Improve your chances of getting into college,

Rankings can be a useful guide to making a decision about whether a school is doing well in a general academic area compared with its peer institutions however, it is only one of many criteria a family should use to understand if this school and its academic program are an appropriate match. Students may use these numbers to help narrow the field but my suggestion has always been to choose from the top as well as some below because the next step would be to dig deeper into the program to understand if the faculty are interested and working on issues in the field that are of interest to the student. The program might be number one in according to a ranking agency but the faculty might be focused on topics that are of no interest to the student. In this case, the student might be well suited for a career in the field but because the faculty will use text books and examples related to their area of interest, all of that might be a deadly bore to the student and as a result may lead them to move away from a career in this area. So, making sure this is a good academic match on a deeper level is critical to the students long term career aspirations.

From all my years of experience several come to mind!

1. The student submits an essay with another colleges name plastered through out the essay. This is really terrible because it conveys to the admissions counselor that you did not take the application very seriously. If you are a boarder line decision, this is not going to help your case at all.

2. The applicants recommendation letter tell me that they would be well served if they were to be admitted to my institution, except they forget to change the school name to "my" school. Dead giveaway to a "form" letter being submitted and it therefore adds no value to the application. In this instance, it tells me that the student did not take the time to select a person to do their recommendation that really care about their success and has a true understand of their abilities. It may not hurt the student in the long run because the bad letter could be out of the control of the student. However, it is a real missed opportunity on the students part to really give another dimension to their admissions application via the recommendation letter.

3. The student fails to track the application pieces and "assumes" it is complete by the stated deadline only to find out that something was missing a month or so later and now is in a terrible pickle! The lesson here is to keep contact tract of your application deadlines and with online tracking available for almost ever college, there is no excuse for not checking on these things early enough to give yourself time to fix any potential application problems before it is too late!

4. Student get admitted and then give up in their high school classes at the end of the senior year. There really isn't a school around that doesn't reserve the right to rescind your admissions. In many instances, a significant decline in grades is a giant red flag for a college. You might be lucky enough to still be admitted but are put on probation coming in the door but in other instances, you might loose your admissions and find yourself without a school to attend in the fall. Better to keep plugging away at those classes and stay on track! No need to trip yourself up on purpose!

Those are four pretty big and yet very avoidable mistakes that I have witnessed over the years.

I always suggest that student who truly have no idea where to start, do so by going to a college search web site such at Unigo or The College Board where they can assist students in considering some of the broader things to consider when narrowing the field of schools to consider. These are things like the size, location, academic reputation, programs offered and cost of the school. Deciding your needs in these basic areas will help to narrow the field of potential schools greatly. Once you have that smaller list, you can start to look through schools to gain a sense of the variety of options that you have. Soon you will learn as you do this what things are most important and what you can live without. Make note of these things and then narrow the field again.

Most admissions offices have at least one officer whose responsibility it is to know and monitor a geographical region. Therefore, not only do they know about your high school but will be informed about many other things that are happening in that region as it relates to business and the economy. Doing this helps them to better understand other factors that might influence how and what applicants might surface from this territory from year to year.

In relation to the high school question, admissions officers know the high school from several ways. First, the high school profile usually accompanies all the transcripts. This helps the offer to know the course offerings, special programs, grading scale and general performance of the student body as a whole. Second, admissions officers take the time to meet with guidance counselors from the school who can give them insight into many other factors which are not apparent from the paper profile. Typically, they will keep a file on the high school and record any relevant information that the admissions office should know when considering student from there. Also, the companies that administer the ACT or SAT collect biodemographic information from each student who takes the exam. They bundle this information in relation to the students high school and that cumulative information is available to many colleges so that they have an idea about the students academically as well as whether most of them are sending their scores to out of state or in state schools and their general academic area of interest. This allows many admissions officers to know if the high school is worth visiting because of the match between such factors as these and the college they represent.

These are a few of the ways that admissions officers will educate themselves about their high schools for which they are responsible. If they do this well it will greatly assist them in their job and will help to ensure good admissions decisions for the applicants from that territory to their institution.

The simple answer is that it depends on why you have chosen to defer your admissions. If you are going abroad and doing work or exploration that helps to make you a more focused student or there is some other relevant well thought out rationale for doing so, the admissions office will respect you wishes to defer. In all my years of experience, I have never had a student defer that did not have a very valid reason for doing so. But, it is important that you express these reasons clearly to the admissions office.

You should also keep in mind that some school do not allow for a deferral or if they do, you may be putting a hard earned scholarship in jeopardy. If you think you might defer, it is best to ask what the process and pitfall are in doing so with each institution to which you apply. The answer will vary and so you strategy of when and how to apply should follow each schools policy.

Although this can be difficult for twins specifically, each applicant is judged based on their individual qualifications. I have experienced a number of twins/siblings in the admissions process. In some instances, both are admissible or both are not admissible. The most difficult is when one is admissible and the other is not. I have had to council students when this has occurred. In some cases the students can be relieved because they now have the opportunity to grow and become their own person in another school and they have never had that opportunity. I am the father of twins and know that some twins need to have this time by themselves. There are also instances where twins are inseparable and have a great bond which helps them be the great people that they are. If this is the case for your twins, then you should make this a part of the college search process and choose school that both can obtain admissions and be giving the educational challenges they each require. But keep in mind that in the admissions process, they are reviewed and judged individually. Not as a team.

Yes! In fact, many schools prefer that you do so. By applying on line students accomplish a number of things. First, their application processing speeds up greatly because they are eliminating the need to re-enter all that information into a colleges data system by an admissions clerk. Second, they are ensuring that the information - most especially the spelling of their NAME - is entered correctly. This is critical especially if the schools to which the student will ultimately enroll as the admissions record it typically the initial student record that will follow them through their entire relationship with the school. Third, in some instances, it allows students to receive their admissions decision faster and to skip momentarily the need to run around for pieces such as SAT/ACT score and their high school transcript. Many colleges allow students to self report those scores on their application. Beware though, if you choose to enroll in those schools, your class grades and your entrance exam scores better be accurate as the college will verify that information as you go to enroll for the fall and if they find you falsified those numbers/grades, they do reserve the right to rescind your admissions and you could find yourself without a college to attend! I am happy to say that most colleges that offer this service do not find that many students actively lie about this self-reported information because of the stiff consequences but....better to know up front if you haven't done this before. Finally, some college will even offer an application fee waiver if you complete yours online. So, choosing to do so just might even save you some of that hard earned college tuition money. My advice is always to apply on line if at all possible. It really is a win-win situation.

There are steps that you can take that will ensure that when the teacher most capable of doing this task for you accepts your invitation to do this, they are equipped to do it efficiently and effectively.

First, you should identify the teacher based on the academic area to which you will apply. For example, your accounting teacher is probably more appropriate than your music theory teacher to write a recommendation for you if you are applying to major in accounting.

Second, when you ask the teacher, be prepared with a great “one minute elevator” speech. In other words, you have one minute to ask the teacher to write the recommendation but it must also be convincing and genuine. When you ask, it is important to explain why you have chosen them and what you would hope they would discuss in the recommendation. This helps to frame in their mind the context of the recommendation and their ability to achieve your request without putting too much burden on their workload. Remember, good and popular teachers tend to be asked a lot and at some point they have to start saying no. If you currently have them for a class it makes asking all the easier because they are currently familiar with your work.

Third, be prepared to give the teacher a copy of the curriculum for your major from the school to which you will apply as well as any instructions for them to follow in preparing the letter. Some schools are seeking very specific information from teachers about their future students.

Fourth, make a list of the attributes or accomplishments that you have achieved in high school and especially bring their attention to the ones which they have specific knowledge about your abilities.

Fifth, it is always a good idea to give them an example of your work and especially well done assignments that you had completed for them. This will help to remind them about the quality of your work and other attributes that they have associated with you since they have gotten to know you.

Sixth, provide them with a copy of your future career and intended major goals. They need to better understand where you see yourself going and how this school may be the right place to help you accomplish those goals.

Next, remember to provide them with a stamped and addressed envelope if it is to be mailed to your school. Most importantly, remember to thank them for completing the letter and follow up with them about the final outcome of your applications. I am sure they would like to know how the end of your application story turns out.

Planning in itself can’t increase the chances of getting a great teacher recommendation. Your performance in their class and how they observe you using your new found knowledge outside of the context in which it was gained in their class are the things that typically lead to a great recommendation. But there are steps that you can take that will ensure that when the teacher most capable of doing this task for you accepts your invitation to do this, they are equipped to do it efficiently and effectively.

First, you should identify the teacher based on the academic area to which you will apply. For example, your accounting teacher is probably more appropriate than your music theory teacher to write a recommendation for you if you are applying to major in accounting.

Second, when you ask the teacher, be prepared with a great “one minute elevator” speech. In other words, you have one minute to ask the teacher to write the recommendation but it must also be convincing and genuine. When you ask, it is important to explain why you have chosen them and what you would hope they would discuss in the recommendation. This helps to frame in their mind the context of the recommendation and their ability to achieve your request without putting too much burden on their workload. Remember, good and popular teachers tend to be asked a lot and at some point they have to start saying no. If you currently have them for a class it makes asking all the easier because they are currently familiar with your work.

Third, be prepared to give the teacher a copy of the curriculum for your major from the school to which you will apply as well as any instructions for them to follow in preparing the letter. Some schools are seeking very specific information from teachers about their future students.

Fourth, make a list of the attributes or accomplishments that you have achieved in high school and especially bring their attention to the ones which they have specific knowledge about your abilities.

Fifth, it is always a good idea to give them an example of your work and especially well done assignments that you had completed for them. This will help to remind them about the quality of your work and other attributes that they have associated with you since they have gotten to know you.

Sixth, provide them with a copy of your future career and intended major goals. They need to better understand where you see yourself going and how this school may be the right place to help you accomplish those goals.

Next, remember to provide them with a stamped and addressed envelope if it is to be mailed to your school. Most importantly, remember to thank them for completing the letter and follow up with them about the final outcome of your applications. I am sure they would like to know how the end of your application story turns out.

Please feel free to read my other responses in this category. I believe the best advice here is for the student to bring their selected person all the materials they will need in order to make the best recommendation. Supplying them with the forms, a stamped envelop, a list of topics you feel they would be best positioned to answer based on who they are and a resume or list of your accomplishments in addition to any other relevant information you feel they may need to jog their memory about you. Even if it is a terrific paper you wrote for them. All of this can be helpful and will speed up the amount of time they need to complete the task for you. It also may put your letter to the top of their to-do pile since it would probably require the least effort on their part in relation to the other students making the same request of them during this time of year.

No time like the present!!!!

It is never too early to start saving for college but for many of us there are very different ways that one can choose to go about doing this. My company teams up with several financial investment professionals because they are well versed in the various possibilities that might exist for you and your family based on your very specific financial situation.

For some families the 529 Programs are a good option but one has to know which state or investment firm provides the best program for them. Shop around...it really depends on your situation to know which one is best. Someplace like Northwestern Mutual may be a good place to start since they do not force only their products on you as an investor or a similarly structured financial institution or investment individual might serve you well. Many of these folks do free consultations so it costs you nothing to start sorting this all out.

For other families, you may have very diversified investment portfolios and so there may be other investment strategies that would work better for you as a families for tax purposes and for receiving other forms of federal and school financial aid. Strategy is the key here and bringing on board a knowledgeable financial consultant can be well worth the investment. There are individuals like myself that can give you some general advice about the process and some options but bringing in a full time financial investment counselor has served my families the best. That is why we steer our clients in this direction when it seems most appropriate if they don't already have such a person.

Keep in mind that even investing in your home and freeing up your lines of credit might be another avenue for the parents to save for college. Any yet others might find savings plans in the students names to serve the well but for others it might create a financial aid loss if not done correctly.

To sum it up, it really depends on the overall financial situation of the family as a whole to know what the BEST saving strategy would be. There are many options but working with an expert can save you time and a LOT of money...it might even earn you some dough!

This best things to do is to simply START! Beyond this, there are many ways to go about doing it.

1. Starting socking away the cash in an interest account at the bank.

2. Once you have some cash in there maybe buy some CD's that have a better rate that interest in the accounts.

3. Think about putting it into a 529 plan if that works for your financially.

4. Maybe you should be investing it if you or your accountant is savvy about this. There are lower risk investments that are better returns on the money than a bank account or the benefits of a 529 plan.

5. Maybe you family situation points to just paying down the house mortgage and then using a second mortgage to pay for tuition etc.

This is just a sampling of ideas that have worked for some of my clients. But each family is different as to the most strategic way to do this. But for everyone it is best to start early or start NOW! The longer you have the more options you have for getting the most out of the cash you have set aside for this big bill coming down the road.

Yes! Several ways come to mind......

1. If you receive a fee waiver for the SAT or ACT you will most likely qualify for an application fee waiver from the college to which you will apply. For some it is automatic, others you must ask and still others don't offer the waiver so best to consult each school's policy on this.

2. If you have a particular hardship in your family such as recent unemployment by a parent, reach out to the schools admissions office and ask about the waiver in light of this event.

3. Visit your top schools in the summer before your senior year. Many schools reward early interest like this by offering to waive the application fee because you put your two little feet on their campus. Some require you to start the application while there and others give a coupon to walk away with an use later. Either way, with application fees nearing $100 it is a good incentive to visit in the summer and reduce your overall college search costs just because you are an early planner!

4. Signing up online for mailing and information from a school can also result in an application fee waiver. If you don't see one online, call the schools, speak with an admissions counselor and ask if there are ways that you might qualify for a waiver. The worse they can say is...."there isn't any." But if they do have one you will have just saved yourself a few precious coins that can go to buying you some nice new things for your dorm room next year!

529 plans are educational savings plans. Many states and investment firms offer them. For my state; IL here is their plan and definition of the plan:

https://www.brightstartsavings.com/OFI529/PN/generated/en_us/PrimaryNavigation_07-07-08-133023.xml.

Each company or state differs in their actual plan so it pays to shop around a bit. The general pieces of the plan are as follows:

1. You can save for your son or daughters education and those savings earnings are tax free.

2. If the plan is part of your states program/offering there are extra tax benefits you might receive depending on your states policies.

3. When it comes time to pay for college, you can withdraw the funds for approved educational expenses tax free! You can also use it for unapproved educational expenses but it will cost you 10% additional tax on those funds.

4. It only costs $25 dollars to start one!

5. You must be a US Citizen or legal resident to open the account.

6. There are some other comparable programs out there and the IL state website offers a great comparison of these programs. https://www.brightstartsavings.com/OFI529/PN/generated/en_us/PrimaryNavigation_07-07-08-153456.xml. However, as I have mentioned in another answer for Unigo, many families will be best served to seek out a financial investment professional to really look at their overall family financial situation to really know which program if any are the best options for their specific situation. There are downsides to doing this for some students and their parents.

Those are the general pieces about the 529. I would invite you to Google the 529 Plan to see the different options and to educate yourself more fully about some college saving plans. Or the IL site is a good place to start that process and then explore further depending on your geographical location.

The question of responsibility is answered among the individuals involved. In other words, the parents and the students. No one else can answer this questions. However, for the purposes of applying for financial aid and whose parental income is considered this questions is easily answered. Answer the question, "who's fridge does the student eat out of more during the year?" I know that sounds odd but it tell you who is responsible for the student more than 50% of the time. It is also answered by who claimed to student on their income taxes. Both parents can't claim the student so the one more responsible for that child is the one who gets the write off. That said, there isn't anything that requires any parent to pay and I have experienced over the years situations where neither parent is willing to assist the student either through money or supplying their financial information. If you are in one of those situations, go to your financial aid officer. There are ways that they can assist you. It will require some doing and running around on your part as a student but there are options.

It may depend on many circumstances but the best way for grandparents to help pay without impacting financial aid is to just write a check out to the school and send it with their payment stub or go on line and do that as well. Gifting large sums of money to the student that then must be accounted for on their tax forms and therefore reported on the FAFSA are sure ways to reduce any outside financial assistance they may qualify for in the long run. It is nice to have grandparents who are willing to do this but just make the financial exchange between them and the college.

In most instances the answer is no. Federal and State aid are awarded to students based on strict guidelines given to schools that determines who is eligible for what. So in these instances, the schools are simply administering the aid based on those guidelines. The only "wiggle" room that aid administrators have is based on changes in the families financial situation which allows the FA counselor to alter Student Aid Report (SAR) information to assist families in qualifying for additional aid.

However, there are instances where colleges can adjust other aid that is either institutional aid given to a family from the school or federal aid that is "left over" from students turning down some of these awards. This type of aid is usually college work study or loan programs otherwise know at "self help" aid.

The best suggestion is to ask your school if there is any possibility for them to reconsider your complete aid package. You can do so if you have another school that has offered you better funding. Most colleges will look at those packages to determine how much gift aid and self help aid is being offered. They might try to offer you a similar package so that it comes down to you deciding to go to their college based on which one is the better fit rather than which one is cheaper. But, they may not do this as well. The bottom line...ASK! The worst that can happen is they tell you no. The best outcome is more aid for you!

The best thing you can do if this occurs is to contact the financial aid office of your institution and let them know. Then ask if there is anything in place that you can do in order to have them consider your current financial situation rather than your past years financial situation in relation to the awarding of any federal, state and institutional financial aid. Once you have alerted them of this situation, the professionals in this office will be more than happy to lead you through the process to help you stay enrolled and more toward your degree.

If you have yet to enroll in any one particular institution, then you will have to notify each of them individually of the change and there may be different actions you will be required to take in order for them to assist you. It could be a little more work but the results will lead you to your goal of being enrolled somewhere and on the road to getting an undergraduate degree.

Work study is a great financial aid program at many schools!

First, you must qualify for it at your college or university by applying for federal and state financial aid. This is a federally administered financial aid program. I also suggest that if students do not initially qualify for federal work study dollars that they visit their financial aid office regularly to see if there are any unused monies in this account for the university and if they might receive them. Just as with most federal aid programs, colleges are required to administer funds such as these to their student population with the most need first. However, some students who initially qualify for these funds decide for various reasons to not accept them. At this point, the funds become available for other "less needy" students and if you happen to have some "unmet" need and ask your schools financial aid officer if there are any work study dollars available, she/he might have the ability to award them to you at that moment.

If you are awarded these funds or get them at this later date, usually there is a listing of jobs on/off campus that are approved for work study students to do. I suggest that students look through the listings to determine if any of the jobs might give them relevant work experience for the chosen career. For example, you might be into the arts and there is a work study job in the colleges art gallery that gives you experience with running the gallery, dealing with rotating exhibits, membership sales and promotions, etc. At the same time you are gaining this valuable real world experience you are earning cash! And the cherry on top is that all these earned work study dollars will NOT count against you in relation to applying for financial aid in the coming year. It is a work experience trifecta for students!

Another perk of the work study programs is that most of the employers understand that you are a student first and sometimes work has to take a back seat to your studies. But, don't abuse this kind understanding too much. They can be flexible to a degree but it is still a job and your employer is counting on you to get you work done when you are scheduled to do it. You do want a good reference at the end as well don't you?

However, there is one catch to the program. You can only earn up to the dollar amount that you are awarded in your financial aid package. Therefore, if you are awarded $2500 dollars in work study funds, you can not work hours more than would constitute this total dollar amount. In some instances, the employers will allow you to keep working beyond the dollar amount but they will need to pay you out of their own budgets and those hours and earning will count against you when you apply for financial aid the following year. So, you need to be clear about this piece when you look at your work plans for the year.

If you are not fortunate enough to secure these federal funds in the work study program, don't despair....in some instances, these campus employers are looking for the best student to do the job and not necessarily the one that has work study financial aid. In these cases, the employers will post their jobs with the student employment office. Many schools have this office and if you don't have work study but want a great on campus work experience, I suggest you check them out.

Don't let these opportunities pass you by. My work study job during my undergraduate experience was in the admissions office and it lead to a life long career in the field. You never know what these experiences will do for you in the long haul.

Unfortunately, there isn't much a student can do other than to figure out a way to pay for it on their own. In extreme cases where their is estrangement or other reasons that have required the student to separate from their parents such as physical abuse, financial aid counselors can assist the student through a process that will allow them to be independent and apply for aid in that way. However, if it is simply that the parents are refusing to pay and nothing more than that, the student is still dependent and there isn't much a financial aid officer can do to assist the student. Keep in mind that if your situation is one where you have been separated from your parents there is very specific documentation you must provide in order to prove so. But if you parents are still claiming you on their tax return and receiving that tax benefit, it is not likely you will be declared independent. It is a sad tale but not uncommon to be heard in financial aid offices.

The FAFSA is an acronym for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Students complete this form every year to see what the federal government determines to be the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) will be for individual families. In other words, what they expect you to be able to paid toward your college bill. Based on the EFC, your school will determine based on federal guidelines what types of aid you should be awarded and will then generate a financial aid award letter to you. The Federal Student Aid website is a wonderful source of information for parents and students attempting to learn more about this process : http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/funding.jsp#05

It really depends on many factors. For instance, a portion of your parents assets are protected for retirement based on the age of the older parent. So depending on the income, the amount of assets we are talking about and the age of the parent, either could be the bigger contributing factor in determining what the family is able to contribute toward the cost of education or rather their Estimated Family Contribution (EFC).

One never knows if you will not be eligible for financial aid. It is always a good idea to apply! With the changing financial aid landscape, it is a no-cost insurance to be sure that you applied by the deadline. It only costs you a little time to fill out the form and that is all.

More importantly, during this time of economic uncertainty, it provides more insurance for you and your family than you may know. For example, your mother or father may loose their job while you are in school. Keep in mind that your current year financial aid is based on your parents last years financial situation. Should one of your parents become unemployed during the school year, you can go to your financial aid officer to see if they will use their professional discretion to re-evaluate your financial aid package based on your parents current financial situation and not last years when they were both employed. IF you applied for financial aid on time, they will have the ability to restructure your financial aid package based on available funds and on-time filing. IF you did NOT apply for financial aid on time, you could lose your ability to receive funds for which you would have qualified for had you applied by the filing deadline.

These are just a few reasons why completing the financial aid process is a good idea. You really never know what the year will bring and it can provide peace of mind for you at no-cost should it allow you to keep moving toward your degree completion despite any family financial hardships that might pop up during the academic year.

If they are your legal guardian and you live in their house and eat out of their fridge and therefore they claim you on their tax return, then the answer is yes! However, there are many possibilities to this very general question and so actually, the answer is...it depends. The best advice is to meet with a financial aid counselor and bring your 1040's so they can assist you with what is appropriate for your special situation.

It really is a matter of choice. All the answers for your questions can be found on the government site for the FAFSA (FAFSA.ed.gov) and you can either do an online help or call toll free if you feel better about talking to someone rather than IM. Similar to completing your tax forms, the site is fairly user friendly and an individual can do it alone. However, similar to taxes again, there are options for working with individuals to assist you with the process but they come at a price. Some more than others. I would only caution you that if they promise to save you tons of money you should be skeptical. Their isn't any gray area when it comes to reporting this information. They might assist you in making sure you are accounting for your income accurately but they can't help you to hide or lie about it. Just be careful. Rule of thumb...if it sounds to good to be true...it usually is!

It is rather easy. Just go to http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/. and you can begin filling it out online. It is a simple online process going step by step. Think of TurboTax for FAFSA. This site is also good for getting the answers to a lot of common questions students and their parents have about the process and how their Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is determined.

The best way to handle this situation via the FAFSA is to contact your financial aid office and speak with a counselor there. Unfortunately, there isn't a mechanism for you to report this accurately and the financial aid office needs to understand that your severance pay is a one-time lump sum which will not be continuing. In most instances, your financial picture of the past year will not be very reflective of your current year situation. Your financial aid officer can assist you with the appropriate paperwork and information that they will need to consider this situation and get you the most appropriate financial aid package based on this more accurate picture. The best rule of thumb with financial aid is to ask your financial aid counselor when ever you are in doubt about a situation. Never walk away "assuming" anything. Good financial aid counselors are going to be able to help you when and where they can. They can't always change things but in most instances, they will be working to get you the most financial aid possible when they can.

Beyond the many online search engines that bring the applications site to your fingertips....sometimes the best place to look is in your own back yard. I would go to the Camber of Commerce. Many times they offer one or know companies that offer to students. In addition, check out the clubs, organizations and religious organizations that your family belongs to as well. These are sometime hidden sources that not a lot of people go to because these groups don't have a budget to advertise them and a lot of folks are going online to research these opportunities. As a result the two never meet up and scholarships go without being awarded because of lack of applications.

There are several ways that colleges make merit decisions. First, they determine who are the types of students that they wish to enroll. Second, they determine how successful they are with the competition with the various types of students. If merit aid is an area where they might not be as competitive with a certain type of students based on merit, they will most likely adjust their merit awards to be more competitive.

Another way colleges award merit is based simply on figures such as SAT/ACT scores in combination with GPA or class rank. This allows schools to be more upfront about their award process and students can self determine the amount of merit aid for which they would qualify should they apply and get admitted to the college. This is probably more common because of the ease of use. However, the prior process is prone to grown in light of heavier competition for students in the marketplace.

Finally, some colleges have other specific criteria layered on top of just academic in that students might need to come from a certain region or be seeking admission in a certain college etc. These are also fairly known factors up front by students applying as they are typically detailed on the admissions pages for colleges.

There are several ways student can save money!

1. The application fee is always something colleges waive as bait to get students to apply but it must meet their need in order to be offered. Two actions that typically get students an application fee waiver are visiting the college campus during the summer and starting their application while there and doing your application online instead of through a paper form. Students who are financially disadvantaged can also received an application fee waiver through their high school guidance counselor or through services such as the Educational Testing Service (ETS) that administers the SAT. Keep in mind that you will need to prove your financial situation if it is not already known to these individuals.

2. When visiting schools I suggest families to build their vacations around these trips. This way, you can save on traveling expenses. Planning is the key. Also, check with your guidance counselor or if you are working with an independent counselor such as myself, we have coupons for train or bus service to offer our students through our membership in national organizations. This can help compensate for your other expenses along the way. Keep an eye out for the airlines as well as they too offer discounts for students traveling to visit schools.

I always suggest checking the web. Discount book sites abound. One word of caution...make sure you are purchasing the current edition of the book your professor is asking you to purchase. I large number of students are purchases e-books for class now as well. This is always a cheaper option if you can find them in e-form. Also, check with other students, the department bulletin board, etc. There are many on campus options that usually result in cheaper books than the new book option.

The standardized exams are typically a balance to the high school grades, rank and classes for schools that use an admission index to determine your probability of success in the first year at that college. Many colleges run a series of analyses that determine who students with certain scores from certain section of the ACT or SAT exam do at their respective school. For example, an engineering college at a particular school may know that 98% of the applicants with X score on the math section of the standardized test will be successful in completing their degree. Therefore, they will use that score cut off as one indication for admissibility to the school. However, simply because you achieved that cut off score does not mean you are admitted. Then the competitiveness of the application pool may cause you to fall out of the mix as well.

These scores can also prove helpful for a college for course placement for their admitted student population as well.

So you can see that the score are used in different ways and those ways vary by institution. Therefore, the scores are not less nor no more important that the grades, course selection, class rank or overall GPA.

I would point out however, that these scores can be more important than the extra curricular activities list, your recommendations or your essay. Let's face it, the most important thing that an admissions office is trying to determine is your ability to handle the academics at their school. All the essays, activities and letters of recommendation are not going to out way a standardized test score or grades that indicated your inability to succeed at a particular college.

There are a number of ways that students can prepare for these exams. Beyond paying attention in class and doing well in high school, here are some more targeted ways....

1. A student can engage with a company such as Kaplan or the Princeton Review to take you by the hand in classroom settings to gear you up for and make you comfortable with taking the exam. But, this can be one of the more costly options.

2. Engage with an individual tutor who can tailor what they do for you to get ready. You may be weak in a particular area and need more assistance with this. This again is costly but might be a wise investment depending on what you are trying to accomplish.

3. If you are self motivated, you can pick up a number of guides that also have exercises and study materials for the test content. They even have sample exams you can take at the end to test how well you might expect to do on the real exam. This is certainly less costly but you will need to be self motivated to get it done. No one is going to come in and help you open the book and read it. It is all you in this instance so be ready for that should you choose this path.

4. A great way to build your vocabulary for the exams is to use some vocabulary building books. There are even apps for that now on smart phones. It is something you can do while riding the bus or waiting for your parents to pick you up from school and you will begin to sound a lot more intelligent as well which is an nice extra bonus!

There are lots more but this is just a taste......

1. Make sure you complete a spelling and grammar check on the essay. Since many students have access to these tools via their computer software, it is really hard to accept the lack of this attention to the essay. It really sets the tone of things to come in the rest of the application.

2. Make your story interesting. If it is a creative piece, then don’t take the obvious angle but one that grabs the reader by surprise. Once I had a student who wrote her essay about herself from the perspective of her dog. Except, she didn’t let you know as the reader that it was her dog until the very end! Very creative, funny and accomplished her essay assignment very well.

3. Be descriptive enough but succinct. You don’t need to write an essay that goes on for days. With the volume of essays that most of the readers are looking at in one sitting, taking three pages to make one point is not highly recommended.

4. I always suggest mapping out the parts of the essay: intro paragraph, many body/arguments, concluding paragraph. Jot down your general ideas under these categories and then expand. Look at it again. Maybe you will rearrange the middle section to hang together better and then edit further. Never feel that you will need to complete the essay beginning to end in one sitting and without some planning. The best ones always take a little time to develop.

5. Give yourself enough time to make a wonderful essay and to think about it. A rush job looks just like what it is…..rushed!

6. Look at your previous work from high school to see if there is a written piece of work you have completed that might fit the bill on your college essay. Maybe it was A work but could use some more editing to really make it shine. As long as the work is yours, genuine and a true example of your writing talents, it doesn’t matter when it was started or what it was originally intended for as an assignment. This is really to give the college a sense of your writing abilities and to learn a little more about you via the subject they have chosen as the topic that year.

7. If you are having trouble understanding what the essay is asking, feel free to contact the admissions office to discuss it with them. It never hurts to ask to clarify anything that is of question to you. Better to ask then to assume and get it wrong. We all know what happens when we “assume” …..

8. First re-read your own work. Then have someone read over your essay when it is completed or when you ready to receive some constructive criticism about it. Your parents, a sibling or friend who is very good at writing or even a willing high school teacher that you trust are all good sources of others who can help you. Even if they don’t know the intent of the essay they are probably good readers and can tell you that a point is not clear enough and they are unable to follow your argument. If it is unclear to them, then editing again is probably in order. Better they tell you than the admissions office right?

There are many others but this list covers the big items. Have fun with writing your essay. It is not meant to be a chore so don’t treat it like one!

It is always a good idea to have someone else proofread your work. All of us as we write tend to see what we intended to be written on paper and our brains fill in the missing words or thoughts. As a result, words are missing, misplaced or the thought has not accurately been completed. A novice reader to your work brings a free pair of eyes and someone who is reading your work trying to follow your argument/statement. If it isn't clear then they will not get it. Even if you re-read your work and think..."How could they not understand this...?" It doesn't matter that you think it is clear. The point is that you can run the risk with the admissions officer not getting your point either so making a more simple or clearer argument would be highly recommended. It can be challenging and tedious work but I guarantee you that you will be much happier with the end result and it will only bring your closer to your goal of successful admission to that institution!

It really depends on the schools to which you are applying. Many schools read each and every essay. These tend to be smaller liberal arts schools or small selective programs within a larger university. Other schools may only read an essay if there is some question/s about the other parts of the application or there is a scholarship component and the answer to the essay has influence over that decision. It is always best however, to ask each school this very question and to understand exactly what they are looking for from the applicant in their answer. I always tell students that they should be writing and essay that is to be published in the New York Times. If you would not want to see the work you are submitting published there in such a public way, then it is probably not in an acceptable form to submit for your application.

It also depends on the school as to how many people will read an application essay. I know of a school where the complete application is read and the passed to another counselor who must agree with the decision of the first counselor. If that does not offer, then the application is passed on to another reader. My sense is that when the application is a part of the equation on the final admissibility question , usually two or more admissions counselors will read the application and essay to render the best possible decision about the admissibility of the applicant.

If you know someone working in the field, sometimes this is the best way as you have an advocate. Your faculty are also good sources for these opportunities as well as the alumni of your institution. You might also speak with the career center on campus for the school as they typically will have established corporate relations and can assist you with finding some of these opportunities. It is always best to investigate all of these avenues so that you have the best possibility in acquiring the internship you might most like to have.

I tell student to work smartly during their internship to complete the required task so that it allows them time to explore areas outside of their responsibility. As with any job, your employer wants to see that you can handle the job you have and do it well before they are willing to expand your responsibilities. Doing this not only allows you to learn many more facets about the field you are working but it also greatly improves your chances of landing a job there upon graduation or at the very least this employer will be a great advocate of yours in the field and can help you secure that very important first job.

Internships are critical for a number of reasons. First, it allows the student to explore the field from the inside. You have the opportunity to learn before you make the decision to follow the academic path that will lead you to a career in the field. If you get to the inside and find it is not a good match, better to know that now when you have the opportunity to change direction. Second, it provides relevant work experience. During these economic times when many college grads are competing with job applicants with 1-5 years of experience, this opportunity can help bolster their changes for landing that first job in relation to their competition.

I typically lead students through an exercise similar to a job applicants preparation for their interviews. There is a lot of similarity. However, the most important piece of advice I could give a student is to truly understand the college for which you are interviewing. In particular, it will be important for you to understand how that colleges curriculum, faculty and staff are well suited for you to be academically and socially successful as you seek your degree and after college in relation to your career aspirations. Not only must you understand this but you must be able to articulate it to the interviewer in a succinct manner. You only have so much time to convey all the research you have done up to this point so thoughtful preparation for this moment is key to your success.

There can be various individuals that are responsible for the admissions interview. For a large number of schools this is typically handled by admissions personnel. For other schools, they will train alumni to do the interviews and can then offer them in various geographical locations that are convenient for the students. Other schools commission the faculty or personnel from the dean's office to handle interviews. In this instance, the colleges themselves are typically reviewing and rendering the admissions decisions.

It is possible that a student may conduct the "interview" however, in most instances these interviews are informational interviews. In other words, this is an individual meeting between the student and the family and the current student has been trained similar to an admissions counselor to answer any and all questions for the perspective student and family. In these instances, there isn't any formal questioning that is given to the perspective student that is then used in any way in making the respective admissions decision. The only exception to this may be if the student conducting the interview is a current graduate student. However, if it is an undergraduate student, I would be slightly concerned if their evaluation of the perspective student was being used to render an admissions decision.

Many students today become very focused on a specific role within an area such as performer/artist and fail to see the larger picture about other roles that must be accomplished around the performer/artists that make the "arts" in this instance happen. I try to get students to think about everything that goes into the industry that surrounds these roles to help the begin to explore how they can still be involved in the industry but in different ways other than their one-role-dream job.

In this question you clearly want to be a performer/artist which is great! But, until you get that break there are many other ways you can work in the performing arts industry while waiting for that big chance! There are theater managers, development jobs, sales and promotions, etc etc. All of these roles help to make the acting jobs possible. I suggest thinking about this as you pursue your degree and then taking relevant courses that help to give you some insight as to how to do the job or even an internship. You may find that your special talent really is in these roles. Or you may be of more value to a company if you can act AND do one of these functions. Especially in smaller theater groups, they are looking for multi-tasking folks and you might just fit the bill and gets your foot in the door.

I would also suggest that you keep an open mind about your long term prospects. A friend of mine initially started off as a dancer. She went on to get her MFA and realized that teaching in the arts at the college level was of interest to her and so she began to pursue that, wrote a few books, taught, developed her craft in acting further, had a few successful roles, etc. She then got involved in yoga for her acting and dance, got hooked and opened up her own yoga/Pilates business. She got more involved in that business developed her own well being concepts, wrote a book and now travels the globe promoting it and opening up new studios dedicated to it. As you can see, her life and background gave her the skills and background to be very successful in related but very different ways. You too can always be thinking about how your skills will lead you to you next career adventure as long as you are open to it. So don't be too narrow in your vision. Just be focused, strategic and open to being challenged about how you use your knowledge, background and experience to do the next interesting thing that comes your way. Enjoy your journey through life!

The answer to this question is that it depends to which school you are applying. For a number of schools it is all about your academic courses and your scores as to the admissibility of large portion of their applicants. However, if you are applying to a more selective school or an Honors College program or any institution that does a more thorough application review where they dig deeper into their applicants’ materials, the type of information you put on your FB page may influence their perception of you. Whether it makes the difference between your acceptance or not isn’t clear. That also would depend on the sum of the parts of the student’s application to really know if FB would be the tipping point. My sense is that FB posts may put up a “red flag” about a particular student that would lead a school to dig even deeper into the students record but it would not be FB that would sway the decision to a deny as much as it would be a deeper issue uncovered due to the further investigation of the admissions officer tipped off by FB that might cause such an action. A sound piece of advice to many of the students out there would be that if you would not want the information you post on FB to be broadcasted on the nightly news then I would not recommend you putting it up on FB. Some things are best left between you and yourself or you and your intended audience and you can’t always be guaranteed this is the case if you are putting the information in an environment that is not 100% under your control be that FB or any other social networking site.

This is another question that it so important to the critical building blocks of the college search and selection process. Students really need to be honest with themselves about what a comfortable distance from home would be for them. Keep in mind that your primary goal at college is to study and do well academically. School first and foremost should be about the learning. Everything comes after that. With this in mind, what do you do now to make yourself comfortable to study? Do you go to a coffee shop with low cool music playing and get yourself a latte before typing away at your next English composition? Or, do you lock yourself in a sound deprecated room in your house with a single study lamp pointing your attention at your computer to focus, focus, focus. Each of us seeks out that perfect learning environment so that we can get the deed done right? Distance from home should be treated in a similar fashion. For some students they are going to do their best if they remain at home and commute to their school. For others, the will draw a two to three hour radius around their home and decide that this is their maximum comfort zone. It presents them the ability to get home in a few hours and the ability to return to school when that homey affection starts to wear off. Finally for a group of students they will be happiest knowing that mom or dad are a plane ride away and showing up Saturday night unannounced at their residence hall room door will just not happen. The bottom line is that you should answer this question up front, know what you need and then when it comes to working at your education…..you will not have made your distance from home the real problem as to why you are unable to focus, study and complete your homework, class and ultimately your degree.

Freshmen retention rates are the percentage of freshman students that return to the college for their sophomore year.

They are important for the following reasons:

1. It tells you a little be about how the institution described or sold itself to the incoming class and what they really experienced. A low return percentage could indicate that the expectation of these students were not met and there is a real disconnect between this expectation and reality on the campus.

2. It might also give an indication about what the college does to help student acclimate to college life versus high school experiences. If there isn't appropriate programming and services to help students make this critical transition, then you would see a lower rate in this number.

3. It might also indicate a shifting financial aid policy. There are schools out there that bait freshmen with generous financial aid packages in their first year and the sophomore year, the picture changes dramatically. It is always a good idea to ask how financial aid packaging changes between each of the years if any so you know this answer up front. But sadly many students still do not ask this question and then find themselves transferring in their sophomore year because of financial reasons. Again, a lower retention rate would indicate this as a potential problem.

4. It may signal that the schools is easy to get into but hard to stay. A number of schools might have a more lenient admissions policy but therefore end up admitted students that it does not have the appropriate resources to assist in making it academically.

As I am sure you have realized, none of these scenarios are great and therefore, any school with a low freshmen retention rate should be considered cautiously by any perspective student.

If you have done your homework prior to applying you should have decided on these schools for very specific reasons. I encourage students to return to those reasons and start filling in more information. At the stage of acceptance you have probably learned more about the schools in relation to your initial selection criteria. Fill that information in. Now expand it. Are there new things you wish to consider now that you have been thinking or picturing yourself at those schools. Make a pro and con list for each school. What does this tell you? If there is a clear "stand out" school or if there are several, I suggest returning to campus for another look. It will either confirm what you believe you saw the first time or now that you are paying attention to some of these things more seriously, you might see the school in a whole new light for good or for bad. Each of these steps should help you to visualize your self in the setting better to know if this will be the right fit for you or not. Just remember to be true to who you are and not who you wish you were in making the final decision. The former will always lead to a better decision!

In most instances, colleges will place their right to revoke admissions on the admit letter or somewhere on their website or in admissions materials so that the reasons are clear. In all my years in admissions, the most common is due to the student academic performance. Should a students grades drop after their admissions has been offered the admitting school usually reserves the right to revoke the admission because the student is demonstrating an inability to handle the level of academic work necessary to be successful at the respective college. In some instances, the college may choose to put the student on academic probation coming in with a certain level of academic achievement at the end of their first semester freshman year in order register again for the second semester of the freshman year. Usually those criteria are to complete at least 12 or more college level credits with a 2.5 or 3.0 GPA depending on how sever the decline in grades where in high school. It is always a good idea to keep up the grades through to the end of the senior year. Many colleges dislike when this happens.

It is not likely that the parent will be informed of the students academic progress. Once student enter into college, they are considered adults and the law restricts what university personnel are permitted to share with anyone other than the student. Some colleges however have mechanisms in place that will allow student to indicate that information should be shared with the parents or guardians. But this is usually not automatic and requires the student to contact the appropriate office on campus and complete the necessary steps to allow such individuals access to their information. Keep in mind that this may give parents access but it is not automatic and typically the parents will need to reach and seek out the information each semester.

The best thing a parent can do for their student is to help with organization! There are so many parts to the application process and similar to many tasks in life, it can easily become overwhelming. When it does, students tend to shut down and the process stalls. That is exactly when the frustration start to evolve between the parent and the student. To prevent this from happening, my suggestion is for the parent to help in the planning and organization of the steps that need to be taken for each college application. This is typically tedious and the part that students hate the most. By taking away this burden in the process, it allows parents to feel they are being helpful and allows the student to focus on more important things such as the creation of a meaningful essay, maintaining their grades and doing well in their senior year and just enjoying the whole experience. Their are many other ways in which a parent might be helpful depending on the situation and their relationship with their child or the students particular weaknesses in completing such a process but helping with the overall organization always seems to be a winner for the families with which I work.

Almost all of the time students are admitted based on academic or talent assessment. It is not really the involvement of the student, the parents or others that will determine if someone gets into a college or not. I have dealt with a number of overly involved and aggressive parents over the years. Are they annoying...yes! Did I go back and make notes in the students folder indicating that they should not be admitted because of their parents...NEVER! Admission is based on your academic ability to handle the rigors of the school to which you are apply and whether or not your academic interests match the schools program. Not how excited you are to be there. So, if your parents are overly "involved" relax, it could be worse. You could have parents who don't care whether you go or not. If you are a parent reading this....you relax also. We understand your interests are to get your son/daughter into the best school possible but it will be their merits that will gain them access and not your involvement. Help them to make the wisest choice from those schools which are interesting to them and are the best fit to help them be successful in life and in their careers.

The best thing a parent can do for their student is to help with organization! There are so many parts to the application process and similar to many tasks in life, it can easily become overwhelming. When it does, students tend to shut down and the process stalls. That is exactly when the frustration start to evolve between the parent and the student. To prevent this from happening, my suggestion is for the parent to help in the planning and organization of the steps that need to be taken for each college application. This is typically tedious and the part that students hate the most. By taking away this burden in the process, it allows parents to feel they are being helpful and allows the student to focus on more important things such as the creation of a meaningful essay, maintaining their grades and doing well in their senior year and just enjoying the whole experience. Their are many other ways in which a parent might be helpful depending on the situation and their relationship with their child or the students particular weaknesses in completing such a process but helping with the overall organization always seems to be a winner for the families with which I work.

Organization is really the best assistance that you can give your child in this process. There are so many pieces that can become a part of the process for an individual family that keeping it organized and all in one place can be a tremendous help. A calendar system can also be very useful. Laying out the complete college search and application process is critical. You want to pay attention and mark the key dates of testing, application and decision deadlines. Once you mark these into your calendar, you can back up from those dates to see home many weeks or months you have before those deadlines occur. Then you can decide what steps will be taken within each month. This will help your student to see the whole process and how each month has several necessary steps that need to be completed in order to keep it from getting overwhelming and a horrible experience. Always remind them that this process should be fun as they are playing a very active role in deciding where they will attend school for the next four years. Creating a search process that turns this into a grind results in poor decisions in the end. So, do yourself and them a favor and concentrate on this organized timeline and help them stick too it! You will all be thankful in the end.

Wait list is certainly better than the deny letter. The wait list is to be used by schools to let student know that they are admissible to the school but there isn't enough room or spots in the class to admit all those students who applied and were academically admissible. So the good news is that they think you could handle the academic challenges there. The bad news is that MANY well qualified students applied and that is what is keeping you out at the moment.

I indicate to students that it is important to recognize the receipt of the wait list offer. Thank the college for the offer and submit any new or updated academic achievements you may have gotten since the time of your original application. Also let the college know your specific interest in attending the school. Make sure it clearly states why you feel their program and your academic interest are a perfect match. If you have nothing more to add to your application, a simple thank you is important.

As you wait on this list however, it is important to look at your other schools to which you were admitted and begin to more fully consider those options. In some instances, my students have come to the conclusion that their second or third choice was probably best all along so don't waste your time dreaming of your wait list school. Move forward with the options on the table and if you are admitted off the wait list you can cross that bridge when it comes.

This question makes me think there was a disconnect between the student’s academic abilities and the schools when they were chosen. It appears as though both schools were on the more difficult side for the student to get accepted. As a result, this was a real gamble on the part of the student. Be that as it may, I am sure there were several schools that were just below numbers one and two that were chosen by the student along the way. It would be logical to go back to those choices for further consideration and exploration. Many students that I have worked with when faced with this type of outcome begin to be truer about who they are, what their abilities and limitations are and possibly their 3rd or 4th choice becomes more clearly suited for them in the long run. It is always difficult in this situation where there is so much pressure to apply to the “best” schools. But what is truly best sometimes gets buried because of outside influences skewing the student’s perspective. It is an important moment in the student’s life and in many ways provides a great opportunity for them to learn a lot more about themselves that will hopefully serve them to be true to what is “best” for them by their own accord and not others.

There are some critical pieces that every transfer student should understand.

First, you should know how your credits will transfer. For example, many schools will transfer English literature and composition courses as electives from another school but will typically be asked to retake them at their new institution. This it typically because the curriculum in those courses are designed by the degree granting school and ensures for them that when they award you the degree they are satisfied that you have the appropriate skills in these areas. There are exceptions to this and typically exists between community colleges and four year institutions with signed transfer articulation agreements.

Second, you should understand how your financial aid is impacted by your transfer. If you lose credits or there is a change in how your credits are distributed which results in additional semesters of enrollment at your new college, you may not have the appropriate number or semesters of financial eligibility to complete your degree. It is always wise to consult your current colleges financial aid office or the one at your new college prior to enrolling there about the financial aid consequences for transferring from one school to another. This may be less of an issue if you are not receiving aid or not receiving enough aid to make this a consideration.

Finally, you should make sure to investigate all the pieces you wish you had about your college on the first try if indeed you are transferring because you are unhappy at your current institution. Hindsight is 20/20 but regretting a bad decision TWICE is simply poor planning and can be the catalyst for you never completing your undergraduate degree which would truly be a shame. Don't make those same mistakes twice!

This seems to be an annual question with a response that would be similar to questions from students requesting of faculty about the appropriate length a paper should be. The answer for the later would be the length that allows you to make a sound argument succinctly. You should not go on and on simply to meet a certain length nor should you be so brief that you do not fully develop your argument.

Similar logic applies to this question. If you have done your homework about institutions you are considering attending for the next four years, you should be able to identify at least three schools. One you should be able to gain admissions easily and you would be happy attending. Another school might be slightly more difficult to get into and the last may be a reach for you academically but you have a chance to be admitted. Keep in mind that each of these schools should meet your general criteria about size, location, academic reputation, programs that are offered and cost. Aside from this basic litmus test on these topics and the institutions selectivity, the most important question you need to ask yourself in order to answer this question rests solely in your hands as the applicant. This question is: "How many applications can I complete well enough that I will have finished each of them to the best of my ability?"

So many students have difficulty narrowing their list of school to which they would apply. As a result, I have these students go to the admissions essay and begin the process of answering that essay. This process requires a good deal of effort and for my students requires them to dig deep into the curriculum of their intended major, the job placement of the schools graduates for this major, the faculty in their major department and their related research. After this review and information gathering step the student must begin to articulate why this school and their career and academic major aspirations are a good match. Typically students will begin to see where some of their final schools begin to match their interests and aspirations better than others and therefore an application priority is established. They also begin to understand that they are better served in spending a good deal of time on the applications for the schools that really are a good match for them on this deeper level than finishing twice as many applications but not doing their best work on any of them. At this moment, most of my students begin to eliminate those falling toward the bottom of the list. The result is a shorter list but great applications and not just good ones. These are also the students who tend to find an acceptance letter from their reach schools rather than a rejection because they allowed themselves the time to fully, succinctly and convincingly complete each section of the admission applications.

So my answer to this question is really more questions but for the student because as with many questions like this, the answer lies within you. I am just a guide to help you arrive at the answer that most appropriately matches your individual situation. Remember......How many great applications vs good applications can you complete? How sure do you want to be that you put your best effort into your "reach" school application? Have you completed a thorough review of all of the schools to which you feel you must apply so you can be absolutely sure that this school meets your educational needs and career aspirations? Now......to how many school will YOU apply?

Similar to the ACT vs the SAT question, it really depends on which test you as a student feel more comfortable taking. However, you need to keep in mind that certain colleges only take the TOEFL or the IELS and may not take the other. You need to figure this part out first before deciding on one and possibly not the other. Some students also take both to see if they can score better on the other if the one seems to be more difficult than the other to them personally.

Your application essay would be assess no differently than a nationals application essay. However, there would probably be more attention given to your grammar skills than a US student whether the admissions office cares to admit it or not.

To write effectively, you should first consider the essay question. Make sure you understand all the parts of the question to that each may be addressed in the essay. Decide on the order in which they should appear or if some of the parts could be combined in your answer. Write an effective paragraph for each part of the essay. Then go back and create an introductory paragraph which introduces your essay and gives a brief scenario of what is to come in the following essay paragraphs. In the final paragraph you would want to conclude with a statement that ties all the pieces of your answer together. Those are the basic steps that I lead students through and it helps to make for a more effective essay.

Similar to all students, the interview can help for a number of reasons. It can provide a point of contact in the admissions office for the student. This helps to humanize your application in many ways and can also provide an advocate for your admissions if that become necessary. It also helps to give a more complete picture of you as an applicant and your abilities to function in an English speaking environment if English is not your first language. This adds another dimension to your admissions decision that goes beyond the English skills demonstrated by your TOEFL or IELTS scores. Finally, it provides an opportunity for you as a student to gain a more personal understanding of the institution to which you are applying beyond their website and brochures. If you are going to attend this school for the next few years, you owe it to yourself to get and up close and personal view of the school via someone who is physically there especially if you are unable to visit prior to enrolling. The interviewers insights can be of use to you in making your final decision about where to enroll.

You are no different than any other student really. My suggestion would be to take a career or interest inventory exam. There are many online now with results that are online. I like the i-Strong exam for a number of reasons but mainly because the results are easy to use. This will help you to choose a college that provides a number of the majors in which you are interested. Remember, you don't HAVE to pic a major going into college. You only need to have a general idea about what areas interest you initially and if the college provides those. You want to make sure they do so that you are not stuck in a transfer situation where you may lose credits toward your major and cost yourself additional time to complete the bachelors degree. There are so many majors that you have not experienced in high school curriculum so limiting yourself coming in can keep you from truly exploring a field that may turn out to be your career calling. Keep in focused but not too focused when it comes to majors. An open flexible mind is a good thing!

For many students there will be a required orientation prior to registration for courses. International students typically have a special orientation and registration a few weeks prior to the beginning of classes in the fall. In addition to general advisement about degree completion as well as many activities to help you become acclimated to the campus its environs and being in the US in general, you will most like sit individually with an academic counselor who will know your preparation for study and any degree completion requirements such as an ESL program that you need to satisfy prior to graduating from college.

Some students, depending on your TOEFL scores and placement examination that you take during this orientation, will be required to complete the ESL program BEFORE you are able to register for general course instruction. Other international students will be permitted to register for their degree general education courses along with a few ESL courses if their English verbal and writing skills are at a certain level.

All of this should be provided to you in your admissions packet of information. If it is unclear or not provided, you should seek out your designated admissions counselor at that college or the international student adviser to get the appropriate answers.

Some schools do offer financial "assistance" for international students. It really depends on the school. In most instances, the financial assistance for international students comes in the form of scholarship dollars and it is therefore based on academic merit rather than financial need.

There are some colleges that do offer financial assistance based on financial need but still not that many. In these instances, the schools will typically have their own financial aid evaluation form for international students to complete. To find out which form is required, it is important to contact either the international admissions office or the office of international student services depending on the school.

Some financial institutions may also offer student loan options but these are between the financial institution and the student and the schools are not involved in the process. However, you chosen college's financial aid office might be able to point you toward a lender that they know can assist you with this option. It is rare but you never know.

Finally, the scholarship office at many schools may know of outside scholarship opportunities that you might be able to apply for that could offset some of your educational expenses. Reach out to them for any ideas or experiences they have had that might help you in obtaining some funding.

Just as any other student, your academic credentials are always the first and most important piece of your application. Colleges want to know that you can handle the level of academic and the pace that it is delivered at their institution. You course selection, grades for each course and its relevance to the major you are seeking as well as the trend of your grades are major considerations. In addition, as an international student to the US they will assess your English skills via standardized exams such as the TOEFL. If you meet their standards on this level you have passed the largest hurdle to gaining admissions. Keep in mind that many schools will evaluate your transcript vary differently. Some have experts within their college who can do this. Other schools require you to have it translated and evaluated by and organization such as the World Educational Services (WES). It is always a good idea to understand what the process will be for you as it always takes longer for this process to happen. Therefore, careful and early planning is necessary if you are going to give yourself sufficient time to meet the deadlines.

Resident Advisors (RAs) are typically other upper class students at your college. These individuals typically apply and are interviewed for these positions and receive either money or free room and board for their services during the year. Colleges will most likely station one of them on your floor in your dorm. Their role is to help you acclimate to the college, serve as a resource to you for any situation either personal or academic, resolve roommate or other student disputes between the two of you and to schedule general programming for their assigned floor.Typically they will also be the person on duty in case of emergencies at any given time during the day. A resident advisor or resident director (RD) is typically present at any given time in your dorm and can be sought out if there is some issue that needs to be addressed.

First, be honest with them about your habits. If you were honest on the housing application then you should be a fairly good match. If you lied on your application and put down the characteristics of the person you want to be rather than who you really are, you are in for a bumpy ride! I always suggest that students get out their copy of the housing application and go through the likes and dislikes. It is a conversation starter on these issues and can help the roommates to systematically go through the important things that the Housing office sees as real roommate issues over the years. Discussing them can help the two of you to have an understanding of what to expect and if there is a real issue up front, you can agree on how to handle it BEFORE it becomes and issue. If you have a problem coming to an agreement, always feel free to seek out your resident adviser for some ideas of how you can reach common ground. They are trained in helping you with this and it's their job to be your resource. Don't be afraid to ask!

First, be honest with them about your habits. If you were honest on the housing application then you should be a fairly good match. If you lied on your application and put down the characteristics of the person you want to be rather than who you really are, you are in for a bumpy ride! I always suggest that students get out their copy of the housing application and go through the likes and dislikes. It is a conversation starter on these issues and can help the roommates to systematically go through the important things that the Housing office sees as real roommate issues over the years. Discussing them can help the two of you to have an understanding of what to expect and if there is a real issue up front, you can agree on how to handle it BEFORE it becomes and issue. If you have a problem coming to an agreement, always feel free to seek out your resident adviser for some ideas of how you can reach common ground. They are trained in helping you with this and it's their job to be your resource. Don't be afraid to ask!

Ramen noodles are always a favorite of students. Cheap and versatile with what you can do with them. Check out this blog: http://www.rasmussen.edu/student-life/blogs/college-life/ramen-noodle-recipes/.

Mac and Cheese boxes are another standby for many college students.

Canned soup is also a good option. Get low sodium kinds if at all possible. Quick and satisfying. Also the cans can easily be stored in the room and won't draw bugs!

Keep in mind a potato. Students can micro wave them and add salad dressing as a topping and eat with baby carrots or broccoli florets. EASY!