Congratulations! You hit submit. The confetti streamed across your screen. You’re done with applying, right? Not quite. There are a few steps you need to take to ensure your application is ready to be reviewed by admissions. Notify your guidance counselor as they need to send your high school transcript, counselor letter, and teacher recommendations […]
EA vs ED vs REA vs RD – What’s the Best Way to Apply?
Early application deadlines are looming. Some of the southern schools like UNC Chapel Hill and USC have an EA deadline of October 15. Most are November 1. A few are 12/1. But how do you know which is the right deadline for you? Let’s start with some definitions Early Action (EA): You apply early and […]
Writing the College Essay
650 Words That’s how many words you have to tell your story and convince the person reading your essay that they should accept you. While this task often seems daunting to rising high school seniors, it’s absolutely possible to do if you follow these steps: Identify your strengths, talents, and interests. Decide on the message […]
Ten Things to Do This Summer Before You Head Off to College
You’ve put down your deposit at your dream school and graduated from high school. It’s time to relax, right? Not quite. There’s still work to be done to before you head off to college. Check your new college email every day to be sure you don’t miss any important deadlines or updates. Check your college […]
How to Get the Most Out of the College Visit
Rising juniors and seniors, it’s time to plan your college visits. The best time to visit is when students are on campus, but it can be difficult to find the time during the school year. You can still learn a lot about a school over the summer. Do you like the location? The size? The […]
The ROI of an LOR
A Holistic Approach to College Admissions This past fall, many colleges opted to go test optional. This left many admissions counselors (and students) wondering how they would evaluate the thousands of applications that they received. With the student’s GPA many times being the only numerical data point submitted, we were told that admissions would use […]
High School Seniors – It’s Decision Time!
By now you should have heard from all your schools. Hopefully you’ve been accepted at your top choice with a financial aid package that makes it easy to say yes. If so, congratulations! But if not, there are still actions you can take that may give you the options you are looking for. Here’s what […]
Building the College List
High school juniors, it’s time to start building your college list. Creating a list of colleges to apply to may seem daunting, but if you take the time to think about what’s important to you and do your research, you’ll be able to find the schools that are the right fit for you. Ready to […]
Summer School – It’s Not What It Used to Be
It may say February on the calendar, but it’s time to think about summer. Summer is a great time to dig deeper into something you love or explore a new interest. One option for high school students to consider is taking a summer class. A positive note to the distance learning implemented by many […]
Virtual College Fairs
It’s Time to Sign Up for the College Fair College fairs have always been a great way to “visit” a number of colleges in a short amount of time. With on-site college visits temporarily on hold, attending a college fair is a good starting point to explore the schools that you’re interested in. As […]
There’s Still Time For Seniors to Stand Out From the Crowd
It’s hard to believe it’s the half-way point of senior year! Before you start the count-down clock to graduation there are a few things you still need to do … Make sure your guidance counselor sends your midyear report to all of your Regular Decision and Rolling Admissions schools and any Early Action or Early […]
The End of the SAT Essay and Subject Tests
It’s finally happened. College Board is discontinuing the SAT essay and the SAT Subject Tests. With fewer and fewer schools requiring them each year (2020 saw the number dwindled to single digits) and so many schools going test-optional/test blind (read more about this here), the end was inevitable. Why Has This Happened? Colleges and universities […]