Common app activities really set the tone of your application. They show up after academics and awards BUT before your essays for a reason. They communicate what has been meaningful to you and how you have engaged with your family and/or the community around you. 

If the academics section is the foundation of the cake, the activities section is the icing and all the essays become the cherry on the top. 

Compared to the SAT, which has changed itself every 8 or 9 years, ACT has held steady all these years and has kept their flagship test the same. However, ACT recently announced three changes to their standardized test that will come into effect starting next spring. We have been anticipating some kind of announcement from the ACT to this effect.

Top 10 timeless ‘wish I knew earlier’ feedback from parents of recent graduating class.

Colleges have moved on from the traditional metrics of Safety, Reach and Target. So, if the evaluation criteria at the colleges have shifted, shouldn’t your criteria behind creating the college list be updated as well?

If you answer yes, you are allowing marketing statistics and comparison data to choose your journey.

The Common Application is a standardized template with text boxes and easy call to action, “Let’s get started.” The website/application is user friendly and even offers suggestions and tools to help students navigate the application.

As our class of 2022 practice their pomp and circumstance, let's reflect on the 2021-2022 admissions cycle and share our wisdom with the parents of rising high school students.

Whether you are attending on-campus or virtual tours, visiting schools is a crucial part of the college admissions journey. Many families use this opportunity to jump start the college conversation.

With colleges in flux, submitting test scores is a decision students make at the time of application. However, your college readiness process needs to include SAT or ACT test scores, so that you have all the pieces your application will need to allow you to make informed decisions.

Seniors have reached the halfway mark…and there is still plenty to do and not a minute to spare. A good place to start is to evaluate your goals (dreams) and assess your college application list. Here are some suggestions to follow up or consider as second semester begins.

Early Decision notifications will begin rolling out first week of December and will continue through the 3rd week December depending on a particular University and their admission timeline. The best advice during this waiting time is to be prepared and READ every email completely and follow directions.

Whether the college fair is online or in person, the students have an opportunity to hear (and hopefully meet) an admissions associate dean promoting their school and increase awareness. As well as mentioning a few key words to hopefully pique your interest. Depending on your high school year and where you may be on your college search journey, Fall college fairs can serve many purposes.

When it comes to prepping for the SAT, most students and parents view the PSAT, or Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test, as a simple test-run of moderate importance. However, the PSAT—and your student’s results—wields more influence than you might realize.

Do we always meet or exceed our goals or do we ‘set our expectations too high’ and hence not meet them?

Setting up goals is important because it helps us organize and motivate ourselves. It is what drives us, allows us to keep going from failure to success, from one milestone to the next. But why do we fail to meet those goals?

This is a one year-long program that brings together 2-4 high school juniors who will work with our college counselor on their college paths. Vicky will guide and lead students through various group and individual discussions, activities, and assessments to help them understand who they are, what they are looking for in a college experience, what they need to do to accomplish that goal and get them ready for the competitive college admissions process.