There’s a growing new method in the fight against climate change: college students demanding that their schools divest themselves from their stock holdings in fossil fuel companies. The current movement hearkens back to the late 1970’s and 80’s, when there were protests on campuses around the country asking that their schools divest themselves of stock owned in companies that were doing business in South Africa, which was under apartheid rule at the time. So far, the students’ success has been limited, and no school with an endowment over $1 billion has agreed to the request, despite the fact that many administrators agree with their students’ climate change fears. Certainly, shedding stock in energy companies could be costly for colleges, and […]

As mobile technology continues its expansion into the lives of everyone around us – you, me, your grandmother – businesses are starting to bring higher education to our collective pockets. Heather Huhman has four companies that you should be keeping your eye on. But here’s the telling line, and it’s in the introduction: …when the Class of 2016 graduates, nearly 90 percent of college students in the U.S. will own a smartphone. That’s a statistic that’s impossible for anyone to ignore in any market – not just in business or in education. Not only are businesses becoming more aware of this potential market, but campuses around the country are going to need to be in on, and ahead of, this […]

by Joe Avanzato Anxiety, when left unchecked, has the potential to multiply fear to exponential levels. I was certainly nervous in 2008, high school graduation approaching quickly, unsure what to do with my future. Walking into Sarphatie Education’s offices for the first time, I felt even more nervous, as Dr. Trama seemed to be an unstoppable force. At our first meeting, she urged me to stop worrying about the process, explaining that she was helping me now. True to her word, she took the reigns of the application process, calmed my initial nerves, and became a steady, guiding light during a time that can often be confusing for even the most prepared students. One of the more stressful parts of […]

Sum up your life in 500 words?  Many students feel that this is the impossible mission of the college application essay.  If the subject of your admissions essay had to be the entirety of your life and/or character, they’d give you more than 500 words.  The truth about admissions essays is that colleges want to get a sense of your personality in order to see how you’ll fit into the academic community they’re building.  Since you are yourself in everything you think and do, you can pretty much write about anything. I just made the problem worse, didn’t I?  Anything?! Not surprisingly, there are many theories about picking the right topic for your essay.  I’ll outline a few common theories, […]

With the new school year getting underway this week, it’s important, if you’re starting 12th grade, that you get to work on your college applications. The earlier you start work on your applications, the better – as procrastination can lead to missed deadlines. (We’re going to assume that you’ve worked up a list of colleges to apply to at this point. If you haven’t done that, start there. Here’s our post with tips on how to narrow your list down from the thousands of colleges available to you.) Now that you have your list, it’s imperative that you come up with a list of deadlines of the applications. Many schools will have different deadlines, so if you have a calendar […]

With the start of another school year upon us, it’s time to think about college applications. But where to start? There are literally thousands of options available to you. How do you narrow your list down? Here are some of the ways that we’ve found to be helpful when you’re figuring out where to apply. 1. What Type Of School Do You Want? This might seem like an obvious statement, but it’s an important one. By “type” we don’t mean “party school” or “non-party school;” instead, there are certain demographics that can be used to find schools that will be a good fit. First, are you looking for a four-year school, or a community college? Are you looking for a […]

Volunteer work. If you’re a high school student, or the parent of a high school student, you already know the importance of consistent, relevant volunteer work when it comes to the college application process. But beyond the “necessity” of volunteering in order to present yourself as a well rounded individual to the colleges to which you are applying, volunteer work is an important enrichment tool for both teenagers and their families. While many students volunteer in areas they are already interested in, students who are unsure about what they might want to study when in college can have interests sparked through their volunteer work. Volunteer work is a good way for families to spend additional time with one another. With […]

With August nearing, it’s important for students who will be in 12th Grade in the fall to at least be thinking about what they are going to write their college essay on. It doesn’t need to be complete (yet), but it’s important to start to flesh out ideas. A lot of students will look at the questions provided on the Common Application as prompts for their essay, but it’s my belief that that type of thinking is backwards. The question that students should really be asking themselves when they are ready to write their college essay is this: who am I? On its face, answering that question might seem simple. But you should be thinking beyond simple characteristics and instead […]

Recently I met with a family regarding financial aid for the coming year for their daughter, who was going into her first year in college in the fall. The financial aid process can be confusing, to say the least. This particular family, on their most recent tax return, had an Adjusted Gross Income of over $200,000. The student hadn’t received very much of a financial aid offer, and the parents were incredulous that the school wanted them to contribute over $25,000 for their student’s first year of school. The parents maintained that they simply did not have the money the school thought they should be able to contribute. With that situation in mind, I thought it would be a smart […]

When next winter rolls around, we’ll have a more in depth look at the Financial Aid process and how to best navigate it. For now, however, since most students have received their financial aid awards, we’re going to talk a little about making sure your bill for the coming year is covered. Some students will find, for whatever reason, that the amount of aid they have been awarded will not cover the whole cost of the coming year. If that’s the case, private loans are one option available for students to pay their bill for the year. Because private loans tend to have higher interest rates than federal loans, they are best viewed as a last resort, only when all […]