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Happy Monday… and… you might want to sit down for this. I’m just kidding… you can definitely stand. However, the new data I’m about to discuss, or at least how I’m using it, might be a little – albeit unintentionally – controversial. Anyhow, last week, there was a shocking (tongue firmly in cheek) study released by Opportunity […]

Each fall, as you may already know, the US News produces its ubiquitous ranking of American colleges and universities. And not surprisingly, each fall, the heads of admissions of said colleges and universities, wait with bated breath to beat their chests (hopefully) – or spin their narratives (if not so fortunate) – to the media, their […]

We are in the peak of college application season, and I wanted to take a quick minute to remind you of three key early action deadlines coming up a week from Sunday, October 15 for FSU, UGA, and UNC. In addition, many other schools have early deadlines of November 1 or November 15. And still […]

I received an email today from a mom who is a client with an 11th grader, asking about our plans for next summer. This made me so happy! You see, we just passed a key college deadline (November 1) – my 12th grade students were so ready — and are already reaping the benefits of planning and […]

For those of you who took the PSAT last month, you may have been surprised to see your score reports on your College Board Accounts earlier this week. I was – they’re usually late, so it’s clear that the long-awaited digital transition of this particular rite of passage is having at least one positive impact. So now […]

Last night I had the privilege of attending commencement ceremonies for the Xceed Preparatory Class of 2023! And I’m not gonna lie, I got a little emotional. You see, we’ve been advising Xceed families since the school’s inception 6 years ago and we were so thrilled to celebrate with the students, to help shine a […]

I’m guessing that you’ve heard about last month’s Supreme Court decision to reverse Affirmative Action. But just in case you’ve been on an extended summer vacation sans technology (lucky you) and didn’t get the memo, the June 29 ruling effectively forbids colleges from utilizing ‘race-conscious’ admissions practices to diversify their campuses. Now as you might […]

We’re in the 2nd half of July, which means we are closer to the first day of the ‘next’ school year than we are to the last day of ‘last’ year. And that means that too many soon-to-be 12th graders (or more likely, Moms and Dads who love them), are entering a code red, heightened […]

Here’s a little something that many of our newer readers are surprised (in a good way) to learn. Unlike typical admissions decisions, the financial aid offers that accompany your admissions letters are far less final. With financial aid, you have more room to maneuver, to appeal, even (gasp!) to negotiate a stingy offer than you […]

Faced with what The Wall Street Journal once called a ‘mind-numbingly complex’ process of evaluating 4000 universities and determining which are the ‘best’, families often turn to independently produced and widely-touted but rather dubious indices and rankings systems (yes, US News, I’m talking ’bout you). I have so many students who, when they’re first building […]