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photo courtesy of theconversation.com

One common reaction to hearing about the topic of adolescent mental health is that it's about someone else's kid. Something like: "My son/daughter doesn't have any issues in that area". Unfortunately, the statistics for increasing mental health issues are cause for concern for many parents. 

With the increasing cost of private universities are public universities the best choice?

It is so hard to generalize about whether ALL public universities are a better investment than ALL private universities. Making overall claims can be dangerous. Similarly, making a decision on the whole universe based on comparing just a few colleges has its own set of extrapolations that can translate into a poor decision for a student. 

Cost Considerations: Sticker Shock now more than ever

There is a general misconception about the cost of public universities across the board. For many parents that were educated in the 80s and 90s, there was not as much of a difference between an in-state public university and an out-of-state public university. Since the downturn around 2008 and 2009, more students, at least in the Northeast, migrated to public colleges. And along with the pressure on state funding, state colleges began to charge more for out-of-state students to cover their costs.  

Yet something went very wrong. According to an article from the New York Times, with tax revenues plunging, states slashed funding to colleges just as millions were seeking to enroll. Public colleges could not adequately educate the influx of students. As their state subsidies shrank, public colleges either restricted enrollment, spent less on educating each student, or raised tuition. Sometimes, they did all three. 

There are three categories of public and private 4-year colleges: In-State Public, Out-of-State Public and Private. I selected some popular schools in each of these categories and although there are outliers from the ones I selected, it is easy to see the gaps between these three categories.  

In-State Public: $27,000 per year

Out-of-State Public: $51,000 to $56,000 per year 

Private: $69,000 to $75,000 per year

 Data source: College Navigator

When to expect them and what to do once you get them

PSAT scores from the October tests will be released to students starting on December 9^th, with dates varying by state. For those in Connecticut, PSAT scores will be available on December 9^th; for New York and New Jersey, you will be able to access your scores on December 11^th.

Why is the ACT Announcement so important? The ACT and College Board (SAT) companies have been highly competitive with each other over the past decade, making the ACT’s recent announcement revolutionary for this industry.  Most important is the ability for students to effectively "Do Over" specific sections of the test at their choosing.  For example, if a student has done well in three test sections (ie, English, Math and Reading) but not done as well in Science, they can now retake just the Science section. So what does this mean?

“The biggest takeaway for me is the reminder of the truism that golf is the sport most like life, because it is played on an uneven surface and everything is on you. So good and bad bounces — and self-inflicted mistakes — are built into the game. And so much of success in golf, as in life, is about how you react to those good and bad bounces. Do you quit? Do you throw your club? Do you cheat? Do you whine? Do you blame your caddie?”   - Tiger Woods and the Game of Life, by Thomas Friedman, NY Times 4/15/2019