"Paying for college is one of the only decisions a parent makes that can negatively impact multiple generations of a family." Debbie Schwartz, Road 2 College College is one of the largest expenses most families will ever take on, often second only to buying a home, and sometimes even more expensive. The biggest mistake some families make is applying to (or accepting) a college and then trying to figure out how to pay for it . Most families cover college costs with past inco

By Liz Agather, Agather College Consulting Over ten years ago, when my daughter was looking for a college, I had no idea how much college would cost. I spent hours researching her crazy-long list of 25+ performing arts schools as we firmed up "our family scholarship" and removed colleges that were over our budget. Full disclosure: In planning, I missed the $7,500 conservatory fee added to her tuition each year as a requirement for her major. The experience left me passionate

by: Liz Agather, Agather College Consulting “Mom, I might have failed English 201.” When my daughter said this to me in December of her...

Every year, students ask me for help finding scholarships. Sadly, there is misguided marketing that makes it seem easy to win scholarships. Part of this stems from the huge discounts that less competitive private colleges use to encourage students to enroll. Colleges know that if they offer a named scholarship (e.g., Presidential), the family will see it as prestigious, even if the net cost remains high. True Story: My daughter was awarded over $2 million in scholarships by a

By Liz Agather, Co-Chair/Founder, IECA College Affordability Affinity Group, Agather College Consulting, Independent Ed Consultant...

In recent years, many high schools have been encouraging students to participate in Dual Enrollment (DE) . This trend is noticeable even...

When choosing a college, consider it a major consumer purchase—like a house. You would not tour million-dollar homes with a $500K budget....

The ACT is undergoing major changes, making the test more flexible and student-friendly. If you plan to take the ACT soon, here’s what...

When it comes to high school course planning, students and parents often feel overwhelmed by the choices and expectations. The goal should be to create a curriculum that challenges the students while ensuring they remain successful and engaged. As a high school counselor once told me, “Imagine a rubber band between your hands; as you separate your hands, there is tension. We want to plan a curriculum with no slack in the rubber band and some tension left so the student is su

True story: A few years ago, a parent casually said to me, “I am taking my son to visit Wake Forest this weekend.” As a college admissions consultant, it was not a school I put on his son’s college list. I cautioned the parent that Wake Forest would cost $75,000 a year for his family. He explained a neighbor’s son was going for basically “free,” and I confirmed that high-need students could attend schools like Wake for free or at a reduced rate. According to Visual Capitalist