• Home
  • About
    • Brand College Consulting
    • Jolyn Brand
    • Our Experts
  • Press and Awards
  • Client Testimonials
    • Write a Testimonial
  • Make a Payment
  • Contact

Brand College Consulting

College assistance for families

Student Dashboard

Schedule an Appointment

  • College Consulting
    • College Consulting
    • College Consulting Package
    • Hourly Consultations
    • College Consulting Registration Form
    • Virtual College Consulting
    • Pro Bono College Consulting
  • SAT or ACT Test Prep
    • SAT and ACT Test Dates
    • Test Prep
  • Blog
  • Grad School Admissions
  • College Advising

Common Application Essays for Class of 2024

February 26, 2023 By Jolyn Brand

The Common Application is a website that allows over 2 million students to apply to over 900 colleges each year, using one platform.  It requires one general Common App essay that is then sent to any colleges using the app. Students chose from seven different prompts to write this one essay.  Update February 2023: The Common Application prompts will stay the same for the 2023-2024 application season. Common Application Instructions and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Essays, For Juniors, For Seniors Tagged With: college admissions, college advice, college applications, college consultant, college counselor, Common App, Common App essay, Common App essays, Common Applicaiton, essays

Spring To Do List For Juniors

January 1, 2023 By Jolyn Brand

While most seniors are happily done (or almost happily done) with completing and submitting their college applications, now it’s time for juniors to get engaged. Below is a checklist of some of the things that juniors and their families should be thinking about, discussing and doing over the next few months. Start talking!  If you haven't already, now is the time to start conversations about the next steps after high school.  … [Read more...]

Filed Under: For Juniors Tagged With: college admissions, college advice, college consultant, college counselor

Steps for the FAFSA Before October 1st

September 29, 2022 By Jolyn Brand

The FAFSA, Free Application for Federal Student Aid, opens October 1st for students currently in their senior year of high school. Using 2021 tax information, students and parents will complete the FAFSA for their first year of college (2023-2024). To get ready, there are a few things you can complete BEFORE October 1st. Decide Who Needs to Complete the FAFSA Traditional married couples- If you are part of a traditional family — … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Financial Aid Tagged With: college financial aid, FAFSA, financial aid

Timeline for Taking the SAT or ACT

September 10, 2022 By Jolyn Brand

The SAT and the ACT are very different college entrance exams and most colleges are now accepting both. This has led to most students taking both the SAT and the ACT tests, although that is not required or suggested by many professionals in the college admissions field. Junior and senior year of high school are already very busy times so planning ahead really helps! When should my child take the SAT or ACT? While it looks like there are … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ACT and SAT, For Juniors, For Seniors Tagged With: ACT, college acceptance, college advice, SAT, scholarships

Does the PSAT Matter? Should You Prepare?

September 5, 2022 By Jolyn Brand

The PSAT will be given to area high school juniors (and younger students in some districts) on Wednesday, October 16.  But does this test really matter? Should you take it seriously? Is it something students should prepare for so that you do well? Do Colleges Care About the PSAT? The PSAT is not used directly by colleges and universities when they make their college admissions decisions. Your acceptance or rejection into college … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ACT and SAT, FAQ's, For Juniors Tagged With: college acceptance, college admissions, College tests, national merit, PSAT

SAT and ACT Test Dates for 2022-2023

July 26, 2022 By Jolyn Brand

SAT is administered by the College Board- https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat ACT website for registration- https://www.act.org/ … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ACT and SAT, For Juniors, Upcoming Events Tagged With: ACT test dates, college advice, college applications, college consultant, College tests, SAT test dates

College Essays for Class of 2023

January 28, 2022 By Jolyn Brand

The Common Application is a website that allows over 2 million students to apply to over 900 colleges each year, using one platform.  It requires one general Common App essay that is then sent to any colleges using the app. Students chose from seven different prompts to write this one essay.  Common Application Instructions and Prompt Update January 2022: The Common App essay prompts will remain the same for … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Essays, For Juniors Tagged With: admissions, Class of 2023, college essays, Common App, Common Application, essays

Apply Texas College Essay Prompts for Class of 2023

January 17, 2022 By Jolyn Brand

  The Apply Texas application is a common application form for most Texas public universities. It allows students to input their information for several different colleges at once. ApplyTexas college essay prompts for class of 2022 are: Essay A: Tell us your story. What unique opportunities or challenges have you experienced throughout your high school career that have shaped who you are today?Essay B: Some students have an … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Essays, For Juniors, For Seniors Tagged With: college, college acceptance, college admissions, college advice, college applications, college essays, college students, essays

Creating Your Student Resume for College Admissions

January 15, 2022 By Jolyn Brand

  When you apply to college, admission officers look at more than just your grades — they also take note of what you have done outside the classroom. Your extracurricular activities, such as jobs, sports, clubs and volunteer work, give colleges a better sense of who you are and show them what you can bring to their campus community. Remember that college folder you were supposed to be collecting throughout high school? The one stuffed with … [Read more...]

Filed Under: For Juniors, For Seniors Tagged With: college, college admissions, college advice, college applications, college counselor, college financial aid, college help, college letters, college students, essays, financial aid, scholarships

10 Things to See and Do on a College Tour

December 6, 2021 By Jolyn Brand

Students and parents should plan college tours starting in 9th grade. That should give high school students enough time during freshmen, sophomore and junior years to visit several different college campuses, take the official college tour, and narrow down their preferences and final college list before senior year.  Most colleges offer daily walking campus tours during the week and some also offer these on weekends. You can search "visit" plus … [Read more...]

Filed Under: FAQ's, For Juniors Tagged With: college, college admissions, college advice, college counselor, college students, college tour, college tours, college visits

Law School Applications Surge

October 26, 2021 By Jolyn Brand

The number of admissions applications to law schools in the U.S. this year has increased 28% from last year, according to the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). Applications this year were at their highest level since 2011, and that’s creating difficulty for students facing more competition in admissions. It’s also complicating admissions for law school admissions professionals, which in some cases have resorted to asking accepted students to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Upcoming Events

After College Applications

October 21, 2021 By Jolyn Brand

Congratulations! You're done submitting your college applications! Now what? Unfortunately, the upcoming time period of waiting for admissions decisions can be stressful. But you can't just sit back and wait! Here are a few things to work on while waiting.... Create College Portal Accounts Many colleges offer student applicants an account online to check their application status. Often called Application Information Systems or Portals, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: For Seniors, Upcoming Events

Open House Days at Texas Colleges

September 12, 2021 By Jolyn Brand

Open houses, like campus tours, provide students with a unique opportunity to get information so they can decide whether or not to apply to the school. A college open house is an event where visitors are allowed access to a campus in order to learn more about it. During open houses, you can expect to see a number of important and knowledgeable people associated with a college. Deans, professors, coaches, admissions counselors, safety … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Upcoming Events Tagged With: college advice, college visits

Personal Insight Questions for UC application

August 11, 2021 By Jolyn Brand

Thinking about applying to one of the nine campuses within the University of California system? Then you'll need the UC application. It's open for Class of 2022 students and due November 30. Instead of essays, the UC application has Personal Insight Questions for applicants. Students write 4 short answers out of the 8 topics given. Directions You will have 8 questions to choose from. You must respond to only 4 of the 8 questions.Each … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Upcoming Events

Study Abroad Campuses

March 19, 2021 By Jolyn Brand

97% of study abroad students found employment within 12 months of graduation, when only 49% of college graduates found employment in the same period. That means they were twice as likely to find a job.  84% of study abroad alumni felt their studies abroad helped them build valuable skills for the job market.  80% of study abroad students reported that study abroad allowed them to better adapt better to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: FAQ's Tagged With: study abroad

Next Page »
College Consulting Package
Press and Awards
Schedule a Free Consultation
Recent Articles

Google Reviews

Brand College Consulting
Brand College Consulting
5.0
Based on 5 reviews
powered by Google
review us on
Joel Delgado
Joel Delgado
16:37 27 Sep 19
Our experience with Jolly Brand was exceptional.
Jacob Gunter
Jacob Gunter
04:27 06 Jul 19
Shannon Robbins
Shannon Robbins
16:26 14 Apr 17
Our experience with Jolyn Brand was exceptional. She was very responsive to us and offered valuable guidance throughout the college preparation and application process. My daughter got in to all of the schools in which she applied, even her stretch school. We credit Jolyn with helping us to make sure her resume, application and essays were top notch.
Marylee Olson
Marylee Olson
00:29 08 Mar 17
Brand College Consulting was GREAT for our son! We met Ms. Brand when my son was in 7th grade! We saw her for an hour consult yearly to help him select his classes, plus a little algebra tutoring in high school. He was ahead of others course-wise and we were able to get 21 hours dual credit in high school, he made the Dean's List, Phi Theta Kappa, and Natl Society of High School Scholars. We are a family of Texas State Bobcats and it's very competitive now to get in but he did and we are thrilled! I recommend Ms. Brand and her services! Marylee Olson, Silverlake, Pearland (Dawson High School)
Chaplain Forever
Chaplain Forever
23:49 05 Oct 16
My youngest daughter attended tutorial services with Ms. Brand. Due to the exemplary, SAT preparation services, my daughter was accepted into several top colleges including the University of Houston, Texas State, Lamar University, and Sam Houston. As a college student, she received scholarships and has been on the Dean's list every semester. Ms. Brand instilled confidence in my daughter. I will be forever grateful.
See All Reviews
js_loader

Client Testimonials

avatarWe originally hired "College Authority" to guide us through the complex trail of financial aid and all other college related questions. They have proven to be a completely inadequate source for help. We then started working with Jolyn and she has been absolutely great with her advice and guidance. She has always answered every question we’ve had clearly so that we had the best information to make a choice (and we had a lot of questions for her).

Ertan Zanager
Dallas area parent, class of 2015
Read more››

Want Our Helpful Newsletter?

Sign up to receive our newsletter with articles, helpful advice, up to date information and events!

About Jolyn Brand

Jolyn is a certified teacher who holds a Doctorate in Higher Education from Northeastern University. After years of experience teaching high school and college students, she began assisting with the college process. She's the founder of Brand College Consulting and works with families across the country virtually. A note from Jolyn: I started working with low-income high school students in … More...

Article Categories

  • ACT and SAT
  • Essays
  • FAQ's
  • Financial Aid
  • For Juniors
  • For Seniors
  • Grad Schools
  • Seminars
  • Testimonials
  • Upcoming Events

Recent Articles

  • Common Application Essays for Class of 2024
  • Spring To Do List For Juniors
  • Steps for the FAFSA Before October 1st
  • Timeline for Taking the SAT or ACT
  • Does the PSAT Matter? Should You Prepare?
  • SAT and ACT Test Dates for 2022-2023
  • College Essays for Class of 2023
  • Apply Texas College Essay Prompts for Class of 2023

Brand-College-Consulting-header-02.jpgDr. Jolyn Brand

832-910-7990

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2023 | Brand College Consulting