Alison Merzel
15 Tips for the 2024 FAFSA
As you may be aware, the FAFSA Simplification Act is generating new changes for the FAFSA for 2024-2025. While the FAFSA typically is...
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Alison Merzel
- Apr 11
- 2 min
School Spotlight: University of San Diego
University of San Diego (USD), located just 30 minutes from the Mexican border and two hours from Los Angeles, offers a sense of...
Alison Merzel
- Mar 16
- 3 min
The Importance of a Balanced List
Sometimes I feel like a broken record when I harp on the importance of creating a balanced college list in my meetings with families....
Alison Merzel
- Mar 6
- 2 min
Digital SAT: Coming soon to a testing site near you
As if the conversation around standardized testing isn't confusing enough, we can soon add another layer of complication as the Digital...
Alison Merzel
- Jan 31
- 2 min
School Spotlight: Champlain College
Located in Burlington, Vermont, one of the best college towns in the U.S., Champlain College is primarily known for its strength in game...
Alison Merzel
- Jan 6
- 2 min
You've been deferred - now what?
You got a letter from your ED or EA school that indicates their decision to defer your decision until a later round. What should you do?...
Alison Merzel
- Nov 16, 2022
- 3 min
Don't Let "Average GPA" Scare You Away
If you look at published GPA ranges for many well-known colleges and universities, you may start to scratch your head in bewilderment....
Alison Merzel
- Sep 16, 2022
- 1 min
Look out for the SSAR and the SRAR
While many colleges/universities request official high school transcripts as a part of the application process, some prefer to see a...
Alison Merzel
- May 13, 2022
- 3 min
School Spotlight: Ohio University and the Honors Tutorial College
I had the pleasure of driving to Athens for a visit to OU on a spectacular Ohio day, perfect for a college tour. My student tour guide...
Alison Merzel
- Mar 28, 2022
- 2 min
To stay or not to stay on the waitlist. That is the question.
You may have noticed that this year, in particular, colleges are handing out waitlist decisions like candy. It almost feels like "YOU get...
Alison Merzel
- Mar 23, 2022
- 2 min
School Spotlight: Carnegie Mellon University
Despite the frigid temperature during my February visit, I was extremely impressed by Carnegie Mellon. This medium-sized private...
Alison Merzel
- Mar 9, 2022
- 2 min
School Spotlight: University of Dayton
I had the good fortune of being able to visit UD on an unusually warm and beautiful February day. I was extremely impressed with the...
Alison Merzel
- Mar 3, 2022
- 1 min
Common App Application Updates
The Common Application recently published a report of application trends through February 15, 2022. Here are the big takeaways: 1) Since...
Alison Merzel
- Feb 25, 2022
- 2 min
School Spotlight: University of Pittsburgh
I had the pleasure of visiting Pitt on that lovely spring-like President's Day (in contrast to my fantastic, yet FRIGID tour earlier that...
Alison Merzel
- Feb 3, 2022
- 2 min
School Spotlight: Colgate University
Around this time last year, Colgate University made higher education headlines because they saw a 102% increase in application volume and...
Alison Merzel
- Feb 1, 2022
- 3 min
Unpredictability is the Reality
As admissions decisions continue to get released, there is always chatter about why one student got into a school and another didn't. "He...
Alison Merzel
- Jan 14, 2022
- 2 min
School Spotlight: NC State
If you receive my quarterly newsletter, you recently read that NC State is planning to enroll 5,000 more students in engineering and...
Alison Merzel
- Dec 2, 2021
- 2 min
School Spotlight: Emerson College
Some students will thrive in a less traditional academic environment, one where hands-on, project-based learning is the norm. For strong...
Alison Merzel
- Nov 16, 2021
- 3 min
Know your Regional Admissions Reps!
Many colleges and universities divide their admissions offices into states or territories, designating specific staff members to be...
Alison Merzel
- Oct 29, 2021
- 2 min
School Spotlight: University of Georgia
If you are looking for evidence that being on the Common Application helps a university increase its application volume, look no further...
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