Posts by Andrew Belasco:

Higher education is a buyer’s market

Posted on: 14 Nov 2014

Inside Higher Ed, one of higher education’s leading news outlets, recently conducted a nationwide survey of college admission directors. The newly-released results are shocking, and reveal a profession entirely different than that portrayed in popular media. Instead of sifting through an excess of qualified applicants, most admissions officers will spend this fall trying unsuccessfully to […]

Making college affordable

Posted on: 06 Oct 2014

In Back to the Future II, Marty McFly travels from 1985 to 2015 and is shocked to learn that a bottle of Pepsi costs $50. With Pepsi bottles sitting firmly in the $1.50 range as we approach 2015 in real life, this estimate of inflation may have been as fantastical as the hoverboard or the […]

College recommendation letters: What you need to know

Posted on: 09 Sep 2014

With the first week of the school calendar in the rear-view mirror, teachers and students alike are still adjusting to the return of their alarm clock’s discordant daily greeting, hurried breakfasts, and long, regimented days. Soliciting college recommendation letters might be the furthest thing from anyone’s mind which is exactly why it is an ideal […]

Low test scores? These colleges don’t care.

Posted on: 30 Jul 2014

In the past few years, and increasing number of selective colleges and universities have adopted test-optional policies, no longer requiring students to submit their standardized test scores.  Institutions eliminating or de-emphasizing standardized tests often cite a lack of confidence in the SAT’s and ACT’s   ability to predict college success and/or a desire to improve […]

Colleges for the “B” student

Posted on: 17 Jun 2014

Listening to the mainstream media, one might conclude that getting into college has never been a more competitive or harrowing venture. With the exception of a scattering of hyper-selective prestigious schools across the country, this notion could not be further from reality. In truth, today’s college marketplace greatly favors you, the buyer, more than ever […]

So you want to be a doctor…

Posted on: 29 May 2014

Welcome to the second installment of College Transitions’ “So you want to be a…” series. Designed to help career-minded high school students think intelligently about their postsecondary journeys, these blogs will look at the financial, academic, and personal factors one should consider when exploring various professions. Do I need to attend a prestigious undergraduate school? […]

Five things you can do without on your college application

Posted on: 07 May 2014

So much misinformation about the college admissions process is transmitted through the “you have to do x, y, and z” admonitions of peers, relatives, media outlets, and message boards. The items on this list tend to cause students and parents undue stress and, in the end, add little-to-no value to the application process. To be […]

The Case for College Admissions Consulting

Posted on: 30 Apr 2014

As college admission consultants, we are aware of the negative labels attached to our profession. In a field occasionally described as exorbitant, unregulated, and even predatory, we work hard to demonstrate the value of our service, as well as our commitment to the students we guide. Although the rapid rise of the admissions consulting industry should suggest […]