It’s essential for students to like and be a good fit for the school they attend. No matter where students find themselves in their college journeys, they may need help navigating the search and application process to ensure students end up at an institution where they can truly thrive. Nearly a quarter of American college students who start at one four-year institution will transfer to a different one to finish their degree. So, if you’re…
Attention, high school juniors: keep the momentum going this summer. You’ve made it this far, and now is not the time to lose steam. Use your time wisely to get ahead. What you do this summer could be the factor that pushes your application from a no or maybe to a yes. Here’s your college to do list for the summer. 1. Draft your college essay. By starting your college essay over the summer, you…
The College Scorecard has gotten a makeover. And no, this has nothing to do with your March Madness bracket. The Scorecard is an online trove of federal data that can help prospective students choose the college that’s right for them – and, just maybe, avoid a lifetime of student debt and heartache. The site, collegescorecard.ed.gov, can tell you a lot about a school – from its graduation rate and the earnings of former students, to how much…
Are you one click away from sabotaging your admission to college? According to a recent survey, you could be. For over a decade, Kaplan, the educational services company, has been conducting an annual survey of admission officers to track trends in policies and practices. Since 2008, it has explored the role of your digital footprint in application review, and not surprisingly, it has been growing every year. Nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of admission officers in the…
Now and for the next couple of weeks, millions of students will report to their classrooms and computer screens to take the AP exams. After taking one of the many exams, students usually feel one of three ways: Great! Good. Or awful. Because you don’t know how you will feel after taking an AP exam, do not request that your scores be sent to any college when filling out the answer sheet. If this is…
Waiting lists are the great fear of applicants this year. With more students than ever applying to highly competitive colleges, many institutions are lengthening their already long lists, resulting in more students being wait listed. Art & Science Group, a consulting firm that advises colleges on their admissions strategies, conducted a survey of high school seniors now — when they know what the colleges they applied to have said, but before the students have told…
Not all of the most selective colleges have given out their acceptance letters yet. The Ivy League will announce Tuesday evening, but the trends are already clear. The pandemic has not hurt the college admissions; it’s helped them. It has sent them new applicants, new minority and first-generation applicants, and new attention. The results are starting to come in — and they suggest that the most selective private and public institutions are going to have…
Many are convinced that when Ivy League and other competitive colleges theoretically tell applicants if they were admitted, they actually won’t this year for thousands of students. Those students will be placed on wait lists, and while colleges are quick to say that any student placed on a waiting list could succeed at the college, many students find waiting lists particularly frustrating — arguably more frustrating than rejection. This year, wait lists are expected to…
It’s no secret that advanced placement courses can boost your college applications, but knowing the details of how this works will help you put your very best foot forward. College admissions boards are becoming more and more selective about who they accept into their universities. About 37% of students in the class of 2017 took at least one AP course in high school. The pool of students challenging themselves with AP courses is growing. This…
Is early decision or early action is right for you? If you are going into your senior year, you’re probably feeling a lot of excitement and relief that you only have one more year until you’re off in the real world. Finally, no more high school. But there are some serious decisions you need to make very soon, and the best way to know where you’ll want to apply is to visit schools. First, try…
