How to make the most of a College Admissions Rep visit to your high school

During the fall months, many college admission officers are out traveling from high school to high school meeting with students to discuss their college. These officers are making the rounds in a designated area of the country.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when attending a college rep visit:

1. Shake their hand. Introduce yourself and say hello. It’s a great way to practice your professional skills and adults remember students who go the extra mile.

2. Listen and take notes while the College Rep is giving his summary about the school. You won’t remember everything that is said and you can look back on what was told to you later on.

3. Ask a question or two. Ask about whether or not you must declare a major on your application and if so can you switch your major upon matriculating? Or what about housing? Is it guranteed all four years or do students live off campus after freshman year?

4. Do not look at your phone during the meeting. Silence it and don’t snap or text while in the meeting.

5. Say thank you and get their business card. You can email them after the meeting and thank them for coming to your high school.

10 Tips for College Visits

10 Essential Tips: All you need to know when visiting college campuses.

There’s no substitute for visiting a college. Here are some tips on what to do before, during and after your visit. It’s up to you to make the most of a campus visit. You’ve got this!

1. Gather Information and plan out your visit.

a. Students should research the college’s website and register via the Admissions website page for a formal visit. The school wants to gain the student’s contact information, not the parents. Formal visits are necessary for a prospective student to gain ‘demonstrated interest’ which is what some schools factor into their admissions criteria.

b. You can email the admissions office to ask if you can arrange to sit in on a class, eat in one of their cafeterias and arrange to meet a coach if you are interested in pursuing a sport.

c. Arrive on campus early so you can make sure to find parking and have time to arrive at the admissions office without rushing.

2. Explore and visit the campus:

a. Typically, a visit includes a student-led tour, an admissions information session and/or a financial aid information session. Whatever they offer, attend! You are already on campus and the more you learn of the school, the better feel you will gain from the visit.

b. Schools offer discovery days and open house events throughout the year. These events typically provide more exposure to certain areas of study or offer tours led by specific students who are studying in a certain major (engineering, pre-med, etc.)

c. Ask the student tour guide questions

d. Check out first-year dorms and ask about whether or not you can choose your roommate during your first year and how housing works, in general.

3. Check out campus media:

a. Listen to the college radio station

b. Grab a copy of their student newspaper, follow their paper on twitter, Instagram, TikoTok etc. The student newspaper tells you a lot about campus!

c. Read other student publications, such as department newsletters, alternative newspapers and literary reviews.

d. Scan bulletin boards to see what daily student life is like.

4. If you have any specific needs or questions about a specific resource- ask about what resources the college provides and go and visit the office such as:

a. Disability/Accessibility  Resource Center: If you had an IEP or 504 accommodation, inquire about the school’s resource center. How many people work there? Do they provide training for faculty? Timeline for working with the DRC prior to enrolling and during each term, etc.

b. Mental Health Office: What type of services does the college provide? Does it provide a wide range of programming and services? Where is it located on campus? What are their office hours? How do they work in tandem with the university health center?

c. Housing needs: If you have specific housing questions ask them during your visit and go check out the office for residential life etc.

d. Campus Safety: Crime statistics, safety in classroom buildings, campus security patrol

5. Financial Aid: This is the time to ask about:

a. If the school is need-blind or need-aware?

b. Is there a work-study program?

c. What kind of academic and need-based scholarships are offered?

d. What percentage of students, not just how many students, receive financial aid?

6. Career center: This is an office that the admissions office and tour guides will talk about. Here are some questions to ask:

a. Where have students interned and are there formal internship arrangements with local companies?

b. What’s the job placement rate for the past few years?

c. How long does it typically take recent grads to find a full-time job in their career field?

d. What career advising services are offered, and how long are they available to graduates?

e. What networking and career fairs are held each year?

f. How accessible and involved are alumni?

g. What kinds of on-campus or local part-time jobs are available?

7. Here are a list of questions to ask your tour guide and/or students you meet during your visit:

a. What are the best reasons to go to this college?

b. What’s it like to transition from high school to college?

c. What do you do in your free time? On the weekends?

d. What do you love about this college?

e. What would you like to change about this college?

f. What’s it like to live here?

8. Get the business cards and names of the people you met during your visit and write a quick thank you note after returning home.

9. Upon getting home, write down your thoughts about the college: Your memory of each college visit will fade and blend into one another so writing down your thoughts upon returning home is helpful!

10 . Here is a list of questions to NOT ask during your visit:

a. Do you think I’ll be admitted?

b. How much financial aid do you think I’ll get?

c. Don’t ask your tour guide personal questions. They may offer information but don’t put them on the spot.

d. Don’ waste your time asking questions a 4 second Google search could provide you such as:

i. What’s the weather like here?

ii. How many students attend this college?

iii. How much is tuition?

A campus visit should help you:

Try to envision whether you would like to be on campus or not: class size, attentive professors, social and athletic activities, Greek life, etc.

Remember: It’s up to you to make the most of a campus visit. Have fun!!

Six tips for nailing your college admissions interview!

Colleges and universities that offer or require an interview as a factor in the admissions process view the opportunity to hear and speak with you as an essential factor in their decision-making. 

Colleges and universities take a more holistic approach to admitting students when they include an interview. It is a great indicator that this college or university sees all qualities of an applicant, not just grades and standardized tests. It can give the student a chance to explain their application and for you and the school to get acquainted. The interview can really help a marginal student’s application, too. 

If a school states that their interviews are evaluative, do it, whether or not it is recommended or required. If a college or university merely recommends interviews, whether or not it is evaluative, it is still highly recommended. 

The college is looking to answer some of the following items:

·      Student’s level of enthusiasm and motivation for attending the school. 

·      Who you are beyond your grades and test scores.

·      Your intellectual promise, leadership, personality and sense of humor. 

6 tips to prepare for the interview:

1.   Know about Yourself

Why do you want to go to college?

Why do you want to attend ( ) college in particular?

Why are you a good match with ( ) college?

2. Be prepared to talk about High School   

Chance to talk about your school community and what/how you were involved

Statistics: Know your GPA and how many students are graduating in your class

This also gives you a chance to mention any loop holes in your studies.

3. Be prepared to talk about Extracurricular Activities

Know the organizations in which you participate.

What has been the most important to you and why?

What might you continue in college?

Have you risen to any leadership positions?

Be sure to talk about activities outside of school too.

4. Dress appropriate: Wear a business-smart look. 

5. What NOT to do during an Interview:

 Avoid yes-and-no answers.

Chew gum

Have your cell phone with you and/or on. Silence it!

Don’t be late.

Don’t over-share

Don’t swear

Don’t put your family down

6. What TO do during an interview:

Relax: There really is no way to bomb the interview.  It’s merely a conversation. 

Dress appropriately

Listen carefully. Be attentive. Smile

Ask questions. It shows you are interested. 

Write a thank you note. Always follow up with a thank you note to the person who interviewed you. 

Be confident! You got this!!

Juniors and Seniors- attend your college admission rep visits at your high school this fall

During the fall months, many college admission officers are out traveling from high school to high school meeting with students to discuss their college. These officers are making the rounds in a designated area of the country. This admissions rep may very well be the person(s) who reviews your application when you apply.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when attending a college rep visit:

1. Shake their hand. Introduce yourself and say hello. It’s a great way to practice your professional skills and adults remember students who go the extra mile. If you know you are applying, tell them.

2. Listen and take notes while the College Rep is giving their summary about the school. You won’t remember everything that is said and you can look back on what was told to you later on.

3. Ask a question or two. Ask about whether or not you must declare a major on your application and if so can you switch your major upon matriculating? Or what about housing? Is it guaranteed all four years or do students live off campus after freshman year?

4. Do not look at your phone during the meeting. Silence it and don’t snap or text while in the meeting.

5. Say thank you and get their business card. You can email them after the meeting and thank them for coming to your high school.

10 tips for completing the common application

The Common App is convenient as it allows students to apply to multiple colleges and universities at once with the same inputted information and college essay.

As convenient as the Common App may be, many students make mistakes inputting their information. Here are some tips on how to avoid typical mistakes.

1. Deadlines: The Common App goes live on August 1st of each year. So a student can start to submit any time after that especially for a school that has rolling admissions or early decision or early action. Keep track of deadlines. It is very important to not miss a deadline or you will miss out on submitting your Common App.

2. Personal Information: A student must input their personal information about basic information. It is important that the student ask a parent or guardian for any information they may need to complete this section accurately. (Typically, a student doesn’t know when their parent graduated from college, for example.)

3. Activities Section: The goal of the activities section is to share with the Admissions Committee your involvement in extracurricular involvement. Activities should be organized from the most important to the least important. There are ten spots to list activities. Use these spots wisely. A student only has a limited space to describe each activity. Write your description clearly.

4. Common App Essay: The student will submit a 650 word essay answering one of the prompts listed on the Common App. Copy/paste the essay into your common app. Do not attach a document. This does not always work. The essay should be a non-fiction personal narrative. The essay should share a part of you that is not found anywhere else on the application and that only you can write.

5. Resume: Not all schools ask for a resume to be submitted but if a school does, definitely submit one. It will help explain your activities, honors and accomplishments in more detail than the activities section of the Common App.

6. Standardized Tests: Most colleges and universities have stayed test optional. But if you decide to submit your SAT or ACT score, it should be within the 50% percentile of what the college looks for. Average test scores have gone up due to schools being test optional so be wise about whether you submit your score.

7. Supplemental Essays: Students will be able to review whether or not a college or university asks students to respond to a supplemental essay prompt(s). These are specific to each school. Be sure that if a school says it’s optional to submit anyway. Be as specific as possible when answering supplemental essay questions. Stay on point.

8. Proofread: Make sure to proofread your Common App answers. Have a parent, teacher or school counselor read through your application.

9. Email Address: Please use an appropriate email address when applying to college. Do not use your high school email address. If you need to create a new address, please do so. This is how admissions offices communicate with you; they will send you an email to check your admissions portal/account.

10. Last, make sure to hit submit! Some students forget to make the time to submit their Common App. Set time aside to submit your Common App. Good Luck!

Parenting tips to get you through the college admissions 2025 cycle.

Many parents reach out to me seeking guidance and advice on how to navigate parenting through the college admissions process. Here is what you, as a parent, can focus on. I, too, will be a parent for this cycle, so I need to take my own advice this year as well.

1. If you are positive about your teen, then your teen will be positive about themself. Focus on helping guide your teen, not tell them, what they need to do, should do, or must change to become a valid applicant to a reputable college. How you talk to your teen, talk about your teen in front of them and how you react to your teen’s mistakes directly effects how they feel about themself. Your teen is not an outcome or trophy. The student is a human.

2. If you attempt to be too involved in the college application process, then your teen will feel like they are not capable of handling it themself. Don’t be a snowplow parent. Do not ask too many questions and nag. You are not applying to college, they are. Do not re-write their essays. Let them write. Admissions representatives can certainly tell if a 17-year old or a 50-year-old wrote the essays.

3. Assist your teen in creating a balanced college list with equal number of likely, target and reach schools. This will give them the best opportunity of having multiple options to choose from once decisions arrive. A list with too many reach schools is unrealistic and does not work.

4. Do not read social media ‘college admissions’ accounts on Facebook. That’s essentially falling down a rabbit hole of wrong information. It will cause you added stress which will then cause your student stress too.

5. Don’t make every conversation about college admissions. Enjoy your last year with your teen at home. Enjoy senior year and let the college admissions process happen naturally.

6. Help your teen create a calendar so they have their time organized for when to do everything in a timely manner. Timelines help both the parent and teen feel grounded.

7. Let your teen make mistakes. He needs to learn how to build character, problem solve and build self-confidence.

8. When your teen lands on a college campus, he will inevitably face new problems in life. How will they have the needed skills to problem solve, deal with homesickness and/or approach a teacher about a question if they never had the chance to do so in high school? There is no perfect teen. There is no perfect applicant. There is no perfect parent.

Finding your GPA

Summer is here and school is out! High schools should have your final grades for the year and you should be able to look up your final grades. But you should, also, look up your most updated grade point average (GPA). If your high school uses Naviance or Scoir, you should be able to find it there, if not, contact your school counselor and inquire as to where you can find your most updated GPA. Sometimes it can be found on your official transcript which you can also request from your school counselor as well.

Some high schools use a weighed GPA, some use unweighted GPAs and some calculate both. What does your high school use? It is important to know as you will need to input your GPA (weighted or unweighted or both) into your college applications.

Weighted GPA means that the high school factors in the level of difficulty of each core class (history, foreign language, science, math, English). Unweighted GPA does not factor in the level of difficulty of each core class. Typically, IB (international baccalaureate) , AP (advanced placement) and Honors courses are weighted more than CP (college prep) courses in high school.

It is especially important for rising high school seniors to look up their most updated GPA, after their junior year of high school ends because this is the GPA they will use to apply to college.

4 tips for writing a successful supplemental essay

So, why do schools ask you to write additional essays? Here is a summary of why and how to construct a good supplemental essay.

 Supplemental essays can vary in substance, length and in question. But overall, the supplemental essay is asking ‘why.’ The supplemental essay’s job is to effectively show why you, the applicant, would like to attend this university in particular.

1.     Make the connection as personal as possible.

If a supplemental essay is asking you to explain why you’d be a good fit on campus or how you would add to the campus community use this prompt to discuss the following.

Make the connection between the place and the personal through discussing a specific moment, conversation or take away while:

A.     Visiting campus

B.     Interviewing with an admissions representative or alumnus

C.     Conversing with a college fair representative

D.    Meeting with a coach, professor or administrator

2.     Answer the question with specificity. If the college is asking you to answer a unique question. One of Villanova’s previous supplemental essays asked the student to identify which year he would like to travel back in time to and why. This type of question should be answered with showing a unique interest or historical moment that is of importance to the applicant and explain why.  Be creative!

3.     Do not repeat information from the common application essay. Use the supplemental essay to write about the connection between you and the college, and why. Do not repeat.

4. If a supplemental essay is optional, I highly recommend answering and submitting your essay response. Going above and beyond is always looked highly upon.

Want to know my secret’s to how to answer these in more detail, as how to work 1x1 with me!

How to write an amazing college essay!

The common app essay is a unique part of your college application. Aside from your transcript, application, and test scores (possibly), it is one of the only parts of the application that can show a part of who you are that stands a part from the rest of the other applicants. It is your voice. I have helped hundreds of students write their essay. Here is my advice and my tips for how to write an amazing essay!

1. The essay should tell an authentic story about you. You have complete control over this part of your application.

2. Admission committees do not take a long time to read and review each application. Therefore, an essay that ‘hooks’ the reader will stand out in the admission officer’s mind, for whom, will inevitably, be the person that delivers and discusses your application to the committee.

3. Don’t write what you think the admissions committee wants to hear. I repeat, don’t write what you think they want to hear. Your entire application should be about you, not someone who you think they’ll accept.

4. Do not include recipes, songs or poems in your college essay. This is not the place for that. They wan to get to meet you, not learn how to cook.

5. Do not repeat any information about you that has already been communicated in other parts or your application.

6. Speak directly. Your voice will be heard. Discuss parts of you that you are most proud of.

7. Don’t use AI to generate your college essay. It is obvious when a student uses AI. It sounds bland and generic.

8. Don’t let an adult edit and rewrite your essay to the point that it sounds like they wrote it and not a teen. The admissions committee expects it to sound like a 17 year old wrote the essay. They understand what that voice reads like.

Here is a quick outline of how to go about creating your essay.

1. Writing is a process. Have patience. Many students have been asked to write a personal narrative. If so, you can refer back to that assignment to help you start the process of your college essay. It should take at least 3 to 4 drafts for a well-crafted essay.

2. Take time to choose the right topic. A unique quality about you, experience or event should be discussed but it should be relevant to who you are today and who you want to become in the future. So, take time to write down a number of topic ideas. Think about them and start a draft of one or a few of your ideas. Over time, you will see which topic stands out and for which you feel most passionate about.

3. The idea you chose to write about should be simple. Simple.

4. Share a piece of who you are and reflect: For example, I am a listener. I like to ask questions and take the time to listen. At one of my first jobs, I realized that I enjoyed advising and working with students because I was a person in their life that listened to their thoughts and problems. It has helped me to be a strong student advocate, counselor and teacher.

5. Make sure you are answering the essay prompt. The common app essay is a 650 word essay.

6. Have a teacher or counselor review your essay.

7. Ensure that you have carved out time over the entire summer to dedicate to working through each stage of the writing process. Manage your time. You’ve got this!

Here is the website for the common app essay prompts:

https://www.commonapp.org/blog/2022-2023-common-app-essay-prompts

Every college needs an alum like Larry

Last month, I was on a college recruiting trip with my son who is interested in playing football in college. It was a cold, windy, cloudy early Spring morning and after a long drive to arrive at the college, needless to say, I was not really all that excited to watch another football practice for the next few hours. After about 30 minutes into the practice, a 65-year-old man came over to me and asked me where I was from and if I had any questions about the college. First, I was like, “where did this guy come from?” I was just standing on the side of the end zone of the football field, a few yards away from my son.

Well, 45 minutes later, this kind man told us all about his days at the college, his experience as a football player, how the school prepared him for a successful career and how his team won the D3 national championship his senior year, too. He shared with us a lot of current up-to-date information about the college and asked my son very friendly and engaging questions. He made a lasting impression on us both.

When I asked Larry why he was up early, and at this Saturday morning Spring practice, he replied, “Oh, I’m retired now, so I just decided to make the drive down from Syracuse, where I live, to watch the team.” I asked him how long the drive was from Syracuse, and he said, “Only an hour.” (Which in my book is a long drive to come watch a practice!).

Why am I posting a blog about Larry? Because every college needs a Larry. He was so kind, friendly and generous with his time to talk with a high school recruit and his mom (being me) about the school, what my son’s potential experience could be at the school, and why he should highly consider coming to the school. This is not a typical experience on a college recruitment visit. He made a lasting impression on my son and I.