The Reintroduction of Test-Required Policies

By |2025-03-04T22:45:42+00:00March, 4, 2025|College Admissions, College Admissions Tests|

Test-optional policies took off during the Covid 19 pandemic, though some institutions, mostly small liberal arts colleges, had adopted these policies in the early 2000s. Now, according to FairTest.org, there are more than 2,100 colleges and universities that either don’t require test scores or won’t even consider them for purposes [...]

Considerations for Taking AP Courses

By |2025-03-10T18:21:32+00:00February, 26, 2025|College Admissions, College Applications, College Preparation|

It’s the time of year when many high schools ask students to select their courses for next year.  As students consider their options, they may be choosing from among several Advanced Placement (AP) courses, and they may wonder how many such courses to take. The truth is, there is no magic [...]

More Applications, More Competition

By |2025-01-08T00:39:13+00:00January, 14, 2025|College Admissions, College Applications|

It seems as though college admissions has become increasingly more competitive over the last several years.  Many colleges, especially the most selective ones, have reported record numbers of applications year after year.  But since most of these schools have not increased the size of their freshman class, more applications have [...]

Giving Students Autonomy in the College Search and Application Process

By |2025-01-06T18:40:50+00:00January, 7, 2025|College Admissions, College Applications, College Consultants, College Essays, College Preparation, College Research|

In a recent New York Times op-ed, Jenny Anderson and Rebecca Winthrop highlighted a survey of over 4,000 members of Gen Z in which 49% “said they did not feel prepared for the future.”  Additionally, employers have reported that employees from this generation lack many of the key skills necessary [...]

A College Admissions Reading List

By |2025-01-10T00:25:40+00:00January, 2, 2025|College Admissions, College Costs, College Life, College Preparation, College Research, Paying for College|

Recently I wrote a blog post about podcasts hosted by admissions experts. For those who prefer to get their information the old-fashioned way, here’s a list of books that tell it like it is. Where You Go is Not Who You’ll Be by Frank Bruni - Bruni is an award-winning [...]

College Admissions Podcasts Provide Useful Information and Advice

By |2024-11-04T21:37:42+00:00November, 6, 2024|College Admissions, College Applications, College Essays, College Preparation, College Research, Financial Aid, Paying for College|

High school students and parents are often bombarded by well-meaning friends and relatives who think they know it all when it comes to college admissions, the college search process, college applications, essay writing, and more. But truly great advice comes from experts. Here’s a list of podcasts where you can [...]

Aiming for Ivies? Straight A’s Are an Advantage, But Not a Guarantee

By |2024-07-14T17:12:59+00:00July, 16, 2024|College Admissions, College Applications, College Preparation|

As discussed in a recent blog post, grade inflation has exploded in the last several years.  This has resulted in grade compression, which means most students' grades are in the A/B range. A recent webinar from test prep and tutoring company Applerouth addressed these issues.  In it, Jed Applerouth, the [...]

Congratulations to the Class of 2024!

By |2024-05-10T20:05:44+00:00May, 14, 2024|College Admissions, Scholarships|

Discovery College Consulting’s 25 students in the Class of 2024 were admitted to 107 different colleges, which are pictured to the right (click the image to enlarge it).  They will be attending the following schools: Chapman University Creighton University Drexel University Macalester College Montana State University New Jersey Institute of [...]

Making Sense of Colleges’ Changing Test Policies

By |2024-04-27T18:26:00+00:00May, 1, 2024|College Admissions, College Admissions and COVID-19, College Admissions Tests|

Test-optional.  Test-flexible.  Test-blind.  The terms themselves are confusing, and recent shifts in colleges' policies are even more so.  If you're a high school student, or the parent of one, you may feel like you're experiencing whiplash in trying to keep up with the ever-evolving test requirements at U.S. colleges.  Before [...]

The Problem with Grade Inflation

By |2024-04-25T16:55:47+00:00March, 12, 2024|College Admissions, College Admissions Tests, College Grades, College Preparation|

Remember the movie The Incredibles? I’ll never forget the scene where Syndrome, the villain, is holding the superheroes hostage. He says, “When I’m old, and I’ve had my fun, I’ll sell my inventions so that everyone can be superheroes, everyone can be super. And, when everyone’s super, no one will [...]

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