Category Archives: admissions

admissions, college prep

Preparing for the College Admissions Process

college admissions process

College preparation does NOT begin during your student’s senior year. It starts in middle school with a discussion about college and decisions related to high school course selection and gets off to a running start their first day of high school. While you might be astonished and astounded by this statement, the truth is if you take it to heart, your student will enter senior year prepared and at the top of the college applicant pool.

These steps will help you and your student have less stress and be less likely to panic due to a lack of preparation when that all-important college application time comes along.

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admissions, college planning, college prep, common app

10 Tips to Help with the Common Application

common application

Most high school seniors use the Common Application to apply to colleges. Since over 1000 schools now use this application, students can apply to multiple schools with one application. That doesn’t mean your student should “phone it in”, however. Taking the Common App seriously is the first step in completing an application that will help you stand out and receive an offer of admission.

Here are ten tips that will help your student ace the Common App this year:

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admissions, college guidance, college planning, college prep

How I Helped My Daughter With Her College List

college list

With the school year in full swing, college-bound juniors are working on their college list. Narrowing down the college preferences can be difficult, especially when your student is indecisive or feels overwhelmed about the college process. These young students need guidance, even if they don’t think so or are hesitant to ask for help.

When my daughter started making her college list in her junior year she didn’t know where to begin. She had a few must haves on her list: sororities, a small college, and one with a focus on fashion merchandising. Beyond that, she knew she wanted to apply to a few colleges in Boston, especially the one on her dream list: Boston University. But in the beginning, it seemed like a monumental task.

Following are five steps we followed to begin and ultimately create her final college list:

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admissions, college planning, college prep, websites

Appily: A One-Stop College Shop

appily

Have you ever wondered why there couldn’t be a “one-stop shop” for applying to college? By the time you’ve hopped all around the college sphere looking for the best information, it can be exhausting. Read this blog. Check out this website. Explore these options. It’s almost more than one parent can handle and it can make you throw up your hands in frustration.

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admissions, college prep, common app

5 Ways to Look Uncommon on the Common App

Common App

The Common Application is used by over 500 colleges. It was created to save colleges and students time when submitting their college applications, hence called the Common App. The basic information you complete in the application will be used by every college you apply to: test scores, personal information, and extracurricular activity lists. You don’t have to resubmit that information to each individual college.

The Common App was set up in 1975 to simplify the application process, but the very name of the application suggests that there is no opportunity for students to stand out in this common app process. But there are opportunities for students to stand out, or look uncommon when using the Common App.

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admissions, college guidance, college planning, in the news, standardized tests

What Do Colleges Look for in an Applicant?

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colleges

The NACAC (National Association for College Admissions Counseling) surveyed their member four-year colleges and you might be interested to know what they found.

The responses indicated that the most important factors in admission decisions were grades and high school courses. According to their recent survey, 77 percent of colleges listed the student’s grades in college prep courses (AP and Honors) as considerably important. High school grades in all courses were considered important by 74 percent of colleges, and the strength of the high school curriculum by 64 percent of colleges surveyed.

Interestingly, the essay had considerable importance by only 19 percent of colleges, with demonstrated interest ranking important by 16 percent of colleges.

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admissions, college guidance, college planning, college prep

Less is More When Applying to College

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applying to college

There’s a theory among teens, and many parents, when applying to college: “The more colleges you apply to, the better your chances.” In theory, it makes sense, but there are other things to consider besides hedging your bets with numbers.

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admissions, college planning, standardized tests, test optional

College Administrators Weigh In on Admissions

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college administrators

As the parent of a college-bound teen, you want to know what college administrators think about admissions practices. Knowledge is power and you can use it as your student begins to apply to colleges. If you know what the colleges are focusing on and what administrators consider important, your student will have useful information as they apply.

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admissions, back to school, college planning, college prep, parenting

Back to School Tips for High School Parents

It’s that time of year again and your college-bound teen is headed back to school. Every year presents opportunities to get a leg up on the college process. If you and your teen plan strategically before school starts, you’ll have some goals and be able to hit the ground running.

Here is a quick list of back to school tips, broken down by each grade level. The activities are to be done just as soon as your teen gets back to school:

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admissions, college planning, college prep, college visits, financial planning, parenting

10 Ways Parents Can Help With College Prep

college prep

As a parent, you most certainly think about your child’s future and so often college prep is a part of that future. You may see them as an engineer, a teacher, or a doctor. You may picture them at your alma mater, or being the first in your family to attend college. Maybe you just hope they find a passion and pursue it. Whatever you hope, you want what is best for your child and to support them in achieving their goals.

College prep is a team effort. While the student leads the team and is ultimately the one who makes the final decision, parents can participate. This is an overwhelming process to handle alone and parents can ease some of the tremendous stress and burden.

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