To Test or Not to Test? That is the Question
With so much uncertainty about test requirements for the high school class of 2022, many juniors are torn as they try to decide if they should prepare for and take the SAT or ACT this... Read More
Making the Most of Virtual Tours
One of the many rites of passage for college-bound high school students is the college tour. Although the COVID pandemic has brought most options for on-campus tours to a grinding halt, this should not prevent... Read More
How Will Colleges Make Decisions This Year?
There have been so many challenges and disruptions to our everyday lives since the COVID pandemic started its deadly march across the world. This article addresses the special circumstances for students who are engaged in... Read More
Jen’s Guide to College Admissions Live Course
Are you approaching high school graduation? Are you beginning to research college options? With all of the education choices available, picking the right college for yourself can appear quite overwhelming. Searching for a perfect match... Read More
Before Your Student Leaves For College
There are a few legal and financial issues that should be addressed before your son or daughter goes off to college. If your child has turned or will turn 18 during the next year, they... Read More
Understanding College Admissions in the COVID-19 Era
The COVID-19 pandemic is leaving high school students and their families with a lot of uncertainty. The overarching question on everyone’s mind right now is: What will the recent changes mean for college admissions moving... Read More
How Will Your College Essay Standout?
The fall is a busy time of year for college admissions representatives. They spend a lot of it on the road visiting schools and presenting at college fairs. Their days are spent rushing between... Read More
Paying Your Child’s College Bill
A few months before your child starts college, you’ll receive a bill from the college for your child’s first semester (or quarter) expenses. The college will deduct any financial aid or scholarships, and the... Read More
Appealing Your Financial Aid Award
If your first choice college offers everything you want but the price tag is making you cringe, don’t give up hope; consider appealing your financial aid award. While colleges and universities won’t encourage such an... Read More
Understanding the Net Price of College
Families often experience sticker shock when contemplating the cost of college, but it’s the net price, rather than the sticker price, that prospective students need to consider. Each college publishes the COA or Cost of... Read More
Cutting the Cost of College
As financial aid packages begin to arrive, families are faced with just how much college will cost. At many schools, self-help is up and gift aid is down. That means that colleges are offering less... Read More
Merit Scholarships Make Private Colleges More Affordable
In an effort to avoid losing students to lower-cost public schools, private colleges have been increasing merit-based aid in recent years, with a majority of private colleges awarding scholarships or grants based on merit.... Read More
Financial Matters: Early Decision/ Early Action and Financial Aid
Early Decision is a binding admissions decision plan. In exchange for receiving an earlier admissions decision, students applying ED agree that, if they’re admitted, they’ll attend that college and withdraw all of their other college... Read More
Financial Matters: Pre-College Legal & Financial Matters
There are a few legal and financial issues that should be addressed before your son or daughter goes off to college. If your child has turned or will turn 18 during the next year, she... Read More
Learn the steps to stand out in an interview!
I’m excited to feature an article from Mark Efinger. Mark Efinger has 25 years of experience teaching public speaking and is Founder and President of the Interview Skills Coaching Academy after working on both sides... Read More
Financial Matters: College Choices & Return on Investment
There are so many moving parts to a student’s search for the ‘right’ college – location, academic options, student services, clubs and organizations, career preparations – but none of them matters if a family is... Read More
Financial Matters: Comparing Financial Aid Packages
If you’ve applied for financial aid and filed all the paperwork by the appropriate deadline, an award letter outlining a college’s offer of financial assistance should arrive close on the heels of your notification of... Read More
March Madness
March Madness, the annual men’s NCAA basketball tournament, tipped-off this week with an estimated 70 million brackets filled out. Over the next few weeks, about four billion dollars in workplace productivity will be lost. Madness,... Read More
Financial Matters: Free Money vs Loans
If you’re the parent of a high school senior and you’re thinking about how to pay for college without going broke, it’s a whole new, expensive world. In this world there are just two kinds... Read More
Financial Matters: Tax Benefits for Education
Tax credits may be available to parents who pay higher education costs for their dependents. An education credit helps with the cost of higher education by reducing the amount of tax owed on your tax... Read More
Financial Matters: College Loans
As we have often said, paying for college is a significant challenge for many families. Once all types of grants, scholarships, work study options, jobs and family contributions are cumulatively considered, many families find they... Read More
Maximizing Merit Aid
Although many middle-class and upper income families will not qualify for need based aid, they still may find the cost of attendance at most private colleges intimidating. Have you ever wondered what you can do... Read More
The CSS Profile
The bulk of college financial aid money comes from the federal government; this aid is distributed by colleges using information supplied by families when they complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), available... Read More
Filing the FAFSA
The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is the primary form used by colleges to determine eligibility for need-based aid. In some cases, colleges will not consider an applicant for merit aid unless that... Read More
How Movies Can Help You Write Better Application Essays
Like most people, you probably have many stories that you can tell about your life. You’ve done things, gone places, had triumphs and taken nosedives. As the saying goes, “life happens.” The best college application... Read More
Financial Matters: Talk To Your Kids About Money
Before students leave for college, families need to have a conversation about reasonable spending expectations. Parents need to be aware of the costs of books, clubs, activities and midnight pizza runs. But students shouldn’t assume... Read More
Financial Matters: Does Attending College Make Financial Sense?
Media stories about the rising cost of a college education and student debt, combined with the lingering economic effects of the recession, have led many people to question whether it still makes financial sense to... Read More
Wallowing on the Waitlist
Uh-oh. Your eagerly-awaited decision letter from Dream University finally arrives and you learn that you’ve been offered not the hoped-for place in the class, but a spot on their waitlist. What should you do now?... Read More
Some of the Most Generous Colleges
Now that the heavy-lifting is done on college applications and the students have had a bit of a break from sharing their innermost thoughts in college essays, it’s time to gear up and start searching... Read More
Financial Matters: Trends in Student Loans
You’ve probably seen the headlines suggesting that debt for college students is out of control and getting worse. But, is it really? New data from the research arm of the College Board provide some answers.... Read More
It’s Time to Complete Financial Aid Forms
October 1st marks the first day that American families can apply for student financial aid for the 2018-19 academic year. Here’s what you need to know: • All US colleges require the submission of the... Read More
Financial Matters: Keeping College Application Costs In Check
Applying to college can be a costly proposition. According to U.S. News and World Reports, the average college application fee charged by colleges is $42, with more than a quarter of schools charging $50 or... Read More
Applying Early Decision
Traditionally, college application deadlines were often in January. More recently, however, there has been a push for earlier applications, with admission programs that include Early Action, Early Action II, Early Decision I, Early Decision II... Read More
Writing Great College Essays
Start early. The more time you have, the less stress you’ll feel. Even if your college list isn’t 100% finalized yet, it’s not too early to start thinking about your application essays. Your essays are... Read More
Legal and Financial Issues Before College
If your child has turned or will turn 18 before college begins, she is legally an adult, and you, her parent, lose the legal authority to make decisions on her behalf. That means that you... Read More
Paying Your College Bill
A few months before your child starts college, you’ll receive a bill from the college for your child’s first semester (or quarter) of expenses. The college will deduct any financial aid or scholarships, and the... Read More
Making the Most of Your Summer
Perhaps you’re not one of those super- organized, type-A people who firmed up their summer plans in January. And, right about now you’re finding yourself with more than a little free time this summer. Don’t... Read More
Appealing For More Financial Aid
If your first choice college offers everything you want but the price tag is making you waiver, don’t give up hope. Instead, consider appealing to the college’s financial aid office for more money. While colleges... Read More
How Parents Can Help Seniors Handle Rejection
Parents just want to help. The natural reaction when you see your child suffering is to try and make it better. Denials are inevitable in an atmosphere of increasingly selective admissions, so how can parents... Read More
SAT or ACT? Which is Right for You?
A year ago, the SAT was revamped, and now students wonder, should they take the new SAT or the ACT? Keep in mind that a 1600 on the new SAT is the same as a... Read More
Need Accommodations for the SAT or ACT?
Recently, both the College Board and the ACT announced big changes to their test accommodations policy. Unlike the past, when students seeking accommodations had to pass through a number of hoops, the process has been... Read More
Avoiding the Dreaded Disease: Senioritis!
American seniors sometimes think that because they have worked so hard throughout high school, they have earned the right to slack off senior year, especially in the last few months. By now, mid-year grades are... Read More
Using PSAT Results in Planning Testing Strategy
Each year, tens of thousands of students take the PSAT exam at high schools across the United States. The PSAT is not used by colleges in the admissions process, but the results can help you... Read More
Financial Matters: Time for an FSA ID!
October 1st marks the opening of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid website for students applying for aid for the 2017-18 academic year. Although many colleges have much later deadlines for submitting the FAFSA,... Read More
Completing Your CSS Profile
The bulk of college financial aid money comes from the federal government; this aid is distributed by colleges using information supplied by families when they complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) available... Read More
Helping Your Child Select a College
It’s that time of year and students all over the country are anxiously awaiting the decision of their college applications. Some will decide to stay close to home, while others will step away from... Read More
Are you worried about how you’ll pay for college?
Well, rest assured! There are many different funding opportunities to choose from, including scholarships, grants, and loans. In this article, you will learn more about different financial aid options for your student, and information... Read More
Determining “The Best Fit” College
All of our students at My Pathway to College come to us for help not only getting into college, but finding the best-fit college. There are over 7,000 colleges to choose from, and every student has... Read More
Rising Seniors Monthly To-Do List
Over the years, My Pathway to College has experienced that rising seniors who began writing application essays during the summer did much better at getting accepted to their first choice schools. We believe this was... Read More
Class of 2015: Fire and Ice Party
Getting accepted into college is a huge milestone, as we all know. For the entire duration of high school, our students are not only learning new subjects, but discovering and exploring their interests both inside... Read More
Tips for Having a Productive Summer
High schoolers: summer is here! The next few months are filled with trips, hanging out with friends, catching up on sleep—maybe even working your first internship. For many of us, the summer is also a... Read More
How to Prepare for Freshman Year of College
Congratulations: you got into college! That is a HUGE accomplishment. And while the big move is still months away, there are some things you can do this summer to prepare. (Yes, those college forms sent... Read More
2015-2016 College Application Essay Prompts
While the college essay is just one portion of the application process, it does carry weight. Think about it: the personal essay is the only place an admissions reader can discover something about you that... Read More
Best Value Schools: National Universities
The higher the quality the program and the lower the cost, the better the deal according to US News. This ranking is based on schools ranked in the top half of their categories as US... Read More
FREE College Readiness Presentation Series!
My Pathway to College will be providing free college readiness sessions from 12-1 p.m., for students and/or parents who have enrolled in a Mira Costa College Youth Academy course. If interested in enrolling in a... Read More