Overwhelmed By College Admissions “Expertise”?

Is it any wonder that a large proportion of parents hide their heads in the sand when it comes to college search and admissions?

Just look at the abstract of articles below (taken from HS Counselor Week). How many parents could possibly have the time and attention to plow through this amount of information?

And this is only a partial list from one week!

Please note, we have not subjected you to any links in this list. Our objective is not to refer/analyze/criticize any of the pieces or their authors (although we have some misgivings about the self-appointed “gurus”. We are just pointing to the glut/tsunami of information in the media concerning college search, admissions and student financial aid.

Here is the list:
College tuition costs climbing again this fall – The Associated Press – Oct 28, 2010
10 Reasons to Attend Canadian Universities – CBS MoneyWatch.com – Oct 21, 2010
The Economy and College Admissions – Chronicle of Higher Education – Oct 21, 2010
Why America?s Most Expensive Colleges Could Hurt Your Wallet – CBSNews MoneyWatch – Oct 13, 2010
College Dropouts Cost Taxpayers Billions, Report Says – Chronicle of Higher Education – Oct 11, 2010
Here’s What Will Revolutionize Higher Education – CBSNews MoneyWatch – Oct 1, 2010
College tuition: New law aims for more transparency in costs – The Christian Science Monitor – Oct 5, 2010
College Squeezing Out the Middle Class – HuffingtonPost – Oct 6, 2010
Elite Colleges, or Colleges for the Elite? – New York Times – – Sep 30, 2010 0
The High Cost of College – The Atlantic – Sep 23, 2010
Value of College Degree Is Growing, Study Says – New York Times – Sep 21, 2010
Is going to college still a good investment? – MSNBC – Sep 14, 2010
The ‘No-Frills’ College of the Future – BusinessWeek – Sep 9, 2010
Gender divisions in college – Philadelphia Inquirer – Sep 8, 2010
The College Admissions Crash - The Daily Beast – Aug 23, 2010
The Average Cost of a U.S. College Education - US News & World Report – Aug 24, 2010
Private colleges ‘act local’ with financial aid – The Associated Press – Aug 30, 2010
Best (and most unsettling) college admissions book ever – Washington Post – Aug 20, 2010
8 College Admissions Sites You Should Know – GoLocalProv – Oct 25, 2010
How the ‘pros’ keep current on college admissions news and information – DC College Admissions Examiner – Jun 8, 2010

Pretty overwhelming, isn’t it? And that is just the tip of the iceberg.

So how can parents and students stay focused and on track?

Well, college search is a bit like charity …

It begins at home (if you remember the old saying).

Get together as a family team, follow our guidelines in the College Search GamePLAN membership site, and lay out the critical elements for successful college search, application, and funding.

Use the Milestone Chart (also available on the membership site) to stay on schedule plus any other information that is helpful to you (parents and student).

By all means refer to articles such as those mentioned above, but don’t get sidetracked.

And keep close the Ten Commandments Of College Decision Management.

Tagged as: college admissions, college search, college tuition costs, Student Financial Aid