Welcome to College Insider

Premium resources to give your family an advantage with the college process.

woman reading book

College Inside Track Alumni Newsletter – Summer 2021

  6 things you should never do as the parent of a college student – Check out Lori Smith’s advice on how to let go of the bicycle seat and allow your college student to be independent.   Moving off campus – how to help your student do this well – Deborah Porter shares 5…

girl pretending to be scary

Insider tips for the week of June 28, 2021

  FAFSA changes delayed – The significant FAFSA changes recently approved by Congress will be delayed by year, due to the complexity of overhauling the entire system. Federal Student Aid (FSA), the agency in charge of implementing the changes, said they will now be rolled out for the 2024-25 school year. The earliest families can…

ACT canceled woman showing frustration on her face

ACT canceled – What am I supposed to do?

Your high school student wants to apply to Flagship U, which despite the growing list of test optional colleges and universities, still requires the ACT.  She was registered for an earlier test, but a global pandemic rudely interrupted our lives and the ACT got canceled. Okay, you thought, we’ll just sign up for the June…

2021 CIT Graduate Scholarship Report

Congratulations to our 2021 grads and their families! The amazing total of scholarships received for our 2021 graduates is … drum roll …     Would you like to learn more about the philosophy and strategies College Inside Track consultants use, to facilate strong merit aid offers for clients?  Read here:  CIT Merit Money Expert…

college magic

Insider tips for the week of May 31, 2021

  College magic – Forbes has an excellent article on how college, if done right, can be a life-altering experience with lifelong benefits. Not enough students experience the most important elements of college, what researchers call the “Big Six.” The elements fall into two categories of relationship-rich and work-integrated. This is an important read as…

student at internship

Insider Tips for the week of May 3, 2021

  3 things to do now for strong HS recommendation letters – Students have experienced online learning and cancelled or shortened extracurricular activities as a function of the pandemic.  Many report that they hardly know the teachers who have taught them this year, and worry that their core teachers don’t know enough about them to…

CIT’s Cozy Wittman Talks Scholarships with The Weekly Wealth Podcast

College Inside Track’s  Manager of Education and Partnerships, Cozy Wittman, was featured recently on The Weekly Wealth Podcast.  Cozy discussed planning for financial aid and scholarships with David Chudyk, Financial Advisor at Parallel Financial. Topics include: misperceptions around scholarships (including best and worse strategies for good money), the biggest providers of strong scholarships, how colleges…

college student lying on couch

College Inside Track Alumni Newsletter – Spring 2021

  Scholarships for current undergrad students – If your college student is looking for additional scholarship money, start by exploring opportunities specific to his or her school and program of study, and then share this handy list of outside private scholarships from scholarships.com   Essential advice for early career success – Check out this Forbes…

boy deciding on college

Insider tips for the week of April 5, 2021

  Controversial financial aid change – A new FAFSA change will dramatically reduce the amount of financial aid middle and upper-income families with more than one child in college at the same time will receive. Check out our article on this significant news.   10 ways to help your teen with the college decision –…

VIDEO: CIT Founder Jay Benanav On Timing Your Financial Aid Appeal

  Click here to contact us for information or assistance!