What is EFC? To start your college search, you need to be able to answer this question. If you’re like most parents starting the college search process, you don’t have a clue what EFC means. In fact, most parents don’t understand until they are well into the college application process which is not a good … Read more
(You can see an updated evaluation of the College Navigator here.) The College Navigator website is part of the National Center for Education Statistics. They are responsible for collecting all kinds of education related data including that in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). The College Navigator is just the user-friendly way of accessing … Read more
Are you worried about finding the right college for your kids? Does the idea of researching colleges make you nervous? Do you find the idea of finding and paying for college daunting? Do you just want to know how to get started? If you answered “yes” to any to the previous questions, I’ve got a … Read more
Free downloads to help families find and pay for college. Best Free Resources for Finding and Paying for College Guide! Guide to 17 free PDFs, spreadsheets, and websites. Click here to get your copy. College Financial Aid Timeline What you need to know about financial aid starting with high school juniors. Click here to get … Read more
I’m taking a break from my 50-50 highlights this week. I’ve been thinking about doing a class on how to use the DIY College Search Spreadsheet and wanted to get some feedback. I’m trying to figure out what questions people have when using the spreadsheet so that the class will be focusing on the stuff … Read more
(This is part 9 of Comparison of Top 11 College Search Engines) After reviewing all eleven college search engines’ ability to search on various categories (you have been paying close attention, haven’t you?), you should realize that it’s nearly impossible to compare the results. There simply isn’t enough consistency between the websites in how they … Read more
(This is part 8 of Comparison of Top 11 College Search Engines) When we were visiting colleges with my son, one small liberal arts college pulled the parents aside for a discussion of the Liberal Arts and gainful employment. I don’t think the session was actually called that but it was definitely the idea behind … Read more
Will I get in? If you just listen to the media starting at the beginning of April, you would think that the answer to this question for most college applicants is no. All you hear about is the ever decreasing admittance rates at some of the most highly competitive colleges and universities in the country. … Read more
(This is part 6 of Comparison of Top 11 College Search Engines) The fifth college criteria for our fictional student is that it must be located in or near a major city. There are plenty of good reasons for this requirement including transportation access, cultural and recreational attractions, part-time employment opportunities, and availability of internships.
