College Endeavors LLC

Here's another great article by educator Brennan Barnard. A must read for high school seniors working on their call essays.

"Don’t delay. Every college applicant I have ever worked with has wished they had started earlier. You can best avoid the pitfalls above if you give yourself the time and space to write a thoughtful essay and welcome feedback openly but cautiously. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to be perfect. Do your best, share your voice, and stay true to who you are."

How Not To Write Your College Essay There are avoidable blunders that applicants frequently make in drafting their essays. I asked college admission leaders, who have read thousands of submissions, to share their thoughts.

"The Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program gives students an opportunity to gain valuable work experience while attending college or a career school. And unlike a federal student loan, you don’t have to pay this money back!" Check out this important information!

8 Things You Should Know About Federal Work-Study – Federal Student Aid 8 Things You Should Know About Federal Work-Study Financial Aid4 minutes SHARE FederalWorkStudy FinancialTips The Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program gives students an opportunity to gain valuable work experience while attending college or a career school. And unlike a federal student loan, you don’t...

Cal Poly Pomona is definitely on the move!

CPP received a record-high number of applications from freshmen in 2024!

More than 51,000 applying to join the Bronco community in the fall is a 10% increase over 2023. We've admitted almost 75% of our applicants and put together the most financial aid packages in our university's history. We're so excited to welcome this incoming class and help them achieve their dreams!

Read more about these record-setting numbers, including a 7% increase in transfer student applications: https://bit.ly/45IEdn2

Edit: To add some additional context, 5,525 first-year students have committed to attend CPP in the fall of 2024 and the deadline to accept admission has passed.

If you are applying for college this fall, check out this list from College Kickstart, which lists colleges where interviews are required or strongly recommended as part of demonstrated interest in the school.

Colleges Where Interviews are Required or Strongly Recommended (Class of 2029) - College Kickstart College Kickstart empowers students to craft sensible college plans that maximize odds and minimize wasted motion.

I hope everyone can access this article from Jeff Selingo. College is expensive, but students can find schools that are giving scholarships or "discounting" the sticker price in some way. Look for colleges where you are "under matching" and they will likely give you more money to attend.

The New Trick Families Are Using to Lower College Tuition Bills Many schools are eager for paying students, and ready to offer deals — even to higher-income applicants.

This list has some of my favorite books on college planning, admissions, and things to consider when developing one's college list. I've always loved the Fiske Guide for college research. But also check out important advice and information in these books from Jeff Selingo, Ron Lieber, Rick Clark, Brennan Barnard, Jacques Steinberg, and others who follow and write about higher education. Don't forget the book/website for Colleges that Change Lives!

The 14 Best Books for College Admissions and How to Pay for College (2024) Here are our 14 favorite books about college admissions and how to pay for college, with new releases and updated editions of annual guides.

From the USC Admission Blog, some great tips for writing college essays, especially the Common Application longer essay.

Writing a Compelling College Essay The dreaded personal statement, personal essay, college admission essay, etc. It goes by many names. Maybe you already know what you want to write about, maybe you’re dreading writing it, maybe you’ve had it written since your first day of 9th grade. Whether you’re just starting your essay or ...

I know many parents worry about the education at the UC's and Cal States; are the classes too large, or too hard to get? This article reflects on the education received in our terrific public universities; still some challenges to take on, as we all know.

COMMENTARY: California’s public universities come through – at least for one family For all the challenges they face, the Golden State's institutions of higher learning are providing a high-quality academic experience for students.

If you are a rising senior, applying to college this fall, here is a list of colleges that will require the SAT or ACT for admission. While many schools remain test-optional, and some are test-blind, like the University of California and Cal State Universities, be sure to check out this list as you get ready to apply.

Rath Education Group Professional educators committed to goal-oriented academic tutoring and test preparation

From author and educator Brennan Barnard, summer reading for college freshmen.

Four Books Every First-Year College Student Must Read This Summer The transition to college can be an exciting time and also complicated with doubt and uncertainty.

If you are a graduating high school senior heading to college in fall, be sure to send your AP scores to your chosen college. If you put in that request via College Board before June 20, you will save the fees ordinarily charged for sending scores. Send all scores and your college will apply credit according to their policy.

Use Your Free Score Send Before the Deadline – AP Students | College Board You can send one score report for free every year that you take AP Exams. Make sure to use your free score send before the June 20 deadline.

This is a short read from Jed Applerouth, from Applerouth Education about the SAT and the future of testing, especially in California.

Stanford University Reinstates Test Requirements Effective Fall 2025 Admissions Cycle Stanford University has become the most recent highly selective college to reinstate testing requirements for all students, beginning with the class of rising juniors. Here's what you need to know.

From the University of California admission blog, so helpful tips about completing your Common Application.

USC Undergraduate Admission Blog | USC Office of Admission | Substack Learn about the university, find application advice and get a behind-the-scenes look at our undergraduate admission process. Click to read USC Undergraduate Admission Blog, by USC Office of Admission, a Substack publication.

Students have been trying to sign up for the August and October SAT, but many, especially in California, are finding that testing centers are already full. Here is an opinion from Jon Boeckenstedt and the challenges students have faced when it comes to College Board.

jonboeckenstedt.net

Stanford will be reinstating the SAT or ACT for the high school class of 2026.

Stanford will resume standardized test requirements for undergraduate admission, beginning with students applying in Fall 2025 for admission to the Class of 2030. Stanford will remain test-optional for students applying in Fall 2024 for admission to the Class of 2029.

The university will continue to review applicants in context, considering each piece of an application as part of an integrated and comprehensive whole. More specifically, the university evaluates academic achievement and potential within the context of each student’s background, educational pathway, work and family responsibilities, and other factors.

Read the full update: https://stanford.io/3ySc6Fy

Interesting news from the Cal State University system. Cal State Maritime has been serving a very small group of students with enrollment declining over the years. Cal Maritime is the only degree-granting maritime academy on the West Coast.

https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/news/Pages/cal-poly-maritime-integration.aspx?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR02xkqtxyjSKakBleXQcnLyVCi99WgzoiZ9G9MwVI58wHri4aflk_94PU0_aem_ATYbCqiGEFYGaAUFlR3pwC-stzIt4mj8zbU-65Ubyc3mBptqJL6FZHJ25u7XHjlFRvzyNiAUPA9gFKEquzisi82W

CSU Recommends Integrating Cal Maritime and Cal Poly at San Luis Obispo | CSU ​Integration reflects CSU’s commitment to its core educational mission, fiscal sustainability and supporting workforce needs while preserving Cal Maritime as one of the nation’s premier maritime academies.

As the high school year comes to a close, here are some tips for rising seniors: things they can do this summer to get ready for college applications. For California students, I'd add write your University of California Personal Insight Question responses!

Top 10 Things Rising Seniors Can Do This Summer to Get a Jump on the College Search – 1. Complete your Common Application The Common Application is accepted by hundreds of colleges and is a great place to… Read More

From the University of Southern California admission blog, telling your story on your college application.

Holistic Admission Is Not "Whole"-istic: So How Do You Tell Your Story? In the college admission process, you’ll probably hear a lot about holistic admission at selective institutions. This is often in contrast to schools who have a formulaic process, where they plug your GPA and test score into a mathematical formula and… voila… you know if you’ve been admitted...

Another incredibly thoughtful and important blog from Rick Clark at Georgia Tech Office of Undergraduate Admission. So many compelling points in this article and I hope that rising seniors, and parents, take the time to read all the way through.

I'll be visiting Georgia Tech next month!

Mindset and Approach- A Rising Senior’s Guide to College Admission Last year I wrote this blog criticizing February, and man did the Feb fans have some words. Wow. Well, now I’m taking the other side of that coin to say that I’m a big fan of May. First, the weathe…

Northeastern is on the move again, this time adding a campus in New York City.

Northeastern University and Marymount Manhattan College in New York City agree to pursue merger President Aoun announced the news to the Northeastern community. The new entity would be called Northeastern University – New York City.

I went to the Los Angeles County Fair on Friday. I hadn't been there in years! I was impressed to see that Cal Poly Pomona was well represented by students enrolled in the Don B. Huntley College of Agriculture. Majors within the college include Animal and Veterinary Science, Apparel Merchandising and Management, Agribusiness, Nutrition and Food Science, and Plant Science. Students get hands-on experience in their chosen majors and career fields. Students were on hand at the fair caring for agriculture and their animals.

Great advice for parents from Grown and Flown!

We Spoke to Our College Son Once a Week and This Happened We decided to set a one-call-per-week policy when our eldest went off to college and here’s what happened.

The Coast to Coast College Tour, a joint travel partnership with Dartmouth University, Northwestern University, Princeton University, Vanderbilt University, and the UC Berkeley, is hitting the road this month. There are also two virtual events planned for June. Register at this site:

Coast To Coast College Tour Welcome to Coast to Coast, a joint travel partnership among Dartmouth College, Northwestern University, Princeton University, University of California-Berkeley, and Vanderbilt University. Because each of our institutions practices holistic admissions within a highly selective environment, we have pa...

"The number of students in the U.S. majoring in computer and information science has jumped 40% in five years, to more than 600,000 as of 2023." Yet the number of jobs available has been declining.

Computer-Science Majors Graduate Into a World of Fewer Opportunities New grads from top schools can still get jobs. They are just not all going to Facebook or Google.

Interest rates on federal loans will be rising for loans dispersed after July 1 for the 2024-25 school year.

www.cnbc.com

Exciting news from UC Merced

Food for thought about college majors.

Why It Pays to Be a Double Major in College A study finds that people who have two majors have more stable earnings.

Hopefully, by now, seniors have had their FAFSA applications processes and received financial aid award letters from colleges. But here is a helpful guide on what you should see within FAFSA and what each section means.

What You Need To Know About the FAFSA Submission Summary – Federal Student Aid What You Need To Know About the FAFSA Submission Summary FAFSA® Tips•News & Updates5 minutes SHARE FirstGenStudent Freshmen Grants OnlineTools The new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form looks different starting with the 2024–25 award year. One new feature is the FAFSA Submi...

So many opportunities at the University of California. Just a reminder that students who have been accepted and plan to attend a UC must submit their statement of intent to register (SIR) by tomorrow, May 15.

How UC will you be? Campus by campus, dive into clubs, classes and experiences you can only get here.