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Excerpts from the college knowledge MONTHly
ESSAY - At the Crossroads: The Right Timing of Hiring a College Consultant.
Sure, it’s a classic song by Robert Johnson (and Cream) about standing at a crossroads, symbolizing a pivotal decision or life-altering moment (and it’s also an unheralded movie starring Ralph Macchio), but that’s not important right now. Following up the original essay I posted when I kicked the CKM off last month on the topic of ‘should you hire an IEC’, I want to take a few moments to address a corollary to that question: when should you start preparing for college? I c

Rob Schwartz
Mar 14 min read
Closing Note
Fun Fact: the American School Counselor Association tracks the student-to-counselor ratio at U.S. high schools each year, by state. The average this past year was 372:1. The five states with the worst ratios?: Arizona (570:1), Michigan (565:1), Minnesota (539:1), Illinois (486:1) and Indiana (479:1). Want the full list with a bigger picture? Here ya go: https://schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/62807f33-a020-4c4f-ac6f-bf284803fd97/pr_ratios-24-25.pdf

Rob Schwartz
Mar 11 min read
Quick Takes: New York Times — More than Half of Teens Use Chatbots for Schoolwork, Survey Finds
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/24/technology/schoolwork-chatbot-cheating-pew.html Why it’s worth a look: I don’t think this is shocking by any stretch of the imagination, but the information provided shows the trend of chatbot usage, the arguments on both sides of the narrative, and where things stand, from the student perspective.

Rob Schwartz
Mar 11 min read
Quick Takes: Kut News — UT System votes to limit ‘controversial topics’ in class, raising concerns about academic freedom
https://www.kut.org/education/2026-02-19/ut-system-votes-to-limit-controversial-topics-in-class-raising-concerns-about-academic-freedom Why it’s worth a look: I swear, I’m not picking on Texas (two mentions in two episodes), but this article is simply too important to pass up. As I said before, there are certain states that consistently move to the front of their respective political sleds – California tends to do so for ‘blue’ states and Texas tends to do so for ‘red’ ones

Rob Schwartz
Mar 11 min read
Quick Takes: New America — The Subprime PLUS Loan Crisis: How Dozens of Universities Steer Low-Income Families to Debt They Can’t Afford
https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/reports/parent-plus-subprime-loans-universities-debt/ Why it’s worth a look: Happy to thank friend and colleague Erik Ellefsen for directing me to this important article. First, let’s establish what a PLUS loan is. The Parent PLUS Loan, as it suggests, is a loan taken by the parents of an undergraduate student, when all other financial aid opportunities have been ‘exhausted’. They tend to have high interest rates, and the intere

Rob Schwartz
Mar 12 min read
Quick Takes: How OBBBA Reshapes Student Lending
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-obbba-reshapes-student-lending/ How to read it: It’s really long (not gonna lie), but if you want to have an assessment of where we have been, from a college lending/borrowing perspective, and where things are going to go under the Trump Administration on this front, this is probably a good use of your time. I would also say that some conclusions can be drawn about the efficacy of the modern college degree, based on the amount of loans

Rob Schwartz
Feb 31 min read
Quick Takes: Texas Pauses Use of H-1B Visas at State Universities
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2026/01/28/texas-pauses-use-h-1b-visas-state-universities Why it’s worth a look: This is a growing issue, both for parents and students who hail from outside the United States. At the college level, this topic affects employees at colleges and universities and even more so affects families hoping to send a child to a U.S. college or university. There are certain states that consistently move to the front of their respective p

Rob Schwartz
Feb 31 min read
Quick Takes: After Another ICE Killing, Minnesota’s Flagship Faces a Test
https://www.chronicle.com/article/after-a-tragedy-minnesotas-flagship-faces-another-test Why it’s worth a look: Start with a controversial topic? Sure, why not? As a consumer of college life (just like you should be), examining the response of the recent incidents in Minnesota should give you a sense of what life might be like if you attended such an institution of higher learning, along with the secondary perspective gained – what must it be like to handle such events fro

Rob Schwartz
Feb 31 min read
ESSAY: The Heat of the Moment- Why Bother Hiring a College Consultant Anyway?
Yes, it’s a classic song by the 1980’s rock band, Asia, but that’s not important right now. I want to take a few moments to address an important question for families who have high school-aged children. One of the most common questions I hear from parents who have consultations with me is some version of: "Why should we hire you?”. Great question. First, no, you don’t need to hire me (or someone like me). Depending on the goals of the student, parent(s), the financial sit

Rob Schwartz
Feb 34 min read


Listworthy: Colleges That Offer ‘No Student Loan’ Programming and Reduced Tuition Options
This quarter’s Listworthy was originally going to be a ‘Ripped From the Headlines’ piece, but I elected to modify it for Listworthy...

Rob Schwartz
Apr 5, 20212 min read


CKQ College Profiles: Case Western Reserve University
Each quarter, the College Knowledge Quarterly will feature a different U.S. college or university for families to get to know a bit...

Rob Schwartz
Apr 5, 20213 min read


Ripped from the Headlines: Why are Students Fleeing Community College?
I’m usually the first to pat myself on the back for making a correct prediction of future college events. Here’s one where I have to step...

Rob Schwartz
Apr 5, 20213 min read


Main Article: More from the Georgetown CEW Study: Degree Levels, Majors, and More!
Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce has provided a tour-de-force of data on college graduation, graduate school...

Rob Schwartz
Apr 5, 20214 min read


Listworthy: Are California’s Schools on Shaky Financial Ground?
For those of you who just can’t go without a list of some sort, this one is brought to you by our associates at The Hechinger Report and...

Rob Schwartz
Dec 29, 20201 min read
CKQ Examines College Majors: Nursing
Each newsletter will provide readers with insight into a specific major that might pique your interest. This segment is all about...

Rob Schwartz
Dec 29, 20204 min read


CKQ College Profiles: Willamette University
Each quarter, The College Knowledge Quarterly features a different U.S. College or University for families to get to know a bit better....

Rob Schwartz
Dec 29, 20204 min read


Ripped from the Headlines: What Does/Should an IEC Cost You? Are They Worth the Price?
What is an IEC, you ask? An Independent Educational Consultant. Me. Or someone like me, who makes a living selling their services to...

Rob Schwartz
Dec 29, 20205 min read


From the Headlines: Trying to Make Sense of the Financial Stability of the American College System
To say that things have been challenging for American colleges and universities lately is a massive understatement…and the worst is yet...

Rob Schwartz
Dec 29, 20203 min read


Main Article: Commentary - If Our COVID-19 Response is a Measure of Intelligence…
…we would have to admit to the fact that we, the people of the United States, are the dumbest people on the planet. Facts and science...

Rob Schwartz
Dec 29, 20205 min read


Listworthy: Georgetown University’s Top ROI Colleges in the U.S.
This Listworthy piece is brought to you, as the header suggests, by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce. If you...

Rob Schwartz
Oct 1, 20202 min read


CKQ: College Profiles - Whitman College
Each quarter, The College Knowledge Quarterly features a different U.S. College or University for families to get to know a bit better....

Rob Schwartz
Oct 1, 20203 min read


Ripped From the Headlines: Understanding Colleges from the Perspective of Return on Investment (ROI)
One of the great frustrations I have as a college counselor is trying to get families to look beyond college rankings for their primary...

Rob Schwartz
Oct 1, 20203 min read


Ripped from the Headlines: An Update from the Wonderful World of Standardized Testing/Update on Test
This update is cobbled together from several sources, but I thought it best to connect everything into a single article. To say the...

Rob Schwartz
Oct 1, 20205 min read


Feature Article: Commentary on the Changes to the University of California’s SAT/ACT Policy
Based on a legal ruling in early September, the University of California is no longer allowed to accept SAT or ACT scores as part of any...

Rob Schwartz
Oct 1, 20203 min read


Ripped From the Headlines: The Return of Affirmative Action in California?
This story arrived just before I finalized this CKQ, but I thought it was important enough to swap in for another story. Obviously, there...

Rob Schwartz
Jul 3, 20203 min read


Ripped from the Headlines: Wait…Some Good News Courtesy of COVID?
You heard me right! There is one piece of particularly good news for EVERYONE when it comes to college and COVID-19: the cost of...

Rob Schwartz
Jul 3, 20202 min read


Featured Article: The (Sometimes) Wonderful World of College Admission via the Lens of an IEC
As part of my work as a UCLA College Counseling Certificate Instructor, I read and respond to a boat-load of posts from my students. My...

Rob Schwartz
Jul 3, 20203 min read


Featured Article: The Reality of the Test-Optional Universe
So much has been seen, heard and written when it comes to the topic of colleges and universities moving to test-optional policies when it...

Rob Schwartz
Jul 3, 20202 min read


Listworthy: BS/MD Programs
This quarter’s Listworthy was originally going to be an article on California’s best undergraduate business programs (stay tuned for the...

Rob Schwartz
Mar 25, 20203 min read


CKQ College Profiles: Kalamazoo College
Each quarter, The College Knowledge Quarterly will feature a different U.S. College or University for families to get to know a bit...

Rob Schwartz
Mar 25, 20203 min read


Ripped from the Headlines: The State of Oregon Goes Test-Optional
And the news keeps on rolling! Effective for high school graduating class of 2021 and beyond, ALL Oregon public colleges and universities...

Rob Schwartz
Mar 25, 20201 min read


Ripped from the Headlines: More Changes to the School List Requiring SAT Subject Tests
What…you thought we were done ripping those headlines for your benefit?! No way! Our friends at Compass Test Prep have a penchant for...

Rob Schwartz
Mar 25, 20201 min read


Ripped from the Headlines: Faculty Report Suggests UC’s Keep SAT/ACT as Part of Admission Process
I came across this article through several sources, but ultimately used the one published in the Washington Post. Let’s just start with...

Rob Schwartz
Mar 25, 20203 min read


Feature Article: An Alternative to Summer Pay-for-Play Programming
One of the really great benefits of being on a professional social media platform like LinkedIn is that you get great tips, tricks, and...

Rob Schwartz
Mar 25, 20202 min read


Feature Article: Lessons Learned from Kobe Bryant
Sunday, January 26th. I was just sitting down at an outdoor table, outside of a famous LA hot dog stand, about to have lunch with a...

Rob Schwartz
Mar 25, 20204 min read


CKQ Examines College Majors: Applied Mathematics
CKQ Examines College Majors: Applied Mathematics

Rob Schwartz
Jan 4, 20202 min read


Ripped from the Headlines: ACT Announces Big Changes to Their Testing and Reporting Policies
Ripped from the Headlines: ACT Announces Big Changes to Their Testing and Reporting Policies

Rob Schwartz
Jan 4, 20204 min read


Ripped from the Headlines: Schools Only Keep Hiring Counselors, but Students’ Stress Levels...
Ripped from the Headlines: Schools Only Keep Hiring Counselors, but Students' Stress Levels...

Rob Schwartz
Jan 4, 20204 min read


Main Article: Because Mike Rowe Says So?
Main Article: Because Mike Rowe Says So?

Rob Schwartz
Jan 4, 20205 min read


Ripped from the Headlines: Who Loses a Job First in a Recession?
I came across an article written by Sibile Marcellus from Yahoo Finance back in late August and thought it might be worth mentioning in...

Rob Schwartz
Oct 4, 20192 min read


Feature Article: A Missing Piece in the College Puzzle
I don’t think I could have picked a more cryptic beginning to an article, but I wanted to get you interested enough to read it! So, what...

Rob Schwartz
Oct 4, 20195 min read


CKQ College Profiles: The American College of Greece
Each quarter, The College Knowledge Quarterly features a different U.S. College or University for families to get to know a bit better....

Rob Schwartz
Oct 4, 20193 min read


Listworthy: The Best U.S. Colleges/Universities Admitting 75% or More of its Applicants
This Listworthy piece is brought to you by me! (with some help from those pesky college ranking lists). I have shared with you, time and...

Rob Schwartz
Oct 4, 20192 min read


Listworthy: The “Best Of” WUE
This quarter’s Listworthy is all about finding some of the best bargains outside of California for California families. First, what’s...

Rob Schwartz
Jul 12, 20192 min read


CKQ Examines College Majors: Physical Therapy
Each newsletter will provide readers with insight into a specific major that might pique your interest. This segment is all about...

Rob Schwartz
Jul 12, 20192 min read


CKQ College Profiles: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Each quarter, The College Knowledge Quarterly will feature a different U.S. College or University for families to get to know a bit...

Rob Schwartz
Jul 12, 20194 min read


From the WACAC Share, Learn, Connect Files: Understanding the iGeneration
As a devout member of the Western Association of College Admission Counselors (WACAC), I make the effort to attend at least one...

Rob Schwartz
Jul 12, 20198 min read


Ripped from the Headlines: “Why are you in Higher Ed?” The Story and Legacy of Lloyd Thacker
For my friends and associates in the college counseling world, the name Lloyd Thacker should be known, if not familiar. For many others...

Rob Schwartz
Jul 12, 20193 min read


Feature Article: Change in College Admission Needs a Hand… From the Working World
If you ask most parents and their teenage children about why they are interested in attaining a Bachelor’s degree, most will report that...

Rob Schwartz
Jul 12, 20194 min read


Listworthy: America’s Best Colleges that Admit Half or More of the Applicant Pool
For those of you who just can’t go without a list of some sort, this one is brought to you by… me! If you know me, then you know just how...

Rob Schwartz
Apr 4, 20192 min read
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