Michelle Kretzschmar

(I’m taking a break from regular blogging and newsletters during the holidays. Hope you enjoy the DIY College Rankings version of the 12 Days of Christmas.)

On the tenth day of Christmas, DIY College Rankings wrote to me:

Ten ways to contribute to student debt.

10 Things Parents Do That Increase College Student Debt

If you don’t have the money talk, your student may never apply to the colleges that would provide the needed scholarships. So you take out loans instead.

The 10 Worst Colleges – Do It Yourself College Rankings

 Prioritizing rankings over affordability is a good way to contribute to student debt.

Read more

(I’m taking a break from regular blogging and newsletters during the holidays. Hope you enjoy the DIY College Rankings version of the 12 Days of Christmas.)

On the ninth day of Christmas, DIY College Rankings wrote to me:

Nine ways to improve your opportunities.

9 Resources for Creating Your Own Softball or Baseball Recruiting Video

If you have a video camera, a video stand, and a basic editing program, you can create your own video that will be perfectly fine for college baseball or softball recruiting.

Read more

(I’m taking a break from regular blogging and newsletters during the holidays. Hope you enjoy the DIY College Rankings version of the 12 Days of Christmas.)

On the eighth day of Christmas, DIY College Rankings wrote to me:

Eight college admissions money tips.

8 Things Parents Must Know About Paying for College

The most competitive colleges offer few, if any, academic scholarships.

Read more

(I’m taking a break from regular blogging and newsletters during the holidays. Hope you enjoy the DIY College Rankings version of the 12 Days of Christmas.)

On the seventh day of Christmas, DIY College Rankings wrote to me:

Seven things you should know in college admissions.

7 Things You Need to Know When Looking for College Scholarships

Approximately 7 percent of undergraduate students received private scholarships, with an average value of $1,982.

7 Things to Look for to Find a Good College

Finding colleges you like and worrying about how you will pay for them later is a bad idea.

7 Steps to a Smarter College List

Even if finances aren’t a primary consideration, most people don’t do a very good job of creating a college list.

7 Things You Should Know about College Net Price Calculators

The vast majority of colleges do not create their own net price calculator. Rather, they license an application from one of the major providers or use the free version offered by the federal government. The free version has some major limitations.

Read more

(I’m taking a break from regular blogging and newsletters during the holidays. Hope you enjoy the DIY College Rankings version of the 12 Days of Christmas.)

On the sixth day of Christmas, DIY College Rankings wrote to me:

Six ways to make things better.

6 Tips for Making a Better College Search List

The college search list should contain at least 20 schools, more if you have the time to research them. A good search list will include colleges that you haven’t considered or heard of before you started creating the search list.

6 Things High School Baseball Players Must Have on Their Athletic Profile

Regardless of what format you choose, your athletic profile must include the following six elements.

Read more

(I’m taking a break from regular blogging and newsletters during the holidays. Hope you enjoy the DIY College Rankings version of the 12 Days of Christmas.)

On the fifth day of Christmas, DIY College Rankings wrote to me:

Five things to know.

5 Financial Aid Strategies Parents of Sophomores Need to Know Before the Spring Semester

Yeah, I know it’s cutting it close for this one to be useful, but still worth a read.

Read more

(I’m taking a break from regular blogging and newsletters during the holidays. Hope you enjoy the DIY College Rankings version of the 12 Days of Christmas.)

On the fourth day of Christmas, DIY College Rankings wrote to me:

How to search and what to avoid.

4 Easy Steps to Find 254 Colleges for Potential Merit Scholarships

An average net price of over $30,000 suggests that regardless of the amount of aid being awarded, the school is still likely to be expensive.

4 College Recruiting Mistakes to Avoid When You’re the Best Player on Your Team

It’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that you can judge your ability because you have played other teams and haven’t seen anyone as good as you.

4 Reasons People Don’t Pick Affordable Colleges

Attending affordable colleges comes with some trade-offs that not all families are willing to make.

Read more

(I’m taking a break from regular blogging and newsletters during the holidays. Hope you enjoy the DIY College Rankings version of the 12 Days of Christmas.)

On the third day of Christmas, DIY College Rankings wrote to me:

Three wake-up calls about college financial aid and recruiting.

3 Hard Truths About Financial Aid

For the majority of families, the EFC is going to be much higher than they anticipated.

3 Reasons Why Your Kid’s Good Grades Won’t Pay for College

Yes, your teen may have great grades and test scores. But are they substantially better than everyone else’s that attends the colleges she’s applying to?

Read more