A college counselor can help alleviate some of the pressure that may make the college application process seem overwhelming. What are some of the benefits that come along with the assistance of a college counselor? Here are a few areas that students find extremely helpful: College comparisons – It is essential to compare colleges with your list of wants and needs. This can include things like determining which schools have the best programs for your major, are in the best location for you, and meet your financial situation. Balanced college lists – Of course, even once you compare schools to ..read more

Doing poorly on tests doesn’t make you a bad student. In reality, it may not have anything to do with your knowledge of the subject or your intelligence in general. Sometimes, people just get really bad test anxiety, and it results in poor performance on exams. So is that it? Are you doomed to score poorly on standardized exams? Not necessarily! We’ve compiled some of the best tips to help you test well and get the score you deserve. Visualize success – The power of positive thinking versus negative thinking cannot be understated. Focusing on past failures can ramp up test anxiety and produce ..read more

Taking college tours in person is a great way to see if that school really offers the education experience you are looking for, but in order to learn what you need to during these visits, you will want to follow these guidelines: Plan ahead – The sooner you start thinking about college tours, the better. You need to pick the schools, schedule the visits, and maybe even save up to ensure the experience won’t set you back financially. Set a spending limit – Decide what you can afford to spend and then visit the best schools you can within that price range. You may be able to tour some other sch ..read more

During your junior year of high school, you will want to start thinking about which college campuses you will visit over the next year. College visits can play an essential role in helping you decide which schools to apply to. Here are a few essential tips to help you get the most out of these visits. Know your budget – You won’t be able to visit every school on your list before applying, so you have to prioritize. Knowing your budget is important. You may need to focus on schools that are closer to you to save travel expenses while trying to visit schools that will have a similar feel to the ..read more

While standardized testing has been a hotly debated topic for a long time now, the majority of universities have only gone test-optional or test-blind in the past few years. Now that you don’t have to submit standardized test scores to more than 80% of universities, is there any good reason to apply to schools that still require SAT and other standardized test scores? Here are a couple of things to think about when determining if you should apply to a “test scores required” school: What schools offer the program you are interested in? – If all the schools that offer the best programs for your ..read more

While it is true that the number of colleges requiring SAT and ACT scores for admissions has decreased to under 20%, it doesn’t mean you should skip the test altogether. The number of colleges that are test-blind (don’t take standardized test scores into account at all) is actually still the minority. Most schools are test-optional, meaning you can decide whether or not to present your scores as a part of your applications. So, what are some of the reasons you may decide to take the SATs and provide your scores, even if the university considers this optional? Competition – If the choice comes ..read more

Most high school students will take the SATs, even if they plan to apply mostly to test-blind colleges. This means that you should know about the updates made to the SAT in 2023 (some of which are only just now going into effect nationally). These are the main changes to the format: Length – While the SAT length has changed several times since its inception, the test is now currently the shortest that it has ever been. From start to finish, the SATs are only two hours in total. Format – Starting in 2024 (although it began in many testing sites last year), all SAT testing will be digital. So y ..read more

Some schools require standardized test scores to appear on your application. Others don’t care at all. Some are in between. The important thing is to know what the universities you are applying to have decided since those policies will affect you directly. Here are what the three testing policy options mean: Test Blind – If a school is test blind, they don’t consider standardized tests in their criteria for admissions. The nice thing about applying to a test blind school is that there are plenty of good students who simply don’t score well on standardized tests. Test Optional – This is the ha ..read more

Paying for college is difficult enough without getting hit by surprise expenses. So, let’s take a few minutes to discuss some of the expenses associated with a university education that are not covered by tuition. School Supplies – When you were in school as a child, your parents probably paid for things like pens and pencils, notebooks, and other supplies. But now you are an adult and going away to college, and school supplies will be even more pricey. Consider the cost of books, a backpack, a way to take notes (either physical or electronic), and other supplies that are not provided by the ..read more

This is a difficult question that college hopefuls need to answer. After all, you want to know how much of the cost you can defray with grants or scholarships, how much your family will be willing and able to contribute, and how much you may need to acquire loans to cover. Here are a few things that contribute to the total cost of a university experience: Tuition – The main cost associated with college is tuition. Most universities are straightforward regarding the price per semester. Keep in mind that you will need a pretty heavy schedule to complete your school in the usual number of years ..read more