I know November 1st has passed and I know many of you are thinking, "Okay, I blew it. I didn't complete my applications.” This is not true. November 15th is another big deadline for early decision and early action applications, along with December 1st. Also, you have two additional early decision dates which can take place on January 1st or January 15th.

If you have a first-choice school, see if they offer early action or early decision, so you can submit your application early and hopefully get notified with an answer that you want. We strongly suggest that you take advantage of any school that has an early action or rolling admission deadline because the earlier you submit, the sooner you...

I was recently asked a really good question from a parent that was interested in working with us. She asked me, "Would you be able to help my kid, even if he has really bad grades?" I said, "Absolutely." There are 3,500 colleges and universities throughout the country, if your son or daughter wants to go to college and they have bad grades, I don't want them to think that college is not a possibility for them.

I want to give you seven quick tips for you to consider if you have bad grades. The goal is not to get bad grades, but life happens. If you want to go to college, here's what you should do.

1. Submit an explanation. Many colleges will listen to your reasoning for why you obtained grades...

With early application deadlines right around the corner, we thought we should explain what they all exactly are and why you should consider them (if you can afford it).

This is a great explanation from the International College Counselors.

BENEFITS OF APPLYING EARLY 

• Improving your chance of being accepted
• Improving your chance of getting a scholarship
• Gaining time to prepare for college and study for high school classes/AP tests, if accepted
• Gaining more time to apply to other colleges with later deadlines if you get rejected
• Ensuring peace of mind

Early policies can maximize a student's chances to get into a school, but the policies need to be carefully read. While the definitions for each...

Today I'm talking to juniors, the class of 2021. Believe it or not, you're going to be applying to college in 12 short months. Right now, you need to consider visiting colleges and learning more about them. Whether it's Columbus Day or Veterans Day, several three-day weekends are coming up this fall that you can take advantage of. They're expecting you to attend their open houses, so please go to the websites of the schools that you're interested in and see when they have prospective students' days, particularly for juniors they are called Open Houses.

I would start with something local to you. There's no need to get on a plane or a train right now. Check out something that you can see within driving...

Now that school is in full swing (right?!!!) your school's college counseling office should share with you the colleges that will be visiting and when. Colleges tour high schools all over the country to either introduce or reintroduce their school to prospective students. 

For the college admissions officer,  this is a time to get to know the high school students since they will be reading these particular applications. As a student, this is an opportunity to become more familiar with the college to which you're considering or applying while getting some "facetime" with the person who most likely will be reading your application.

Here's what you should do.

Review the college visit calendar...

Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success

A new player entered the college application game three years ago and still may be presenting more problems than solutions.  While the jury is still out on the impact it will actually have on college admissions, I thought I would at least share what I know.

The Coalition (LINK: http://www.coalitionforcollegeaccess.org/) is a scaffold of sorts to aid parents and students in the college admission process. It provides you with a free platform of online tools, which aim to streamline the college application experience. As the name itself suggests, the Coalition is an initiative for making college applications easy, affordable and accessible to all...

I've been in college admissions as an admissions officer, I've worked on the high school side, I've been an independent consultant, and I own an educational consulting company. So what have I learned that I think is always pervasive and always important, for college admissions?

There's a school for everyone. I know that sounds cheesy, but there is a school for everyone, really. You do not have to go to one of the top 15 schools. You don't have to go to something that's ranked in US News & World Report. There are so many schools for you to choose from, that I believe after 20 years in this business, that everyone lands on their feet, somewhere. They may transfer in later, but they always find the...

Juniors, we're now in July. At this point, you should have a good handle on the reach schools you're applying to, the target schools you're applying to, and the safety schools you're applying to. You have your transcript from the end of your junior year. You have your standardized testing. Maybe you’re taking it again, but regardless, you should know the range of schools you're applying to.

I want you to think about this very judiciously. You should apply to fewer reaches, a glut of targets, and a couple of safeties. Applying to tons of reach schools with the attitude, "You know what? I have nothing to lose, everything to gain in throwing 15-20 snowballs on the wall to see what sticks" doesn't...

I see too many students thinking that planning for the future doesn’t really matter. That’s just not going to fly. 

Students, I'm not telling you that you need to decide what you want to be when you grow up or what specific career you're going to have 20 years from now, but you must constantly think about your academic profile and what general direction you would like it to move in. I am simply asking you to think about what your academic profile currently looks like and where you want it to be next year, the year after that, and the year after that. Whether it's 12 months, 24, or 36 months, you must consider next educational step that you're taking.

I understand that it may seem...

Since we're on the heels of college essay writing and application season, that also means that college interviews should be on your mind, any school that offers an opportunity for students to interview, a school that cares about its community. Interviews are a great way for colleges to get a true sense of a person. Being willing to share who you are and being well-prepared for an interview can give you a competitive edge in the college admissions process.

The key to a college interview is preparation. There are three types of interviews. There's the on-campus interview, one via video conferencing like Zoom, or one with an alumnus in your local area. It's always important to show your best self, and...