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Burn the ships!
The official e-newsletter of The Equestrian College Advisor.
From the "Ethical College Admissions" blog of Jim Jump:
Several weeks ago I received an email from a college counseling friend asking for advice. The counselor had just had the kind of “what went wrong?” meeting that is standard at this time of year when directors of college counseling turn into directors of blame for students and parents shocked by the realities of the selective admissions process.
The counselor had met with a mother who wanted a “postmortem.” The student, strong but unhooked, had been admitted to one highly selective national university but also wait-listed and denied at a number of elite colleges and universities.
The term “postmortem” should have been a hint as to how the meeting would go. The student wasn’t present (and may not have known about the meeting), but the mom was accompanied by a professional court transcriptionist. The meeting was less a conversation than an inquest or competency hearing. Read More
IRAs, or
, are a valuable long-term savings tool, particularly for workers who don't have access to a 401(k) through their jobs. If you're saving in a traditional IRA, you're probably aware that the money in that account is meant for retirement, and there are penalties associated with withdrawing funds prior to age 59½. However, there are a few exceptions to that rule.
The latest disgrace involving bribery to obtain admission to elite colleges is atrocious, inexcusable and fraudulent, but the complicated process of admissions might not be as pure as some would like. Behind the scenes, top colleges weigh a lot of factors that students cannot control.
As a professor of psychology for 38 years, including 22 years as the dean of students and chief student affairs officer at Trinity College and later as a consultant to a college prep organization for over a decade, I have some insights into how colleges admit students. Read More
"In 1519, Hernán Cortés sailed to Veracruz, Mexico upon the direction of the King and Queen of Spain, in order to find gold, silver, and a new place to settle. When they arrived, his crew talked incessantly about returning home. They were thinking about home, family, their known life, other places, and an easier path. As they came ashore, Cortes ordered them to “Burn the ships!” Why? So they could not look back, and instead would be fully committed to the expedition."
