College admissions is competitive,

As a student looking for a college that is the best fit for you the rankings should not play a major roll. The rankings give the colleges something to shoot for because unfortunately students do pay attention to them. But, keep in mind that just because a college is ranked in the top ten does not mean that it is the right college for you. There are plenty of gems that are not ranked that could be perfect for you. However, if you can't seem to let the rankings go then use them as a way to start your list of colleges that you are interested in. Just be sure to look outside of the rankings for that perfect fit for you.

This question will probably be answered differently by each admission officer that you asked. But, for the most part they are looking for well rounded students. Meaning they want students with good test scores, good GPA and curriculum and involved outside of the classroom. However, in any given year they might also be looking for more women, athletes, anthropology majors etc. It will depend on what they have determined that they need that year.

In most cases the admissions office does know the school relatively well. However, they can't visit and have a good relationship with every school in America. Counselors can learn about the school in a couple of different ways. First, the high school counselor always sends a profile of the high school which will detail how many AP courses are offered, average SAT score and any other important information that is needed. Second, the admissions office can always contact the high school counselor to help with any misunderstandings.

Each school needs certain questions answered in order to make their decisions. So individual applications usually are tailored to fit what they need. At the same time many colleges use generic applications like common application. These applications allow students to complete one generic application and then a supplement for each school. This saves the student time but still allows the school to ask a few specific questions that they need to make their decision.

From my experience, a lot of students submitted resumes with their application. We didn't mind the resume as long as it was giving us different information than was on the application. The application will give you room to list your activities and accomplishments. However, if you have more than will fit there or there is something else you want the admission office to know, then submit a resume. I would suggest submitting it with the application if possible. If not, then mail it in with an explanation letter of why you are submitting it. If you have a relationship with an adviser you could also email it to them.

The best recommendations come from those whom you really have a good relationship with. For example, and English teacher who was also your drama teacher. So they got to know you in and out of the classroom. Maybe you even had her for two or three years in the classroom. You also want to keep in mind that if this is a good teacher you probably are not the only one asking her for a recommendation. So plan ahead and give her plenty of time to get a good recommendation together.

One way that planning can increase the quality of a teacher recommendation is that you give your teachers plenty of time to write. If this a good teacher then you are definitely not the only one who is asking them for a recommendation, so they will have several to complete. Giving them time, a couple of weeks would be best, allows them to write a quality recommendation. Letting them know with a few days to spare probably means it won't be as good as it could have been.

Parents should begin saving for college when their children are born ideally, or even before. You can never have too much put aside for a college education. If you already have children and you haven't begun to save, I would say to start immediately. These funds can be crucial. I would suggest starting a 529 plan, which is an educational savings plan. You can set these up to draft a certain amount out of your pay check each month. If you are lucky and your son or daughter gets a scholarship a 529 plan can also be used to purchase a computer or to pay for other educational expenses.

In most cases a college will waive the application fee if you also received an SAT or ACT fee waiver. You usually qualify for these by having free or reduced lunch at your school. Other colleges might also have special programs for waiving the application fee. I would suggest that if you don't have an SAT or ACT fee waiver that you simply contact the admission office and find out if there are any options for getting the application fee waive.

A 529 plan is a tax-advantaged investment in the United States designed to encourage saving for the future higher education expenses. Basically it is a savings account specifically for going to college. Most financial institutions will have some type of 529 plan that you can get started. I would suggest looking into Upromise. Upromise allows you to have percentages of purchases donated to your 529 plan. For example, if you make a purchase from Barnes & Nobel you might get 3% of your purchase donate towards your 529 plan.

In most cases no. Early decision is a binding commitment that usually includes a financial aid package. Hopefully your is a good one. If not there usually isn't much you can do. You have already committed to them so they aren't likely to offer you a scholarship. You can always try to appeal the current financial aid package and see if more aid could be offered. Most colleges do have a financial aid appeals process. You can also apply for external scholarships although they are getting fewer by the minute as we approach the summer.

In most cases the parent with whom the student lives would be responsible for paying for college, or at least for completing the FAFSA. It can also be determined by who contributes the most funding for the child. So if you split time equally between your parents you would then want to consider who contributes the most financially.

If the step-parent lives with the student, then there income can be considered for need based financial aid. However, if the biological parent living with the student files their income taxes separately from the step-parent, then they could technically complete the FAFSA using only the biological parents tax information. But, if the student is going to a school that also requires the CSS Profile then all parents will be considered, biological or not.

Students need to know that financial aid is available to attend college. Are you going to receive a full ride? Probably not, especially if you are depending solely on federal financial aid. To attend college and graduate with minimal debt you need to take advantage of all opportunities. That means applying for scholarships at the state, local and national levels. It means completing the FAFSA and it also means applying for aid and scholarship through each school that you are applying to. Also keep in mind that you need to apply early and that it is ok to apply for financial aid before you have your admission decision. If you wait to late you may miss out on scholarships or institutional aid.

Tough question. The best way is to have saved the money you need to cover your costs. But let's face it, that is rare if it ever occurs at all. Scholarships are great, but they are also rare especially a full ride. However, applying for 20-30 scholarships and getting 7-8 that can cover a decent amount of your tuition is an easy way to cover your costs but takes a lot of time an effort. Then there is federal financial aid and lastly student loans and working your way through. I would say most people end up doing some combination of the options I mentioned above.

Work study is where students get a job on campus to earn money. However, the money they earn comes from a federal work study award. For example, if you receive a $2,000 federal work study award, you would then work over the year to earn the $2,000. You wouldn't want to work more than the $2,000 could pay you, but you can work less.

The non-custodial parent will come in to play if you are asked to complete an institutional financial aid application such as the CSS Profile. The CSS Profile actually has a Non-Custodial Parent Profile that he or she will have to complete. However, if you haven't seen, nor had contact with this person in a year or more you can usually get it waived. The college or university you are applying to should have a Non-Custodial Parent Waiver form that you can complete. If it is approved they will waive that portion of the application.

First off you can double or even triple check your FAFSA to be sure that you have completed correctly giving the college the most accurate representation of your family's financial situation. You might even consider having someone else prepare your FAFSA if your family feels they might need assistance(www.crispcollegeadvising.com/financialaid)

After you receive your package you can always contact the college and ask for them to check it over again or you might even be able to appeal their decision. There are definitely other sources of student aid. You have scholarships, private loans and grants that are awarded from sources outside of your school. You just have to do the work and find them, then send in the applications.

The FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Colleges use this application to determine your eligibility for federal financial aid at their institutions. The FAFSA basically calculates and estimated family contribution, or the amount the family can pay for college. Colleges subtract this number from their cost of attendance and can award up to the difference.

I would suggest filing the FAFSA for your freshman year at least. You can't really be sure if you are eligible or not. After all there isn't an income limit. You also need the FAFSA for student loans, Parent PLUS loans and some scholarships. If you don't qualify for anything your first year and you didn't want the student loans or Parent PLUS loan then you don't have to complete the FAFSA for the rest of your college career.

The FAFSA refers to those who have lost their jobs as dislocated worker. There will be a question that asks if either parent is dislocated. You would just need to answer yes. In some cases the college or university will ask for verification that the worker has been dislocated at which time you could send in a letter of severance, an unemployment stub etc.

There are two kinds of loans. The Stafford loan which is offered to all students, and private loans. Stafford loans are not paid back until after the student graduates and usually have about a 6% interest rate. Students can receive an subsidized loan which means there is no interest on the loan while they are in school. Or they will receive and unsubsidized. This is dependent on the families financial situation. If you are looking for a private loan I would look for similar terms. They may be harder to come by especially if the student doesn't have a co-signer. If you don't mind the loan being in the parents name I would suggest the Parent PLUS loan. It has similar terms and is federally regulated like the Stafford loan.

Merit scholarship decisions are made based on a number of different things. The goal of a college when making these decisions is to entice the top students who have applied to their school to attend by throwing money at them. So obviously they want a student with outstanding GPA, test scores and curriculum. But they also want someone who will be involved on their campus and become a leader. They want their merit recipients to be the stand outs.

The best way for students to manage their college expenses once they are in college is to have their own checking account. Make sure to choose a bank with a local branch. If you use the ATM a lot, make sure their is an ATM on campus or nearby. If you are working part-time have your paycheck deposited to this checking account. If you are lucky and your parents are funding your spending habits then set up an allowance where your parents can send that money to your account just like a paycheck. This will allow you to learn that you only have a certain amount of money to spend each month. You will be prepared for the real world when you graduate from college if you use this method.

The financial aid offer should not be the only reason to choose a school. Obviously you like this school or you wouldn't have applied. But let's face it in today's economy money is very important and if you have narrowed your schools correctly to say 3-5 schools and one has a better financial aid package than the rest that might be the school for you.

Standardized tests, GPA, and curriculum are, in most cases the most important considerations in admission. However, which is more important will vary from college to college. At my former university GPA and curriculum were held in higher regard than the standardized testing. Most colleges are looking for well-rounded students, meaning that they want students who not only have good test scores, GPA and curriculum but whom are also involved in the extracurricular and have written a good essay.

One of the biggest don'ts from an admission counselor perspective is to use the wrong college name in the essay. Lots of students write one essay and send it to several colleges. There is nothing wrong with that as long as you are following the guidelines that particular college has set for you. However, if you forget to change the college name and you send an essay to Harvard that says you would love to be a part of the Yale class of 2015 then you can bet that essay is going in the trash along with your chances of being admitted.

The best tip for acing the college interview, is to be yourself. Admission officers are looking to learn more about you as a person. So don't put on a front, if you do they will know it. Just be yourself, and this is one of those times when it is ok to brag on yourself. So tell them about those great fundraisers that you organized, that fourth quarter comeback that you led etc. But, try not to be repetitive. Don't talk about the same things that were on your application or that you highlighted in your essay. They have already read your application and they want to know what else you can bring to their college.

The interview will be setup based on the individual colleges preference. But, in general you will meet with an admission professional on campus. They are trying to get to know more about you as a person, so I would suggest that you try to be yourself. Try to bring new information if possible and not talk about things that you detailed on your application because they will have most likely read your application already. In some cases you will meet with an alumni or student. These are really just about a feeling that the alumni or student gets. They won't have read your application so you can talk about things that are already on your application. This is a time that it is ok to brag on yourself. Let them know why you are great and why you love their school. Do your research because all three options will know tons about the school.

In most cases the admission office conduct the college interviews. Meaning that you would meet with an admission officer, preferably the counselor responsible for your area. However, there are cases where colleges have used faculty members, current students or alumni.

Athletics and admission don't go well together from my experience. Coaches don't understand the admission process and want athletes based on their athletic skills rather than their academic performance. At the same time most admission professionals don't understand sports. Whether or not athletics can help get you in will depend on the relationship between the admission office and the coach. If it is good and they are working together, then it can be helpful. If not, it won't matter.

There are lots of things you should know about intercollegiate sports. But, the first thing that comes to mind is the time and dedication that they take. Most intercollegiate sports practice and/or play year long. If they aren't on the field they are in the weight room. It takes a lot at a time when you have also begun a new challenging academic path. Obviously it can be done, but it isn't as easy as it was in high school.

I think most would agree that Julliard is the best school for ballet in both reputation and skills. However, it is extremely difficult to get into. However, nothing worth obtaining is easy. Most of the top schools are going to be difficult to get into.

With more education you can teach art at a high school, middle school, or elementary school. Art is one of those majors that does not give you many options. You might consider minoring or double majoring in another area that you could fall back on if your goal of becoming a performer or artist does not work out.

As a former admission counselor I can tell you that admission offices simply do not have the time to check every student's facebook page or twitter feed. However, in cases where something just was not right, I would take a few minutes and check a student out of facebook just to see what they were up to in there spare time. Did a student's facebook page ever cause me to deny a student? NO. But, that information coupled with some other not so great things might not help. So clean up your facebook page a little. If you would not want your mother to see it, then you do not want an admissions officer seeing it either.

Most definitely. Colleges are taking advantage of all of the opportunities to communicate with students including social media. Most colleges will have a facebook and twitter account at least. How they use it will vary from school to school. At my former school we let prospective and current students communicate with each other via facebook instead of getting involved with it.

There really is no right or wrong answer to this question. It will depend on each personal situation. There are advantages and disadvantages to both options. If you live close to home you can always visit siblings and parents easily and you have someone there to rely on. If you go to college to far away it can expensive and difficult to return home. You might only be able to come on at Christmas. But, at the same time going to school far away can be a great adventure. You will probably be living in a new climate, will be introduced to new customs and will have a different learning experience. I would suggest exploring both options thoroughly and also rely on other reasons to apply to the school, not just the distance from home.

This really depends on whether you have visited already. If you have already visited, and this is your second time on campus you are trying to get all of your questions answered and to see if you feel like you belong. Do you get a feeling like you could see yourself here? Do everything that you didn't do the first time. For example, if you didn't get to see a classroom etc. If this is your first visit you are looking to get an overall look at the school and do everything you can. I would suggest going on a guided tour the first day, then spend the night in town and check out restaurants and shopping. The next day show up unannounced and walk around on your own. Notice what students are doing. Go to the library, the student center and see whats up. If it is after 10 a.m. and the campus is dead this could be a sign that students aren't very active on campus and that they stay inside. But it is also a good idea to talk to a student. Ask them some questions and get their perspective. You really just want to observe anything you can, and it is not a bad idea to take pictures so you will remember what you saw that day.

There are many things that you could use to help you decide between colleges. You could use the financial aid package or whether or not you received a scholarship at one of the colleges. You could use the actual campus. Which actual campus did you like best? Are they both in the city, rural or urban? Are they the same size? Do they offer the same programs? Hopefully they both have the program you are interested in majoring in, but what about student life programs, intramural sports, fraternities/sororities. It is really hard to help you choose between two colleges without knowing which two colleges and knowing more about you as a student. This is a question best answered on a case by case basis, perhaps you should request an online chat session.

The most important questions to ask are the wants that you want answers to. There aren't any stupid questions. It's hard for me to give you a list of questions not knowing exactly what your circumstances are. One of the most important things on a campus tour is to see everything. See a dorm room, the cafeteria, a classroom where you will take classes, the library etc. Questions will more than likely flow as you see or don't see things you are interested in.

My advice to parents on paying for college would be to start early. If possible you want to start a 529 plan and make monthly contributions. Plan to save enough to cover the full cost. Anything leftover after covering tuition can be used for books, computers etc. If you are past that point be realistic. Don't take your son or daughter to visit schools you know that you can't afford to pay for no. This will just break their heart when you have to tell them after they are admitted. Also, help them apply for scholarships. It can be time consuming and they are busy with finishing their senior year, not that parents aren't busy too. Lastly, consider the Parent PLUS loan to cover the difference after financial aid has been awarded. The biggest thing to remember here is to remember is that if you have to take out loan for $10k in their freshman year, you will have to do it every year afterwards. If you can afford it that's fine, but many parents to plan ahead and it usually means a heart breaking transfer to a cheaper college later.

Yes and No. It will also depend on the individual college's system. Since the child is now 18, they are responsible for themselves so grade reports aren't sent home. Everything is online. Some more advanced colleges allow students to give their parent's access to certain parts of their information online. In other situations you can ask for the login information so that you can check on your own. But, I would say it is rare that grade reports are mailed anymore.

For the most parents should allow the student to complete the application by themselves. Admission officers can tell when a parent has completed the application and that will sometimes give that officer the idea that the student didn't really want to apply there. However, parents can be very helpful because they love to brag on their sons or daughters and this can often be hard for the student to do themselves. So parents can tell the student all of the great things they have done in their high school careers and the parent will often remember things that the student had forgotten or didn't think was important.

In most cases there isn't much you can do to get yourself off of the wait list. The wait list is used as a backup for admission offices. They use it to fill spots. So if they have students who don't deposit and decide to go elsewhere, then they go to the wait list to fill those spots. However, you can always contact the admission office to ask them what they want. They will usually say an updated transcript, new test scores etc. What they don't want is an additional letter or recommendation or another essay.

There is a lot to know about transferring. I guess it all depends on where you are in the game. If you are still in high school you want to know that transferring is a viable option for getting to the school of your choice. Just because you are not admitted as a freshman does not mean that you can't ultimately attend that school. You can attend one of your second choice schools and transfer after proving yourself at the college level. Something else you want to keep in mind is that you need to be sure you are taking classes that will transfer. Compare the course catalogs from both schools in order to be sure you don't lose courses when you transfer.

The national average for the number of colleges that students apply to 7-10. But does that mean that 11 is too many and 6 is not enough, no. You have to keep in mind several factors when determining your list of colleges. First, you should always have a safety school on your list. A safety school is one in which your chances of getting in are very high. This assures that at the end of the summer you have somewhere to go if you are denied to your other options. Two, completing and application is not an easy task and can take hours of hard work to complete. Not to mention gathering recommendations, writing essays and sending test scores. For this reason you want to keep your list as small as possible. I would suggest applying to some in state schools as well as some out of state schools. Also, apply to the school in your state that has the best department for your major. For example, if you are looking to major in business, apply to the best business school in your area.

For your initial list make it as big as it needs to be. Then narrow it by visiting, talking to admissions professionals and doing your research. When you are ready to apply I think 10 is the max. You have to also take into account that application fees can be expensive, you may not be able to afford to apply to as many schools as you want. When your deadlines roll around you should have a pretty good idea of which school you want to attend.

Early Decision can be important for any student who is on the bubble. If you are a student whose stats are slightly below what a college is looking for then Early Decision could be advantageous to you. Early Decision applicants are telling their college that they are number one on their list and that statement can sometimes be the difference between admission and denial. But as far as it being more important for international students, I don't think so.

As a former admission advisor, I would have to say that TOEFL is the better choice. It is a more popular choice by students and therefore better known and understood by college admission offices. However, the best way to know is to contact the schools you are applying to and ask them what they prefer. Most people will tell you that you can take either the SAT or the ACT, but there are some schools that prefer the ACT for example. So in this case I would suggest contacting the school.

Whether or not you are required to complete an admission interview will be decided by the college you are applying to. Some colleges require all of their students to go through an admission process. Some colleges require only certain students to go through this process. You can always ask an admission counselor if you can complete an admission interview if you think it will help your chances.

My brief answer would be no. International students in most cases do not have US citizenship and therefore do not qualify for federal financial aid. However, you should still be eligible for academic based scholarships. You will need to contact the individual school to find out what your eligibility for these academic based scholarships is, in some cases they might exclude international students. Private schools also have institutional funds and can set their own rules for how these funds are awarded, so again you will have to get in touch with them to find out the rules.

Unfortunately financial aid for international students is very limited. At most colleges international students are still eligible for merit based aid. However, you won't qualify for federal aid at all and in most cases you won't qualify for institutional need based aid either. Your best bet are the merit based scholarships and then the scholarships for international students.

I would suggest that your initial search not include a factor for your disability. When you begin to narrow your list you can use that as a way to slim your list. Depending on your disability you may or may not have any trouble finding colleges that can accommodate you. Most colleges do have a disability services department who can help with any disability. The smaller the campus the less ability this department will have to assist you.