Blog | mysite

All Posts

Mar 5
2 min

Who Owns Your 529 Plan? It Matters!

529 plans, named after section 529 of an Internal Revenue code, are a popular way for families to save money for college because contribu...

21 viewsWrite a comment

Agreeing and disagreeing with The Wall Street Journal's "How to fix college admissions&quot

Eric Stutman

Dec 2, 2019
2 min

Agreeing and disagreeing with The Wall Street Journal's "How to fix college admissions&quot

On Saturday, November 30th, the Wall Street Journal published an article called "How to fix college admissions". Here are my comments on ...

61 viewsWrite a comment

Eric Stutman

Sep 10, 2019
1 min

Apply to These Colleges for Free

The cost to apply to most colleges ranges from $50 to $80 each, which adds up if your student applies to 8 or more schools this year. How...

18 viewsWrite a comment

Comparing College Rankings to Help Students Find an Academic and Social Fit

Eric Stutman

Jun 20, 2019
2 min

Comparing College Rankings to Help Students Find an Academic and Social Fit

College rankings can be helpful to students searching for a college fit and for colleges hoping to improve their prestige. Each source of...

28 viewsWrite a comment

Wentworth visit report: Great location and career focus

Eric Stutman

Jun 4, 2019
1 min

Wentworth visit report: Great location and career focus

Here are my thoughts of a recent visit to Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston. Location: Abuts Northeastern University and Mass C...

21 viewsWrite a comment

How to get a discount at a New England State University

Eric Stutman

Jun 4, 2019
1 min

How to get a discount at a New England State University

New England State Universities have a program where students get a discount of about $8,000 at another state university if they choose a ...

16 viewsWrite a comment

Eric Stutman

Mar 8, 2019
3 min

Q and A Of College Visits

No matter how much research you do with brochures, book, and websites, there really is no substitute for visiting a college in person. Yo...

68 viewsWrite a comment

What it means to be on a college waitlist

Eric Stutman

Mar 7, 2019
2 min

What it means to be on a college waitlist

After all of that work applying to a college, and then waiting to hear a decision, you have been "waitlisted". Q: Why do colleges have wa...

31 viewsWrite a comment

Extracurricular Activities for College Admissions

Eric Stutman

Feb 4, 2019
2 min

Extracurricular Activities for College Admissions

Questions: Here are common questions clients ask me about these activities: 1. How important are my outside activities to college admiss...

126 viewsWrite a comment

Eric Stutman

Jan 7, 2019
2 min

5 Benefits of Attending a College Fair

I always recommend that students and their parents attend college fairs that are held in or near their home towns. Here is a summary of t...

79 viewsWrite a comment

How to build a college list with a strong foundation

Eric Stutman

Dec 3, 2018
1 min

How to build a college list with a strong foundation

Sometimes I like to describe a college list like a house; build one with a strong foundation, and it won't collapse on you. Here's what I...

80 viewsWrite a comment

What is the return on investment (ROI) for the colleges on your list?

Eric Stutman

Nov 6, 2018
1 min

What is the return on investment (ROI) for the colleges on your list?

Most families consider the cost of colleges as part of their student's decision, but very few stop to consider the return on investment (...

39 viewsWrite a comment

Why every high school senior needs an Application Plan

Eric Stutman

Sep 4, 2018
1 min

Why every high school senior needs an Application Plan

By the beginning of their senior year of high school, students have probably researched tens of colleges, and visited as many as a dozen ...

77 viewsWrite a comment

Why are people so upset with the June 2018 SAT?

Eric Stutman

Aug 2, 2018
1 min

Why are people so upset with the June 2018 SAT?

I have been contacted my multiple clients regarding the June 2, 2018 SAT test. Why are they upset, and what happened? Students and parent...

60 viewsWrite a comment

Apply in August? Maybe, for rolling admissions

Eric Stutman

Jun 21, 2018
1 min

Apply in August? Maybe, for rolling admissions

Most rising high school seniors are not planning to do much regarding college applications during the summer, but if they want to apply t...

53 viewsWrite a comment

Quinnipiac U. Too..., or just right for you?

Eric Stutman

Jun 4, 2018
1 min

Quinnipiac U. Too..., or just right for you?

I enjoyed my tour of Quinnipiac U., and discussion with an admissions officer. Ask me if "QU" is for your student. Overall, I found Quinn...

73 viewsWrite a comment

Accepted! (but there's a catch): Spring admits and mandatory freshman study abroad

Eric Stutman

May 9, 2018
2 min

Accepted! (but there's a catch): Spring admits and mandatory freshman study abroad

When a student applies to a college, they expect either a yes (admitted) or no (denied). However, sometimes they get a maybe (deferred) o...

139 viewsWrite a comment

Are Boston-area colleges more selective today? Yes, yes, yes!

Eric Stutman

Apr 5, 2018
1 min

Are Boston-area colleges more selective today? Yes, yes, yes!

You are correct if you feel that colleges are more selective today than "back in the day" when you (parents) applied to college. Northeas...

59 viewsWrite a comment

Tuition Waiver at UMass! What's it worth?

Eric Stutman

Feb 12, 2018
1 min

Tuition Waiver at UMass! What's it worth?

Every year, about 18,000 Massachusetts students are excited to learn that they have qualified for the John and Abigail Adams scholarship ...

73 viewsWrite a comment

Touring the "other" college in Providence

Eric Stutman

Jan 26, 2018
2 min

Touring the "other" college in Providence

Yes, Brown University is in Providence, but so is Providence College. Here are my findings after a recent visit: Date of visit January 20...

63 viewsWrite a comment

{"items":["5e61071f703c250017c76d2a","5e445252d8716800174ecf82","5e445252a214c6002d6a380f","5e445252aa6f5500177db5b6","5e44525274088000174d6250","5e4452525a126f0017aff159","5e4452525a126f0017aff158","5e44525271bc080017385e8e","5e445252aa6f5500177db5b5","5e4452521caf5200172bc1ba","5e445252129526001765adea","5e445252a598a40018a16305","5e4452521513cf00172723cb","5e445252b3a3da0017552a18","5e445252a598a40018a16304","5e44525242cbc2001716347b","5e445252019a8200179300b3","5e445252db7aa700178a0e57","5e445252129526001765ade9","5e445252c9080d001765a687"],"styles":{"galleryType":"Columns","groupSize":1,"showArrows":true,"cubeImages":true,"cubeType":"fill","cubeRatio":1.3333333333333333,"isVertical":true,"gallerySize":940,"collageAmount":0,"collageDensity":0,"groupTypes":"1","oneRow":false,"imageMargin":16,"galleryMargin":0,"floatingImages":0,"chooseBestGroup":true,"smartCrop":false,"hasThumbnails":false,"enableScroll":true,"isGrid":true,"isSlider":false,"isColumns":false,"isSlideshow":false,"cropOnlyFill":false,"fixedColumns":1,"enableInfiniteScroll":true,"isRTL":false,"minItemSize":50,"rotatingGroupTypes":"","rotatingCubeRatio":"","gallerySliderImageRatio":1.7777777777777777,"numberOfImagesPerRow":1,"numberOfImagesPerCol":1,"groupsPerStrip":0,"borderRadius":0,"boxShadow":0,"gridStyle":1,"mobilePanorama":false,"placeGroupsLtr":false,"viewMode":"preview","thumbnailSpacings":4,"galleryThumbnailsAlignment":"bottom","isMasonry":false,"isAutoSlideshow":false,"slideshowLoop":false,"autoSlideshowInterval":4,"useCustomButton":false,"bottomInfoHeight":0,"titlePlacement":"SHOW_ON_THE_RIGHT","galleryHorizontalAlign":"center","galleryTextAlign":"center","galleryVerticalAlign":"center","scrollSnap":false,"itemClick":"expand","fullscreen":true,"allowSocial":true,"allowDownload":false,"allowTitle":true,"allowDescription":false,"loveButton":true,"loveCounter":false,"videoPlay":"hover","scrollAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","scrollDirection":0,"overlayAnimation":"FADE_IN","arrowsPosition":0,"arrowsSize":23,"watermarkOpacity":40,"watermarkSize":40,"useWatermark":true,"watermarkDock":{"top":"auto","left":"auto","right":0,"bottom":0,"transform":"translate3d(0,0,0)"},"loadMoreAmount":"all","defaultShowInfoExpand":1,"allowTitleExpand":true,"allowDescriptionExpand":true,"allowLinkExpand":true,"expandInfoPosition":0,"allowFullscreenExpand":true,"fullscreenLoop":false,"galleryAlignExpand":"left","addToCartBorderWidth":1,"addToCartButtonText":"","slideshowInfoSize":200,"playButtonForAutoSlideShow":false,"allowSlideshowCounter":false,"hoveringBehaviour":"NEVER_SHOW","thumbnailSize":120,"magicLayoutSeed":1,"imageHoverAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","calculateTextBoxHeightMode":"AUTOMATIC","calculateTextBoxWidthMode":"PERCENT","textBoxHeight":0,"textBoxWidth":200,"textBoxWidthPercent":50,"textImageSpace":10,"textBoxBorderRadius":0,"textBoxBorderWidth":0,"textsVerticalPadding":0,"textsHorizontalPadding":-30,"titleDescriptionSpace":6,"customButtonText":"","customButtonBorderWidth":1,"customButtonBorderRadius":0,"loadMoreButtonText":"","loadMoreButtonBorderWidth":1,"loadMoreButtonBorderRadius":0,"imageInfoType":"ATTACHED_BACKGROUND","itemBorderWidth":1,"itemBorderRadius":0,"itemEnableShadow":false,"itemShadowBlur":20,"itemShadowDirection":135,"itemShadowSize":10,"imageLoadingMode":"BLUR","expandAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","imageQuality":90,"usmToggle":false,"usm_a":0,"usm_r":0,"usm_t":0,"videoSound":false,"videoSpeed":"1","videoLoop":true,"gallerySizeType":"px","gallerySizePx":940,"itemBorderColor":{"themeName":"color_12","value":"rgba(204,204,204,1)"},"galleryLayout":2,"modifiedGallerySize":true,"selectedLayout":"2|bottom|1|fill|true|0|true","layoutsVersion":2,"selectedLayoutV2":2,"isSlideshowFont":false,"externalInfoHeight":0,"externalInfoWidth":0.5},"container":{"width":940,"galleryWidth":972,"galleryHeight":1440,"scrollBase":0,"height":null}}