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While many colleges have gone test optional for making their admission decision, not all of them have gone test blind, meaning that they will consider your test scores if you submit them. One area where we still see test score as very important is with college merit scholarships. Many scholarships are still based on your SAT or ACT scores. In fact, if you look for merit scholarships on our sister website, CollegeTreasure.com, you can see how much more money you may be eligible for if you increase your SAT or ACT scores. Here are links to merit scholarships at colleges that have been popular with our students in the past.

• UConn Merit Scholarships
• Syracuse University Merit Scholarships
• Miami University Merit Scholarships
• University of Alabama Scholarships
• Texas Tech Scholarships
• UCLA Scholarships
• ASU Scholarships
• Baylor Scholarships
• Chegg Scholarships
• Pepperdine University Scholarships
• FastWeb Scholarships
• Furman University Scholarships
• UCF Scholarships
• Auburn Scholarships
• JMU Scholarships
• UVA Scholarships
• University of Vermont Scholarships
• USC Scholarships

First, it’s important to distinguish between required supplementals and optional supplementals. Obviously, if supplemental information is required you should submit it!

Examples of Required Supplements:

1. Some schools require supplemental essays. These essays are typically short and in response to a specific prompt. Make sure you complete all supplemental essays – and put just as much effort into them as you do into your main essay!
2. If you are applying to a performing or fine arts major, you may be required to submit a portfolio or other evidence of talent. This could include digital files of artwork, recording of a recital, a separate audition, etc. For these, follow the directions carefully – make sure you are sending the right kind of materials to the right person.

Examples of Optional Supplements:

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Emory University published a story about the differences in admission they have had to implement due to COVID-19. The changes in their admissions process were certainly put to the test – Emory ended up receiving a record number of undergraduate applications this year, despite some predictions that college applications would decrease as students took extra time to navigate the “new normal”. As this year’s Juniors look to their fall applications, they will likely find that many of the pressures and changes are still in effect. In this blog, I wanted to walk through some of those differences and how they might affect you:

• Pass/Fail Grades – taking classes pass/fail can affect your GPA. It’s important to keep schools apprised of any dramatic changes to your academic transcript – whether that be a year of pass/fail grades or [...]

Right now, we’re helping many students plan out their time so that they can stay on top of the college application process. There are many moving parts that students need to keep track of, and it’s easy to miss something in the juggling act. For juniors, the spring semester is the time to really buckle down and get those details ironed out.

Make a Testing Plan

Making a plan for when you are going to take standardized tests is part of this process. Tests have registration deadlines and are not available every weekend. This is all additionally complicated by restricted capacity at testing centers depending on local regulations. There is no guarantee that there will be space for you, so don’t leave things until the last minute!

Once you have a plan for when you’re going to take the test, it’s important to start planning [...]

It’s the start of the new year, and that means it’s time to start making plans!

In particular, it’s time for juniors to start thinking intensively about their college applications, if they haven’t already. In this blog post, I want to focus on three major things – the state of standardized tests, considerations for disrupted learning experiences, and what juniors should be doing this spring.

Test Optional – Lessons From Last Year’s Application Cycle

Standardized tests aren’t going anywhere – that’s one of the major (and perhaps surprising!) lessons that we’re taking away from the 2020 applications. Many colleges and universities adopted test-optional policies in light of the cancellations of standardized tests across the country. Many schools expected to see lower numbers of applications due to the uncertainty that filled the world.

Reality proved the opposite.

Many of the highly-competitive colleges [...]

Students planning on starting college next fall need to be thinking about their applications now. Even though those deadlines may seem far away, they’ll be here before you know it! Make sure that you’ve got a plan for how you’re going to get everything done by the deadlines. College applications can’t be put together overnight, so make sure to give yourself plenty of time. You don’t want to end up rushing and hurting your chances.

Here are a few key aspects of the application that you should keep in mind:

Grades – If you’re applying regular decision, your first semester of senior year grades will be included in your application. Make sure you keep your grades up! Across the board, admissions officers cite grades as the most important aspect of any application. With schools using different models for teaching in the world of COVID-19, it’s especially critical that you be responsible for your own success. [...]

As rising seniors look to the fall semester, college applications are at the front of their minds. The situation at hand is in flux, and that means it’s hard to know what to focus on.

Typically, standardized tests are a critical component of your college application. In past years, we have advised students that standardized test scores are one of the last elements of their application that they can control. By the time students are in the end of their junior year, they can’t change their past grades. They can’t add a bunch of new activities or sports that will make them stand out against their peers. The only two things that they can really change at this point are test scores and their essays.

The pandemic has created a situation where students cannot take standardized tests even if they want to. There have been very few opportunities, leaving students without scores. Luckily, most colleges [...]

For most students, the first few weeks back at school in the fall are always rough. It can take a bit for your brain to switch back to “school mode”. Things that you knew so well at the end of the year are harder because you’re rusty. With COVID-19 forcing students and teachers to adapt to distance learning, we can expect the summer slump to be worse than usual this year. Many students have struggled with the transition and taking a few months off in the summer won’t help the problem.

This is particularly concerning for high school students who are planning to apply to college in the future. Why? Because schools across the country consistently hold up grades as the single most important element of a student’s application. That’s why it’s incredibly important for students to take the hardest curriculum that they [...]

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