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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 | 141421 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 | 63761 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 | 48335 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 | 43882 Views

THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE

10 Tips For This Year?s Common App

(written by John Raftrey) Early decision and early action applications start becoming due at the end of the month. To make sure your Common App is in good shape,...

Original post made by John Raftrey and Lori McCormick on Oct. 7, 2014
Last comment by Jack Redford, on Dec 4, 2015 at 10:10 am | 1 comment | 40309 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 | 40116 Views

THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE

On Tour - The Highly Selective Liberal Arts Colleges: Occidental, Pitzer, and Scripps

Today we visit the highly selective small liberal arts colleges (SLACS) Occidental, Pitzer and Scripps. Pitzer and Scripps complete the Claremont Colleges Consortium...

Original post made by John Raftrey and Lori McCormick on Aug. 21, 2014
Last comment by Gillisn, on Sep 19, 2015 at 3:51 am | 3 comments | 37415 Views

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 | 35240 Views

THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE

UC extends Transfer admissions application

Good news for Transfer students! The UC has decided to extend the deadline to apply until January. Here is a

Original post made by John Raftrey and Lori McCormick on Nov. 9, 2016
There are no comments yet. 34940 Views

THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE

Juniors: Thinking About College

(written by Lori McCormick) I have been fielding several questions from high school juniors, wondering when they should start thinking about college. My answer...

Original post made by John Raftrey and Lori McCormick on Dec. 18, 2016
Last comment by Parent, on Dec 20, 2016 at 2:54 pm | 3 comments | 33220 Views

THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE

College Visit: Lehigh and Lafayette

The following blog was written by my friend and colleague Christine Lee who is an independent college counselor in Kenwood, CA.- JR My recent tours of Lehigh...

Original post made by John Raftrey and Lori McCormick on May. 17, 2015
Last comment by Kaci Libby, on Aug 28, 2015 at 6:42 am | 2 comments | 31257 Views

THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE

New York City College Tours, Part Two: NYU, CUNY Baruch, and NYIT

(Written by Lori McCormick) Several weeks ago I wrote an article on New York City college tours. In case you missed part one,

Original post made by John Raftrey and Lori McCormick on Jan. 19, 2015
There are no comments yet. 28651 Views

THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE

Road Trip to Oregon Colleges

(Written by John Raftrey) A few weeks ago I spent time touring five Oregon colleges with a busload of independent college counselors with the Higher Education...

Original post made by John Raftrey and Lori McCormick on Jul. 2, 2014
Last comment by Parent of high schoolers, on Sep 14, 2017 at 10:10 pm | 2 comments | 28380 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 | 28326 Views

THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE

New York City College Tours - Part One (Pace University and St. John?s)

(written by Lori McCormick) I spent three days touring New York City colleges this past October. In those three days, I visited five colleges: Pace University,...

Original post made by John Raftrey and Lori McCormick on Dec. 4, 2014
Last comment by Stu Soffer, on Dec 5, 2014 at 3:05 pm | 1 comment | 28109 Views

THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE

College Freshmen: Avoiding the Pitfalls

(Written by Lori McCormick) It is Back to School season! College freshmen and their families are checking off their "to do" lists before loading up the...

Original post made by John Raftrey and Lori McCormick on Aug. 29, 2014
Last comment by mom of rreshman, on Sep 1, 2014 at 7:19 am | 1 comment | 27550 Views

THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE

SHOW AND TELL: Tips for Writing the College Application Essay

(Guest blog written by Sally Doane) Of all the components of the college application, the essay is perhaps the one that causes the most dread – more even...

Original post made by John Raftrey and Lori McCormick on Sep. 5, 2014
Last comment by Nikita, on Jul 30, 2015 at 12:18 am | 4 comments | 27452 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 | 26830 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 | 26681 Views

THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE

Visiting Philadelphia: Drexel, Haverford, Swarthmore and Villanova

(Written by John Raftrey) All east coast college trips should start in Philadelphia. There are dozens of top colleges in the Philly area, and they have at least...

Original post made by John Raftrey and Lori McCormick on Jun. 12, 2015
Last comment by Paul Losch, on Jun 15, 2015 at 10:45 am | 2 comments | 26624 Views
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