Sometimes making a college visit is out of the question for either financial or proximity issues. While visiting a college is the best way to get a sense of whether you could fit in, there are other ways of “visiting.” For starters, there are a ton of virtual tours available online either at the school’s website or at sites like www.campustours.com. Furthermore, schools often come to you. Whether they make a special visit to your high school, a local college fair, or a joint information session with other schools, you can definitely make an effort to meet the reps from the specific schools you’re considering.

A lot of people think they need to have someone well-known write a recommendation, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. The best people to write your recommendations are the ones who know you best who can talk about specific anecdotes that illustrate a variety of character traits.

In short, either. Schools really value the lessons learned from earning money at a paid job. Even something as basic as waitressing or lifeguarding showcases your responsibility. Schools like to see that you are a team player, and being able to work in an environment with others older than you is a great skill to have. Internships are also great opportunities because they give you insight into different career paths. I know a lot of interns end up spending their days getting coffee and doing menial tasks, so be sure to ask a lot of questions and so enthusiasm for helping out with meaningful projects so you can insightfully talk about them in your interview.

Most college applications are not released until mid-July before their deadlines in December or January. This doesn’t mean that you can’t get started earlier. It’s a great idea to start working on your activity sheet in the beginning of the summer. This will help get you brainstorming the topic of your essays. The essay topics on the Common App haven’t changed in a while, it’s a safe bet that you’ll need 1 150-word essay describing your most significant activity and a 250-500 word personal statement.

There really is no magic number of schools to which a student should apply.  In general, we recommend that students should apply to 2 safety schools, 3 target schools, and 3 reach schools.  If you want to apply to more schools, that is totally a personal preference.  The most important this to remember is that you need a balance of safety schools, targets, and reach schools.

Admissions counseling is basically a much more personalized version of what a guidance counselor will do.  Students at small schools tend not to need private admissions counselors because they receive a sufficient amount of time with their guidance counselors.  However, guidance counselors at larger schools have such big case loads that they don’t have enough time to really get to know their students and their interests/college goals.  Private admissions counselors can assist in the college preparation procession by guiding the student in his or her selection of activities, volunteer opportunities, summer programs, and research projects to ensure that they properly reflect his or her interests and passions. Students will meet with their counselors throughout the entire application process to discuss everything from school selection and visits, interviews, and resumes and essays.