Why October Matters for All High School Students
Most kids have been in school for a month now - if not more - and should all be “settled” into a routine that includes waking up early, staying up later than we want them to and, of course, contemplating the all-important college admissions question:
“What should I be doing now, to get into college later?”
Every month or every year of high school counts towards having more or less college options. Whether it’s grades or activities or visits or essays, high school students who want selective schools are putting in the work now.
Is your kid putting in the work?
If you have no clue on what your child should be doing this month as it relates to getting into...
Why English Teachers Are Not College Essay Experts
Hard truth: college essays and “school essays” are very different. High school students are taught to write essays with a thesis, body paragraphs to prove their points and a conclusion which revisits the thesis in summary. This is not what a college essay should look like.
A college essay is a story. It’s a slice of your kid’s life when they share something important about who they are. It’s not an autobiography of their 17 or 18 years of life but rather a small sample of an event on which they learned something that they believe will travel with them forever.
Not all English teachers know this.
Most English teachers have never worked in college...
5 Best Websites for College Admissions Information
As a parent of a high school student, my son and I both bombarded with email and mail from colleges. Where does this all come from? It comes from colleges and agencies buying our information from college testing agencies such as the SAT and ACT. It can be overwhelming but since I’ve been in this profession for over 20 years, I can at least steer my son (and my wife) to the resources that I think offer good perspective and information.
Here are five of my favorites:
www.collegescorecard.ed.gov/
www.collegeconfidential.com
www.collegexpress.com
www.collegedata.com
www.youvisit.com
Hopefully these help you to get started. If you want more information, let’s connect for a 60-minute...
3 Things Every Rising Senior Must Do This Summer
Senior year is here! (or almost here ….) Now is the time to applaud your kid’s junior year efforts and really start to engage them on their college list, essays and application strategies.
Ok, but how?
By now, they should have started their Common Application, right?!!! No? Please have them start now. https://www.commonapp.org/ It’s nice to get a jump on this and not wait until the Fall when life can get hectic.
What else?
Below are the top 3 things rising seniors must do this Summer.
1) Visit colleges
Whether you can go in person or have to visit virtually, now is the time for your kid to get more familiar with colleges they may apply to. For...
What Parents Should Ask Their Child's School Counselor (2020)
Whatever you call the school counselor at your child’s high school -- guidance counselor, college counselor, etc -- please know that they are an integral part of the college application process. A few elements of their job are:
- to offer college advice to you and your child
- weigh in on the selection of courses for each year
- write a school counselor recommendation on behalf of your child
- send the transcript
- communicate with colleges about your child’s application and interest
Some school counselors do this better than others, and usually it depends on their caseload of students.
As a parent, you should attend any college preparation presentations that your school offers,...
