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How to Answer the Common App Question About Covid-19

The Common Application platform for applying to college, has announced that they will be adding an optional question for students about COVID-19.  Students are allowed to use 250 words to respond to this question: Community disruptions such as COVID-19 and natural disasters can have deep and long-lasting impacts. If you need it, this space is…

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College Search Advice for Juniors…in the Middle of a Pandemic

While we are spending lots of time talking about the impact Covid-19 is having on high school seniors, we can’t forget about the juniors. There is no question that this situation is heartbreaking for seniors.  But, while our seniors are missing their friends and major celebratory moments like their Homecoming dances, and senior banquets, juniors…

teen girl looking into distance
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How to Handle a High School Suspension on College Applications

Let’s face it – teenagers make mistakes for all kinds of reasons.  Our best hope is that the mistakes they make won’t be life-changing ones.  Sometimes, the mistake they make will result in disciplinary action from their high school.  And usually, that means that it will wind up on their transcript, which will be sent…

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High School Courses: Calculating High School GPA for College Admissions

It’s time to talk about something that many families don’t discover or understand until it’s college application time.  Sometimes, families don’t even realize it then.  But application time is often when you discover that your student’s high school GPA (Grade Point Average) is not necessarily the same GPA that colleges will look at for admission. …

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Do High School Graduation Requirements Meet College Admissions Requirements?

The question in the title is one that many students don’t even know they should ask. And the answer is often, “No.” Sadly, students frequently don’t realize until late in high school that simply fulfilling the basic high school graduation requirements is often not going to be enough to get into the college of their…

Student with graduation cap peeking from behind a book in library
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How Important is Class Rank in High School for College Admissions?

When it’s time to apply to college, students generally understand the importance of their grade point average (GPA) and college admissions test scores in the process. But does their class rank in high school also matter? What is Class Rank? Before talking about how colleges may or may not use high school class rank as…

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Your College Applications Timeline for Senior Year

Senior year – the culmination of all the hard work your student has been doing to prepare for college. Application time is when all that they have been doing to prepare comes together. Ideally, you and your student have followed all of the advice about starting the college admissions process early. But if you haven’t,…