by Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed Eighty leading colleges and universities are today announcing a plan to reverse a decades-long process by which colleges have — largely through the Common Application — made their applications increasingly similar. Further, the colleges and universities are creating new online portfolios for high school students, designed to have ninth graders begin thinking more deeply …
Who am I? – The art of finding yourself
By Jackie Chism, Lighthouse Communications Coord. and Licensed Educator Relax, sit back, and let me tell you a little bedtime story about a girl, a girl who thought she knew who she was. Her whole life, she had wanted to become a lawyer, and many people thought that career path suited her fairly well. She was smart, detailed, analytical, outspoken, …
Why Net Price Calculators Are Hurting Middle-Income Families
By Greg Putra Getting accurate Expected Family Contributions or EFC estimates are increasingly important to middle-income families trying to budget for college. Families, however, often ask me why the EFC estimates our office provides to them are coming in a lot higher than the estimates they are getting from their college net price calculators. So Why the Discrepancy? To increase …
Essay Writing… like a BOSS!
By J.T. Connell, Lighthouse Counselor It’s never too early to start thinking about your college essay or brainstorming ideas. But for students approaching their senior year, now would be an ideal time to make a first draft of your essay. The college essay is a way for college admission committee members to get a more personal look at applicants. This …
Preparing Children to Make Wise Choices in College
By Karen Wrolson Your child is leaving for college and you can’t quite wrap your head around it. For years you have planned for this moment, yet you find yourself struggling with the transition. Their room is filled with boxes; old stuffed animals and posters are being discarded, and their time with you seems to be dwindling away. Where’s the …
Protect Yourself with Insurance for College Tuition?
By Michael Schramm, University of Michigan Have you ever been fearful that an injury mid-semester would leave you unable to attend classes — thereby making you incur that semester’s costs for nothing? Well, Allianz Global Assistance is attempting to alleviate that concern with tuition insurance. This summer, the company has launched a program in which students can insure their college …
The Naked Roommate
Erin Harrigan-Schober, Lighthouse Counselor The title of this blog makes light of the sometimes awkward situation of agreeing to live in an 8×8-foot room for an entire year with a complete stranger. If you think about it, unless you plan on spending some time in prison, there will never be another time in your life where you’re expected to make …
The Truth about Grandparent-owned 529 College Savings Plans and College Aid
By Troy Onink, Forbes Magazine Contributing Writer Many grandparents save for their grandchild’s college education using 529 college savings plans for good reason, but there is confusion about whether or not it will hurt the grandchild’s eligibility for college financial aid. The answer is that it depends, but even if it does it may not have a big impact. 529 …
Navigating the College Visit: Make the Most of Your Time
Summer is here! This is the perfect time to travel to colleges with no penalty from your high school attendance office. Whether you are scheduling trips for the sole purpose of visiting schools, or you already have a trip planned and you want to tack on a college visit, the process can be daunting. However, preparing for the visit will …
Setting Goals for the Upcoming School Year
As the final weeks of summer vacation wrap up, it is an opportune time to have a goal setting conversation with your students. Having attainable goals in mind before they walk into school helps keep kids focused on the bigger picture of the school year. Keeping an action plan in place also helps with keeping them accountable. Some goals to …