Improve your chances of getting into college,

This is a fantastic way to learn more about a school that you are interested in. I would recommend that you contact either the Alumni Affairs Office or the Admissions Office. While you're at it, you might want to ask if you could speak with a current student, too!

If you can manage to "tactfully" add this information into your essay, that's great! The reason that I say "tactfully" is because nothing is worse than a college admissions essay that is basically a love letter to the college. Admissions counselors are experts at their craft and they don't want to read that stuff; they already know how great the school is!

Another thought: On most (if not all) college essays, there is typically a space for you to write additional information. You can plug that little factoid in there, too! Again, stay away from sounding like a lovesick puppy!

Best of luck!

My opinion is that 5 - 8 applications should be plenty. By the time that you sit down ready to tackle your college applications, you should have completed the extensive research required to make the best decisions for your educational future. When I say "extensive research", I mean that you have already made a decision about what you will study and what schools have programs that match up with your interests, visited colleges, talked with admissions counselors, determined what schools match your budget, figured out that you actually have a chance at being accepted based on GPA and SAT/ACT scores, etc.

My experiences with admissions officers who are reviewing "on the bubble" applicants have typically been very positive - as long as the applicant is showing that they are trying to make improvement and are invested in furthering their education.

Don't just send in the paperwork and cross your fingers; take an active approach to the application process by requesting an interview with an admissions officer. Teachers and/or guidance counselors will vouch for you in a shining letter of recommendation if you have proven to them that you are trying. And, of course, a high school transcript that shows improvement in academics and an attempt at taking more challenging classes will only help you.

The Universal Application is a "form application" that several schools will accept as an official admissions application. What this means is that instead of having to fill out an individual application for every school to which you wish to apply, you might only need to fill out the Universal Application once and send it to several schools. The tricky part is that at this time only 43 colleges accept the Universal Application; check their list of member schools and if at least two schools match up with the schools on your prospective list, go ahead and use it. If only one of your prospective schools is on the list, don't bother with it - just use that school's application.

Best of luck!

This is a tough one to answer because there is absolutely no guarantee that you will be successful. Don't expect to get a positive response if you use the "GPA and SAT/ACT scores were high" or "my kid was super involved in high school" angle. I think the best strategy is when you have the first and second choice school acceptance letters in front of you and the second choice is offering more scholarship money than the first choice school. You could TRY the "my kid really wants to go your school (first choice school), but her second choice school is offering more money" strategy. Again, you MIGHT get lucky, but don't go into this conversation thinking that you have it in the bag.

Best of luck!

Draft up a monthly budget and stick to it. Do a quick search on the web and I guarantee that you will find hundreds of customizable templates that will help you plan your finances. Always reconcile your budget at the end of the week to make sure that you are not spending too much. Make sure you give yourself a buffer for those unforeseen circumstances.

The hardest part will be disciplining yourself to stick to it. Trust me. If you don't budget your money, you will find yourself pennyless and that's no fun when your friends are ordering pizza during a late night study session!

Best of luck!

There are a few things that you can do: 1) Talk with your math teacher about what they believe you might want to brush up on. You may want to ask them to assign you some extra "homework" that he or she can look over for you. 2) The SAT prep books are a good way to learn some of the "tricks". They also offer various practice problems. 3) Hire a tutor. Working one-on-one with someone is incredibly beneficial.

Some points to remember: 1) When you sit for the test, if you are 100% sure that you don't know an answer, don't guess! Don't forget that you lose points for answering incorrectly. Skipping the answer will not harm your score. 2) Finish the section and go back to those questions that you weren't so sure about. If you have the extra time, why not try to wrestle with the problem a little. You might come up with the correct answer!

Best of luck!

Absolutely! In fact, it's recommended! A few great proofreaders are: your English teacher, guidance counselor, a member of your church or synagogue, or a tutor. Of course you can allow a family member to serve as your proofreader. However your essay should be honest and in your own voice; sometimes it can be a little difficult to have someone who is very close to you give you an objective opinion!

List some of your coursework that was AP, Honors and/or related to the major that you are interested in. Also, list your extracurricular activities. Be sure to give a brief explanation of the activities that are not identifiable by the name (e.g. "The Red Scare" is the name of the marching band at a high school in NJ - members would want to indicate that on their resume). Highlight any accolades related to those activities (e.g. you were Drum Major in 2011). List your involvement in Community Service and highlight specific projects that you participated in.

Best of luck!

Great question! It really depends on the specific school. If the school requires the interview, it is typically conducted by a representative from the admissions office, school alumni appointed by the admissions office, or you might be interviewed by a current student appointed by the admissions office. Make sure you check with the school whether you will be required to take part in an interview; that way you can prepare ASAP!

Another thing to keep in mind is that some schools offer "optional interviews" (specifically the Ivy Leagues). These interviews are certainly something to consider, especially if you feel that your overall application portfolio does not say enough about you as an applicant. And, if you are trying to get a better perspective of what the college is like, talking with alumni is a great opportunity to learn more.

Best of luck!

Being recruited by a college to play a sport that you love is very exciting, especially when there is a healthy scholarship included! But, there are a lot of responsibilities that come with that recruitment and, quite frankly, time management is the key to success. You must never forget that you are earning an education! Being able to juggle the responsibilities to your team and to your studies is a skill.

A few other things to consider:

1) You've received an offer! It's a great team, but is it a great school for you? Do you match up with the school's academic environment? Does the school have a major that interests you? How about the social environment?

2) Read the "fine print" before you commit. What GPA must you maintain? Is your scholarship "guaranteed" each year? What if you get injured? What if the school drops the sport? Anything can happen at any time and it's your future that could be affected!

It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of the recruitment process, but pay attention to the details!

Best of luck!

NCAA has very specific guidelines when it comes to the recruitment process - and they can be confusing! Just like anything else related to gaining admissions to a college, you should start the process in 9th grade with playing on your HS teams as well as any intramural teams that may exist within your community.

Fast forward to Late Winter/Early Spring of your Junior year. The very first thing you need to do is register with the NCAA Eligibility Center (http://www.eligibilitycenter.org). You will enter in some information about your academics and the sport(s) which you play. Basically, your registration with this database allows the NCAA to determine if you are actually eligible to play sports in college (grades, coursework, SAT/ACT scores all play a role in this). At the same time you should draft a letter that you will send to coaches indicating your interest in playing your sport at their college and create a resume highlighting your athletic experiences. You should also put together a "highlight video" - basically a short collection of videos showing you at your best while playing your sport. Start sending these items to coaches as soon as you can.

What transpires from this point forward is very specific to the sport which you play. There is a very specific timeline made up of "periods" which allow for certain types of contact with coaches. These periods are called the "contact period", "evaluation period", "quiet period" and "dead period."

My suggestion to you is to go to the following link: http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/public/NCAA/Eligibility/Becoming+Eligible/Recruiting. On this page you will be able to review all of the terminology related to the recruitment process and will be able to download your sport's calendar so that you will know when each "period" occurs and what you need to do during each "period".

Sounds like a lot, but just like everything else related to the college application process, it's a timeline. Stay focused and keep yourself organized and you will do great!

Best of luck!

Start with your Art Teacher! Talk a little about what your "niche" is and see if they are aware of the best schools to hone your skills as an artist. They are also a great resource for when you are putting together your portfolio which will be essential for when you begin to apply to your schools of choice.

Best of luck!

The difference isn't the quality of academics. The difference is that you won't have the traditional college experience if you attend a conservatory. There won't be any college football games, fraternities/sororities, coursework in topics like science or US History, etc.

For someone who wishes to study ballet, you have a lot of research ahead. Why? Ballet is a very specific art offered at about 150 colleges and conservatories in the US. Just like any other college applicant, you will have to take the tours, search the internet, etc. and find the schools that are right for YOU.

To get you started, try to look for programs that offer a BFA (Bachelors of Fine Arts). Email the professors who teach the courses. Try to find online message boards where individuals talk about their experiences as students studying ballet in college. Believe me - those message boards are VERY easy to find.

But, to give you a quick answer, I hear that Butler, Barnard, Indiana University, Julliard, and Boston Conservatory are among the best!

This happens a lot - and not to just artists and performers. In fact, in today's economy there are a lot of college graduates that are having difficulty finding work in their field of study. As a graduate with your major, you have a few different options:

1) Do you have any interest in teaching? I have known many college students (and I have a few colleagues) who study a fine art and have brought that knowledge and passion to the classroom. Not only are you passing on your expertise, you also get to participate!

2) Perhaps you can find a job in the industry doing something else. For instance, if you were a music performance major, you could look for work in the music industry. Promotions and public relations are a pretty popular job in the music industry. If you are an artist, maybe look at being a curator. Universities and museums sometimes have those job opportunities; I've seen listings for curators/catalogers at universities and colleges many times in the past couple of years! If you received your degree in drama/theater arts, again promotion, PR, and management are good opportunities. Of course, those types of jobs often require you to be local to a major city.

3) Look for entry level work anywhere. You may find out that you like what your doing and you can use that experience as an opportunity to advance. And don't forget! You have nights and weekends to practice what you love. And if you do take a job doing "whatever", always keep looking! Maybe a career opportunity in your art will pop up along the way.

Best of luck!!

The sky is the limit!

After college, you can always work "in the industry" in various roles; promotions, journalism, and management are a few careers that are often sought out by graduates with fine arts/performing arts degrees.

Or, you could seek a career that has nothing to do with the arts - as long as you are qualified to work in that position, of course. You could even go on to graduate school and earn a degree in something completely unrelated to the arts.

Best of luck!

As long as you are completing all required coursework for your degree, you sure can. If you are not sure if you are meeting your graduation requirements, contact your program advisor; he or she will make sure that you are on the right track.

Best of luck!!

Generally speaking, you certainly can!

However, certain graduate-level programs might require that you complete some undergraduate-level coursework (prerequisites) relevant to intended graduate major. For instance, if you have a BA in art history and decide that you want to apply to medical school, you may have to take (or have taken) a few undergraduate courses like Organic Chemistry, Biology, etc.

Best of luck!

Even though they all are categorized as the Ivies, we cannot forget that they are eight very different institutions each considering various factors when making their acceptance decisions. Remember, every college no matter how they are categorized has their own "personality" and admissions decisions are made based on the applicant's overall application portfolio (GPA, SAT/ACT scores, involvement, experiences, etc.). Some of the Ivies also require interviews for students applying to specific programs; a beautiful application can be placed in the denied acceptance pile because of a terrible interview (and vice versa!)

Several experts in the admissions field have published articles or books that often candidly describe the Ivies and what they look for in an applicant - getting as specific as to what academic programs they tend to fill more often, whether they are trying to maintain a more conservative or liberal atmosphere, and which are "easier to get into".

Best of luck!

There are no limitations to the amount of schools to which you would like to apply. I usually suggest 6 - 8 schools. But, just like any student, you should do the research before you move forward with any application. Two important points for you: 1) make sure that you fulfill the requirements that the school asks for from international applicants, and 2) make sure that you like the school!!

If you can visit the U.S., try to go on campus tours. Once you choose a school to visit, call the school's Office of Admissions and let them know that you are an international student applicant and will be in the country on a specific date. They should be able to set you up with a tour.

If you can't arrange time to visit the schools, luckily the internet is readily available for you at any time! Start with the school's website. Then move on to the MANY other websites that provide information about schools. Make sure that you also look for comments from current and former students about the school. Also, call the Office of Admissions and ask if they can provide you with contact information from a current student.

Best of luck!!