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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

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

High School Seniors College Checklist for Spring

January 1, 2020 By Jolyn Brand

The last two years have been spent getting students ready for college admissions. Applications, essays, financial aid documents all done. Your child got college acceptance letters and after careful evaluation, finally picked the college he or she will be attending! Yay! But wait, the work is not done yet, here is our college checklist for seniors: The college application process is a long and arduous one.  Once the final acceptance … [Read more...]

Filed Under: For Seniors Tagged With: campus visits, college acceptance, college admissions, College Checklist, College Offers, college students, financial aid, Selecting Colleges, University And College Admissions

Five Things to Know About Scholarships

December 2, 2019 By Jolyn Brand

As the cost of attending some the nation’s colleges exceed $60,000 a year, many families start looking for scholarships to help cover the cost. However, too many people don’t understand the basics of college scholarships including the source and average amounts. Fortunately, educating yourself about these facts will help you find scholarships that can significantly reduce the cost of a college education. 1.  The largest source of scholarships … [Read more...]

Filed Under: FAQ's, Financial Aid Tagged With: college, college admissions, college advice, college applications, financial aid, scholarships, TCU scholarships, University of Texas, UT scholarships

10 Most Important College Financial Aid Terms

January 10, 2017 By Jolyn Brand

Your college education is an extremely important and expensive investment. Before you shell out thousands of dollars for an advanced education, you need to give yourself a basic education in the financial aid process. Navigating the college financial aid process can be hard enough even for the most highly educated people. So to help, I’ve put together a quick reference guide on the 12 most common financial aid terms used. 1. FAFSA (Free … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Financial Aid, For Juniors, For Seniors Tagged With: college, college admissions, college advice, college consultant, college financial aid, college help, financial aid, scholarships

How to Prepare for the ACT Test

December 10, 2016 By Jolyn Brand

The ACT is a national college admissions examination that consists of subject area tests in: English (grammar) Math Reading (passages and comprehension) Science (charts and graphs) The ACT Plus Writing includes the four subject area tests plus a 30-minute Writing Test. The ACT includes 215 multiple-choice questions and takes approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes to complete, including a short break (or just over four hours if … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ACT and SAT Tagged With: ACT, college, college advice, college applications, financial aid, SAT, scholarships

You Got Accepted! Now What?

April 12, 2016 By Jolyn Brand

  Many seniors are getting college acceptance letters and emails this time of year. Some are still waiting to hear from a college or two that they are really hoping for. It’s a time of anxiety, worry and celebration! Once you have heard from the majority of colleges you applied to, it’s time to make a selection. Many students think this will be an easy decision: just go to your "top pick". But what if your #1 choice college doesn't … [Read more...]

Filed Under: For Seniors Tagged With: college acceptance, college letters, deciding on college, financial aid

How High School Courses Impact SAT Scores

February 9, 2016 By Jolyn Brand

Every year, high school juniors and seniors take the SAT. More than 1 million students annually across the nation participate and many take it more than once. Many students have been preparing for months after realizing how important high SAT scores are in college admissions and scholarship awards. Others don’t prepare or study much, many believing that it’s an ‘intelligence test’ and can’t be studied for, or that they want to just see how well … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ACT and SAT, For Juniors Tagged With: college, college admissions, college advice, college consultant, college counselor, college financial aid, college help, college students, College tests, financial aid, SAT, scholarships

Is College Worth the Investment?

January 17, 2016 By Jolyn Brand

Is that fancy, expensive college degree really worth the cost of several years of tuition, room and board and books? Everyone knows that the cost of education is skyrocketing, but the answer is still YES! Wondering which colleges have the best ROI? Return on investment is the "financial return" from any investment of money, or in this case, the income amount above and beyond what a high school graduate would make. The investment is the cost of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: FAQ's, Financial Aid Tagged With: college, college acceptance, college admissions, college advice, college consultant, college counselor, financial aid

3 Steps To Take Before the End of 2015 for FAFSA

November 20, 2015 By Jolyn Brand

Applying for financial aid will soon be less of a headache for college students and their families. Beginning with the 2017-2018 academic year, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)—used to determine financial aid from the government as well as colleges—can be filed three months earlier, or as early as October 1, nearly a year before a student would start classes the following fall. This change in timing will allow completed tax … [Read more...]

Filed Under: FAQ's, Financial Aid Tagged With: college advice, college applications, college consultant, college financial aid, college help, FAFSA, FAFSA changes, financial aid, income on FAFSA

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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.
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Client Testimonials

avatarJolyn has helped my daughter and I tremendously through her services for college and testing. She helped navigate a very complicated process and relieved our stress, directed our focus, which culminated in making the right choices.

Note: Janel's daughter chose Trinity University in San Antonio due to multiple scholarships and strong academic programs.

Janel Yarberry
Friendswood parent, class of 2013
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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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