What’s on Your FAFSA May Hurt You

Using the FAFSA Against StudentsApparently, completing the FAFSA can be detrimental to your college application and chances for financial aid. According to Inside Higher Ed, some unnamed colleges are using the order students enter schools to receive the FAFSA reports as a way of predicting interest in the school. Essentially, this means that some schools are using the FAFSA against students.

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The Key Element in the College Decision Making Machine

Decision making chart and calculatorDon’t you wish there was a college decision making machine? You just enter some basic information on what you’re looking for in a college, what you can pay, click a button and you get the results–go to school X now! Well Tier One Athletics has created just such a college decision making machine.

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10 Things You Should Know About the US News Best College Rankings

Survey with check boxes on blackboardThe US News and World Report Best College Rankings is considered by many high school students and their parents to be the final word on a college’s desirability. Not surprisingly, many others believe that the rankings represent everything that is wrong with college admissions today. The reality is that the rankings are made up of numbers and it is up to individuals to decide how to use those numbers. For those considering using the rankings, you should be aware of the following.

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Free College Admissions Resources You Should Know About: ApplyKit.com

ApplyKit dashboardAnybody trying to figure out how to organize and track their college applications should take a look at ApplyKit.com. The premise is pretty straight forward, select the schools you are going to apply to and the application pulls all of the relevant deadlines onto one easy to use webpage.

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States with Highest Representation at Elite Colleges: 2013

US map by populationLast year I looked at the state of origin for the freshman class at 19 nationally recognized colleges. This year I’ve changed the list and expanded it to 25. No real methodology involved, I just wanted to include schools from different areas.?  Basically, I wanted to get an idea of how likely students at these schools would be interacting with a national cross-section of students as opposed to mostly students from the same region.

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Golfer Parent: Demystifying College Recruiting for Women’s Golf

Female golf players

woman golfer in sunsetThis is a guest post by Chuck Self who has just been through the golf recruiting process with his daughter. You can learn more at his website Her College Success.

There has never been a better time for girls who wish to play golf in college. There are over 650 golf programs sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. But the recruiting process for the average high school varsity golf player is somewhat mysterious.

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The First Step Towards Debt-Free College

student with backpack of moneyThe following is a guest post by Tom Bottorf of GetCollegeFunding.org.

I’m not sure exactly when the shift occurred, but sometime in the last 20 years, attending college has become synonymous with student loan debt. It’s pretty much assumed that the student should have some “skin in the game” by borrowing money to achieve their noble dream of getting a college degree.

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6 Keys to an Effective ACT Study Plan

A hand writes "PLAN" in blue marker on a white background. The phrase "TIME TO" is already written in black, forming the complete message "TIME TO PLAN" inside a clock-like semi-circle, urging one to act decisively.

Time to plan
This is a guest post by Mark Skoskiewicz, founder and managing tutor of MyGuru.com. Based on his extensive experience preparing students for the ACT, Mark offers the following advise for students self-studying for the ACT.

Let’s face it – the ACT is an important test. If you’ve decided to take (or enroll your child in) a good ACT prep class or hire a good ACT tutor, you’ll hopefully have a solid study plan developed for you that will work well enough.

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Men’s College Lacrosse Teams by State

Lacrosse PlayerMen’s Lacrosse is one of the fastest growing sports at the college level. In fact, it’s growing so fast that it makes the usual lag in statistics a potential problem. So many teams are being added each year that even a one year lag could present a very different picture of college lacrosse. A state could come close to doubling the number of college Lacrosse teams in just a couple of years.

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