College List

February 7, 2019 By Mark Cruver Leave a Comment

College Decision in 5 Easy Steps

The college decision is painstaking, especially when there are several colleges on the list, all great and all of them want you! It feels good to be invited to the party, but getting to this point for many is painful.

Families can quake at the college decision and this adds strain to the experience that should be exciting and hopeful. In order to help families process this college decision moment better, I’ve identified five easy steps to consider. These steps will not take you to the perfect college, because regardless of how much work is placed in finding a good-fit, no college is perfect. These steps will, however walk you through a process to better understand the important factors in making the college decision and assist families in identifying practical results.

Assess the Options

Now that the college applications are in, students are anxiously waiting for decisions. Colleges are contacting students by mail, by video, by email and sometimes even in-person to share their decision. These decisions come in a variety of flavors with some having a bit of a sting. Accepted – Deferred – Waitlisted – Denied The degree of rejection grows the further down this scale the decision is made. It is important to know and remember, no college decision determines a student’s worth. The most important thing is to rally and move forward.

At this point, it’s key to focus on your options. What colleges are still in the mix? Clearly, there are those to which the student was accepted. And this is super! But the colleges to which you were deferred or waitlisted should not be tossed aside just yet. Getting deferred means the school’s decision is not a “yes” or a “no” and by placing the student in a “deferred” category offers the school another opportunity to evaluate the student. This is a good time to consider revisiting the school and submitting NEW information on your academic progress and/or achievements. When waitlisted, it’s important to know the school is waiting to see how the class fills before offering a decision on your admittance. A waitlisted decision often comes after May 1 and could intersect with other decisions a family is trying to make.

Evaluate the Schools

There are many scenarios students could potentially experience in the college decision process. When a student is trying to decide between two or more equally competitive colleges, it’s important to step back and take a fresh look at each of the colleges. Dig deeper into what initially attracted you to them in the first place. Why were they a good fit and how does that reason weigh in your decision? Are all the colleges on your decision list selected by you for the same “good-fit” reason? Explore each one and give it a score and see how each one differs from the other.

Compare and Contrast

During the evaluation process, take a moment to compare and contrast what you learn. Strategically zero-in on programs of interest, potential majors, clubs, organizations and other areas of student-life important to you. What about housing options? Career centers? What are the outcomes for the major you’re considering? Do students at one of your colleges have a greater chance of getting hired after graduation than the others?

Calculate the Financial Aid

This step may actually come before all the others depending on your college list. The actual cost of attendance can differ greatly between colleges depending on their location (in-state vs. out-of-state), public vs. private and many other factors. Regardless, it is important to determine the actual cost in attending each institution.

Each of the accepted schools will soon provide a Financial Aid Award Letter to outline the varying amounts of aid available federally and institutionally. Once each of them is in your hands, begin the process of actual cost as one factor of consideration.

Be Rational

Keeping an even keel in the college decision process is critical. Getting emotionally connected without a logical approach can make the decision overly complex. For instance, consider if, at one college, you know friends from high school will be going. But at another college, you are considering there will be no friends from high school. It is always tempting to run toward the direction where we feel most comfortable, but it may not be the best choice. So be rational in your decision, keep a level head and think through your college decision from as many angles as you can. It’s one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make!

We are confident you are going to make a very informed college decision and celebrate with you on this great adventure!

If you would still like some direction, or know someone else in need of consultation, feel free to get in touch!

January 24, 2019 By Mark Cruver Leave a Comment

Choosing A College Once You’re Accepted

Choosing a college once you’ve received your acceptance letters is arguably more important than selecting the colleges in the first place. It goes without saying at this point, but congratulations on your acceptances! But that was the easy part — now it’s time to decide!

A decision typically comes between selecting one of at least two different things. In this case, it may be you have several colleges to choose from. Either way, between two or between many, narrowing down your decision is big. Here’s a simple process to consider:

Compare Apples-to-Apples

In order to fairly consider between two options and choosing a college, it’s important to place them on equal playing fields. Identify those things about each college that make them different. These things could be size, financial package, location or one may have a spot on a team whereas the other one doesn’t. In doing this exercise, you’ll be able to evaluate their similarities, such as academic program, campus amenities, faculty involvement, internship opportunities to name only a few.

Evaluate the Oranges

Whereas before you were focusing on the colleges similarities, in this exercise, you’ll focus on those things that differ: Apple-to-Oranges. Take a look at those things that make each college different from the other and determine the level of importance they each play in your attending college. Finances may be a determining factor, so it should be valued much higher to you than say having a spot on the team with no scholarship offered.

Visit the Campus

Take a trip to see the campus before making your final decision. Exploring the campus, seeing the students in action, sitting in on a class and speaking with faculty, coaches and reading up on the campus newspaper are excellent ways to broaden your understanding and perspective toward a place you’re considering to spend the next four to six years earning a degree.

Ask Questions

Before visiting the campus one last time, make the effort to do your homework. Find out everything you can about the campus, academic programs, student opinions and student organizations before you step foot onto the campus. Prepare in advance a short list of questions that address your curiosities and interest to better understand the academic programs or other aspect of the college.

We hope this helps you tackle this very important decision with more precision and ease.

As always, feel free to get in touch with us if you have any questions or need some help sorting through your options. And, for more insight into college admissions, please “LIKE” our Facebook page!

September 20, 2018 By Mark Cruver Leave a Comment

Self-Reported Test Scores

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!

January 5, 2018 By Mark Cruver Leave a Comment

Military Academy Applications

Military academy applications are nothing to waste time on getting completed. In fact, there are many necessary steps far different and above the normal application for admission to your typical college or university. Missing any one of the many additional steps could not only delay your application but could result in compromising the application review.

The number of applicants across all branches of the military has increased in numbers throughout the last several years. With more superb applicants have come an increased level of competition. Students are encouraged to do what they can to make themselves more competitive. Higher test scores alone will no longer be enough to set potential candidates apart. The application process for high school juniors begins in January of their junior year and must be completed by October of their senior year!

Here are a few of the many tips offered by the USMA (United States Military Academy):

It is your responsibility to complete your file, not your parents. Read all instructions carefully. Do not wait months to contact the office to find out what’s wrong with your file or what you think is missing. Please put your candidate ID number and state you are from on all your correspondence.
Put your CORRECT Social Security number on the SAT/ACT exam, DO NOT GUESS. It will cause problems later in the process. Have the scores sent to USMA from the College Board. The code for USMA SAT is 2924 and ACT is 2976.
When it is time for your medical physical, bring copies of all your medical documents with you that pertain to broken bones, allergies, skin diseases or anything that may be an issue down the line. If you have broken a bone, make sure to get a letter from your doctor explaining “that you have returned to full rigorous activities with no limitations”.
You can read through all the tips here.

United States Air Force Academy

United States Naval Academy

United States Military Academy at West Point

United States Coast Guard Academy

If you have any questions or need assistance in this journey, send us a quick note here!

September 2, 2017 By Mark Cruver Leave a Comment

College Fair: Waste of Time?

When it comes to attending a local college fair, is it a good idea or simply a big waste of time? Sometimes it’s difficult to determine. After all, it’s a night out, usually at a local high school gymnasium and filled with scores of people . . . some of which may even recognize you! Heaven forbid!

Regardless of whether you are a high school sophomore, junior or senior, attending a local college fair can actually be a waste of your time, but it can, and should be the best use of two hours as an investment towards your future. The key to which it becomes is found in how you manage the moment.

The evening only becomes a waste of your time if you show up, walk around, pick up brochures from this college or that college, grab a complimentary cookie and dart for the exit sign. The only thing of any value added to your college journey is nothing more than what you could have gained by spending an equal amount of time drifting through some college websites. Oh, but you did get a cookie!

Great value in the evening comes when you engage the college representatives and make a point to learn about the many possibilities and opportunities that simply wait for you around each corner. So truly, hitting your local college fair is never a true waste of time so long as you are walking away with information, conversations and insight — perhaps a personal connection even.

In fact, as you engage the college representatives, here are the top 5 things you should consider asking them:

Top 5 Things To Ask A College Representative At A College Fair

What are your strongest majors and why?
What do students typically do on the weekends?
How much help is available from the professors outside the classroom?
Why should I consider attending this college/university?
How would you describe the student culture on campus?

By asking these top questions both you and the representative will have a great deal to talk about together! You’ll have a better understanding of the college and their answers will likely cause you to think of something else that piques your curiosity further!