Spicer Custom Academic Counseling, LLC

11/17/2022

Applying to college without SAT or ACT scores means your personal essay matters so much more! Let Spicer Custom Academic Counseling help your student tell their best story.

https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/as-college-admission-landscape-changes-priority-shifts-to-essays/

For parents of high school seniors, this time of year is the start of the college admissions adventure.

05/25/2022

Tues(Wednes)day Newsday!

Thanks to my team at Bennett College Consulting, I spent last week in Philadelphia at the IECA (Independent Educational Consultants Association) annual conference. It was great to meet new friends, connect with new and former colleagues, and visit the campuses of Princeton, Rider, and Temple universities.

A resounding goal of the conference was to help families learn of the scores of liberal arts colleges across the country (tons of whom are private) that seem almost desperate to enroll a wide range of students from all over the U.S. and the world, AND to make attendance affordable.

This week's call to action, then, is to visit Colleges That Change Lives (https://ctcl.org/about/) to explore small liberal arts schools that offer a fantastically rich education, and which are committed to providing high dollar amounts for both need- and merit-based aid.

Let Spicer Custom Academic Counseling help your family find great colleges that are the right fit AND affordable!

05/02/2022

04/21/2022

Tuesday Newsday! (on a Thursday)

College Rankings can be useful when starting to look for schools, but, ultimately, a school's programs, culture, setting, and programs are really only the "best" or "worst" based on how well they meet each student's particular needs and interests.

What's best according to US News & World Report may not be what's best for you...and this article brings to light some concern about how those rankings are made.

Come see how Spicer Custom Academic Counseling can help find the top ranked schools according to your student's specific standards!

Two lawsuits charge that the Rutgers Business School inflated its rank by hiring its own students through a placement company.

04/05/2022

Tuesday Newsday!

Attention parents of juniors: If you're looking for SAT or ACT practice, please see the promotion below.

A note of caution, though: please do not have your child do this if they are younger than 11th grade. Over-testing can cause anxiety and burn-out, and there are several free practice tests yet to come.

Spring is a great time to test drive the SAT and ACT! Applerouth will be hosting free proctored SAT and ACT exams on April 23rd and 24th. Once you reserve your spot, you’ll get a detailed score breakdown, access to strategy sessions, and help with creating a custom study plan. To sign up for a free practice test today, please visit www.applerouth.com/testdrive.

Take a free proctored exam online or in-person and get a detailed score breakdown, access to strategy sessions, and a custom study plan.

03/15/2022

Tuesday (No) Newsday! Just checking in from Seattle

Had a great tour of the University of Washington this morning. What an impressive campus, large but walkable, with crazy beautiful buildings. Enjoy the photos (just pretend you can see Mount Rainier above the fountain...that wasn't on because "We get wet enough," according to our tour guide).

02/26/2022

Newsday - Saturday Edition

UT is looking to spread the wealth across its non-Austin campuses. Great news for students with need.

Let Spicer Custom Academic Counseling explore which UT campus and program would work best for you!

The University of Texas system Board of Regents has established a $300 million endowment to fund tuition assistance programs using funding from higher-than-expected returns on investments over the past fiscal year. The program, called Promise Plus, will provide tuition assistance to eligible student...

02/22/2022

Tuesday Newsday!

Don't let the title of this article fool you. It pays off more to go to college than to not, but not at every college and not in every major.

Some key takeaways:
"Most students who attend college earn more 10 years down the road than those who don’t."

"Students who attend college but never graduate miss out on the 'earnings premium' that comes with a college degree..."

Find college's Return on Investment rankings here: https://cew.georgetown.edu/cew-reports/roi2022/

"The University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis took the top spot, with a net economic gain of $2.68 million 40 years after enrollment."

Private colleges cost more to attend and take longer to pay off, so you'd better be patient.

Consider how Spicer Custom Academic Counseling can help you individualize your path to college and long-term financial security.

02/08/2022

Tuesday Newsday!

Undecided? Emory U. in Atlanta hopes you’ll choose it by announcing it will replace loans (you pay back) with grants (you don’t pay back) for students with need beginning in Fall, 2022. Their 20% acceptance rate means it's still a reach for most, but what if...?

Let Spicer Custom Academic Counseling help you decide if Emory is the U. for you!

Emory University announced Monday that it will replace all need-based loans as part of undergraduate students’ financial aid packages, replacing them with institutional grants and scholarships beginning this fall for the 2022–23 academic year. The university currently spends $143 million on need...

01/25/2022

Don't have a lot of money, but want a lot of money? This article's for you!

The author of the study examined here notes that "Maine Maritime Academy had the highest return on investment for low-income students—$2.2 million—among public four-year institutions." But you've gotta get admitted first!

Let Spicer Custom Academic Counseling help you create your path to college (and financial success).

Some colleges yield higher earnings than others for low-income students, a new report found.

01/11/2022

Tuesday Newsday!

"I just want to get as far from home as possible."
"I don't care where I go, but it's got to be out of state."
"I don't care where I go, as long as the program's good."

As the spring semester begins, high school juniors begin to envision their lives in college. This article offers some great questions to consider when deciding where to go for college visits and where, truly, will feel like their home away from home.

https://www.collegedata.com/resources/the-facts-on-fit/college-setting-and-location-matter?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=setting-and-location&dm_i=50NV,G6S4,6M57V5,1Q9IE,1

Let Spicer Custom Academic Counseling help guide you toward colleges that will be the right fit for you!

Leaping into a new environment without much thought is risky. So think about what surroundings and whereabouts fit your needs and make you feel at home.