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:

*A long list of FAFSA problems

*Boston College Negotiation Case Study

*Your questions!

Join us on our Facebook page, Facebook.com/lockwoodcollegeprep, or click this big blue button:

TUNE IN

Grab a cup of joe and we'll see you at 10am EST (recorded if you can't make it).  This is a great opportunity for Q&A, live, free college coaching, anything goes!

- Andy "Java Jive" Lockwood

Webinar | Tutoring  

I just finished tweaking tonight's "encore" presentation, "Late Stage College Planning for Juniors" and have been patting myself on the back since, because of all of the clever phrases and analogies I came up with.  Here's a few, submitted for your approval:

"The college process is like a train, it comes into the station and leaves the station, whether or not you are 'ready.'"

"There is life beyond the same Rear Window Sticker Colleges that everyone applies to"

"Each college application must have a 'Thread of Continuity' that runs through it, tying everything together"

There's a whole lot more where they came from, I'm merely scratching the surface (who's excited now????)!

If you're getting sick to your stomach about where to even get started in the process of making a list of colleges that your kiddo can even get into...

...i.e. are there any "Safety Schools" any more?  Or...

Do I have a snowball's chance in hell at...

Webinar | Tutoring  

A client, Ava, just got into her Early Decision college.  Everything went silky smooth, and there wasn't a hint of a scintilla of any drama whatsoever during the 10 months we worked together.

Not.

Here's what really went down.  Literally the day before she got the GREAT news, Ava's mom and I spoke on the phone for about 25 minutes.  Most of the conversation was along the lines of:

*She's so bummed out, she doesn't think she's going to get into a "good school"

*None of her friends are getting into their top choice colleges, she's really, really nervous"

*What can we do, while we wait to hear from [College]? Anything?"

*When I ask her anything, she yells "I don't want to talk about it, mom!" and leaves the room.

That was Tuesday.  On Wednesday, I logged into my email, to see "I GOT IN!" screaming at me at the top of my inbox.

It's quite a roller coaster, this college admissions game.  You're down in the dumps one day,...

Webinar | Tutoring 

Hi, real quick like a bunny...

Last night's "Late Stage College Planning" webinar for 11th grade families got all 5 star reviews and a whole bunch of positive comments in the live chat, but apparently, 111 of the 256 folks registered couldn't make it.  (Sniff.)

So, because I am a prince among men (just ask me) I have graciously decided to run it back, old school, one more time for an "encore" performance this Sunday, 7pm EST!

(Pause for standing ovation.)

(If you think these jokes are lame, I dare you show up Sunday!)

Kidding aside, the information you'll get from me is 1,000 per cent unlike anything you will ever hear from your guidance counselor or other so-called experts.

And some of it is borderline politically incorrect.  

Fine.  Delete "bordeline."

But it's da truth, and you may not stumble across it anywhere else.

Here's where to sign up:

REGISTER

- Andy  "Not Always Sure What Will Come Out of My...

We're Starting!

"Late Stage" College Planning for 11th Graders

February 15th 6:45pm  EST

We just started but you can still stop by!  Here's where to join us:

JOIN CLASS

See you in the classroom!

-Pearl and Andy

Tonight's Webinar for 11th Graders

One of the dumbest college-related news stories I've seen repeated in the past week:

"Top colleges settle claims they favor wealthy students for admission."

Is that really news?  This story covers a lawsuit against Yale, Georgetown, Northwestern, MIT, Dartmouth, among others, that alleged that these colleges favored applicants who could pay full price for college, despite the colleges' agreement to be "need-blind" (not consider whether the applicant needs financial aid).  My take...

Seriously.  This is news?  Or do some people think things work differently, like there's a level playing field.

Second:  is this a bad thing?  At virtually every college you've heard of, full-pay families subsidize all the other families.  In other words, their full boat dollars help colleges afford to give aid to families who need it.

Ditto for "development list" families who donate seven and eight figure amounts to colleges. ...

Webinar | Tutoring 

The New York Attorney General fined the College Board -- the good folks behind the SAT, PSAT, AP curriculum and the CSS Profile financial aid application -- 750 Gs for "violating students' privacy."

In case you were getting choked up, please don't cry for this "non profit" - it holds $1.66 Billion in assets.  Its president makes $1.8 Million per year.   They can write the check.

My surprise over this news is not that the College Board shares student information.  I'm sure you're not shocked either, particularly if you have an 11th grader who's registered for one of the above College Board products, and, since that fateful day, opened your floodgates to a tsunami of emails, social media posts magically served up to you or your child, glossy brochures from colleges you've heard of and several that you haven't, featuring multi-racial, smiling, acne-free kids frolicking outside on the quad in shorts (even if that college is located...

Webinar | Tutoring 

This Thursday night, we're holding a brand spanking new webinar to cover "Late Stage College Planning" for families of Class of 2025 kids,who are getting closer and closer to Go Time for applications, essays, financial aid and scholarships...

...but are feeling anxious, overwhelmed and maybe even a smidge guilty that they're not even close to having a coherent, strategic College Game Plan.

If this sounds like you, you'll want to join the fun.  (If you have a 10th grader or younger child, not a terrible idea to attend either.)

Topics on tap:

• The inconvenient truth about what admissions officers at competitive and elite colleges  REALLY want to see beyond GPA and SAT/ACT scores (hint:  it’s not on Naviance, nor is it membership in National Honor Society, 25 clubs or a five day service trip/teen tour to a Third World country)
• The closely-guarded truth about test-optional policies and how to decide To Submit or Not to...

Good morning!

We're hitting the airwaves this morning -- 10:00am EST/7:00am PST--  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:

Case Studies

Parent Mistakes

Plus live Q&A and free college coaching!  Here's where to join us:

TUNE IN

Grab a cup of joe and we'll see you at 10am EST (recorded on that page for eternity if you can't make it live)!

- Andy Lockwood