Should You Apply “Undecided”?
One question I get asked a lot is, “What if I don’t know what I want to major in?” Applying for college when you are undecided is okay. It is totally okay to not know what you want to do…
Why EVERY Student Should Apply for Financial Aid
Today I want to tell you why parents of every incoming college student should apply for financial aid by filling out the FAFSA, which is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid at FAFSA.gov. In the 2019–2020 school year, the…
What to Know About FAFSA Changes (Filing in 2021 for the 2022-2023 School Year)
Today is October 1st, which means it’s the day that the FAFSA opens at FAFSA.gov and we can get a first look at the supposed changes. That’s the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and it’s your first step for…
Nailing College Admissions Interviews
Today I want to talk to you about college admissions interviews. Some colleges require applicants to do an interview. Some colleges offer interviews to applicants who want one. Some colleges say, "If we want to interview you, we’ll reach out…
When Are College Applications REALLY Due?
Today I want to talk to seniors working their way through the mountainous process of applying to college. You may be working on things like your essays and your applications, but you want to keep in mind that you're not…
Why take the December SAT and ACT?
Today I want to tell you why the December round of the SAT or ACT is your last best first round of testing. Junior year is testing year. Ideally you want to finish all your testing by the end of…
Hidden Supplemental Essays
Today I want to tell you about hidden supplemental college application essays. A lot of colleges, when you look at their application on the Common App, it tells you how many essays there are, how many extra writing assignments. But that…
Why You Don’t Need Perfect Scores
Today I want to tell you why you do not need perfect SAT scores or ACT scores to get into your top-choice college. The fact is that top colleges in America turn away students with perfect scores all the time.…
Which to Take: SAT or ACT
Today I want to answer a question I get asked a lot: "Should my student take the SAT or should my student take the ACT?" In some states, every high schooler takes the SAT. In some states, every high schooler…
The Best Calculator for the SAT & ACT
Today I want to tell you about the best calculator to use for the SAT and the ACT. Both tests will tell you right in the instructions that a calculator is permitted, but not required. And for the ACT, that’s…
How Many Colleges to Apply To
Today I wanted to talk with you about how many colleges you should apply to. Ideally, when thinking about how many to apply to, you want to apply to somewhere between five and ten colleges, maybe fifteen at the absolute…
Sorting Through College Mail
Today I wanted to talk to juniors about what to do with all the college mail you’re getting. For email, first, you want to set up a separate account just for this. That way, when you’re done with the whole…
Test Optional vs Test Blind
I wanted to talk to you today a little bit about what test optional means vs what test blind means. There are a lot of schools that, either prior to the pandemic or because of the pandemic, have gone “test…
The Best Letters of Recommendation
Today I want to talk to juniors about college recommendation letters. Most colleges ask for three letters: one is going to come from your guidance counselor, and the other two can come technically from whomever you want, but at least…
Why Top Colleges Pick Students
Today I want to talk to juniors and seniors about why and how top colleges pick these students and not those students. A lot of students get great grades and great scores, but then don’t wind up getting into their…
SAT/ACT Testing Timeline
Today, I want to tell you about the testing timeline. Junior year is testing year. The SAT and ACT are designed for juniors, and if you can get both of these tests done by the end of junior year, you…
The Science Score: ACT vs SAT
Today, I want to answer a question I get asked a lot about the science score section of the ACT. A lot of folks think you have to be able to do well in biology, or chemistry, or physics to…
Visiting Colleges During COVID
We are nearing the decision day for most colleges, and some students are still struggling with, "What if I haven’t had a chance to visit some of the colleges I’m still weighing?" Although visiting colleges during Covid may seem impossible,…
What Math is on the SAT & ACT?
One question I get asked a lot is what kinds of math are going to be tested on the SAT and the ACT. Both tests have a lot of arithmetic and a lot of Algebra 1. Yes, both tests have…