College Admissions Help Blog

Have you heard your high school guidance counselors and parents telling you to consider whether or not a college on your list is the right “fit”? Well if they aren’t saying this to you, we’re saying it to you now! If you are getting ready to apply to college this year, check out the 3 steps to applying to college on HowToGetIn.com.

The college admissions process, while it has deadlines and some tricky decisions along the way, is straight forward. You need to do some research, pick some schools, and apply to college. The “pick some schools” part is where you will have to assess a school’s fit with your goals, values, grades and college budget.

When you are applying to college you should be considering fit at a variety of schools that will give you the best chances for success. Colleges you can get into, that you aspire to, and that are a good fit for you academically. (Read more about Reach, Target and Safety schools.) Even a school with the best reputation in the country, like Harvard University, it isn’t the right fit for the social bee perhaps, or an aspiring artist. (more…)

One of the most striking aspects of college for incoming freshman is the new financial responsibility. Spending while under the watch of mom and dad is one thing, but for many students college comes with a lot of firsts: first credit card, first bills, and first place to really be financially independent. While there’s something to be said for learning by doing, handling finances should be done with more care. This is why it’s important to create your college budget.

Step One: Calculating Income

Before you know how much you can spend, you have to know how much you make. In college, many students find themselves living on the minimum, and this can become problematic. For example, make sure you know exactly how much money is in your account, because should you have a remaining $20, and buy a $25 item with your debit card, that extra $5 now costs you a whopping $40 in overdraft fees. Minor differences can have major consequences.
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Work study jobs may be awarded to students as a part of their overall financial aid package, or students apply to help cover expenses. They can consist of campus jobs such as library assistants, bookstore associates, or research assistants, and can range from simply administrative to research-oriented. Many campus jobs are filled by students in the work study programs. Additionally, some jobs are located in the surrounding community and are usually for local non-profits. All work study positions require that students be paid at least the federal minimum wage, though many do pay more. Additionally, only students who attend school at least half-time are eligible for work-study jobs.

Types of Work Study

There are two types of work study, federal and school-based. (more…)

Like many people I’m sure, there are a lot of things I wish I had known before I went to college; Not just about academics, but things like how to get juice out of a carpet, or how to eat healthy. This is why I suggest that students heading into their freshman year of college check out some of the books below. These helpful college guides are not only chocked full of useful information for college, but also make great beach reading for the summer!

College Life

I’ve categorized these books as “college life” because they include everything under the sun- from finances, to alleviating roommate conflict, these books are great resources to help students prepare for college. Some of the information may be common sense, but overall, these books really help students adapt quickly and easily to college life, and may offer some great insight and tips for the incoming freshman!

• The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into in College by Harlan Cohen
• The Everything College Survival Book: From Social Life To Study Skills–all You Need To Fit Right In by Michael S. Malone
• Navigating Your Freshman Year: How to Make the Leap to College Life-and Land on Your Feet by Students Helping Students
• Been There, Should’ve Done That: 995 Tips for Making the Most of College by Suzette Tyler

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To all you high school seniors out there, I want to say a quick congrats for making it this far! But while you hopefully know your college plans for next year, there are still some last minute items you should stay on top of.

Send in your transcripts

Your final HS transcripts should be available any day now, and it’s important to remember to have these sent to your college or university. The final transcripts can have a big impact on your college admission. Schools can not only revoke an acceptance if you show significantly poorer grades, but any merit aid you may have received could also be in jeopardy. While these are extreme cases, it’s still important to get your final transcripts in!
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In the midst of tax season, it is important to be aware of the credits and deductions available for college students. Saving money wherever you can is a huge help in relieving the college financial burden, and these tax credits help you do it!

Before claiming a tax credit or tax deduction, it is important to understand the difference between them. Tax credits take off a certain amount of money in total from what you owe. Tax deductions subtract an amount from your taxable income, which means that the exact amount you can save varies. You may not be able to claim both a deduction and credit, so it is important do calculate which one saves you the most money.
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In this article I will identify reasons why you, high school Juniors, should visit colleges this February break, provide resources to help you find colleges and college reviews, and explain the questions you should ask on a college visit.

President’s Day is coming up on February 21st, and for most high schoolers this means February break! If you haven’t made any plans yet, or even if you do have plans, you should consider squeezing a college visit into your upcoming break for several reasons. (more…)

As January approaches most of you should be narrowing a list of schools and be preparing the applications for submission.  Use this time before applications are due to get a second opinion on your college essay. English teachers and counselors are an amazing resource, but it is also good to take advice from students who have been there when you begin writing your college admissions essay.

Many colleges now incorporate student blogs on their admissions sites to help give prospective students a real taste of college and university life. Students are given free reign to talk about the things they may not have expected or the struggles they may be going through day to day such as a big test, because that is the real stuff! Notably, the MIT admissions blog employs a number a great bloggers that write on relevant topics for prospective students. This blog post “Just Chillax’ [about your college essays]“, posted a few weeks ago by Elizabeth C. ’13 may be particularly helpful for those with essays still in the review process.

My favorite line from this post is: “0% of people who do not apply to MIT get into MIT.” There is a lot of pressure to deal with when writing an essay.  Don’t be afraid of your reach schools, whether it is an academic or financial reach, because you will never know if you do not try!  As a college student recently told us, “Schools below your average can be good as a failsafe option, and schools above your average may unexpectedly accept you.” Acceptance to a reach school may hinge on your essay, so use every resource available.  Elizabeth C. includes her own essay in this post, read it and see where you essay matches up or doesn’t, and consider if any of the techniques used could help your essay.  If your school has a student blog reach out and ask for advice from a student who has been there.

Earlier I wrote about picking a college essay topic, if at this point you feel that you may be working on a topic that isn’t quite right, you still have a chance to rewrite and review before applications are due.  Sometimes it takes stepping away from the whole process for a few minutes to gain clarity. Don’t sell yourself short, use the resources around you to write a great essay!  I recommend checking out this NYT article on “A Few Essays That Worked (And a Few That Didn’t)“, and if you need advice you can post your essay on the admissions forum and admissions experts from the HowToGetIn team can give you advice.

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Today I got the chance to interview a freshman at Ithaca College in New York, Sara A. Manning (SAM).  She is home on her first college break for Thanksgiving.  I asked her questions about her time so far at Ithaca, if she has tips for students still in the admissions process and how it feels to be home again. Read the interview here:

AG: How do you like college so far?
SAM: So far college has been a pretty positive experience. I am currently in the Exploratory program at Ithaca College, but next semester I hope to be a part of the Communications program there. My first semester has been kind of an eclectic mix of classes that I picked in order to get a feel for different areas of study. Next semester, I hopefully want to try to focus more in one area and start working on getting credits towards a specific major. Right now I am leaning towards their Cinema and Photography program.

As for the social aspect of college, I am very happy with the friends I have made there and the programs I have joined. Living on my own was certainly a big adjustment, but I have become pretty accustomed to it over the past three months.

AG: What advice do you have for high school students in the college admissions process?

SAM: I recommend that high school students going through the college admissions process be organized and realistic. It’s useful to take notes on schools that you’re interested in and mark down their positive and negative aspects. Later on you can go back to those notes to try and narrow down to which schools to send applications.

Picking schools that have average GPAs and SAT scores that match yours is often a good idea, but also make sure to apply to one or two below and above your reach. Schools below your average can be good as a failsafe option, and schools above your average may unexpectedly accept you.

Also a few other important things to think about are cost per year and location. Both are deciding factors for picking out a school that is right for you.

Lastly, when a school accepts you, you should visit it before you decide to go. A school can look great on paper, and then in person it can just turn out not to the perfect fit.

AG: How is it being home for your first Thanksgiving break?

SM: Being home for Thanksgiving break can be both restricting and comforting at the same time. I mean, you get certain liberties that you don’t get at school such as watching cable TV in the privacy of your living room, cooking your own food whenever you want, and talking to your friends and family directly (and not through the screen of a computer). However, there is a definite difference between the amount of freedom you have at school and the amount you have at home.

Although most parents treat returning college students more like adults, their presence alone is somewhat restricting compared to the that of an RA or RD. A few of my friends from college have texted me or Facebook messaged me saying that their parents are completely overbearing and they don’t understand how they could have lived there for 18 years previously. Other friends have just said that it’s weird not to be around their roommates and friends 24/7. Coming home is certainly an odd adjustment, but it gives me a chance to clear my head and escape from my schedule for a week.

Student reviews and ratings of Ithaca College |  Admissions stats for Ithaca College

One of the most important decisions you will make when embarking on your college career is what you will select as your major. Despite the importance of this decision, many undergraduates come to this conclusion very early, some before they even set foot on campus.

There are, in fact, a number of things that should be considered before deciding on a major. Remember, college is more than a trade school. The goal of higher education is to give you a skill set that will help you in the workplace, but it is also designed to make you more of a well-rounded person. You should spend your first couple of semesters taking a variety of courses that interest you, not just fill your core requirements. Not only does this give you more options, but it also gives you information down the road if you decide on a minor.

This is also important because changing your major midway through college can cost you time and money. If you decide in your second or third year that your current major isn’t right for you, you may have to postpone your graduation date and pay for the extra time you are in school.