As the latest chaotic year comes to a close, I've done a handful of College Clarity Call sessions for parents who are concerned whether their kids are on the "right track" in 9th, 10th and 11th grades.

A few questions keep popping up:

Is he taking enough AP classes?

Is she doing enough volunteer hours?

Is he doing the "right" extracurricular activities?

Should he take the SAT or ACT?

Should she submit her SAT/ACT or go test-optional?

Is she looking at the right colleges?

I've heard that XYZ College "doesn't give money," is that true?

All valid.  I do my best to answer these questions, especially because it's a tall order to get this advice from your standard, off-the-shelf guidance counselor, public or private school.

# # #

Speaking of guidance counselors, I had one in attendance at our in-office workshop last night.  Apparently she felt that it was OK to stuff her pocketbook with a few extra bags of chips, in addition to the bags (plural) that she consumed during the pres...

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:

5 Closely-Guarded Truths About Early Decision...that colleges don't want you to know!

Tune In!

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

- Andy Lockwood

It's not too late to join us, we just went live with our How to Legally Print Scholarships on Demand webinar.

Here's where to sign up and join up, tonight (recorded if you can't make it live):

Scholarships Webinar

- Andy "Ready for Prime Time" Lockwood

P.S. I'm going to go over the "double secret" financial aid formula, how to grab merit scholarships, how to negotiate your stingy offer if your colleges "lowball" you, and more.  

Don't be stupid, be smarty, come and join the scholarship party!

Many folks who work for a living, lived responsibly and socked away a few bucks think that it's useless to bother applying for financial aid.

Au contraire.

Tonight, I'm running one of our most famous-est webinars, How to Legally "Print" Scholarships on Demand.

If you're feeling scrooged by the financial aid formulas and mistakenly assume that you can't qualify for anything, tomorrow's class will be an eye-opener for you.

Even if you can write the check for your kids' college tuition, that doesn't mean you have to be a sucker.

You do have to pay tuition.  You don't have to leave a tip! :)

Here's where to sign up and join up, tonight (recorded if you can't make it live):

Scholarships Webinar

- Andy "Got College Money?" Lockwood

P.S. Please share this invite with anyone you know who needs this info.

P.P.S. I know I referred to Ebenezer Scrooge before Thanksgiving, but let it slide.  Please.

BREAKING NEWS....

Good morning.

President Trump has been telegraphing this move for months, but yesterday's news will shock hundreds of thousands of people in the Higher Education Industrial Complex.  

But most parents won’t hear about it, even though this will dramatically affect the ecosystem your kid is walking into: funding, programs, support systems and which agencies are calling the shots from now on.

Here’s the quick-and-dirty summary of this breaking news:

What Just Happened

• The Department of Education is outsourcing six major programs to other federal agencies.
  
• Translation: the “referee” your kid’s school or program used to deal with is changing mid-game.
  
• The programs being moved include:
  
• Elementary and secondary education programs → Dept. of Labor
  
• College-based grant programs → Dept. of Labor
  
• Indian education programs → Dept. of the Interior
  
• On-campus childcare support → Health and Human Services
  
• Foreign medical school accreditation → HHS
  
• International ed...

Good morning!

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

Here's what's on tap for today:

5 College Planning Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Tune In!

We'll cover three college admissions-related errors and two financial aid blunders that you need to know (but won't hear from your high school counselor, neva eva).

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

- Andy Lockwood

Admissions Edge Webinar

Last night I was a little more more, ahem, "candid" than usual when Pearl and I did a short seminar in our Glen Head office.

The good news is that the attending families seemed to have liked it and found it helpful. 

The "other" news is that a reporter and photographer from Newsday were also in attendance, hopefully not to write a hit piece slamming me for my non-politically correct, offensive ways.

We're still in business, for now, so I might as well share one of the more controversial segments that poured out of my pie hole last night.  

Here's the deal with college admissions at most competitive colleges:

It's rigged.

Anywhere from 50-80% of spots at these colleges are reserved for non-academic "tags" or "selects."  

These "special categories" are no secret - you probably caught wind two years ago of a highly publicized lawsuit against oft-sued Hahhhhhhvahhd, brought by an Asian American student? 

The Supremes ruled that the admissions committee's...

If you have a high school freshman, sophomore or junior it's high time you learned the hard facts about what it really takes to get into a top college, today.

The earlier you learn this, the better your kiddo's college acceptance results will be.

In contrast, failure to understand the "secret", unwritten Rules of The Gamecan have tragic, easily-avoidable consequences.

We call that "Admissions Armageddon."

WARNING:  the following may be a wee bit harsh:

Every extracurricular activity is NOT treated the same.

In other words, that volunteer walk last weekend to find a cure for 1. autism, 2. breast cancer, 3. autistic mothers with breast cancer and 4. a disease to be named later won't move the needle with admissions officers.

Neither will a membership (or bumper sticker) in National Honor Society.

At most high schools, NHS membership is reserved exclusively for the most elite, exclusive 70% of 11th graders. 

Hello, academic participation trophy!

When it comes to extracurricular...

Hey now,

If you're the parent of a high school junior or younger, you have plenty of company if you're feeling deep in the weeds about the whole Goin' to College Thang. 

Meaning, you may have questions like...

• What does it actually TAKE to get into a decent school these days?  (I heard there are no more "Safety Schools" and we're all freaking out!)
• How does my kid even figure out what "decent school" means?
• Is my child getting good enough grades and taking the "right" classes?
• What about the SAT and ACT?  How do we figure out when to submit them or not?
• Is she doing the "right" extracurriculars that will move the needle with college admissions officers, or are we missing out on something?

Which questions about paying for college do you have?

• Can we even qualify for any type of financial assistance, or are we a lost cause, since we earn a living and pay our bills?
• Are there "secret" ways to qualify for free grants and scholarships that my accountant, financial guy and
...

Each of the SAT and ACT exams has changed recently, and the jury's still out re:  which test is best.

Have you heard about the new digital ACT?  And the quote-unquote optional science section?

What do these changes mean for your young test taker?

Re:  ACT, should you blow off the science section?

What about the science questions on the SAT?  (Bet you didn't know about that one, buddy :)

What about accommodations for kids who need extra time?  Is one exam easier than the other?

No matter what questions you have, we've got answers.

At least, our head tutor Marissa has answers for you, tonight!  Join her for a  Free SAT v ACT preview class.

Here's where to get all the details you need (please share this with anyone who needs this info):

SAT v ACT Preview Class >>

See you in class!

- Andy "Stay Classy" Lockwood

P.S.  "11th hour' college essay:   We're running a promo for a new program,  500 bucks off. 

We have four spots left.  Here's where to go:

11th Hour Essay Help...