Category: college application process

It is hard to believe, but summer is here, and with it comes changing schedules and a break in the routine. It’s easy to let the weeks slip by, but remember that summer never seems to be as long as we expect! For rising seniors, the summer is a critical time – this is your chance to get ahead on all your college applications. Students can officially access the Common Application starting in August, however that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do before then. First off, rising seniors should make sure to check out the essay topics for this year’s Common App Essay (find them on commonapp.org). Use the summer to work on this. Keep in mind that this is a personal essay, and so it may take some time to get it right. The best essays are almost never the first draft that you write. Give yourself plenty of time to brainstorm and try [...]

It is hard to believe that students have been back in school for a few weeks already. We are moving quickly through September, which means that some important dates are coming up for college applications. Early Decision and Early Action deadlines start around the beginning of November. If high school seniors have not started yet on their college applications, then they should begin as soon as possible. The application is not something that you want to rush, so it’s better to start earlier than you think you need to. Still confused on the difference between Early Action and Early Decision? Check my YouTube video series, the First Choice Five, for a good primer on things to consider.

Students should be lining up teachers for letters of recommendation, meeting with their guidance counselors, and starting their Common Application. The [...]

Congratulations! You just successfully finished the school year! Unfortunately, if the year you just wrapped up was your junior year, you don’t get to rest for long. The college search process is an important and time consuming one. You want to minimize your stress at the beginning of senior year by getting a head start on things over the summer. Fall of senior year is a busy time, so you should start trying to get some things finished in advance. In this article, we will review a few tips for how to use your summer wisely.

First up: standardized tests. This is the first time that the SAT is being offered in August. That means that you can prepare for the test over the summer while you aren’t distracted by other school commitments. The first step is to review your results from the spring tests. Determine your weak areas and review them first. Over the [...]

Getting mail from your first choice college can be a nerve wracking experience. You open it hoping to find out that you’ve been accepted, and anxious over the thought that you may have been rejected. If one of these two happens, your path is pretty clear. But what about the third possibility? What do you do if you get waitlisted?

Being put on the waitlist leaves you feeling in limbo, not sure what to do next. So here are a few concrete steps that you can take, and some important considerations that you should keep in mind.

The first thing you should do is to send a letter of interest to the admissions office. You want to let them know that they are your first choice, and that you would accept an offer if it were made. You want to [...]

It’s essential to get your FAFSA form filled accurately and early.

We have created a step by step guide detailing everything you need to complete the 2017-18 FAFSA form.

Have you got any questions about filling out the form or applying for college financial aid? Leave a comment below or send us a message.

It is hard to believe, but soon summer vacation almost is upon us.  It is understandable that right after exams have been completed many students will take some well deserved rest. But there are many things that students can do over the summer to make next fall easier and to improve their chance of getting accepted at a college of their choice.  Since students do not have other academic obligations to compete with their time, this is a great time to get started on their college applications.  While the Common Application will not be available until the beginning of August, the essay prompts are already available.

In fact, starting on the college admission essay is one of the most important things that a student can do over the summer.  In the [...]

Some people are naturally early, detailed planners. Others are procrastinators who get everything done at the last minute. Regardless of which type of person you are, it’s important to keep deadlines in mind when you’re applying to college. While regular decision deadlines aren’t until the middle of the school year, there are two deadlines that come up much earlier and mean you might need to have your application ready before those regular deadlines: Early Decision (ED) and Early Action (EA). In this article, we’re going to delve into what the differences are and how to know what’s best for you.

Early Decision and Early Action are two different early admission programs of applying for a college. The [...]