College Admission News: Magellan’s February, 2017 Newsletter

February, 2017

THE COLLEGE EXPLORER

Scholarships: Who Gives Them?  Who Gets Them?

Many parents are concerned about paying for college.  Do you need to pay full-price to get a high-quality education?  Why do some students get scholarships and others do not?  Which colleges are generous?  We address these and some other scholarship-related issues in this post.

High School Seniors – You Still Have Work to Do!

• Make sure your FAFSA (and CSS Profile, if required) has been filed with all of the schools to which you applied.
• Make sure your test scores have been sent to every college that requires them!
• CHECK YOUR E-MAIL DAILY.  Do not rely on searching for certain messages – you need to know what messages come in every day.  This is the primary way that colleges will communicate with you!
• Check in with your school counselor and make sure mid-year transcripts have been sent.
• While you’re there – wish him/her a Happy National School Counselor Week!
• Keep your grades up!  They matter!  College acceptances are conditional upon your continuing to perform academically at the same level you have in the past!

News for High School Juniors and Sophomores

Juniors (Class of 2018) – your college essay prompts have been announced!  In addition to revising several of the five essays the class ahead of you chose from, the Common App has added two additional prompts, so you have seven main essay options.  Read them now.  Don’t freak out and start writing yet!  You’ve got time.  The UCs have not yet announced if they will retain the same 8 personal insight prompts (they give you 8, you choose 4).

• What colleges are you going to visit over spring break?  Use that time either to visit colleges in your area, or to travel to see colleges that may be interesting to you!  For more on what you should focus on during a college visit (including a downloadable tracking resource), read this post.
• What are you doing this summer?  Let’s start thinking about it!  Something meaningful – maybe a consistent volunteer opportunity?  A job?  An internship?  Maybe an academic summer program or a class at a community college.  It’s a great time to start thinking about it now!

New for the Classes of 2018 and 2019 – There will be an August SAT test date this year!

Also – we’ve updated our “Campuses Visited” pages.  Click here for California schools; click here for schools outside of California (we’ve been busy!).

• Monday, February 27, 5-7 pm:  Evelyn will co-present a College Admissions workshop at UCLA’s James West Alumni Center.  This event is hosted by Bruin Professionals, but it’s open to all who want to attend.  More details, including the RSVP link, here.  The event costs $10 to cover refreshments.
• Thursday, March 16, 6-7 pm:  Evelyn will present the second in a five-part series at Shomrei Torah Synagogue in West Hills.  THIS IS FOR STUDENTS ONLY – all high school students are welcome!  We’ll talk about how to get started thinking about majors and your priorities for your college experience.  Shomrei Torah is at 7353 Valley Circle Blvd. in West Hills.

Regional College Fairs
The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) hosts large regional college fairs around the country this spring.  This post will not only show you how to find the college fair(s) near you, but it also offers a handful of helpful tips for navigating college fairs with less stress.

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