A student asked me this week, “Should I pay $74,000 a year to go to a famous East Coast private college that I really love or go to a famous Midwest public university, which I like but don’t love, for less money? What can I do to pay for college?” I don’t purport to be a college financial expert in any way, so I typically stay away from giving financial advice. But I’ve seen too many students around the country work very hard on popular scholarship applications with no positive outcomes. I wanted to offer non-traditional ideas on paying for college. While these may not work for everyone, here are 2 entrepreneurial methods I gave my student.

A parent of a senior called me. She was distraught because her child got multiple offers of admission, but… Parent wanted Child to attend the small, private Christian college with excellent academics. Child also got into a large public state university with a party scene and Greek life. Child wants to go there instead. What did I say? “Well, have you visited either campus?” “No.” “Visit with kiddo. You’ll be surprised what you might find.” I wish I took my own advice when I was 17. I didn’t visit Northwestern’s campus before applying. I’ve visited countless colleges since, on behalf of my students. Here’s what I’ve learned.

If you’ve ever seen a list of Ivy League colleges, you likely saw Dartmouth in New Hampshire and Cornell in upstate New York. In 2021, Cornell admitted 10% of applicants; Dartmouth admitted 6%. Though both selective, Cornell and Dartmouth don’t look for the same types of students. Here’s what matters to each college based on an analysis of the 2021-22 Common Data Set. These numbers reflect students who started their freshman year of undergrad in 2021.

Aspiring financiers, bankers, and economists might be torn between Harvard and Penn, two Ivy League schools known for being business education powerhouses. While there’s no need to attend a coveted university like Harvard or Penn to be successful in business, corporate Americans often value the powerful and wealthy network offered by these two name brand degrees. Today, let’s dig into how their undergrad admissions preferences differ.

Did your student get denied from a favorite college? If so, he or she was probably offered a chance to submit an appeal letter. As I review students appeal letters, I keep seeing the same mistakes that make their letters come off immature and ineffective. Here are the 2 big mistakes I’m seeing.

Duke University and UNC Chapel Hill may be rivals down the street from each other in North Carolina. Applicants to these two colleges shouldn’t assume they value the same admissions factors. They also shouldn’t assume Duke is harder to get into with its 4.3% acceptance rate vs. UNC’s 19%. From high test scores to interviews to essays to grades, what matters most to each of these top research universities?

UCLA admitted about 11% of applicants for Fall 2021 entry. UC Berkeley admitted about 14% of applicants for the same cycle. The two colleges are often compared as equals. They’re clearly among the most popular colleges in the country: they receive 100k+ applications every year. But even though they’re both public California colleges that even use the same exact application (UC Apply), they do not evaluate applicants the same way. Here’s how they differ.