Special

(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

(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.

20 Schools to Avoid if You’re Making a List of Affordable Colleges

There isn’t a lot of evidence to show that these schools are going to meet students financial aid need.

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 first day of Christmas, DIY College Rankings wrote to me:

In case you missed it this past year, one must read.

The Must Read Chart for all Parents Thinking about Paying for College

Unfortunately, with the passing of Troy Onink, this table hasn’t been updated. However, I think it still gets the point across since prices have only increased. I’m not sure which is more shocking to families, their EFC or the fact that many state flagship universities are costing over $25,000.

Read more