatGBT and AI
How has this technology impacted applications, essays or other aspects of college admissions?

The Supreme Court and College Admissions
What the Harvard and UNC Chapel Hill decisions could mean for your kids' ability to get admitted to a competitive college

More!
Including your questions! We'll be live on chat.

It all happens tomorrow night. If you have Class of 2025 or younger kiddos...

Hi there,

We recorded last night's SAT versus ACT preview class and posted it here.  Could be an Oscar winner (in the standardized test picture category)!

Watch this if you're unsure which standardized test is the best one for your kiddo...

...so that you don't waste time (and money) bopping back and forth from one to the other, which so many students do!  It's stressful and a huge squandering of your precious time and cashola.

Last Call for Tomorrow's (Tuesday's) SAT Prep Class

If you're looking to prep for the March SAT, we kick off our small group tutoring class tomorrow, January 23.  And we're still offering 100 bucks off for some reason, even though we're practically full.  Here's where to sign up - use the coupon code CRUSH2024 (works for any of the course on that page).

The class is guaranteed, btw.  All details written on that page.

Have a great week,

Andy "At the Movies" Lockwood 

Happy Sunday morn...

Tonight we're running a short but content-packed walkthrough of the SAT and ACT, to help you figure out which test is best for your son or daughter.  It's free and will run for about 50 minutes, give or take.  I smell "Emmy!"

Look, I'll be blunt:  with high school grade inflation even more rampant than actual inflation, it's harder than ever for admissions officers to figure out whether a kid is qualified to actually do the work at their respective colleges.

That's why there's been the makings of a quiet revolution AGAINST test-optional policies happening under our noses (recently, the president of Brown University praised the helpfulness of standardized testing).  Same with Georgetown University, MIT, the public universities in the state of Florida and many other colleges.

We recommend that every kid figure out which test to focus on -- SAT or ACT (colleges are agnostic, they'll accept either) and work their tushes off to CRUSH their...

 12 Deadly Mistakes Webinar

Hey now,

Quickie reminder about tonight's webinar, which will help you avoid screwing up your kid's college admissions chances...

...and your eligibility for the financial aid and scholarships you deserve, so that you can comfortably afford college without scrimping on your lifestyle, mortgaging your home or retirement up to the eyeballs...

...or selling a vital organ on the Dark Web!

It's called A Dirty Dozen Deadly College Planning Mistakes...and how to avoid them.  It's free.  And tonight, live! 

Topics include:

• College application mistakes
• College essay mistakes
• Financial aid mistakes
• Scholarships mistakes
• College list mistakes
• Guidance counselor mistakes
• "Big Picture" mistakes
• More

I'm trying to keep the whole class to about an hour.  We'll see, there's a lot I'm trying to dump out of my brain. Nothing will be held back, but I'll be moving fast and trying to cram in about 22 years of college advising experience into 60...

It's ironic that one of the biggest, most important questions admissions officers at competitive colleges have,  is one that is actually NOT on the Common Application.

The Common App asks a bunch of questions such as name, address, to list your extracurricular activities (10 of them) and a personal statement (what we in the biz call a "Personal Statement.") 

(Hah.  The main essay, ok?  Plus other, supplemental essays.)

When you're applying to college, you're also providing transcripts, teacher recommendations, a recommendation from your guidance counselor (hah, also), and a few other items.

But the REAL question, though actually nowhere on the Common App, lies in the hearts and minds of admissions officers. That question:

Why Should We Take YOU Instead of Your 50,000 Other Competitor-Applicants? 

The question is invisible, but the most important question you must answer.

But here's the thing...

You cannot begin thinking about this question when you sit down...

Getting into a great college at a great price has a lot to do with what you do, years ahead of the actual college applications.

But it's also largely about what you DON'T DO.  As in, staying away from self-inflicted, self-sabotaging mistakes along the way.

There are two types of mistakes that families make: 1. mistakes of commission and 2. mistakes of omission.

The first category is more active.  You do the wrong thing.  Example, you focus on the standardized test that is wrong for you, such as the ACT instead of the SAT.  Or, you start prepping for the SAT too late, which puts pressure on you because of the delay, and you can't get your best scores.  

The second category, omission, is when your error is based on something you didn't do.  Example:  failing to strategically shelter your savings to avoid getting unnecessarily penalized in the financial aid formulas, thereby losing out on grants or scholarships that you could have...