When many college applicants think about the best schools in the country, they think of schools like Columbia, Cornell, Princeton, Harvard, and Yale, Duke, Stanford, and MIT.  When these schools think about the best college applicants, they think of standardized test scores.   While student transcripts are the most important part of a college application, standardized test scores serve as sort of truth test for competitive colleges, who need to find which transcripts are worth considering.  Applicants who are excellent test-takers – who can earn SAT scores in the 730s on Verbal, Writing, and Math sections, and in the 740s on their SAT Subject Tests – will surely have their transcripts respectfully considered at most of the elite schools listed above. […]

Most parents and students think that SATs are a fact of life for every college-bound teen.  Is this true? Yes, and no.  No, you can’t ignore them, but your score isn’t some predetermined measure of your intelligence either.  There are strategies and options to consider when you see the SAT on your horizon, and many of your decisions will come down to how far ahead you’re planning.  Commit to college early-on – as a freshman – and you will be more prepared to deal with the SATs by the time you’re a Junior. First and foremost, know your options.  You can take the SAT, or you can opt not to take it at all.  If you decide to take the […]

If I had to describe my first year of college in one word, it would have to be “freedom.” At this point, you’re probably groaning since everyone is always telling you about how much freedom you have in college and how great it is, but hear me out. Before I graduated, my parents gave me free reign and I was allowed to do pretty much whatever I wanted, so I didn’t think college would be that big of an adjustment; I was wrong. First, you have to realize that you’re living at your school 24/7. This may sound blatantly obvious and somewhat redundant, but there are a few things this fact entails that should definitely be addressed. For example, you’ll […]

In the face of mounting student debt, pressure from political leaders to rein in the cost of attending college, and the rising number of years undergraduates are taking to finish their degrees, Indiana State University has announced a program that guarantees that students will finish their degree in four years. If the student meets all stated requirements and cannot graduate in the allotted time, the University itself will cover the cost of the courses the student needs to finish his or her degree. Indiana State isn’t the first university to offer such a guarantee to its students, which requires that participants sign a contract, have frequent advisor meetings to discuss progress, etc. But it is the most recent addition to […]

The amount of people using social media is staggering. Over 500 million people are on Facebook, and there are over 200 million tweets sent every single day. The barriers between individuals are crumbling, but with such an extended community able to interact on a personal basis, the need for a responsible online presence is paramount, especially for students. We’re not advocating that students should whitewash their online presence. Certainly, colleges are looking for students who have their own personality and who are cognizant of the world around them. That said, speech that you might consider inside joke between friends, when viewed from the outside, could be construed as offensive, and could be detrimental to your chances at acceptance. We encourage […]

Do you consider yourself an environmentalist? Are sustainable efforts important to you? In honor of the recently passed Earth Day I thought I would take a look at colleges with sustainable practices. Colleges across the country are rolling out new sustainable practices and initiatives. Take the time to learn about them when you visit campuses! Check out some examples of colleges who are taking “being green” to new heights. The University of Vermont announced this winter that they will become one of the first instituions nationwide to end the sale of bottled water on campus and mandate that at least one-third of the drinks that are in the vending machines on campus be healthy options. Colorado College offers an organic food buying co-op […]

Our company has a longstanding commitment to assisting individuals with learning differences achieve success in the college admissions process. Often, individuals and families are uncertain of which colleges will best support and cater to their personalized needs. With that in mind, we are pleased to announce two informational seminars – both on Saturday, June 9 – that we hope will help to clear away some of the perceived obstacles in the college admissions process for individuals with learning differences. The seminars will be held at the Holiday Inn in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. The first will start at 10AM and the second will start at 2PM, and tickets for each are $10. After both hour-long sessions there will be the opportunity […]

May 1st has a special significance in my line of business. For most colleges, May 1st was the last day accepted students could enroll at their school, and reserve a seat for their fall class. For me, I look on May 1st with triumph. 53 high school seniors have used my services this year, and all of them are happy with the choices they had when deciding on enrollment. Some may have taken more time to realize what was the best school for them, but all are educated consumers of higher education, and all now in places where they can grow academically and personally. Of course, each of my students selects schools differently. One student, Benjamin Avanzato, chose a particular school based on […]

As we enter the final days before the May 1 enrollment deadline, I imagine that many families are anxious to put their deposits anywhere. For most American families, college is their biggest expense after a home, and, if you listen to the news, a college degree may not guarantee a job that it once did. Students can still find jobs, as this report demonstrates. The difference is that those jobs exist in sectors unfamiliar even two generations ago. Most of those sectors, such as technology or biomedical sciences, require highly educated employees who can do more than just complete a task. These students can think like innovators. Thinking like an innovator, as we train our students to do, does not require […]

According to the National Association for College Admission Counseling, about 35% of colleges report rescinding college acceptances. In fact, the University of California and the University of Colorado typically take back several dozen acceptances each year. With long waiting lists at many colleges, there is no trouble filling those vacancies. Why do colleges reject students after they have been accepted? One word: Senioritis. It’s an insidious and highly contagious disease that the American Psychological Association doesn’t recognize. It affects only a small subset of society, high school seniors, and strikes almost exclusively in the springtime. The Miriam-Webster Dictionary defines Senioritis as “an ebbing of effort by school seniors as evidenced by tardiness, absences, and lower grades.” Parents are often caught […]