McNeal Sams Blog
At McNeal Sams College Consulting, our college consultants have more than 150 years of experience combined. We have seen a lot of changes and developments within the college admission profession over that time. From going digital to testing trends to rising costs, and now, the introduction of Artificial Intelligence, understanding what is relevant or what is even real can be daunting for a student or a parent.
In this space, we couple our wealth of knowledge with today’s trends and concerns. Whether you are a student embarking on your college choice journey, or a parent assisting students on their journeys, or simply someone interested in learning about higher education, this is a space for insights, conversations and support.
Melissa Mieyr, M.Ed. Founder, InfoQuest College & Financial Solutions, LLC Paying for college has never been simple, and a wave of recent federal changes makes [...]
Susan Lutz, College Consultant “We won’t qualify for anything.” I hear this often from families as we discuss paying for college. Many assume that need-based [...]
Jeanie Grimm, College Consultant The first year I served as a dean, and lived in a freshman dorm, I watched in amazement as the common [...]
Nelie McNeal, Founder and Managing Partner Yes, it’s true: there is such a thing as a Pizza Index, “America’s tastiest economic measure, made possible by [...]
We first learned about her through a fascinating episode of How I Built This, a stellar podcast featuring entrepreneurs who’ve made it really big (Instagram, [...]
Susan Lutz, College Consultant Seniors, applications are open. It’s game time. This may be the largest long-term, multistep project you have managed. And…it’s one where [...]
Lorie Kram, MA, JD Founder of BLUBERYL, which provides strengths-based coaching and consulting services for competitive students and professionals. Coaches, parents, teachers, college advisors—everyone tells [...]
Barbara Sams, Managing Partner Ah, August. The season of sharpened pencils, unopened planners, school supply aisles that somehow cost 0, and parents everywhere wondering, "Didn't [...]
Susan Lutz, College Consultant Each summer, the Common App hits reset. This year, the first-year application will close on July 28 for its annual refresh [...]
Elizabeth Schnell, College Consultant We often recommend that students’ summer plans include some investigation of careers. Activities like jobs by internships by or camps present [...]