12 Days of Christmas 2022: Day 12

Image showing the number 12 and the words "Frequently Asked Questions" next to an illustration of a child dressed in a marching band uniform playing a drum, focusing on college admissions and financial aid FAQs.

12 days of christmas(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 twelfth day of Christmas, DIY College Rankings wrote to me:

The twelve most viewed Frequently Asked Questions for the year.

What is a Tier 1 school? (university or college)

If my EFC is 0 does that mean I can go to college for free?

What is a flagship university?

What is a likely letter?

What is a Public Ivy?

What is the Common Data Set

Read more

12 Days of Christmas 2022: Day 11

Illustration of a child in a red top and green pants blowing a trumpet, next to a large red "11" and the text "Colleges to Check Out." This festive scene brings the magic of Christmas 2017 alive, reminiscent of the 12 Days of Christmas.

ShareTweetFlipEmailPin1414 Shares(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 eleventh day of Christmas, DIY College Rankings wrote to me: Eleven colleges to check out. The following were the 11 most popular 50-50 colleges on the … Read more

12 Days of Christmas 2022: Day 9

Day 9: improve opportunities college

12 days of christmas(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.

When the 99th Percentile isn’t Good Enough

Two 9s, just one 9, who cares? Anyway, I wrote this post in response to a student saying the a 34 ACT score as a minimum for getting into a super selective school was ridiculous. So I include some data as well as a list of “Dream” schools where such minimums exist.

Read more

12 Days of Christmas 2022: Day 8

Day 8: college admissions money tips

12 days of christmas day 8(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

Am I repeating myself? Maybe. But that’s pretty much the point of the website. So once again, the most competitive colleges offer few, if any, academic scholarships.

Read more

12 Days of Christmas 2022: Day 7

Day 7 Seven things you should know in college admissions.

12 Days of Christmas DAy 7(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 Private College Scholarships

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

7 Key Signs of a Good College

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

Read more

12 Days of Christmas 2022: Day 6

Day 6: Six ways to make your college list and recruiting profile better .

12 Days of Christmas Day 6(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

12 Days of Christmas 2022: Day 5

A green number 5 with a golden ring on top is standing on a small stack of golden rings, reminiscent of Day 5 from the "12 Days of Christmas." The text "Things to Know" is written beside it.

12 Days of Christmas Day 5(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.

5 Rules About Paying for College That Most Parents Don’t Know

If you only have a limited amount of time to look for scholarships, your best bet is look for colleges that provide the most money.

Read more

12 Days of Christmas 2022: Day 3

Day 3 wake up calls

12 Days of Christmas day 3(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 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

12 Days of Christmas 2022: Day 2

Christmas Day 2 college lists to help you save money on college

(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 second day of Christmas, DIY College Rankings wrote to me:

Two lists worth taking the time to review before creating your college list if you want to save money.

Harvard Scholarships: No Such Thing

This post is actually about Colleges that don’t Offer Merit Scholarships, Harvard is just the example. Skip down to the middle of the post to see a list of 84 colleges that provide little to no merit aid. And not all of them meet full need.

Read more