Tips

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!

November 1, 2018 By Mark Cruver Leave a Comment

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.

July 30, 2018 By Mark Cruver Leave a Comment

4 Back-to-School Tips for High School Students

Summer is closing and many students are about to go back-to-school. For some, it will be their first year on a new campus, while for others, a reunion of sorts. Either way, getting off on the right foot could easily set the stage for a knock-out year and prevent many late nights, stressful days and aimless studying. Because, when it comes to college, every year of high school counts and having a strategy works! By simply referring to this guide you could maximize your chances of success.

Keep Moving Upward

Regardless of your year in high school, making the grade always wins. But, the slippery slope in not doing well over time is real. There are terms for this. Because the sophomore year tends to fall during the second year of your high school journey — virtually in the middle, some refer to it as “the sophomore slump.” Perhaps more notoroious, however, is the home stretch. Seniors can see the finish-line on the first day back-to-school and run out of gas rather soon. Procrastination sets in and the senior fights contracting the apathetic approach to finishing strong and as a result others ask if they have “senioritis.”

These are dangerous if not addressed quickly. Signs can be noticed when grades are beginning to move in a downward trajectory. Sometimes it’s an easy turnaround, but ultimately it is best to continue moving grades in an upward track, even if it is in small increments. But in the unfortunate event the grades have taken a hit, instead of “throwing in the towel,” take a deep breath and begin building from there. Move those grades upward!

Avoid Overcommitting

There is nothing worse than not having enough time to do the things that need to get done. Learning this art while in high school will pay incredible dividends both in college and beyond. Just keep in mind, getting back-to-school brings a heightened level of excitement and desire to be a part of many things. Remember to narrow down your options so you’re not overcommitting.

It’s important to identify what it is that drives you. What are you furiously passionate about? What do you really like to talk about or get excited about when someone else brings up the subject? Then, take the time to narrow your focus and select your commitments carefully. Remember, colleges like to see deep engagment in a few things rather than shallow involvment in many.

Oh, and if you are a senior, do not forget the college application is time consuming, so limit your commitments even more so during this time.

Practice Time Management

Even though you may limit your involvment in extra-curricular activities, the schedule will fill quickly and become very busy. Transitioning from a care-free summer schedule into a back-to-school routine is daunting and can easily overtake the most experienced of planners.

I was sad to hear that Chick-fil-A was no longer producing their annual “cow-lander.” Calendars like these are perfect in mapping out large projects. The ability to flip from month-to-month and see the big picture far outweighs the benefits of any handheld, portable calendar. However, when it comes to tests, weekly quizzes, reminders and reoccuring events, the pocket calendar on your phone or tablet is perfect!

TIP: The moment you receive an assignment and you know it’s gonna be a biggie — grab that calendar and start mapping out what, where and when you need to do and be in order to get it done on time. My rule of thumb was to always set a due date one week earlier than the actual due date. This way, I gave myself some “buffer-room” for those unforseen train-wrecks. And, it gave me a peace of mind and a sense of satisfaction knowing it was done while everyone else was stressing out!

Segment Large Assignments Into Small Pieces

The aforementioned TIP was just too good and it need not be left alone. Of all the tips, this one is by far the crown jewel, especially if learned early. Parsing a large assignement into “doable” chunks helps remove the stress and promote clarity on the subject. Students are able to focus in on a part instead of the whole and become more productive in the process.

As mentioned before, place the assignment on a day within one-week of the due date. Then, after looking at all the requirements (i.e. research, rough drafts, meetings, etc.) begin plugging in dates moving backwards on the calendar. This allows you to see how much time you actually have to complete the project and identify dates of availability so as to not miss out on opportunity to get things done.

Then, repeat for every assignment!

In the end, this frees up your time more than it fills your time. You will be able to actually spend time with friends and family, go here or there and do this or that, because you have designated specific time for a specific purpose. Success is moments away!

July 10, 2018 By Mark Cruver Leave a Comment

Don’t End Your Summer Without Doing This Short List

Summertime is a great time to go visit new places, meet new people and experience the world from top to bottom. The daily routine transforms from backpacks to sandals wrapped in a care-free spirit of adventure. It truly is the best time of the year!

But before it gets too far down the road it’s important to take note of several important things for high school students to do before the end of summer draws near. We always look back on the day before school and wonder where in the world summer went. It seems to slip out of our hands much like the sand did as it slid between our fingers all summer long!

Read a Book

I know, it feels like the last thing in the world to do when you’re applying that suntan lotion, but nothing could be further from the truth. Reading a book throughout the summer is actually the best way to keep your mind engaged, experience an adventure and a drama, or learn about the man who became both Vice-President and President of the United States, but was never elected to either office. Beyond the fun and beyond the education, it also adds to the value of your college applications!

Plan for a Test

The summer months are actually some of the best days to prepare for the upcoming ACT or SAT tests. Students often want to take a break from studying or thinking about anything to do with school, but the truth is, it’s the best time to do it! There are many places to assist in this preparation including Capstone Educational Consultants, but be sure to determine when you want to take that test and schedule a practice test with some tutoring!

Visit a College

Vacations and summer go together like peanut butter and jelly! It’s tough to separate the two. Think about your travel plans and incorporate a visit to a college campus on the way there or on the way back. Most people visit colleges because they are trying to see if that college is a good one to consider and this is good, but sometimes it’s perfectly good to visit a college you’ve never heard of before. This not only introduces you to something new, it provides an opportunity to get a feel for a campus visit experience, learn something new and perhaps even identify what you don’t like!

Give Back

Sometimes summer can be a drag. Between the vacations and all that reading comes the “down-time.” We resort to bingeing on our favorite episodes of “The Office” instead. However, summer is the best time to give back to your community, neighbor or friends. Is there an organization that could benefit from your volunteering? Is there a neighbor that could be blessed by your lending a hand in their yard? Is there a cause to which you could contribute? Giving back is one of the best things in the world to do for others. Try it out!