College financial aid is complicated, and merit aid is one of the most misunderstood components. As we discussed in the first part of this series, some colleges give merit aid, and some do not. In this second of a three-part series about paying for college, financial aid and merit aid, I interviewed college financial … Read more
As a follow up to past posts about college early admission plans, we’ll recap what each of them means, and then share some case studies to illustrate when Early Action and Early Decision were good or bad choices for students in specific situations. Early Decision Early Decision (ED) is a binding agreement that indicates to … Read more
Students who took AP courses this year already know that the AP exams will be radically different from what they’d expected to take this spring. Instead of 3 hours, they’ll each be just 45 minutes. They’ll be online. And they will be offered at exactly the same time for all students around the world, meaning … Read more
There are more than 2,200 four-year colleges out there and you probably don’t have enough time to visit all of them! We visit colleges all the time – we’ve visited hundreds, in fact – and we still won’t be able to see them all! So at some point, you’re going to have to rely … Read more
High school rising seniors – this is it – your final summer before the college application madness begins this fall! You should do these five things this summer: 5. Research colleges. Make your list bigger before you make it smaller. You just watched your senior friends get rejection letters, so you know how much that … Read more
Just a few weeks ago, we published an article highlighting a few ethical issues related to college admissions. Little did we know that in a matter of days, we would all witness an incredible display of how some people crossed huge ethical boundaries, getting their kids into top schools outside of the typical admission process. … Read more
We’ve had just 24 hours to absorb the major scandal that involved lying, cheating and bribery in the college admission world. It’s bad on so many levels, but underneath the rubble, the immorality, the illegality, is the sad fact that the scandal rests upon people’s desperate and completely unfounded fear that if their kids don’t … Read more
LA/Westside students – here are a few options for practice SAT and ACT exams, and some bootcamps to help you prepare for the upcoming exams! All practice tests and boot camps are at Palisades High. SAT Practice Exam Saturday February, 9th 9am-1pm Location: J109 Enrollment fee (All proceeds go to the Pali High PTSA!): $20 Enrollment: SAT Practice … Read more
Update on Magellan Class of 2017 students’ college applications and acceptances
People often ask us what the ROI is – what the “deliverables” are – when they hire a college counselor. While sometimes it’s hard to quantify the value of bringing in an outside expert to help your teenager through the process, we’d like to share some metrics about where our students are at this point … Read more