Author: Susan Ray
November is a GREAT month for high school students- there are multiple days off from school to work on college applications, essays, scholarship applications, visit potential schools, and do college research.
If you are a senior, deadlines are NOW for early admissions and coming soon for financial aid and scholarships.
November is a busy month and requires organization and focus.
Continue reading “It’s November- What Should I Be Doing to Prepare for College?”
October is here, and normally that would mean football games and homecoming dances. COVIS-19 may have postponed these activities, but the college application season is in full swing.
Here’s an October checklist of things all high school students should be doing now to prepare for college. Continue reading “It’s October- What Should I Be Doing to Prepare for College?”
Let’s say you and a friend head to the library or a favorite coffee shop to spend a couple of hours working on college applications. Your friend pulls out her laptop, sips her coffee, and gets to work on the Activities section. Thirty minutes later, she has finished, and you have only listed two items and are struggling to remember more.
What’s the difference between the two of you?
Your friend kept an Activities List- a document that lists all of the activities she participated in throughout high school. Your friend simply printed the list, made a few notes, and then glanced at it as she typed items into her Common App.
You, on the other hand, have no such list. You sit and struggle to remember what you did your freshman year- three long years ago and are continually having to ask your friend what she remembers about YOUR past.
Having an activities and awards list can save you countless hours and help you create an accurate portrait of yourself on your college applications.
There are many types of colleges and universities and it is important to know the differences when choosing the school that is best for you.
For starters, it is important to realize the difference between two-year and four-year colleges.
A two-year college is a community college or trade school. At a two-year college, students typically learn a specific trade or take general education courses that will transfer to a four-year college. Two-year colleges typically cost less than four-year colleges. Two-year college graduates earn an Associate Degree.
A four-year school is a traditional college or university. Students take general education courses as well as courses specific to their major. Four-year schools can be public or private. Students who graduate from a four-year school earn a Bachelor’s Degree
Continue reading “Something for Everyone- Types of Colleges”
It’s September, fall is in the air, SAT and ACT dates are set, and college application deadlines are fast approaching- even in a COVID world.
If you are a high school senior, September is the time to start college applications and think about your future. If you are junior, it’s time to think about potential colleges and what schools you may want to visit.
Here’s a list of things for all high school students to do in September: Continue reading “It’s September- What Should I Be Doing to Prepare for College?”
When you are applying to college, it helps to know the lingo! Here’s a list of frequently used college admissions terms to keep you up to speed. Continue reading “College Admissions Terminology”
It’s your Senior Year of high school, and it’s time to apply to college, but where?
How do you choose the schools in which to apply? What will be the best fit? Where will you be the happiest and excel academically?
For a few students, these are easy questions- they KNOW where they want to go and have had their eyes set on a particular college since they were in middle school. For most students, however, the choice is not so simple.
The best way to decide where to apply is to ask yourself the questions below and evaluate what is most important to YOU when choosing a college. Ideally, the college you select is where you are going to live for the next four years, so you want to be happy there.
By asking yourself these questions, you can get a good picture of your ideal school. Once you’ve done that, start applying!
Time Management is an essential, yet often overlooked, factor in successfully applying to colleges and obtaining scholarships. Deadlines sneak up and details get missed- details that could mean the difference between acceptance and rejection.
The Common App, the most widely used online college application, opens around the first of August when most high school seniors are still sleeping late, lounging by the pool, working part-time jobs, and staying up late playing video games or chatting with friends.
Most seniors are not thinking about college in August. But, early August is a GREAT time to start planning, creating a calendar, and beginning to work on the Common App (or whatever application the school of your choice requires).
Continue reading “An Easy Way to Manage Your Time When Applying to College”
The college admissions process is a long road fraught with pitfalls and costly mistakes.
Applying to a school at the last minute usually leads to an incomplete application and, thus, rejection. Forgetting to submit a transcript by the indicated deadline will land your application in the rejection pile without a second look. Applying only to the “safe” school may mean you never reach your potential nor feel satisfied.
A college admissions consultant helps students and families avoid all of these scenarios and more! It is the consultant’s job to help families navigate all aspects of the college admissions process and reduce the overall stress created by this journey. The consultant helps students choose which schools to apply to, ensures that deadlines are met, and applications show an accurate, detailed picture of the student.
But, isn’t this what high school counselors do for free during school hours? Not really.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, high school students receive an average of only 38 minutes of college counseling per year. High school counselors are forced to wear many hats on a school day, from providing individual, social, emotional counseling, group counseling, academic advising, crisis management, and now, in a virtual world, online content related to psychological health as well as educational guidance. Simply put, high school counselors do not have time to give students individual direction when applying to college. Continue reading “How Can an Education Consultant Help with College Admissions?”
August is here, and school is about to start, whether in person or virtual. Are you doing the right things to optimize your chances of attending the college of your dreams? Regardless of whether you are a freshman or a senior, there are things you need to do NOW to prepare for college.