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Capstone Educational Consultants

Helping Students with Test Prep, Tutoring, and Navigating the College Journey

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Community Colleges Make The Grade

Community College

Community colleges have a long history of confusion for parents of college-bound students. They often wonder if choosing to attend a community college is the best idea for their son or daughter. After all, when all of the other students are going away to 4-year institutions, what does it say when your child stays behind and enrolls at the local community college? Studies show, you may be the smartest parent in the community!

Let’s look at some of the numbers on a national scale for students attending community colleges out of high school. As reported by the NPR in December of 2018, community colleges enroll up to 41% of all undergraduate students in the U.S.

As good as that seems, there are still several stigmas that tend to follow the idea of attending a community college out of high school. These myths prevent taking the step and often deter the idea of selecting a community college all-together — myths like, the lack of student life, under qualified professors, it’s too easy, it’s unsafe, it’s a waste of time because credits won’t transfer, or that you’ll be completely on your own. It’s a shame.

Truth is, students are utilizing the benefits of community college attendance to leverage their transfer power into 4-year degree programs all over the country. In fact, “according to a new report from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, graduation rates of community-college transfers meet or exceed those of students who enroll at selective institutions as first-time freshman. Community-college transfers also graduate at higher rates than students who transfer from other four-year colleges.” (Harris)

This is great news for students and families in Fayette County, Georgia considering community college as a viable option in their student’s college journey. Our local community college, Georgia Military College has an impeccable reputation not only in our community but across the state and throughout the nation! GMC ranks as the #1 Community College in the State of Georgia according to TheBestSchools.org. And, GMC is also the 14th Best Community College in the Nation according to the same website.

Community College is not for every student, but it certainly stands a chance for consideration. After all, community college students are proving themselves well-prepared for success at even the elite schools!

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Test Prep in Peachtree City

Capstone Educational Consultants is a leader in test prep in Peachtree City and the surrounding area. Our success can be attributed to a couple of key factors:

  • Capstone cares about their student’s success and works to address their individual learning styles and academic needs. #CapstoneCares
  • Capstone maintains flexibility in scheduling to accommodate the busy schedules of each family.

One of Capstone’s students said it best:

I would recommend Capstone Educational Consultants because they helped raise the scores in my weak areas of the ACT. Not only that, Capstone genuinely cared about me as a student.

Landmark Christian School Senior

Beyond test prep, Capstone combines improving student’s test scores with college counseling and advising and college major and career planning.

College Counseling and Advising

There’s only one way to become a certified, independent college counselor. Capstone’s college counselors are fully certified through the American Institute of Certified Educational Planners. Earning a CEP (Certified Educational Planner) is a distinguished designation.

College Major and Career Planning

One of the best tools in determining the most satisfying career comes through matching your scale of interests with thousands of others with interests just like you and identifying their careers. This process, through the Strong Interest Inventory® is one of the most popular approaches to determining potential college majors and/or careers.

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Surviving College Admissions Deadline

In politics, we always hear of the “October surprise.”  High school seniors have a different understanding when it comes to surprises in October.  Throughout the month and the fall semester, students are scrambling for time to finish their applications, edit and re-edit their college essays, all in hopes to reach the college admissions deadline.  And, there are different deadlines depending on the college.  For Early Decision, many see October 15, while others have determined November 1 or 15.  Some Early Action deadlines stretch even later like December 1, 15 or even January 1.  Regardless of the day, surviving this gauntlet of detail can wear down the most eager of students.  

So, here are a few suggestions for parents on surviving college admissions deadline day:

Stay Healthy

Whatever the schedule, getting the proper rest for your student is paramount.  And, be sure to have them eat plenty of smart foods for the brain like salmon, avocado, nuts, broccoli, spinach, berries and let’s not forget; dark chocolate!  Yeah, I know, what student will eat spinach? But, there’s always an alternative! In addition to these great foods, there’s always the daily vitamin!

Stay Organized

When your schedule is packed with school work, band practice, soccer practice, test-prep, volunteering on the weekends and college applications with essays, keeping it all organized is critical.  Look ahead and plan your week accordingly.  It’s a good idea on Sunday to see what your upcoming week may require.  Once you see the big picture, then break it into manageable pieces and plug it into your week to make it all happen smoothly and on-time.

Stay Mindful

Keeping a clear mind is important in producing quality work.  Going for a quick run to unclutter your mind always helps.  You need to be mindful to survive the college admissions deadline.  With a clear mind, your essay is sharper, your applications are clearer and your life gets easier.

 

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Should I Ask For Help With My College Essay?

College EssayWhen it comes to writing your college essay, there’s a moment when you may wonder, “Should I ask for help?”  The likely answer to this question is a resounding YES!  Even the best of high school writers can benefit from another set of eyes and a dose of expertise providing feedback on the most important 650 words you will likely ever write.

But if the answer to this is a resounding YES, then the next obvious question is WHO?  Believe it or not, you are likely not short on options.  Of course, you will want to be strategic and calculated about why you ask for help.  The objective here is to write a compelling essay that addresses the prompt and captures the attention of admissions.

English Teachers

This is probably your most likely go-to for this kind of help.  English teachers are a great choice, especially when you need a special eye on grammar, syntax, spelling, and structure.  But there is a strong possibility their availability is limited.  Don’t forget, they are teaching English and you are not their only student.  Grading papers, managing assignments and conducting classes will come before editing non-essential essays.  Unless you are one of the lucky ones don’t expect to find yourself on their schedule.

Parents and Family

Parents have always played a key role in the college application process.  But, it can be a little tricky when you ask for help from your parents, especially if they serve as your only source for edit.  Your college essay is designed to focus deeply on teaching the reader more about the author.  It requires students to be vulnerable, often transparent, with subjects very close and dear to them.  This is actually a good thing because you want to be all these things for Admissions.  It’s when the subject matter is sensitive that it takes a different tone with a parent’s read.  It’s family, it’s close and when it’s both family and close it’s difficult to edit or critique.  Parents will sometimes fall into the trap of editing the essay as they would write it and neglect or overshadow the student’s voice.

Essay Specialists

The most ideal candidate for evaluating, editing and suggesting direction on your college essay is an Essay Specialist.  These individuals have a background in recognizing compelling essays for college admission.  Did you know there are people who are trained and work solely to improve college essays? It is not uncommon for a person such as this to combine this service with college planning.  And, on a broader scope, there are companies like Prompt who provide a service to students offering significant and valuable feedback on college essays and supplemental essays.  If you’re wondering if there is an Essay Specialist in your area, start by asking your local independent college consultant.

 

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Self-Reported Test Scores

Self-Reported Test Score

Many colleges and universities around the country are allowing students to now submit self-reported test scores.

It is fast becoming a growing trend in admissions offices.  Colleges have always required an official score report from either ACT.org or the Collegeboard to complete the application file.   Now, colleges are taking your word for it first and asking for the official score to be sent later. 

It’s no secret that applying to college can be expensive.  By selecting a college that accepts self-reported test scores can save tons of money in the end. 

Our friends at Compass Education Group in California just published a list of 104 colleges and universities welcoming self-reported test scores.  It’s a great list and you might even be surprised to see some of our Georgia schools listed!

Capstone Educational Consultants helps to build a list that makes sense for every student because every student is different and needs a college list that makes sense!