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THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE

Gunn Student Posts Video on Student Deaths and Stress

Gunn senior Martha Cabot?s YouTube video comments on the recent death of a classmate and offers insight into what makes high school stressful. Video has gone viral...

Original post made by John Raftrey and Lori McCormick on Nov. 5, 2014
Last comment by a parent, on Nov 12, 2014 at 6:38 pm | 35 comments | 35019 Views

THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE

Once Again, UC’s Confuse and Disappoint Top Seniors

(Written by John Raftrey) The UC’s are once again giving out confusing results to frustrated high school seniors. Davis must have one long wait list. I’ve...

Original post made by John Raftrey and Lori McCormick on Mar. 19, 2016
Last comment by It Never Ends, on Mar 23, 2016 at 12:53 pm | 23 comments | 63350 Views

THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE

508 Dreams Dashed at UC Santa Cruz

(Written by John Raftrey) UC Santa Cruz has withdrawn their offer of admission to 508 students who were planning to attend the university this fall. The university...

Original post made by John Raftrey and Lori McCormick on Aug. 11, 2015
Last comment by James, on Sep 19, 2015 at 4:24 pm | 23 comments | 26281 Views

THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE

What Freshmen Should be Thinking About College

(Written by John Raftrey) Now that high school freshmen have a semester under their belt, it is a good time to get them thinking a little bit about college. ...

Original post made by John Raftrey and Lori McCormick on Jan. 28, 2015
Last comment by rakaboard, on Mar 28, 2016 at 2:23 pm | 22 comments | 26614 Views

THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE

Standardized Test Prep: When to Start and Whom to Hire?

(written by Lori McCormick) As an independent college admissions advisor, I am often asked when is the right time to prepare for standardized testing. My area...

Original post made by John Raftrey and Lori McCormick on Oct. 30, 2014
Last comment by Ginny McShane, Ed.D., on Nov 5, 2014 at 7:52 pm | 15 comments | 26463 Views

THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE

Touring the SoCal Elites:UCLA, USC, Harvey Mudd, Claremont McKenna

(written by John Raftrey) The second in a series. The Elite schools in Southern California all have admit rates under 20%, making admissions to them a virtual...

Original post made by John Raftrey and Lori McCormick on Aug. 18, 2014
Last comment by Mudder, on Apr 24, 2017 at 6:02 pm | 13 comments | 47918 Views

THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE

Are you taking a Gap Year?

(Written by Lori McCormick) Have you considered taking a gap year? This isn't a question posed often to students but perhaps should be. Often, students...

Original post made by John Raftrey and Lori McCormick on Apr. 20, 2015
Last comment by Paly Parent, on Apr 27, 2015 at 3:49 pm | 12 comments | 20314 Views

THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE

Why I love community college

(Written by Lori McCormick) Guaranteed admissions (with a GED or high school diploma), affordable tuition ($46 per unit), 112 campuses to choose from,

Original post made by John Raftrey and Lori McCormick on Nov. 7, 2014
Last comment by Thanks, on Nov 14, 2014 at 6:05 pm |
11 comments | 22741 Views

THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE

Are you fit for Community College?

(Written by Lori McCormick) I have written about this topic before but feel it is worth repeating. I love community colleges! For the right student, starting...

Original post made by John Raftrey and Lori McCormick on Sep. 27, 2018
Last comment by Common sense, on Nov 11, 2018 at 1:29 pm | 11 comments | 10597 Views

THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE

Visiting Bucknell, Dickinson, Franklin and Marshall, Gettysburg, and Ursinus

(Written by John Raftrey) Recently I visited colleges in Central Pennsylvania and Philadelphia with members of the Higher Education Consultants Association, the...

Original post made by John Raftrey and Lori McCormick on May. 8, 2015
Last comment by Michael, on Jun 11, 2016 at 8:12 pm | 11 comments | 43424 Views

THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE

Middle Class Scholarship for incomes up to $150,000!

(written by Lori McCormick) Having spent a majority of my college advising time working with low-income and/or first generation students, financial...

Original post made by John Raftrey and Lori McCormick on Sep. 23, 2014
Last comment by umam, on Sep 23, 2016 at 8:16 pm | 9 comments | 20109 Views

THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE

Operation Varsity Blues

(written by Lori McCormick) Considering recent news around, Operation Varsity Blues, the largest college admissions scandal ever prosecuted by the Department...

Original post made by John Raftrey and Lori McCormick on Mar. 14, 2019
Last comment by concierge, on May 4, 2019 at 2:12 pm | 9 comments | 11176 Views

THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE

Please Apply So We Can Reject You!

This is the time of year when juniors are hit with all kinds of college marketing propaganda. Some of it makes it sound like the school is ready to admit the student....

Original post made by John Raftrey and Lori McCormick on Feb. 10, 2020
Last comment by vision board examples, on Feb 25, 2020 at 4:08 am | 9 comments | 10576 Views

THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE

UC’s Change Application Essay Prompts

(written by John Raftrey) The University of California announced this week it is eliminating the two essay prompts in their current application and replacing...

Original post made by John Raftrey and Lori McCormick on Mar. 26, 2016
Last comment by dwes, on Jul 21, 2016 at 6:14 am | 8 comments | 141176 Views

THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE

My Pet Peeves

Written by John Raftrey Well juniors, it’s time to start getting serious about applying to college. To get started, here are my pet peeves that are designed...

Original post made by John Raftrey and Lori McCormick on Feb. 17, 2020
Last comment by U-M grad, on Feb 20, 2020 at 1:29 am | 7 comments | 8656 Views

THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE

The University of California’s flexible policies during COVID-19

(written by Lori McCormick) Yesterday, the University of California announced that they are going to ease up on admissions requirements for the current 2020 and...

Original post made by John Raftrey and Lori McCormick on Apr. 2, 2020
Last comment by ASR , on Apr 15, 2020 at 4:09 pm | 7 comments | 11419 Views

THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE

Congratulations To Grads (Parents, Please Step To The Back)

This blog was written by John and is his first blog post! It's that time of year again when Palo Alto parents of high school graduates congratulate each other...

Original post made by John Raftrey and Lori McCormick on May. 27, 2014
Last comment by Vini, on Jun 2, 2014 at 11:31 am | 7 comments | 28035 Views

THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE

Choosing a Major - avoid the ?shoulda, woulda, coulda?

This blog entry was written by Lori and is her first post! I recently reconnected with a former student who graduated from a UC this year. A few short months...

Original post made by John Raftrey and Lori McCormick on Jun. 1, 2014
Last comment by resident, on Jun 4, 2014 at 11:28 pm | 7 comments | 19316 Views

THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE

Harvard drops the requirement for SAT Subjects Tests. What you should do for Harvard and other schools, too.

Harvard made college news last month when they announced that SAT Subject Tests would no longer be required. If you are a low income or first...

Original post made by John Raftrey and Lori McCormick on Jun. 11, 2014
Last comment by pfed, on Jun 17, 2014 at 11:22 am | 7 comments | 39905 Views

THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE

Building a college list

(written by Lori McCormick) Students thoughtfully research colleges, attend college representative visits on their high school campuses, and gather information...

Original post made by John Raftrey and Lori McCormick on Sep. 9, 2015
Last comment by Parent, on Sep 9, 2015 at 5:50 pm | 7 comments | 16945 Views
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