Congratulations! You've just graduated from high school and have been accepted to a university (or several!) You've worked hard and should enjoy your last summer at home before going off to college. You may feel like being "lazy" before classes and your busy freshmen year begins; by all means, relax, but there are several things that you should concentrate on over the summer, while you still have time! 1. Get organized. If you don't already … [Read more...]
PSAT Scores Release Dates
What to Do When Your PSAT Scores Come In Have you gotten your PSAT scores back? Scores from the October 2020 PSAT will be released on different days, depending on the area of the country. Texas students should get their scores on December 8, while students in the northwest will get scores on December 7. No matter what your scores are, now is not the time to gloat, panic, or feel indifferent. Your scores can give you an insight into potential SAT … [Read more...]
Parent Quiz: Are You Financially Prepared for College?
Students are going back to school and parents are again thinking about the future. Between AP classes, sports, extracurricular activities, and community service kids, these days are very busy. Parents are also worried about how to pay for all of those things plus the upcoming college costs. Are you preparing your family correctly? Take this quiz to see! 1. Have you set up a 529 or college savings plan? 2. Have you calculated the future college … [Read more...]
How to File the FAFSA
8 Steps to Filling Out the FAFSA Form Need to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form but don’t know where to start? I’m here to help. Let’s walk through the process step by step. 1. Create an account (FSA ID). Student: An FSA ID is a username and password you need to sign the FAFSA form online. If you don’t have an FSA ID, get an FSA ID here. It takes about 10 minutes to create an FSA ID. If this will be your … [Read more...]
Rising “Hidden Costs” for College
More and more Americans are going to college. According to data from the Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), in 1980, 50% of high school graduates between the ages of 16 and 24 were enrolled in college; in 2016, it was 70%. In 2016, 19.3 million undergraduate students were enrolled in higher education institutions. 70% were enrolled at public schools, 23% at private non-profits schools and 7% at private … [Read more...]
Expanded Student Resume for University of Texas
An expanded, detailed student resume is strongly recommended for student applying to the University of Texas. It is also required for application to the UT Honors Program. College student résumés are not professional one- or two-page résumés that applicants typically submit for jobs. College résumés are different. For UT, and for most universities that allow for a paper résumé, the résumé can be as long as the applicant chooses. The … [Read more...]
News about SAT and ACT Tests
Update June 2020: The ACT has decided to add 3 new test dates to Fall 2020. Registration opens the last week of July. Mark your calendars! September Saturday, September 12 Sunday, September 13 Saturday, September 19 (new test date) October Saturday, October 10 (new test date)Saturday, October 17 (new test date)Saturday, October 24Sunday, October 25 … [Read more...]
College Acceptances for Class of 2020
Every year, we have students who are accepted to popular Texas colleges, including UT, UT Dallas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and UH. Congrats to our students who are headed off to some awesome colleges! We had 25 seniors who were accepted to: Arizona State UniversityBoston UniversityCase WesternColorado State UniversityColorado School of MinesCornellDuke UniversityEmory UniversityGeorgia TechHunter Honors College at CUNYJohns … [Read more...]
Summer Workshops for College Essays
Attention Class of 2021 students! Looking for a college prep summer workshop to get ahead of those important college essays? Want expert advice and guidance for your teen this summer? Essay workshops will be held online during summer 2020 for students in the class of 2021. Each workshop is very limited in size so students will get individualized attention for their college essays. Click here for more information about these summer … [Read more...]
How Students Can Be Productive From Home
Many high school students use their summer break from high school to participate in activities that may boost their resumes or applications for college. Some of these activities include summer camp programs on college campuses and community service that may all be canceled now. First, students should consider their own interests and passions. Do you sew? Then start an Etsy store. If you’re interested in computers, teach yourself how to … [Read more...]
College Resources
College is an expensive investment that requires teenagers to make very important decisions. Want more information or resources? Two books I've personally read and highly recommend are: How to College: What to Know Before You Go (And When You're There) The Years That Matter Most: How College Makes or Breaks Us BestColleges.com partnered with CampusPride.org to share resources that will benefit students who identify as LGBTQ+. These … [Read more...]
Update about AP Exams
Update: April 3, 20202 AP Exam Schedule released Update from College Board regarding AP Exams For the 2019–20 exam administration only, students can take a 45-minute online exam at home. Beginning on Wednesday, March 25, students and teachers can attend free, live AP review courses, delivered by AP teachers from across the country. It appears that AP Art exams will consist of 3 submitted works (instead of 5). Computer … [Read more...]
I got offered Blinn TEAM at A&M but what does that mean?
Texas A&M is releasing final admissions decisions soon for students who applied for Fall 2018. If you got accepted, congratulations! There are also several other pathways that might be offered: Aggie Gateway to Success is a summer provisional admission program that gives students a unique chance to gain full admission to the university the following fall semester. This is a rare offer in which Gateway students who successfully complete … [Read more...]
Top 14 Law Schools
The top 14 law schools are often abbreviated as the T14. Each year, individual schools usually shift up or down the law school rankings, and there can be significant differences in a school’s ranking from one year to the next. But in general, the colleges within the T14 remain the same. The top 14 law schools share a number of common characteristics; notably, they have the most competitive admissions standards, offer the most reputable … [Read more...]
National College Fairs Scheduled for 2020
National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) released its list of dates and cities for National College Fairs. These College Fairs are free to the public and designed for information-seeking college-bound students and parents. 2020 National College Fairs: Houston: April 14 Austin: April 16 Dallas/FT Worth: April 19 **NACAC is monitoring the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus threat. At this time, NACAC has made the decision to … [Read more...]
