Truth: Conformity to fact or reality; exact accordance with that which is, or has been, or shall be. 
                                                                        --Webster's Dictionary

The truth. Seems so hard to come by these days, particularly for those of us who closely follow the political circus in which we are now center ring (enter the clowns in that funny little car).

The truth. Often supplanted by half-truths, untruths, innuendo, misstatements and out and out lies.

The truth....
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The College Whisperer's colleague, Allen Grove of About.com's Guide to College Admissions posted a top ten list of sorts to improve your chances of getting into college:

A winning college application is about more than strong grades or high test scores. To get admitted to the country's most selective colleges, applicants will need to put together an application that shines in all areas. Click on the tips below to learn about some of the features of a strong application.

1. Take challenging ...

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M.S. of Syosset, NY writes:

What do you think of the recent decision in Colorado allowing students to carry concealed weapons on campus?

The College Whisperer replies:

Try as we might to stay above the political fray -- or at least close enough to the middle to avoid being hit by the shrapnel -- that darned celebration of ignorance keeps dragging us back in. Now, we not only have to dodge vitriolic comments, acerbic Tweets and off the wall emails, but bullets, as well!

We presume you are talking ...
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Students taking SAT to be charged $25 per filled-in oval

Would this surprise you? Maybe. Maybe not.

You would be surprised, however, at the wealth of information you will find -- on the ins and outs, ups and downs, DOs and DON'Ts of the college application process, the intricacies of college admissions, the abundance of scholarship money ripe for the picking, and just about everything college -- when you follow us on Twitter @GetCollege.

Simply sign up (it's free), log in, and click follow to jo...

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M.R. of Mineola, NY writes:

My daughter will be starting college this fall and has been offered a financial aid package conditioned upon "verification," a process through which I am asked to release, among other financial statements, my income tax returns. I didn't make $20 million dollars last year. I do not have any money hidden away in off-shore bank accounts. Can I simply pull a Romney and skirt the issue of tax returns?

The College Whisperer responds:

Your question is fraught with major po...

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Just the other day, The College Whisperer -- also known as "Current Occupant" in certain postal circles, received a piece of unsolicited mail. Not email, mind you, but actual snail mail, at bulk rate, no less.

Keeping with my practice of opening every piece of mail that crosses my desk -- and actually reading it -- I sliced off the top of the envelope and pulled out what I soon realized was an invitation to take a survey. Innocuous, and otherwise destined for the circular file, until I saw, tu...
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S.C. of Merrick, NY writes: I'm hearing so many things about changes to student loans, particularly the Stafford loans. I'm so confused. Could you clear the air?

The College Whisperer replies:

Clearing the air, as far as Congress is concerned, would take a heck of a lot more Febreze® than student loans could possibly pay for. That said, here's the low down on the changes to Direct Student Loans the feds enacted effective July 1, 2012, courtesy of our friends at the Student Loan Network:

No more...
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Watching the Olympic games, The College Whisperer is awestruck by the seemingly superhuman athletic performances, from swimming to gymnastics to beach volleyball. The thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat! The human drama of athletic competition. WOW!

And to think, the difference between getting a medal and going home without one is sometimes determined by one one-thousandth of a point or of a second. One one-thousandth. Can you imagine that?

Well, consider this. When reducing -- by formu...

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We said it before, and we'll say it again. The best way to get out of college debt is to avoid it in the first place! Fewer (if any) loans. More grants and scholarships. Attending colleges that are within reach, both academically and financially.

Of course, until there's a cure for college debt, with colleges assessing reasonable, common sense tuition, financing that college education is a significant undertaking, and a major worry.

Though certainly no panacea in eliminating college debt in its...
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From time to time, The College Whisperer yields this blog to guest posters, who, through their talents and expertise, opine on matters of interest and import in the college application and admissions process.

In this post, we are fortunate to feature our friend and colleague, Randy Levin of PersuasiveWritingServices.com, on the critical nature -- as well as the pitfalls -- of the college essay.

Great reading, and surely prudent advice to be heeded by the college-bound as they start out on the l...
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Oh, they're at it again. Those pesky lists of "Best" colleges in America. This time, as it does every year in the battle to win popularity ratings (as in, "it sells magazines"), Forbes comes out with its List of America's Top Colleges ("Top" simply being a euphamism for "Best," we suppose).

Interesting how this "list" just happened to come out on the very same day the Common App went "live." Hmmm. Design or coincidence? You decide.

Yes, right alongside those other winners of popularity contes...

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Live from the Common App. . .

The Common Application is now live at www.CommonApp.org. Are you ready?

Yes, the mainstay of the college application season, home to the apps (and sundry supplements) of "456 Common Application members in 46 states and the District of Columbia, as well as in France, Germany, Italy, Scotland, and Switzerland," will see you now. Let the insanity begin!

Registered? Committed your Login and Password to memory? (Don't be a wise guy. Write it down!) Personal stateme...

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