College Admissions News: September, 2017

COLLEGE ADMISSIONS NEWS

Class of 2018 – #letsdothis!

The school year is here – and would you believe that a few of our clients have ALREADY SUBMITTED some college applications!?

Why wait for the last minute?  Why have applications hanging over your head for months?  This is one of the many sources of stress for seniors in this process – “I have so much to get done, I don’t know where to start.”

If you have a student in the Class of 2018, here are some resources as your student gets ready to start – and submit – college applications:

• In this post, we talk about how important it is to have a BALANCED college list – what that means, and why.
• This video shows you how to research college websites to help determine if a college is a good fit for you.
• We’re frequently asked how many colleges should be on a student’s list.  It’s better to have the RIGHT schools on your list than a huge list.  Here’s a post about finding the right “fit,” and here’s another one with advice about having what we call a “reach-heavy” list (hint: don’t! do it).
• How about some super-practical application advice?  Sure!
  • This post has step-by-step video instructions on how to complete all of the sections of the Common Application.
  • This post helps you figure out which test scores to send where, and when!

Workshops for LA-Area seniors
Magellan will host one final round of workshops for seniors – these will focus on completing the UC and the CSU applications.  We can complete and submit the CSU applications in one day!  And if you’ve got your UC essays written and revised, we can complete and submit the UC applications as well!  Please e-mail Evelyn for information about these workshops – Saturday, 10/28 in Century City, and Sunday, 10/29 in Westlake Village.  Both workshops 10 am to 1 pm.

Check Out Magellan’s Blog and YouTube Channel!
We’ve been busy blogging to keep you up to date and informed on what you need to know and college admissions trends.  Check out our blog to be in the know!  And we’ve organized our YouTube channel into playlists to make it easy for you to get great information in a short amount of time.  Take a look and subscribe to be notified when we post new videos!

Tips for Sophs and Juniors 

• Choose challenging classes!  It’s better to take the AP or Honors class and get a B than to take the easier class, because colleges know (through the school profile your counselor will attach to your transcript – click to read more about school profiles) what classes you have available to you.
• Find a few activities – not 10, just a few! – and dig in and make your mark!  Chair a committee, or an event.  Take on responsibility so you can show colleges how you will contribute to their community!
• Think about your test prep timeline.  Just because other kids take the SAT or ACT in the spring of junior year doesn’t make that the right time for YOU – especially if you have a ton of AP classes, with AP exams the 1st and 2nd week in May.  Think ahead about what the best time for YOU to take it will be.

Parent Corner

• Did you miss our Financial Aid webinar?  You can watch it here.  We also posted a blog article with lots of information about financial aid – it’s here.
• We also did a webinar with Tutor Doctor!  You can watch that here.
• Some people think only top students work with private college counselors.  Nothing could be further from the truth!  Here’s a post to help you understand how we can make the process less stressful for your entire family – for years!  And here’s a short post with some questions you should ask before you sign the contract.
• Our 7-counselor team has availability to work with juniors (Class of 2019).  Reduce everyone’s stress by starting early!  The mini-plan will be available for this class starting in March of next year.  We will also start to sign contracts with sophomores (Class of 2020) in January.

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© Magellan College Counseling, 2017