Posts by Klemmer Educational Consulting

I was recently featured in Westchester Magazine along with other college consultants to provide insights into the college admissions process! Take a look at the article below.

In our latest newsletter, you can take a peek behind the admissions curtain and read up on the latest trends shifting the higher education landscape.

As I try to make sense out of admissions results this year, I may sound a bit like a broken record. Applications continued to hit record highs while admission rates fell to new lows. More waitlist activity, more surprises (both good and disappointing), but for the most part, uncertainty abounds making it virtually impossible to…

As a musician, I was drawn first to the photo of a young person’s hand hovering over piano keys. The picture accompanied a New York Times opinion piece written by The New Yorker staff writer Adam Gopnik that explores the distinction between achievement and accomplishment. According to Gopnik we tend to place greater emphasis on…

When it comes time to fill out college applications many students panic at the thought of having to list their extra-curricular activities. They question whether they have enough activities, the “right” ones, and if their list will persuade the admission staff of their commitment to these pursuits. “If I don’t have a passion, will colleges…

The cost of college today has put affordability truly out of reach for most Americans, including many who are comfortably middle class. I am not stating anything that someone who is currently putting children through college hasn’t realized. While higher education has always come at a cost, it has reached a price point that now…

By Jane Klemmer The real cost of attending a college often remains a mystery prior to receiving the actual financial aid award letter. This can lead to a great deal of disappointment for students if they are not aware of how financial factors may impact their final college decision. However, families do have access to…

College admissions has become increasingly unpredictable with little transparency, but decision makers are actually willing to shed light on a seemingly opaque process. Recently I attended an IECA (Independent Educational Consultants Association) conference and was fortunate to hear admission officers from Haverford College and Johns Hopkins University speak about their processes. They walked us through…

Standards in U.S. college admissions is a bit of an oxymoron. Colleges have their own application requirements, essays, deadlines, factors for evaluating students, institutional needs, academic offerings, and financial aid policies. It’s often difficult to find consistency and answers to frequently asked questions. Even a college website, part repository of facts and information, part marketing…

The 4% barrier has now been broken. Harvard received more than 57,000 applications this year, a 42% increase, resulting in a stunningly low 3.4% admit rate for the class of 2025. In fact, every Ivy League university saw at least a double digit increase in applications, with Columbia at the high end, up 51%, and…