October/November, 2015

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SAT and ACT

• Deadline has passed for 11/7 SAT; register for 12/5 by 11/5.
• Deadline has passed for 10/24 sitting; register by 11/6 for 12/12 test.
• Call us for test prep and tutor referrals.

TO-DO October / November

• UC/CSU applications are due 11/30
• Send scores and ask counselor to send transcripts
• Attend college visits at your school (college admission officers usually visit high schools in Sept/Oct)
• Get an estimate of your Expected Family Contribution, to get a feel for your college financial obligations.

Host a College Admissions Seminar for Friends

Are your friends starting to think about (read: get anxious about!) college?  Please get in touch if you are interested in hosting a college admissions information seminar at your home.  We can tailor our presentation for parents of 8th, 9th, 10th or 11th grade parents, or a combination.

Early Action/Early Decision – What Do They Mean and Are They The Right Choice?

As November 1 approaches, many students and parents have questions about the difference between Early DECISION and Early ACTION.  Here’s the quick difference:  Early DECISION is binding.  If you get in, you are going.  There is almost no way to “get out of” an Early Decision contract.  The student, parent and school counselor all sign an agreement that states that everyone understands this policy.  Early ACTION is not binding, and simply gets you a response from the college sooner.  Not all colleges have either of these options.

For a more extensive explanation, please watch the video in this post, and see the chart in this post.  And if you are still deciding whether or not Early DECISION is right for you, download the checklist in this post to help you decide!

Most Early Decision deadlines are either November 1 or November 15, while Early Action deadlines vary.

Magellan Sends Three To National Admissions Conference

Debbie, Suzie and Evelyn headed to San Diego at the beginning of October to attend the NACAC (National Assn. for College Admission Counseling) National Conference.

In addition to meeting and reconnecting with college admission counselors from around the country (over 500 colleges attend this annual event!), we participated in educational sessions on NCAA athletics, preparing an art portfolio, applying to colleges in the UK, the new SAT and many more topics.  Sal Khan, founder of Khan Academy, gave an incredible keynote speech.  Check Evelyn’s Twitter account for lots of tidbits on what we learned!

Upcoming Events

Visual and Performing Arts College Fair
Saturday, 10/24, 1-3:30 pm
Sponsored by NACAC at UCLA.  Hundreds of colleges with art, theatre, music and dance departments attend!
Register here

Magellan’s “DON’T PANIC” Workshops
Sunday, 10/25, 10 am to 1 pm
Sunday, 11/22, 10 am to 1 pm
Free for Magellan comprehensive and mini-plan clients; $150 for all others.
RSVP REQUIRED.  Please RSVP here.

Essay Resources

• Essay prompts for the UC campuses
• Common App essay prompts for the Class of 2016
• College Essay Guy (click on “Get Started” for some free writing exercises)
• Essay Hell (lots of free info in the blogs)
• Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (click on all four sub-sections in the nav bar on the left!)
• Some essay-writing advice from the Admissions team at Johns Hopkins University

College Counseling Services

Magellan’s comprehensive college counseling plan includes 35 hours of personalized guidance throughout the student’s junior and senior years.  We also offer a limited-hours “mini-plan” to help your student better organize their application process.  We can also work on an hourly basis with your student.

Our 90-minute in-home consultation is $200, which we credit back to families who sign up for one of Magellan’s counseling packages.