The College Application Specialist

09/05/2026

What a college decides your family can afford and what your family can actually afford are never the same number. Colleges run their own formulas. Your Student Aid Index tells them what they believe you can pay. It does not obligate them to close any gap between that number and your real budget.

That gap is where families get blindsided in April, after acceptance letters are already in hand.

Back to School enrollment closes October 15. Book your free discovery call.

09/03/2026

"If your family makes under $200,000, we will cover your tuition." You have probably seen a headline like that this year.

It sounds great, until you count what tuition does not include. Room, board, and travel can still run $12,000 to $30,000 a year. If there is no merit aid on top of the tuition offer, that is the number your family has to find on its own.

Read the offer for what it actually covers, not what the headline implies. Register for the next College Strategy Series session to break down offers like this one, school by school.

09/02/2026

Paying for college is one of the biggest investments your family will ever make. It deserves the same effort, research, and professional support you'd bring to buying a home or planning a wedding.

You wouldn't become a realtor just to buy one house. You shouldn't have to become an application strategist overnight either. That's where I come in.

Back to School enrollment closes October 15. Book your free discovery call before the window closes.

08/14/2026

At North Carolina Central, a professor still learns your student's name by October. This HBCU builds relationships on purpose.

16 students to one professor. An accessibility office that knows your student. 95% of students receiving aid. And it's the #13 HBCU in the country, with a brand-new business school.

New campus tour breakdown — out now. If you're building your student's college list, this is the kind of fit-and-money detail I look for.

Which school should I break down next? 👇

https://youtu.be/VirOZWOqT1U?si=oLKBdSVp89fRNa0q

I spent a day at North Carolina Central University in Durham, and h...

08/09/2026

If you have a high schooler at home, this is worth sharing with your community.

I am hosting a free virtual college planning session in August called College 101. One hour. No cost. Built specifically for families with students in 9th through 12th grade who want to understand what the college planning process actually requires — how merit aid works, what the financial picture looks like for families who earn too much for need-based aid, and what your student should be doing right now by grade level.

August 11 · August 18 · August 25 · 6:30 PM Eastern · Virtual · Free

Register here: sites.sayyestocollege.com/college-101-page

Tagging a few school communities — if this is useful for your families, please share.

08/04/2026

"Susie, it's August 1st. Have you started the Common App?"

"Mom, I don't want to start my college applications yet. School doesn't even start for two more weeks."

If that is your household right now — completely normal. Who wants it to be August already anyway?

But in all seriousness, college application season can be stressful. For you and for your student. That is exactly why I built this practice — to make sure families have as wonderful a senior year as possible while still moving toward the future with a plan.

College 101 is free, virtual, and built for this moment. One hour. August 11, 18, or 25 at 6:30 PM Eastern.

Register here: sites.sayyestocollege.com/college-101-page

Share this with a parent of a senior who needs to hear they are not alone today.

08/03/2026

Howard University did their job. They sent emails. They sent texts. They communicated.

500 students still lost their spots.

So what happened?

FERPA means the bill goes to your student — not to you. It always has. If your student is not checking their portal and keeping you in the loop, you will not know the bill exists until it is overdue.

And if your family was counting on outside scholarship money to cover the balance — those awards often do not pay out until August or September. The enrollment deadline was July.

The gap between when the bill is due and when the money arrives is real. Most families find out about it the hard way.

Watch the video. Share it with every parent you know who has a college-bound student. And come to College 101 this August — I will walk you through exactly what you need to know so your family is never caught off guard.

Free · Virtual · One hour
August 11 · August 18 · August 25 · 6:30 PM Eastern

Register here: sites.sayyestocollege.com/college-101-page

08/01/2026

Today is Common App day.

August 1 — the day the Common Application opens for the Class of 2027. If you have a senior at home, the application your family has been thinking about is now live and waiting.

But here is what most families do not realize: Common App opening day is not just a senior milestone. It is a signal for every high school family.

Juniors — you have exactly one year before this moment is yours. What happens this school year determines what your application looks like.

Freshmen and sophomores — you now know what the finish line looks like. The decisions your student makes starting this week build the record that goes on that application.

I am hosting a free virtual College 101 session this August for families at every grade level. One hour. No cost. A clear picture of what this process actually requires and what your family should be doing right now.

August 11 · August 18 · August 25 · 6:30 PM Eastern · Free
Register here: sites.sayyestocollege.com/college-101-page

Share this with a parent who needs to see it today.

07/31/2026

Vanderbilt's price tag is about $94,000 a year, and that number ends a lot of family conversations before they start. Here's what it hides: Vanderbilt is need-blind, meets 100% of demonstrated financial need, and puts zero loans in the package. Under $150,000 in income, tuition is generally covered in full, and families earning more than that still routinely see awards near full tuition, because there's no income cap on meeting need. Add roughly 250 full-tuition merit scholarships, and the sticker stops being the story. One catch: the merit deadline is December 1, months before regular decision. Run the net price calculator before you cross this school off. Want to know if Vanderbilt fits your student? That's a conversation worth having before you build the list, not after.

07/28/2026

New this week: my full Belmont walkthrough. What it's known for, how the merit money actually works, what you'd pay after aid, the career outcomes, and the new medicine and law paths. Everything a planning family needs, in plain language. Watch, then book a free discovery call and we'll build your student's plan around it.

https://youtu.be/F57e6G3BFsk

I visited Belmont University in Nashville so your family does not h...