I got a call the other day from a mother who was concerned about her son who is getting ready to apply to college. She’s worried about what he should declare as a major. The good news is that the boy knows what he wants: he wants to get rich, filthy rich. She explained that his view of the world is slightly skewed because where they live all of his friends’ parents are either movie stars or hedge fund managers. (I immediately made a mental note to start hanging out at their local Starbucks.) Her son has decided that his talents are more suited to hedge fund managing than movie stardom. And the investment guys have assured him that the road to hedge fund managing has lower risk an...

I’m not too confident that I’m smarter than a fifth grader. Probably not. However, we now have irrefutable proof that I am smarter than my two adult sons. For the past two or three decades I’ve struggled with the uneasy feeling that they outpaced me intellectually. My youngest son is a professional musician who plays several instruments well and was born with the math gene; and his older brother is a true man of letters who chose the sordid life of professional playwright and screen writer over the ivy halls of academia. For many years the subject of who was smarter was a taboo in our family because I convinced them it was irrelevant as long as I could still kick their butt...

“It’s destructive of the very function of admissions. The credibility of American higher education is at risk if we begin to parcel out pieces of it like car sales.” OMG! Can it be? This is an outrage! Is car buying really going the way of college admissions? That would be a disaster. I mean when I bought our new Lexus IS250 (really cool car) I went to the dealer, drove that baby around the block, got a feel for how it handled and made me feel about myself. Then we sat down and the salesman said, “I’ll sell you this purty li’l thang for a dozen Krispy-Kremes,” And I said, “I drove her; I know what I’ll be gettin’. I’ll give yo...

I stopped by my local Barnes & Noble the other day to pick up a new pair of reading glasses, and remembered I needed a new K&W Guide to Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities to replace my dog-eared, out of date, copy. What a valuable resource this hefty tome is for anyone stressing out about where an unconventional learner with a diagnosed disability will land in higher education. The K&W Guide is everything a college guide ought to be. It provides thorough and detailed information on the extent of support services offered by a range of colleges across the country and profiles each school’s services. It groups colleges into three categories based on their level of support re...

The acceptances are in and the SIR’s (statement of intent to register) have been returned. Financial aid awards are being appealed and renegotiated – or not. Time to pop the cork on the champagne or just sit back and enjoy a nice refreshing glass of iced tea, depending on your drinking habits and how much stress invaded your household during the college application period. If you’re a student who spent the last half decade or so getting by on 4 hours of sleep trying to redefine the meaning of “achievement” just so you could join the fraternal order at one of America’s premier name brand selective colleges, you are either giddy with joy or contemplating the...

Given the state of our economy it’s no surprise that the number of applications to the most selective colleges and universities reached record highs again this year. Harvard received 34,950 applications and accepted 6.2%, while Yale received 27,282 applications and admitted 7.4%; Brown University admitted 8.4% from 30,948 applications. These statistics are deceptively high when reduced by the number of Early Decision admits at several institutions and outreach for athletes and students with special talents.

The Common Application makes it easier for students to add so called “reach” schools to their list regardless of how unrealistic the chances of admission. Also, many of t...