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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

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

Parent Quiz: Are You Financially Prepared for College?

November 3, 2020 By Jolyn Brand

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...]

Filed Under: FAQ's, Financial Aid, For Juniors, For Seniors Tagged With: college advice, college counselor, college financial aid, college help, college students

Rising “Hidden Costs” for College

September 25, 2020 By Jolyn Brand

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...]

Filed Under: FAQ's, Financial Aid, For Seniors Tagged With: college, college admissions, college advice, college applications, college consultant, college counselor, college financial aid, college students, college visits, financial aid

National College Fairs Scheduled for 2020

February 9, 2020 By Jolyn Brand

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...]

Filed Under: FAQ's, For Juniors Tagged With: college acceptance, college admissions, college advice, college counselor, college fair, college help, dallas college fair, Denver college fair, Houston college fair, Phoenix college fair

Is your high school counselor an expert on college admissions?

November 14, 2019 By Jolyn Brand

Is your teenager’s high school counselor an expert on college? Probably not. In fact, the odds are high that your high school counselor’s knowledge about college admission strategies, standardized testing and scholarships, and financial aid is limited.  Ironically, during this period of increasing college costs, financial aid is often the subject that high school counselors know the least about. Many high school counselors are unfortunately … [Read more...]

Filed Under: FAQ's Tagged With: college acceptance, college admissions, college advice, college consultant, college counselor, help with high school, high school counselor

Conversations for Families with College Kids

November 4, 2019 By Jolyn Brand

For most families with a kid away at college, Thanksgiving is the first time they will return home. This can be a great time to relax, see family and friends, and a great opportunity to have some important conversations. After letting your college kid catch up on sleep and get in touch with old friends, here are some topics to bring up before the whole family arrives for Thanksgiving dinner: 1. Academics By this time into the semester, students … [Read more...]

Filed Under: For Seniors Tagged With: college, college admissions, college advice, college counselor, college help, college students

Quiz! Is Your Teen Ready for College?

August 15, 2019 By Jolyn Brand

Is your teenager ready for college? Success at college requires many skills for emotional, social, and academic tasks. Students will need to be academically prepared for college, which can be measured by reviewing grades, test scores, motivation, and college choice. Students also need to be emotionally prepared for leaving their family and leaving independently for the first time. Emotionally preparedness can typically be measured by … [Read more...]

Filed Under: FAQ's Tagged With: college admissions, college advice, college consultant, college counselor, college help, college students, quiz for college students, quiz for parents, ready for college

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Our experience with Jolly Brand was exceptional.
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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.
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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)
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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.
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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
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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...

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