Completing College Applications Many students find applying to college to be an intimidating subject, but it doesn’t have to be. Actually applying- the act of filling out the applications- can be a relatively easy thing, provided that you’ve done the required steps beforehand. Students should first identify what colleges that they want to apply to, [...]
How Busy Should A High School Student Be?
I work with many high school students who are very busy. They get up at 6:30 am and aren’t in bed until 11pm or even midnight by the time they have finished their homework. Sports, cheer leading, tutoring, piano lessons, and other activities take up a lot of their after school time. But, how busy [...]
Interview With Joan House, Disability Director At Carlow University In Pittsburgh
Among the many colleges and colleagues that I’ve worked with, there are some that I feel that students and families should know more about. With more and more students going to college with a disability, there are many questions that students have. To help answer some of these, I’ve invited Joan House, Director of Disability [...]
Should I Attend A Junior College?
Should I Attend A Junior College? A “junior college” is generally thought of as the college level that falls below traditional four-year institutions that confer bachelor’s degrees. While this is true, there can be a broad interpretations of what these “junior college” can mean. Some consider community colleges to be junior colleges, which isn’t necessarily [...]
The Pros And Cons Of Private Colleges
When students and families are browse rankings for a “top college,” many private colleges appear on such lists. The most notable schools in the U.S. are often private, non-profit colleges, such as Harvard and Yale. While private colleges have a reputation for quality of education, this is often offset by higher costs and greater competition [...]
Audio Page Added
I’ve added an audio page to my main website so that readers have the option to listen to me talk about specific topics. This particular gallery-style page had two options: You can listen via an in-page audio player without having to download. Or, you can download the MP3 to your computer, iPod, or even burn [...]
Fall 2010 Update
It’s been a busy summer, with a lot of great meetings and progress. Unfortunately, writing blog posts hasn’t been part of that, and I’m hoping to post more once school is fully underway. I’m also planning to add an audio page to my website, and to finish some needed updates of the pages. A few [...]
True Stories: A College Failure Turned To Success
“James” was a 21 year-old-man when I met him. From the Pittsburgh area, he graduated from a well respected suburban high school with a 2.8 GPA and above average SAT scores. He attended a large state university in the mid-south, and his struggles began almost immediately, manifesting fully during his third semester. He was placed [...]
I’m Failing College- But I Don’t Want Help
Students who suddenly find themselves doing poorly or even failing in college often try to go it alone. In some cases, they can resolve the situation themselves. But in most, the situation doesn’t improve and can even become worse. When parents try to help, the student can distance themselves or even feel worse. For students, [...]
The Cycle Of College Failure And Regret
College failure can and does repeat itself, and very often the same factors that caused the initial failure can cause a second, or even third. There is a myth that bright students can’t fail, or that students that did fail didn’t “have what it takes.” I can tell you that, from directly working with students [...]