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    Tips for researching colleges from home - Part 1: Academic Fit
    Alison Merzel
    • Mar 23, 2020
    • 3 min

    Tips for researching colleges from home - Part 1: Academic Fit

    While visiting a campus in person is certainly going to give you the best idea as to whether you can see yourself enrolling as a student...
    School Spotlight: Bowling Green State University
    Alison Merzel
    • Mar 17, 2020
    • 1 min

    School Spotlight: Bowling Green State University

    I had the opportunity to hear from Adrea Spoon, Director of Admissions at BGSU last week and was impressed by some of the exciting things...
    5 tips to help you select a school from your offers of admission
    Alison Merzel
    • Mar 10, 2020
    • 3 min

    5 tips to help you select a school from your offers of admission

    If you are a senior who has applied to college for the Fall 2020 enrollment term, this is the time of year when you are evaluating your...
    School Spotlight: Ohio Wesleyan University
    Alison Merzel
    • Mar 9, 2020
    • 1 min

    School Spotlight: Ohio Wesleyan University

    This past weekend, my children performed in the junior piano festival through the Ohio Federation of Music Clubs, which happened to be...
    Unsure about your summer plan? Get a basic job.
    Alison Merzel
    • Mar 3, 2020
    • 2 min

    Unsure about your summer plan? Get a basic job.

    Last month I shared a blog post about summer programs for high school students that were worth exploring. This month I want to shed a...
    To Test or Not to Test: What to consider before opting out of the test at a test-optional school
    Alison Merzel
    • Feb 25, 2020
    • 3 min

    To Test or Not to Test: What to consider before opting out of the test at a test-optional school

    It seems like every week, a new school has announced the decision to go test-optional (see Forbes article). This is encouraging for many...
    Show me the money!
    Alison Merzel
    • Feb 21, 2020
    • 3 min

    Show me the money!

    If the cost of your child's college education is going to play a significant role in where they will be able to enroll, it is never too...
    School Spotlight: George Washington University
    Alison Merzel
    • Feb 18, 2020
    • 1 min

    School Spotlight: George Washington University

    I thought it was rather apropos to dedicate this week's school spotlight to one with a presidential name, so here are Five Fun Facts...
    School Spotlight: DePaul University
    Alison Merzel
    • Feb 13, 2020
    • 1 min

    School Spotlight: DePaul University

    This week, in honor of St. Valentines's Day, I thought I would profile a Catholic university. Why not choose the largest one in the U.S....
    What really matters in your college application
    Alison Merzel
    • Feb 11, 2020
    • 1 min

    What really matters in your college application

    Every year, the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) surveys its member college admissions experts to get insight into...
    School Spotlight: University of Pittsburgh
    Alison Merzel
    • Feb 7, 2020
    • 2 min

    School Spotlight: University of Pittsburgh

    H2P or "Hail to Pitt," the school's fight song, reflects how students feel about their school at large, not just as they cheer for their...
    Visit campus from the comfort of your couch
    Alison Merzel
    • Feb 4, 2020
    • 1 min

    Visit campus from the comfort of your couch

    Visiting a campus is going to give you the best sense of whether you can picture yourself as a student at that school. However, if you...
    School Spotlight: Case Western Reserve University
    Alison Merzel
    • Jan 30, 2020
    • 2 min

    School Spotlight: Case Western Reserve University

    A little bit of history: Case Western Reserve University was created when Western Reserve University and the Case Institute of Technology...
    SAT Subject Tests - To Take or Not To Take
    Alison Merzel
    • Jan 27, 2020
    • 2 min

    SAT Subject Tests - To Take or Not To Take

    There has been a lot of chatter on my discussion forums about the rising number of schools that are doing away with SAT Subject Tests....
    School Spotlight - Davidson College
    Alison Merzel
    • Jan 23, 2020
    • 2 min

    School Spotlight - Davidson College

    First of all, I owe you an apology for the delay in featuring a new School Spotlight! I really love exposing families to colleges and...
    The Dreaded "D" and the Wicked "W"
    Alison Merzel
    • Jan 22, 2020
    • 3 min

    The Dreaded "D" and the Wicked "W"

    Defer. Waitlist. Students and parents often use this language interchangeably, but they don't actually mean the same thing. Technically,...
    Summer programs with benefits: Learn what they are and are not before you shell out the big bucks
    Alison Merzel
    • Jan 15, 2020
    • 2 min

    Summer programs with benefits: Learn what they are and are not before you shell out the big bucks

    Earlier this week, CBS posted an article explaining why expensive summer programs at elite institutions will do nothing to improve your...
    3 easy New Year's resolutions your high schooler can keep
    Alison Merzel
    • Dec 30, 2019
    • 2 min

    3 easy New Year's resolutions your high schooler can keep

    Most New Year's resolutions are not kept because people set goals and expectations for themselves that are not realistic. Here are three...
    School Spotlight on the Sun Devils
    Alison Merzel
    • Dec 24, 2019
    • 2 min

    School Spotlight on the Sun Devils

    A winter vacation trip to see family gave me the opportunity to visit Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. With 118,000 students...
    Hiring an IEC doesn't alert the FBI
    Alison Merzel
    • Dec 16, 2019
    • 3 min

    Hiring an IEC doesn't alert the FBI

    Just as I was preparing to launch my own independent education consulting practice, the news of the Varsity Blues Admissions scandal had...
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