Every year, college rankings generate headlines and create anxiety among families who want their child to attend the “best” college. A school climbs five spots and celebrates; another school drops a few notches and parents start to wonder if something's wrong. But before giving rankings too much weight, it's worth asking what they're actually measuring. Consider this: If Naperville, Illinois, is ranked as the #1 place to live in America, would you move there? Probably not. Ma

Business is one of the most popular majors, and a new Validated Insights report (Higher Ed Insights, August 2025), drawing on National Student Clearinghouse data, confirms it's the top bachelor's field in the country. In Spring 2025, about 1.63 million students at four-year colleges majored in business-related fields (across all class years), up 4.8% from the year before. The Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) alone accounts for 646,747 of them. Finance and Accounting

If your family is filling out the FAFSA for the first time, one detail catches almost everyone off guard: it asks for tax information from two years earlier, the "prior-prior year." For students starting college in the 2027–28 school year, that means 2025 taxes. This lag makes the process faster and more predictable for colleges to handle, but it also means the form can describe a financial picture that no longer matches your family's reality. A bonus, an inheritance, or a jo

Every October, sophomores and juniors across the country sit down for the PSAT, and every October, families have the same questions: Does this count? Do we need to prep? What happens with the score? Here's what's useful to know, broken down by grade. For freshmen: The PSAT isn't typically offered until sophomore year, but this is a good year to build foundational reading and math skills through regular coursework rather than test-specific prep. Strong classroom habits now pay

Students often worry about calling attention to anything negative on a college application, but just because you ignore something doesn't mean admissions officers won't notice it. Admissions officers aren't looking for a diagnosis or a confession; they're looking for context that helps them understand the story your transcript is telling. Take a rough patch in a single class. If you bombed a midterm but sought out extra help and pulled your grade from a D to a C by year's end

For most families, the sticker price on a college's website has almost nothing to do with what you'll actually pay. That's where two tools come in: the Cost of Attendance (COA) and the Net Price Calculator (NPC). Understanding both can turn a huge, scary number into a manageable plan. Every college publishes a COA, which includes tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, transportation, and personal expenses. This is the federally mandated "sticker price," meant t

If you are fascinated by the nature of living things, enjoy conducting experiments, and like math and science, a major in biology may be right for you. As a biology major, you will study the beginnings of both plant and animal life forms and analyze their structures, functions, and traits. The study of biology has many areas of specialization, allowing students multiple career paths in a wide variety of fields after completing the major. The biology major program consists of

College admissions can feel confusing, stressful, and complicated at times, but for most students, things ultimately work out well. However, your journey to college will likely go more smoothly if you avoid these common mistakes. Lying on your college applications. When you’re worried about getting into college, it can sometimes be tempting to stretch the truth on your applications. Maybe add a few extracurriculars that you haven’t really actively participated in, or exaggera

Starting college is a major life transition. While it's liberating not to have anyone telling you when to go to bed or when to study, you're now responsible for yourself. As you handle problems with professors or roommates on your own, you'll gain real confidence in your ability to manage your life. You will meet a lot of smart, accomplished students, and this can be intimidating. But remember: admissions officers turn down thousands of well-qualified students. If you've been

When it comes to paying for college, most families think of two options: federal financial aid and big-name private lenders. However, there is a third option that is often overlooked: state-based nonprofit student loan lenders. For parents navigating the complex world of college financing, understanding this option could save your family thousands of dollars. State-based nonprofit lenders are organizations often created or sanctioned by state governments, whose mission is to

Ask twenty people what they think about the term "liberal arts education," and you'll likely get twenty different responses, and those responses will probably contain as many misconceptions as facts. Let's clear up the myths: All liberal arts students are politically liberal. False. Students of all political beliefs graduate with liberal arts degrees. The word "liberal" in liberal arts has nothing to do with politics. It's rooted in the Latin term "artes liberalis," in which

Summer does not need to be packed with expensive camps or prestigious programs to be meaningful. It is a rare stretch of time when students can pause and ask a question that gets lost in the school-year rush: What do I actually care about? Before thinking about programs or internships, start there. Genuine self-knowledge shapes every decision that follows, including, eventually, the college search itself. Ask yourself some honest questions. What activities are you already inv

After years of structured schedules, deadlines, and pressure, it's not surprising that many students arrive at the end of high school feeling burnt out. A gap year gives students the chance to reset, gain real-world experience, and build the independence they'll need to succeed in college. That can look very different depending on the student. Some stay close to home and work, save money, or take a class, while others pursue internships, volunteer, or explore interests that w

Applied mathematics is the study of mathematical methods and how they're used to address problems in science, engineering, business, and other fields. It sits between pure mathematics and the applied disciplines that use math as a tool. Students build skills in calculus, linear algebra, differential equations, probability, and computational methods, then learn to apply those to real-world problems. Most programs encourage students to develop depth in a second subject. This gi

As college application season approaches, a familiar pattern often emerges: parents want to help their teenagers succeed, so they begin stepping in to manage parts of the process. The motivation is understandable. Applying to college can feel overwhelming, and parents naturally want to reduce stress for their child. But there is an important difference between supporting a teenager and taking over the process. Researchers have begun studying what is often called “overparentin

A is for the checking account you’ll want to open. If possible, choose a bank with locations near both home and campus, and make sure parents can easily transfer money when needed. This makes day-to-day spending much easier to manage. B is for budget. Create a realistic one that includes everyday spending and a cushion for unexpected expenses. C stands for credit rating. Be careful about carrying balances that are hard to repay. Ideally, pay off your credit card in full each

It’s college-decision season. You open your email or log into your college portal to check your admissions status. But if the message you opened begins with “We regret to inform you…,” it can feel like the air just got sucked out of the room, especially if this was your “first choice” college. First, take a deep breath. The volume of applications keeps rising. This year, more than 1.2 million students submitted over 7.6 million applications through the Common App, an increase

The joys of opening offers of admission from colleges are sometimes tempered by the challenges of reading financial aid packages that fall short of your hopes for support. Many families read aid packages and are dismayed to see their Student Aid Index (expected family contribution) number to be more than they had anticipated or budgeted for. If this describes your situation, know that there is one more step you can pursue: an appeal. When you appeal your financial aid package

Most students hear the words crop and soil science and picture farms and tractors. But the field is far broader and more interesting than many people realize. It connects to professional sports, environmental sustainability, space exploration, and even the foods and drinks people enjoy every day. Take professional sports. When millions of people watch the World Cup, the focus is on the athletes and the goals scored. Few viewers think about the field itself. Yet the playing s

In a time when college admissions can feel like a competition, it’s easy to think every activity needs to “look good” on your applications. Community service often falls into that trap, reduced to logging hours or checking a requirement. The truth is, most colleges don’t require community service. The true value of service is the impact on your community and on yourself. During adolescence, your ability to understand other people’s perspectives is growing, along with your des