How Many Colleges Should You Apply To?
The bad news is that no magic number works for every applicant. The good news is that there are guidelines to follow as you create your college list. Like playing the stock market, diversification is critical. Each college list should have schools from the following categories. What Types of Schools to Include Longshot Schools These schools [...]
Parents, Perfection, and College Admissions
Anxiety over college admissions doesn’t only affect the students but parents as well. Dr. Lisa Rouff shares her experience and reminds us that while the stakes are high, they aren’t as high as our anxiety leads us to believe. Last week I attended an event at my daughter’s high school in which parents were able [...]
How to Prepare for a College Visit
Planning Your College Visit Making the most of your college visits takes time and planning. This is an excellent chance for parents to be involved in the application process by helping with the travel logistics, but the student should have input on which schools will be visited. Visit the admissions website and register for a [...]
SAT Testing Dates for 2022-2023
The college admissions process can feel like a series of deadlines to be met. Few of these deadlines are as critical as scheduling the SAT if you decide to take a standardized test. Below are the latest dates from the College Board for 2022-2023. Register here. SAT Test Date Regular Registration Deadline Deadline for Changes, [...]
Getting Ready for College: Junior Year Tasks
It’s your junior year, meaning you’re halfway done with high school! The junior year also marks a pivotal time in the college admissions process. This is the last full year of grades and activities that colleges review when making admissions decisions. That can be overwhelming, but we’re here to help. Use this checklist to keep [...]
ACT Testing Dates for 2022-2023
If you decide to take the ACT as part of your college application process, there are some guidelines to follow about when to test to optimize your chances for success. ACT Test Date Regular Registration Deadline Late Registration Deadline Late Fee Applies September 10, 2022 August 5, 2022 August 19, 2022 October 22, 2022 September [...]
FAFSA 2023-2024 – A Walkthrough
It’s the time of year for trick-or-treating, football games, and filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Completing the FAFSA is required to take advantage of Federal Student Aid including Federal Work-Study and Federal Direct Subsidized Loans and Direct Unsubsidized Loans. Many states will also use the FAFSA for their financial aid [...]
The CSS Profile 2023-2024 – A Walkthrough
The College Scholarship Service (CSS) Profile takes a more in-depth assessment of a family’s financial situation. Approximately 200 institutions currently use it to determine eligibility for institutional financial aid, and around 100 more for scholarship programs. Schools that give away a significant amount of their own institutional need-based aid use the CSS Profile because it [...]
Why Students Who Transfer Usually Take Longer to Graduate
Sometimes, transferring is a prudent decision, but students often don’t realize until they arrive at their new college that a lot of their credits don’t transfer. How can you avoid this dilemma happening to you or someone you care about? Transferring is extremely common, and often it makes sense. I recommended transferring to four or [...]
When it comes to your search for scholarships, have you looked at your Community Foundation?
There are two primary sources of scholarships. There are what are known as “institutional scholarships,” which are scholarships from the college or university itself. These are often quite large and, by far and away, are the major source of free money for families above the poverty line. The other source of scholarship money is what [...]
Excellent Questions To Ask During An Interview
Common Factors of Great Questions You don’t know what questions you’ll be asked during a college admissions interview, although we have an extensive crowdsourced list our students have been asked, except for one: Do you have any questions for me? So be prepared with at least three to five questions that will give you a [...]
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