Compiled in "real time" as one family went through the college search. Life’s Little College Admission Insights best selling author and his college bound daughter have compiled a "jump starter" for collegiate research. Top experts across the country (including Marilyn Emerson) were interviewed and have given many wise and different opinions on what’s important from their own first hand experience advising hundreds of thousands of students in their careers. Available here.

Guide to Being a Successful College Applicant
(posted on Unigo by Marilyn G.S. Emerson, 7/2/09)
When thinking about which colleges to apply to, you need to realize that fitting the profile of a given school is necessary but not sufficient for being admitted. The fact that you "deserve" to get in to a school will be irrelevant if you do not approach the admissions process thoughtfully. Here are some things to think about:   more  

Guidebooks, Rankings and Relatives Oh My!
(posted on Unigo by Marilyn G.S. Emerson, 7/2/09)
What is the best way to start your college search? Find out   here  .

AP classes and college admissions: what is a rigorous high school course load?
(Lauren Starkey, College Admissions Examiner - June 26, 2009)

Here’s an interesting question from a College Admissions Examiner subscriber:

I know that colleges look at the rigor of one's coursework but I was wondering to what extent. Do they look for a number of AP courses or a certain level of math, for example, as a minimum? Can you define specifically what a rigorous high school course selection is? Or to what level of math and/or science should a student attain?

The question touches on an important admissions factor — one that’s not often discussed. The quality of public high schools varies widely. Some schools offer many AP classes while others have none or only a few. Grading systems and teacher qualifications vary as well. Marilyn Emerson, President of College Planning Services Inc. explains, "For that reason, there is no set rule and no set number of AP classes. College admissions representatives are generally well aware of the opportunities available at specific high schools; when they read applications, they ask if students have challenged themselves and have taken full advantage of the academic opportunities presented by their high schools. It’s a natural question to ask, because the answer helps them to predict the extent to which a student will take advantage of the opportunities that college will offer."

Professional Advice on a Parents’ Role in College Admissions
(Lauren Starkey, College Admissions Examiner - March 5, 2009)
Marilyn Emerson will visit fifty colleges and universities this year. She did it last year, too. And the year before. She’ll take the student-led tours, attend information sessions, and meet with admissions officers.
(Click here for the entire article.)

Hold That Score, and That One, and That One . . .
(Samantha Stainburn 11/2/08)
Starting in spring, students will be able to pick which College Board scores are sent to admissions offices, by test date for the SAT and by individual exam for subject tests. Heretofore, an applicant’s every score was automatically sent. ACT has long allowed students to pick which scores colleges see. A cause for celebration? ...
("Test anxiety can cause some smart students to be bad testtakers," says Marilyn Emerson, a New York admissions consultant. "Being able to pick the best score might mitigate this effect somewhat.")
(Click here for the entire article.)

When College Turns Gloomy (Kathleen Megan 1/8/08)
"...by the time second semester begins, the fanfare is over, the non-stop socializing is subsiding and the first semester grades may have signaled a need for more library time. In addition, the warmth of having been home during the holidays may make the return to a dorm room seem all the more bleak. ... Or after comparing notes with their high school buddies, [students] may start thinking that their friends' colleges sound better. ... Or maybe a first semester full of accounting courses has made a student see that it's not business college they wanted, but rather art school.

Whatever the reasons, college experts say the gloom of the early winter months often prompt a healthy percentage of freshmen to call home — or in some cases to call their educational consultants — and start talking about transferring or even simply coming home.

"I've seen it happen," said Marilyn Emerson, an educational planner based in Chappaqua, N.Y., and New York City, "and usually I let parents know in advance that it might happen and they might get the phone calls — especially from kids at schools where the weather is freezing cold and it's snowy.

"A lot of activities become indoor activities and it's just not the same, but I also caution parents that it's going to change again with the spring ... I tell parents they should listen and be supportive, but not rush into talking about transferring."

Barry Schreier, director of counseling and mental health services at the University of Connecticut, said he always reminds parents to remind students that "uncomfortable feelings don't last forever" and that they are not the only ones having trouble.

When spring arrives, almost everyone — except perhaps the seniors — starts to feel better.

The Perils and Perks of Helicopter Parents (Lucia Graves 12/18/07)
"Helicopter," "hovercraft," "hummingbird." They're terms used to describe parents who micromanage their children, especially during the college application process. ... The question is at what point does a parent go from "helpful" to "helicopter"? If secretarial help is acceptable, is it OK to work on the essay? How extensively? To come up with the essay topic? It's hard to know where to draw the line.

"Parents should realize that admission folk are experts at reading applications and can recognize when an essay has been written or edited heavily by a parent," says Marilyn Emerson, a New York-based college admissions consultant. "For example, a 17-year-old would not use the word 'relish' except in reference to a condiment on a hotdog."

Marilyn Emerson contributed to America’s Best Colleges for B Students by Tamra B. Orr. The book is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other outlets.

  Comparing City Colleges
Says NY Resident in its Dec 3, 2007, issue, "Picking the right college can sometimes feel like trying to solve a jigsaw puzzle...education experts [Marilyn Emerson among them] give the lowdown..." Click here for the Comparing City Colleges chart.

  Marilyn on Fox News - October 2007
Marilyn Emerson, founder of College Planning Services, was interviewed by Fox News recently for a TV segment. The segment will air around the country at times determined by the affiliates. The Fox News station in Orlando, among others, has aired the segment.

  Jennifer Gonzalez 10/22/06
Parents hiring consultants to help decide on a college
On a recent October afternoon, a group of 20 college consultants walked across the leafy campus of Hiram College, snapping pictures and asking questions. College 360, a project of the Northeast Ohio Council on Higher Education, had brought them to six campuses in Northeast Ohio to pitch the virtues of local colleges.
The sales job seemed to be working on Marilyn G.S. Emerson, who runs College Planning Services in Chappaqua, N.Y. She said Hiram's articulate students and the close relationship between students and faculty were especially impressive. Emerson said her job "is to encourage students to think outside of the box. If they want to attend a large school, I still encourage them to visit a small school."

  October 3, 2006
Small Biz: Admissions Consultants for a Song
by Jeffrey Gangemi       Click here for the entire article
Business for ed-consulting firms is booming. Many don't try to repackage students but instead aid them in finding the right fit.
In an article about the educational consultant industry, BusinessWeekOnline's Jeffrey Gangemi profiled a group of successful moderately-priced independent admissions consultants around the country, including Marilyn Emerson of College Planning Services, Inc.

  July 30, 2006
Southbound by Abigail Sullivan Moore
Marilyn G. Emerson, an educational consultant in Chappaqua NY, says fewer families will consider less familiar states like Alabama and Mississippi. "There are just some preconceived ideas about what these areas are like," she says. "People vacation in North and South Carolina and Florida. Maybe that’s why people are more willing to go."

More Students Going South For College by Heather Zimar
(Article based on NYTimes July 30, 2006 issue)
Northern families are often reluctant to [embrace] Southern culture, especially states that are less familiar, like Alabama and Mississippi. "There are just some preconceived ideas about what these areas are like," said Marilyn G. Emerson, an educational consultant in Chappaqua, N.Y. "People vacation in North and South Carolina and Florida. Maybe that’s why people are more willing to go."

IECA Insights, Aug/Sept 2004 Edition
College Bound with a Chronic Illness
Article by Marilyn Emerson, MSW

2004 Edition, America's Best Colleges
How Schools Get Hot..."Some schools do an excellent job with marketing. They're constantly in touch with students, and they create warm and fuzzy feelings."

How to Get Into College, 2004 Edition
Roommate Roulette?...Marilyn Emerson of College Planning Services Inc. in Chappaqua, NY says her students often talk about dorm rooms after their first campus visit, but over time that attribute "gets relegated toward the bottom of the list" as students think more about class size and location.
Is That My Toothpaste?...Marilyn Emerson of College Planning Services Inc. says that when her clients matriculate at schools that offer both suites or old-style dorms to freshmen, the ones who wind up in smaller quarters are initially disappointed. But after they move in, she says, "The feedback I get is they much prefer the older dorms-they're surprised at how social they are."

November 11, 2004, special insert
Making the Final Decision..."Students tend to look at a school differently once they know that a given school wants them."

November, 2004
How to De-Stress College Planning...Visiting colleges is an important step in the process, says Marilyn Emerson, an independent educational consultant in Chappaqua, specializing in college admissions. "Before setting out, parents and children should meet to discuss the 'ground rules.' For example, some teens like their parents to ask questions during a tour while others are mortified. Parents need to go out of their way to make their child feel comfortable." "Dress comfortably, try to visit in decent weather, and don't visit more than two colleges a day," Emerson recommended.

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