I read this last week and this is bugging me and I cannot let it go. I don’t know this man and I don’t need to. But anyone who implies that it’s ok to go to college without direction or intention is dangerous. Or just rich.

Let’s examine some of his profound statements:

“When I was a teenager stressing about my next step, my parents reassured me that an undergraduate degree doesn't have to define your future. In fact, it shouldn't.” 

True. No degree or college defines your future. But it strongly influences it. The critical...

As we continue to celebrate Black History Month, I want to share with you 10 great universities that have a history of helping African-American students to excel. This list was comprised by Essence magazine, as well as Money magazine, and I co-sign on it, because it's based on representation, graduation rates, affordability, and postgraduate earnings. True, some of these schools on this list have comparatively fewer black students, but they're extremely generous with financial aid and have financially successful alumni.

The top 10 are: 

1. Princeton University in New Jersey
2. Harvard University in Massachusetts
3. Duke University in North Carolina
4. Cornell University in New York
5. Florida A&M...

One of the most common frustrations of any parent of a high school student is their access to the school guidance counselor. Did you know that the average student to school counselor ratio is 482:1, nearly double the 250:1 ratio recommended by the American School Counselor Association?

This is not the fault of the school guidance counselor. They're a well-intentioned educator, but this is the reality. Too many students need help with choosing classes, creating a college list and receiving advice on what major they should choose or even a career direction.

In Michelle Obama's book, Becoming, she made it clear that her high school guidance counselor was poor and she has made it her mission to not let...

We're at the point in the school year where students and parents should be connecting with their school guidance counselor about choosing classes for next year. Beyond the obvious questions of, "What I, the student, should be taking," or, "How it will help me, the student, get into college?"

Here are 7 more questions that you, the parent, should have while you have the guidance counselor's ear.

1. Which elective courses do you recommend for my kid? 
2. Are there any AP courses available? 
3. What's the plan for the PSAT, the ACT? Do we get practice exams here? 
4. Is this school a testing center for the ACT or SAT, or do I need to go somewhere else nearby? 
5. Do you have college handbooks or...

Scores for students who took the PSAT in October were released this week and, of course, there were many questions. For many the PSAT is their first step into the test-taking world thus explaining its importance to lessen the confusion is best. 

Before you panic or rejoice about your child’s results, let's break down what these results mean and what your follow-up steps should be.

The point of the PSAT is gaining familiarity with the SAT. So before you exhaust yourself analyzing the score, ask yourself, “Do I understand the format of the SAT?” and “Has my child identified what sections are challenging for them?”

How it's Scored 

The PSAT is scored...

With most early admission programs, you can expect three possible decision outcomes: admitted, deferred and denied. In this post, we will focus on what to do if you find yourself in the second group.

First, let’s define what it means to be “deferred.” With an admissions deferral, the college has decided to postpone your admission decision to a later date and will reconsider or review your application with the Regular Decision applicant pool. Because one of the benefits of applying early is knowing whether you have been accepted to your top school or not, it is understandably frustrating when you are neither accepted or denied. However, that is also the bright side - you receive a...

People always ask me, "What are the things I need to think about each year, regarding the grade that my child is in?" So, I want to give you the information that you need for a 9th grader, 10th grader, 11th grader, and 12th grader. With that being said, I'm going to work backward.

Seniors, you're in 12th grade, you should be focusing on essays. Everything on your mind should be writing, writing, writing, typing, typing, typing, so that you can get your essays done in preparation to submit your application, if not now, then within the next 60 days. January 1st will come faster than you expect.

Juniors, you should be focusing on your standardized testing and visiting colleges. You want to expose...

I know November 1st has passed and I know many of you are thinking, "Okay, I blew it. I didn't complete my applications.” This is not true. November 15th is another big deadline for early decision and early action applications, along with December 1st. Also, you have two additional early decision dates which can take place on January 1st or January 15th.

If you have a first-choice school, see if they offer early action or early decision, so you can submit your application early and hopefully get notified with an answer that you want. We strongly suggest that you take advantage of any school that has an early action or rolling admission deadline because the earlier you submit, the sooner you...

I was recently asked a really good question from a parent that was interested in working with us. She asked me, "Would you be able to help my kid, even if he has really bad grades?" I said, "Absolutely." There are 3,500 colleges and universities throughout the country, if your son or daughter wants to go to college and they have bad grades, I don't want them to think that college is not a possibility for them.

I want to give you seven quick tips for you to consider if you have bad grades. The goal is not to get bad grades, but life happens. If you want to go to college, here's what you should do.

1. Submit an explanation. Many colleges will listen to your reasoning for why you obtained grades...

With early application deadlines right around the corner, we thought we should explain what they all exactly are and why you should consider them (if you can afford it).

This is a great explanation from the International College Counselors.

BENEFITS OF APPLYING EARLY 

• Improving your chance of being accepted
• Improving your chance of getting a scholarship
• Gaining time to prepare for college and study for high school classes/AP tests, if accepted
• Gaining more time to apply to other colleges with later deadlines if you get rejected
• Ensuring peace of mind

Early policies can maximize a student's chances to get into a school, but the policies need to be carefully read. While the definitions for each...