College rankings are fun to talk about, but families shouldn’t view them as the be-all and end-all when they’re building a list of prospective colleges. The reality is that these rankings are subjective. From U.S. News & World Report to The Wall Street Journal to The New York Times, every source uses different data points […]

When Partners For Achievement was founded in 2012 and I delved into statistics regarding how successful kids are at making their college planning choices, I was appalled. Consider these nuggets of information: What to do? At PFA, we created a college planning process to help students think through building their college lists in a more […]

The escalating price of paying for college has hit everyone, regardless of income. Many colleges cost triple or even quadruple what they did in the 1980s.   Further complicating matters is that many families have no idea how schools set their pricing. Consider that two-thirds of students don’t actually pay the sticker, or full price. […]

Don’t underestimate the power of a well-crafted high school resume. Not only is your high school resume a key part of the college application process, but it also serves as one of the first building blocks of your career. Although putting together your first resume takes time and effort, the payoff is worthwhile. Here are […]

Whether you’re a freshman or senior in high school, you’ll benefit from summer programs or other life experiences that enrich your interests. It’s an ideal way to home in on a potential college major or simply to further develop a particular skill set.   The options are seemingly limitless.   Many universities in the Midwest […]

  College fairs can be a great resource to help evaluate your school options. Here are 11 Essential College Fair Tips from Partners For Achievement.   Find out which colleges will be at the college fair and make a list of the schools you are interested in. Make a list of questions beforehand. Fill out […]

Summer is the perfect time for students to focus their attention on updating their records for the purpose of college planning.   1.  Create a college planning folder (hardcopy and digital) to keep track of academic awards, activities, clubs, or community achievements.   2. Start recording or updating your student credentials from the past school year. […]

The biggest advantage to starting your college planning as a freshman or sophomore is that it alleviates stress. There will be 1,000 things on your college to-do list. Spreading them over four years, as opposed to cramming them into one or two, will make all the difference.   Summer is the perfect time to dig […]

When should I start thinking about college planning? Can I rely on our high school counselor to help with college admissions? Should my student take the SAT or ACT? Applying to college is not like what it used to be when I applied; I’m worried about adding pressure on my child.   These are just […]

High school juniors winding down from what is traditionally considered one of the most academically challenging years should shift their focus before the end of the school year to which teachers could provide positive recommendation letters for college applications.   When applying to colleges, commonly two recommendation letters are required. On many applications, a letter […]