Sophomores and Juniors… Listen Up!
by Tom BottorfWhat’s the biggest mistake students make as they begin selecting colleges? What about students hoping to be admitted to highly selective colleges? How do they know if they’re on track? And what about those essays? Are they really all that important? I interviewed Mr. Eric Goodhart, founder of Programs for Education and one of the …
An HONEST Note From Father to Son
by Lawrene BottorfWe HEART the dads and moms who are bold enough to have conversations like this with their high achieving students. For a bit of context, the letter below was written by an executive at a well known media company to his son. He gets it!!!! Way to Go!!! ************************************** Hey Son, I wanted to write …
9 TRAPS to Avoid When Hiring a College Planner
by Lawrene BottorfMost high schools are not equipped with the personnel to do this, and most parents have no idea where to start, or if their child will be successful at a certain college, or at all in academic higher ed. But just as every child is different…the counselor who helped your neighbor may not be right …
The Reality About Getting a College Athletic Scholarship
by Michelle KretzschmarWith seventh and eighth graders being offered football scholarships, who can blame families for planning to pay for college with an athletic scholarship? It’s a lot easier to pay for private lessons with the local former pro than figure out how to save a hundred thousand dollars or more for four years of tuition. Easier? …
Understanding the FAFSA Form
by Lawrene BottorfPaying for college can be daunting. And in today’s economic climate most people require some form of financial aid. Maybe this is you. You’d like to apply for federal aid but you’re not sure where to begin. Get Started with the FAFSA Form Getting any sort of federal student financial aid begins with the FAFSA. …
Can You Minimize Your Family Contribution?
by Tom BottorfFAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is a financial aid form put out by the Office of the U.S. Department of Education for you to use when you need to apply for federal loans, grants, or work-study funds. You might be in need of federal financial aid for college, career school, technical school, …
Financial Aid Award Letters: Be Careful!
by Tom BottorfThis is the time of year when college Financial Aid award letters are received by students. These are often provided via student portals (with a login required), although many are emailed, and some are still sent “snail mail”. You would think that an award letter would be easy to understand, right? WRONG! We witness mass …
ZERO-Debt College? C’mon… Get REAL!
by Tom BottorfZERO-Debt College? Is this possible? I’m here to tell you that the answer is a resounding YES! Now, is it EASY to accomplish? Absolutely NOT… especially with the peer pressure out there today, coupled with the ridiculous paradigm that student loan debt is normal, even a necessary part of the college equation. By the way, when I …