Category Archives: admissions

admissions, college guidance, college planning

5 tips for finding the “right fit” college

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If you are reading this article, then you can probably relate to the saying “time flies”. One day, you were taking your child to their first day of school and now it’s time to help them start filling out applications for college. In what probably feels like a matter of just a few moments, your son or daughter has reached a huge milestone that requires a great amount of preparation.

We’re hoping that we can help the process by providing you with a list of some things that you can do to support your teen in finding the “right fit” college. Check out these five tips below:

1. Steer them away from peer pressure. According to US News & World Report, there was a report that was conducted a few years ago citing that a whopping 79 percent of high school students selected the college they would attend based on where their friends were going. It is important to discuss with your teen that college is a time of fun and learning a new level of independence, but it’s also a season of preparing for their career as an adult. Therefore, going somewhere to follow their best friend should not be considered a good enough reason.

2. Know what you’re working with. Say that your child has a particular school in mind but either they don’t have the right grades or it’s something that’s close to impossible to afford (even with a particular scholarship or financial aid). Before they put a lot of time and energy into applying, it’s a good idea to first sit down and discuss what schools will accept them based on their grades, ACT/SAT test scores and yes, what is financially feasible.

3. Discuss living arrangements. Once you know the realm of what you have to work with, it’s then time to discuss things like living arrangements. Do they want to stay at home? Do they want to live on campus? And if they do want to live in the dorm, how far away from home are they interested in attending? Also, is studying aboard an option? The reason why this is so important is because your child needs to feel comfortable and safe wherever they are; feeling secure will only help them to progress academically.

4. Make sure it complements their core values. If the best resume writer could provide your teen with some good advice on filling out their college applications, one of the things they would probably tell them is that it’s just as important to select a college that complements their values as it is to write a stellar college application essay. That is why some people go to a college that is based on a certain religion or is all-male or all-female. Definitely knowing what’s important to you, both in and outside of the classroom, is important when picking the right college.

5. Tour a few college campuses. Thanks to the power of technology, there are many college websites that offer interactive tours, but that doesn’t come close to personally going on some college campuses and seeing what they have to offer. So, if your teen does want to live on campus and/or doesn’t mind living in another state, take out a few weekends during their senior year to visit some schools. Talk to the administration, visit some of the dorms, discuss with your child is they feel better on a large or small campus. All of these things will help them in deciding which school will prove to be the most beneficial to them over the next several years of their academic life.

admissions, college planning, essays

5 tips for writing college essays

UnknownSeniors are welcoming offers of admission; high school juniors are gearing up for college applications in the fall. They have begun college visits, crafting a list of colleges they are interested in attending, and looking toward completing those applications.

A key part of the application is the college essay. This task causes much stress among students (and even parents) desiring to craft the best possible essay to make the best possible impression on admissions. As with any task, however, knowing some tips and applying those tips can help relieve some of the stress.

Here are 5 tips for writing college essays:

1. Give yourself plenty of time

This is the number one tip for writing a successful college essay–start now! Waiting until the last minute will cause you to produce shoddy work. Begin early so that you can craft a work you will be proud to attach to your application. Once the essay is out of the way, you can concentrate on the rest of the application.

2. Be truthful

There is no need to embellish your achievements or exaggerate your accomplishments. Honesty is a character trait that admissions officers look for in an applicant. They can spot embellishments easily in an essay and wonder what else you are stretching the truth about.

3. Make it personal

Talk about what you love and find a way to distinguish yourself from other applicants. Admissions officers want to know who you are and what you can contribute to their college student body. The essay is an opportunity for them to see you beyond the test scores and the GPA.

4. Stick to the point

Don’t ramble to increase your word count. Say what you need to say and stick to the point. The longer the essay, the less interested the reader becomes. Remember they have many essays to read and you need to capture their interest and keep it.

5. Proofread and proofread again

This does not mean spellcheck only. Look at your use of punctuation and other good writing mechanics. Spell names properly. Ask teachers, parents and friends to read the essay. Many times they can find errors that you do not see. While you can find sites that offer online essay writing and custom essays, remember this should be YOUR work and presented from YOUR point of view.

Bottom line

The essay is your chance to shine. You should use it as an opportunity to help the college get to know you; and see you apart from the facts, figures and statistics you present about yourself.

Don’t hesitate to read more about online essay writing with EssayLib.com – professional service that is always ready to help students with college essays.

 

admissions, college guidance, college planning, parenting, tutoring

5 Ways to help a student who is struggling academically

imagesWhen your child is in their junior and senior year of high school, one of the most exciting things about that time in their life is knowing that they are just several months away from going away to college. But sometimes, even amidst all of the planning and excitement, it can be challenging to maintain the kind of grades that are needed to be accepted into the school of their choice.

If you have a college bound kid who appears to be struggling academically and you’re looking for some tips on how to help them, we have five proven ones that will have them ready to receive their college acceptance letter sooner than you might think:

Encourage them. Whether it’s been while we were in school or on our jobs, we all have experienced moments when we were simply burned out. That’s why, even in the midst of all of the hustle and bustle that comes with the everyday demands of life, it’s important check in with your child and keep them encouraged. Oftentimes a little pep talk can go a long way toward getting them back on track.

Suggest that they to get into study groups. In college, it’s nothing out of the ordinary for students to get together and have study sessions. So, in preparation for campus life, why not encourage your child to either become a part of a study session or to start one in high school? Having the support of their peers can also be a very effective tool.

Be willing to assist them. Yes, for many of us, it’s been years since we were in high school or college, but you might be surprised by the amount of information that you’ve retained. It doesn’t hurt to at least sit down with your child and ask them about the areas where they are having trouble and then offering your assistance where you can. If that doesn’t work, then there’s also the next suggestion.

Get them a tutor. There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting your child a tutor. As a matter of fact, it could prove to be one of the best things that you could do for them if their grades are truly suffering. A wonderful thing about this particular option is that there are private tutors who can come to your home, or you can enroll them in something like a Sylvan’s Learning Center program, or there are even free online tutoring options available. Some of them include Khan Academy, Free-Tutoring-Online and LearnToBe.org. If your child is comfortable with a tutor now, they will be less hesitant to get one later should they need something like a GMAT tutor to prepare them for an MBA or law school entrance exams down the road.

Don’t rule out getting them tested. Sometimes, you can find yourself doing all of the “right things” and your child is still not excelling. If you sense that they are doing their best and you’re still not getting the kind of results that you would like, don’t be closed to the idea of having them professionally tested. If they do have some kind of learning disability, it’s better to know as soon as possible so that you can get them the appropriate help that they need before they get to college.

 

admissions, college guidance, college planning

5 Tips for beating back senioritis

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The feeling you get when you you’re accepted to your dream school is one of euphoria! But the realization that there are still months left of school (six if you got in early action!) can put a damper on the celebration. There are AP exams left to take, endless calculus problem sets to turn in, capstone projects to be finished… when all you want to do is relax and hang out with friends.The truth is, almost everyone gets the dreaded senioritis. It’s characterized by a seeming inability to get work done by students who once pushed through projects and assignments in no time flat. The bad news: if you let senioritis get the best of you, you can jeopardize your college acceptance. The good news: senioritis is serious, but any high school senior can beat it. Here are my top five tips:

1. Set aside time each day for homework
You may not have the motivation to study as much as you did BCA (Before College Acceptance) but that doesn’t mean you can ignore homework entirely. One good strategy is to set aside distinct periods of time each day to do homework. If you tell yourself you’re going to work between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., each weeknight and then give yourself from 9 onwards for Facebook, socializing, TV or whatever it is you want to do for fun, you’ll be much more likely to get your work done than if you have an ephemeral goal of “getting your work done” but then don’t have anything concrete to match that to.

2. Study with friends
It’s senior year, it’s time to have some fun with friends who’ll be halfway across the country in a few months… but there’s that nasty project that’s due in the next two days. Studying with friends is a great way to get quality time in with your favorite people, while also ensuring you get your reading done and your problem sets finished. Make it more fun by meeting at a coffee shop or local cafe.

3. Be diligent about due dates and assignments
You may not get every homework assignment 100 percent, but you’ll want to be looking ahead to make sure you have the the big things on your radar — midterms, final papers and projects, big reports, etc. If you plan ahead, you can give yourself plenty of time to both relax and to get your work done stress free.

4. Check in with teachers regularly
Senioritis happens to almost everyone. And your teachers know it’s going to happen. But if you show them you’re on top of things by checking in, following up on assignments you may have turned in late, etc, they’ll be much more likely to be able to work with you in the event you miss something or forget to turn some homework in.

5. Reward yourself
Set out small goals you want to accomplish and then give yourself a reward when you complete them. Maybe for every five calculus problems you finish, you give yourself a piece of chocolate. Or perhaps it’s take a trip to the mall after studying for two hours for an AP exam. You decide the goals, you decide the rewards.

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Laura Oppenheimer works for InstaEDU, an online tutoring company that offers online algebra tutoring, as well as tutoring in hundreds of other subjects, ranging from basic math to advanced econometrics.
admissions, college guidance, college planning, websites

College Abacus: A tool for students and parents

In last week’s state of the Union, President Obama announced the creation of the College Scorecard. This is another step in the attempt to give parents and students an accurate picture of the cost and the value of college degrees.

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Another tool, College Abacus was the first website to enable students to compare their net prices across 3000+ other schools in one place, College Abacus is available now in both Spanish and English.

college abacusWith the support of their new grant from the Gates Foundation’s College Knowledge Challenge, College Abacus will go two steps beyond the College Scorecard. At their official launch in September 2013, College Abacus will provide college-bound students with an easy way to generate individualized net-price results and the results page will include the full sweep of required items from the scorecard. The ShoppingSheet function, now in development, will allow students to manually enter data from their college aid award letters, thereby enabling them to compare financial aid packages with ease and to view their awards within the context of their net price calculator results. By 2015, they expect to collect sufficient data to begin issuing accuracy scores for net price calculators – a step yet to be taken or even encouraged by the Department of Education. Though net price calculator results are not intended to be exact, we at College Abacus believe that schools should offer students results that are within striking distance of their final financial aid award.

Mark these sites and use them to help you determine which college is the best value both during college and after graduation.

admissions, college guidance, college planning, financial aid, parenting

FREE “Plan for College” Videos

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When we see the word FREE, we automatically ask ourselves, “What’s the catch?” The promise of FREE usually includes statements like “pay shipping and handling” or “a small subscription cost”. This time FREE means FREE!

My good friend and colleague,Paul Hemphill, is offering to my parent and student readers the opportunity to get his time-honored and valuable video series for FREE. There’s no catch. He’s  doing it because he believes in them and he believes that parents and students need some help with the college process. Paul has sold these videos in the past, but he’s willing to GIVE THEM AWAY to anyone who subscribes to this email link.

http://forms.aweber.com/form/29/616398929.htm

He’s not going to sell your email or contact you about his coaching services. As hard as it is to believe (in this skeptical, not trust anyone culture) there is NO CATCH. Every week, you will receive two emails with video coaching related to the college admissions process. He has unique insight on how to “market” your student to the college and he knows how to get results with this tactic. While counseling clients over the last several years, he has developed this series to share with them during the coaching process. My readers get it FREE!

Here’s what you can look forward to over the next 52 weeks:

  1. Relevance: The videos are topical and address the immediate concerns of most parents and students. By contrast, you will never see a video on how to get into an Ivy League college since the great majority of students will never apply to the Ivys. “My approach”, says Paul, “is not to waste the viewer’s time.”
  2. Controversial: Some of these college admission tips on video are disturbing to colleges, but this isn’t the market for which the videos are designed. Colleges will repel at the suggestion in one video that parents make multiple deposits on the standard May 1 deadline. Another video suggests that a student should absolutely apply to at least 10 colleges.
  3. Short: These videos are no longer than 2 minutes in length; long enough to contain a lot of useful information and short enough to satisfy short attention spans in a fast-pace culture.
  4. Content: The focus is on what will work for both parents and students. For example, a video will suggest what topics must be avoided in writing the college application essay. Or, how a parent can save $11,000 by what a student does with free time.
  5. Humor: It may be in the form of a funny story that drives the point home, or a one-liner, maybe even a facial expression. Introductions to the video’s topic are intended to grab your attention. One video starts this way: “I’m going to show you how to be shallow and superficial in a college admissions office!”
  6. Approach: Each video presents a problem and then suggests a viable solution. Some  solutions are so simple that you’ll conclude you haven’t seen or read about this anywhere else. “My own clients,” says Paul, “are universal in their opinion that these videos are to-the-point and no-nonsense all the way.”
  7. Themes: The easier ways to pay less for college and the easier way to get in. Paul looks for every angle that will make it easier for you to pay for college, and he leaves no stone unturned on some original and creative ways to get into college without appearing brass or slick.

If you still aren’t convinced, listen to all of Paul’s testimonials from current and past clients.

 

http://www.collegehelp.biz/my-testimonials.html

 

What’s the best part? For you, it’s absolutely FREE. And if you aren’t interested or don’t find these videos helpful, you can unsubscribe at any time. I know, however, that you will be so impressed that you will contact Paul to help you and your student personally with the process.

What have you got to lose? The thousands of dollars you will save by watching these videos and FREE help with the college admissions process!

 

admissions, college guidance, college planning, Guest Posts, test prep, websites

Compare Colleges side-by-side with FindTheBest.com

Whether you are eagerly awaiting those acceptance letters or are still applying (or both), the fact remains that you need to pick the best school you can go to, and you need to find out which particular college that is.

FindTheBest is an unbiased, data driven comparison engine that allows students and parents to look at schools. Researching colleges and universities becomes so much simpler with filtered options such as location, tuition, average SAT score, size, religious affiliation and other important factors. And once those acceptance letters start rolling in, students can create custom comparison lists to see the differences between each school side-by-side.

Parents should also look into college scholarships, fellowships, and grants to mitigate the financial burden that arrives when a child is sent off to college, and students should look into them to shorten the years that it will take to repay student loans.  FindTheBest also has a comprehensive list and information including enrollment level, minimum GPA, gender and background specificity, and scholarships to particular schools.

If your student is still a junior in high school, then the SAT and ACT test prep class comparison tool will help you get that high composite score that colleges love to see. Test prep classes run all year-round, but the best times to take the tests are in the spring.

The college application process is fundamentally imperative to the success of a student’s academic career.  These tools were developed with that in mind, and all of them are completely at your disposal to use in navigating the college maze.

 

admissions, college costs, college guidance, college planning, financial aid

University of savings: financial aid tips

mini college graduation cap on cashBig college dreams have a big price tag. Most students use some form of aid to pay for college. According to CollegeBoard, more than $207 billion in aid is available. From federal loans to scholarship contests, opportunities to knock down college costs appear to those who search. Leave no stone unturned and look into these college aid resources to cover the costs.

FAFSA

With the potential for grants, loans and work-study incentives, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is square one when it comes to paying for college. The FAFSA analyzes family financial information through the federal-need formula. Among other things, FAFSA takes tax information into account, so Collegeboard.org recommends filing tax returns before starting the application. However, if your taxes aren’t ready, file with estimated amounts from last year and update with correct amounts after filing.

Aimed at providing a path to college for any student, the FAFSA is particularly advantageous for disadvantaged students, who have a better chance to receive free grants and scholarships.

Students can fill out this lengthy application at Fafsa.ed.gov.

Scholarship Contests

Students with 4.0 GPAs and high SAT scores aren’t the only ones who can take advantage of scholarship money. Scholarship contests offer students an equal playing field to show their stuff. Whether it’s an essay, video or presentation, these performance-based contests highlight talent in any field.

Scholarships.com lists news opportunities in various categories, including minority scholarships, corporate scholarships and even non-academic scholarships. A quick Google News search for “scholarship contests” will return the latest contents and deadlines.

Ask your guidance counselor for additional local opportunities, and explore the internet for the latest scholarship offers.

Student Loans

Free money is preferable, but loans enable students to have a classic college experience even if they can’t pay for it up front. This growing trend in financial aid is putting thousands of students through college and collecting payments from millions. In early January, student loan debt in the U.S. surpassed $1 trillion, according to Foxbusiness.com, and that number is expected to grow even more.

The FAFSA provides opportunities for federal student loans. Sallie Mae bank offers a private option to compete with these government offerings.

Loans can provide a worry-free college experience, but don’t over-borrow and saddle yourself with too much debt. Once graduation comes, failing to make payments can compromise your financial stability. The rule of thumb with student loans–borrow wisely.

Unconventional Aid

Some scholarship opportunities don’t fit into traditional molds. Unique scholarships give students that may not otherwise stand out a chance at college aid. The vertically-challenged student, for example, can take advantage of the Little People of America Association’s scholarship for students 4’10” or shorter. Left-handed students that have had to deal with awkward desks and sloppy writing are in luck, too. The Frederick and Mary F. Beckley Scholarship Program offers money for southpaws who demonstrate leadership skills.

Every student has something unique about him or her. Search for the scholarships that separate you from the crowd.

Work and pay as you go

Many students are choosing to work and pay as they go. High school students work during the summers and save for textbooks and other essentials not covered in tuition. Some students choose the community college route, attending classes as they can afford to pay for them. Other students opt to use the work study program at their college to supplement tuition expenses.

Colleges are recognizing that tuition costs are rising the average family cannot afford to chunk down tens of thousands of dollars at the beginning of the school term. They offer payment plans which spread the tuition out over the school year to help parents budget and pay as they go.

College is in reach if you take the time to research the many opportunities available and use that information to make a college choice that best fits into your available budget. Don’t let financial barriers keep you from achieving your dreams; and don’t let financial barriers lure you into overwhelming debt just to pay for a high-priced college.

 

admissions, college guidance, college planning, tutoring

Alleyoop connects with Naviance to maximize student success

Earlier this year, I wrote a post about Alleyoop, a program designed to help students prepare for college by improving their math skills.

Today Alleyoop is partnering with Hobsons to create even more customized recommendations to keep students on track to reach their college and career goals through Naviance. With more than 5 million students in 5,500 schools around the globe, Naviance is the world’s largest college and career readiness platform. Through this partnership, students can use their Naviance Family Connection accounts to benefit from the collective intelligence of the Alleyoop Super Brain to improve their math and science skills.

“Alleyoop is about so much more than getting immediate math and science help — it’s about letting students take control of their education,” said Patrick Supanc, president of Alleyoop. “With this new partnership, Alleyoop becomes a destination for students and families on Naviance to get personalized academic resources that help make their dreams a reality.”

Alleyoop helps students succeed by connecting them with the right resources at the right time. Students will now get customized, tailored math and science help from Alleyoop based on the goals they set within the Naviance Family Connection portal.

According to The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, every year in the United States, nearly 60 percent of first-year college students discover that, despite being fully eligible to attend college, they are not academically ready for postsecondary studies. Alleyoop and Naviance are helping to bridge the gap between college eligibility and college readiness by providing a way for students to set academic and career goals, and map out a plan of action to achieve them.

 

“The combination of Naviance and Alleyoop makes it easier than ever for students to tie learning to life,” said Stephen M. Smith, President, Hobsons K-12. “At Hobsons, we strive to connect everything a student learns to a real-world objective. Our partnership with Alleyoop helps students tie their interests and skills to real college majors and careers, and preparing them academically and personally for a bright future.”

admissions, college guidance, college planning, Guest Posts

An interview with the Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at UNC-Ashville

A special thanks to Dr. Patrice Mitchell for participating in The Parliament Tutors Admission Spotlight Series.  Dr. Mitchell is the Dean of Admissions & Financial Aid at UNC – Asheville.

As the Dean of Admissions, what are your day-to-day responsibilities?
I can definitely say that no two days are ever the same, which is also what I love about working with students to help them navigate through what can often be a nerve-wracking experience.  Depending on the time of the year, I spend a lot of time reviewing enrollment reports to ensure that admissions decisions are being made on a daily basis to ensure we will enroll the desired quality and quantity of new students.  I also spend a lot of time responding to questions from prospective students and their families about the application process and requirements.

What do you consider the most significant parts of an application, the parts which applicants should prepare the most carefully?
In regards to UNC Asheville, the most significant component of the application is the high school record.  Specifically, rigor of course work, grade point average, and class rank.

Is there anything you frequently see on an application that you hope to never see again?
There is nothing that jumps out at me.  However, the one thing that I would caution students on is the tendency to reveal such personal and sometimes tragic information, but do not necessarily correlate those experiences to how they have prepared them to be successful at the institution.

What common pitfalls should applicants be careful to avoid? 
I can not emphasis enough the importance of proofreading all of your supporting documentation that you submit as a part of the application – including having the correct name of the institution on the essay.  (Yes, I have had read “It has been my dream to attend X college all of my life” when the college that I am reading the application for is actually college Y!
Students should also avoid missing deadlines or assuming they have plenty of time to submit information prior to the deadline.  Time for technology glitches and mail delivery problems should always be accounted for when submitting application materials.  Students should also follow up with their counselors and/or individuals submitting recommendations to give them friendly reminders regarding the deadlines.

Are there any myths about the application process which you would like to dispel?
One thing that I would share about the process is that Admissions Offices really do want to make an admissions decision based upon whether or not the individual student will be a good fit and for the institution.  Therefore, it is important for you to take the time to write a good essay that gives some insight into who you really are that SAT and gpa averages won’t tell us.  It is also important to have an individual that truly knows them and the institution the student is applying.  These are the reasons that you sometimes here of a student with a stronger SAT and gpa not getting into a specific college when there classmate does.

What advice would you give to an applicant with below-average test scores but significant extra-curricular experience?
Please remember that there are literally thousands of college options available to you.  You just have to be open to exploring a handful that you may not have initially had on the top of your list.  The reality is that at some schools the admissions process is selective and not having all of the components may keep you from getting an offer.  However, at those schools where the SAT is optional or the SAT being below average many not be as big of a problem, that may be the school where you end up deciding to attend and find yourself having a wonderful experience.   However, you may still want to contact the prospective college and ask to speak to the admissions counselor responsible for your high school.  Establishing a relationship with that individual can sometimes be helpful.

Do you frequently have to turn away applicants whom you wish you could admit? If so, what could those applicants do to be admitted?
Unfortunately, we are not in a positive to offer admission to every applicant.  In that case, the transfer option is discussed.  This option is also being used by students who are admissible but want to get started at a two-year college and transfer in.  There are several universities with articulation agreements with two-year colleges.  Therefore, the idea of transferring in as an upper-classmen has become more of a positive alternative for students who are not competitive for freshmen admission.  The important thing to remember is that sometimes there are different paths to get to the same destination.

How much faith do you have in the ability of the SAT to predict success at in college?
Here at UNC Asheville we take a holistic approach to the admissions process in order to reduce the importance that one variable has on the application decision.  This is particular important to us since the high school rank and grade point average has been shown to be more of a predictor of success here than the SAT.  Having said that, we do have a selective process in place, and we are a part of the UNC system, which requires us to report the average SAT, so it is a factor.

What do you look for in a recommendation letter?
Students should ensure that the recommendation letter is from someone who knows them well enough to speak to the attributes and strengths that make the student a good fit with the college.  It also helps if the letter is written to the specific college.  Not everyone is going to be able provide such detailed information, or even has the time to do so if they wanted to, but I enjoy reading letters from teachers and/or counselors who have some type of story or anecdote to share about the student that I otherwise would not know about them.

Joseph Fernandez conducted this interview.  Joseph is a Tutor with Parliament Tutors. He specializes in SAT Tutoring.