Mini Camp College: College Admission Workshop Kick Off on October 26th

 

A Virtual Mini-Camp College: College Admission Workshop is a one-hour topic-specific webinar that educates high school students and their families on all different aspects of the college application process. Nine sessions will be held from October to April.

Virtual events; Free

Those interested in any of the workshops are asked to complete a registration form. Information as to how to join each Zoom workshop will be sent separately closer to each event. Please pass this information along to anyone you believe would benefit from attending.

§ Mini Camp College registration form

§ Tuesday, October 26 | 7:00 pm EST | Essays - How to share your story with the admissions committee in 700 words or less

§ Tuesday, November 16 | 7:00 pm EST | Letters of Recommendation (target audience: high school counselors, teachers, CBO)

§ December date TBD | Understanding Every Part of my Application...Holistically

§ Tuesday, January 11 | 7:00 pm EST | Financial Aid 101: FAFSA, CSS Profile & Scholarships

Junior Strategies for Getting into College

Make the next year count! This webinar is for students in grade 11 and their parents! Learn what you should be doing now to get ahead of the curve. Join our webinar to hear from US admissions expert, Bilal Said, who has built application programs for students who have gone on to be accepted to the Ivy League, Stanford, UC Berkeley, UCLA, and many more top schools!

Register below for the webinar 

October 27

7 PM EST

Junior Strategies for Getting Into College

Financial Aid 101

Title: Financial Aid 101

Date: November 16th, 2021​

Time: 5 pm PT / 8 pm ET​

 Financial Aid 101

The cost of a college education continues to rise, which may lead some families to assume college is too expensive for them. However, this Financial aid 101 webinar will help families understand the actual costs and discover ways to pay for a college education. In addition, we will cover the financial aid forms needed and ways to simplify the process of applying for aid.

Senior Year of High School: Our Best Survival Advice

Is it really senior year already?! We've rounded up all the best advice we have on CollegeXpress to help you get through 12th grade with ease.

by CollegeXpress

Last Updated: Sep 2, 2021

Originally Posted: Aug 30, 2021

Surviving senior year of high school

• Starting Your Senior Year: 4 Things You Need to Do: Obviously, you want to have fun senior year—but there are some things you have to get done. Here’s a list of 5 things you should make top priorities for the year.
• Senior–Year Priorities: You're finally a senior! The school year is going to fly by, and before you know it, you'll be crossing the stage. Read on for some tips on getting the most out of your final year of high school.
• Your Road Map to Senior Year Success: Buckle up, y'all. This newly minted college student explains how to make your senior year of high school the best one yet.
• Your Road Map to a Successful Senior Year: If that first road map guide wasn’t enough, here’s another road map to help you reach senior year success.
• Video: Be Prepared for Senior Year of High School: Student vlogger Zenavieve has advice to share on how to be prepared for senior year.
• Video: Making the Fall of Senior Year Easier: It’s the beginning of your fall semester that really sets the precedent for the rest of senior year. Student vlogger Lucia has some advice for making your fall a little easier.
• 12 Ways to Reduce Junior and Senior Year Stress: Six things you can do right now to ease your stress, plus six habits you can (and should) develop to keep your stress levels in check for a long time to come.
• Freshman vs. Senior Year of High School: The Biggest Differences: From your classes to your relationships to your, well, you, there are a lot.
• 4 Universal Truths About Senior Year of High School: You'll relate to these truths about senior year—trust us. 
• How to Not Go Crazy at the End of Senior Year of High School: When you get close to the end of your senior year of high school, a lot of things start to happen really fast. Here's how to handle them all—and even have fun in the process!
• 10 Tips for Shaking Off Senioritis: Don't get in a senior slump—it could cost you! Here are 10 tips on getting rid of this disease.
• 10 Things You Need to Do Before You Leave High School: You may be counting the days until graduation, but it's important to make some lasting memories while you can.
• Setting Your Senior Year Bucket List: Senior year may be about keeping up your grades and getting ready for college, but it should also be about enjoying yourself! Here are some ideas to put on your last year of high school bucket list.

Searching for and applying to colleges

• The Ultimate Guide to the College Search: How to Find Your Perfect College Match: If you still haven't found your best-fit college, it's not too late! Here's how you find the perfect school(s) for you.
• 20 Helpful College Search Tips From a High School Senior: This advice really helped one high school senior on her way to choosing a university.
• Senior Year College Application Timeline: It's application crunch time! Here is what to do and when to do it.
• What You Need to Know About Rolling Admission: Rolling admission is a good option to help lessen the strain of the college search for some students. But what exactly is rolling admission? Find out now!
  
• Simplify Senior Year With These College Application Tips: Don’t you wish senior year could just be simple? Well if you follow these tips, it could certainly be a lot simpler.
• How to Motivate Yourself to Start College Applications: You know you have to start your college applications, but you could use some inspiration or something at this point. Here's the motivation you're looking for.
• What Do Colleges Want in an Applicant?: Knowing what colleges want to see in your application is key to presenting your best self to admission officers. Here are our best tips for figuring it out!
• How to Stand Out in Your College Applications: All that soul searching to find the perfect college has come down to this, your application. But what actually goes into that mythical document? Find out from an admission expert. 
• 5 Ways to Beef Up Your College Applications: If your college applications are looking a little barren, here's how you can correct the course and add something substantial to impress admission officers. 
• College App Proofreading Tips From an Editor–in–Chief: Grab a red pen and get ready to whip your college application into shape! These are the best editing tips and grammar tricks from a professional word nerd. 
• 11 Steps to Finalizing and Submitting Your College Apps: Take the stress out of finishing up your college applications with these helpful tips on what to do and review before hitting submit!
• How to Avoid Burnout During College Application Season: The last thing you want to do during college application season is burn out. Here are a few ways to get ahead of things so you don't feel overwhelmed.

Perfecting your college admission essay

• 5 Ways to Brainstorm Your College Essays: It's time to write your college application essay, and these five brainstorming games are gonna help you do it! Check them out here.
• 5 Tips to Conquer the Common Application Essay: Fitting your entire life story into 650 words seems impossible, but crafting an amazing Common App essay is a lot easier (and more fun) than you think!
• How to Write About Yourself in Your College Essay: There's a place between humble and prideful, and it's the exact place you want to set up camp while writing your college application essays. Learn how here!
  
• 3 Important Steps to Acing the "Why Us?" Essay: "Why this college?" is a common college admission essay prompt. Here's how you can stand out when you're writing about why you love and chose your dream school.
• 15 Helpful Tips to Make Your Admission Essays Shine: Writing your college admission essay can seem daunting, but these 15 pieces of advice can make it easy and painless. Follow them to make your essays stand out!
• Video: College Essay Q&A With Expert Kim Lifton: Writing your college application essay can be one of the most difficult parts of the college admission process. College essay expert Kim Lifton is here to help!
  

Taking the SAT or ACT

• Standardized Test Timeline for High School Students: What to Take and When? From the SAT and SAT Subject Tests to the ACT and AP tests, you can encounter a lot of exams throughout high school.
• How to Make the Best Use of Your Time When Practicing for Standardized Tests: For seniors, autumn means college essays and interviews and applications—and their last chance to take those infamous standardized tests.
• 5 Ways to Ace All Your Standardized Tests This Year: Here's a list of standardized test tips so you can ace them without reading all those larger-than-life prep books. Unless, of course, you really want to read them. No judgment.
• Pros and Cons of Retaking the SAT or ACT: Should you subject yourself to test-taking hell all over again to get a better score? It depends. Here are some pros and cons to the situation. 
• The Truth About SAT and ACT Prep Courses: If you’re thinking of taking a standardized test prep course before taking the SAT or ACT, consider this before deciding if it’s right for you.
• The Best ACT Test Prep Sites, Books, and More: If you’re planning to take the ACT during senior year, here are the best resources to take advantage of.
• Top Tips for Stress-Free Test Prep: It’s no secret that standardized tests are one of the most stressful parts of being a high school student. Here’s some advice to ease the stress in your test prep.

Paying for college with financial aid 

• How to Pay for College, Step-by-Step: Yes, you can afford to college. We're going to help you get there. One step at a time.
• How to Fill Out the FAFSA, Step-by-Step: This free application can lead you to a wealth of financial aid, and filling out the FAFSA is not as hard as you may think.
• How to Get Financial Aid for College: The Ultimate Guide: Choosing a college is complicated. You've got to figure out what type of school you want, where to live, what to study, and—oh yeah—how to pay for it all. Here's how. 
• The Best Scholarship Search Sites, Books, and More: Do you want to win a college scholarship? Lucky for you, there are literally billions of dollars in awards out there...and plenty of resources to help you find them.
• Types of College Financial Aid: Before you can start applying for financial aid, it’s best to know what kind of aid colleges offer to students. Here’s what you need to know!
• 5 Little-Known Secrets to Getting More Gift Aid: The best kind of financial aid for college is the kind you don’t have to pay back. Here are some secrets to receiving more scholarships and grants.

Choosing the right school for you

• How to Choose a College Once You're Accepted: Accepted but still weighing your options? Before you send in your deposit, here are a few steps to guide you toward your ultimate college decision.
• Making Your Final College Decision: Receiving multiple college admission offers is a wonderful thing...until you can't choose between them! Don't stress. Check out our insider tips!
• 5 Steps to Making Your Final College Decision: So you're down to the wire on choosing your college. Time to make some tough decisions! These five steps will help.
• Video: Deciding on a College: Making your final decision on a college is a big step, and it's certainly not an easy one to make. Student Vlogger Toni has some advice to help you out.
• Videos: Real Student Stories About Getting Accepted to College: Making your final college decision is one of the biggest choices of your life. Here are some stories from real students about why they choose their college.

We hope at least one (but hopefully many) of these articles helped you in some way during your college search and your final year of high school! You’re about to embark on a whole new journey that's sure to bring success and great memories. As senior year progresses, check back here to see if any of the articles take on new meaning or offer advice at just the right time. Good luck with senior year and your college applications!

Junior Year of High School: Our Best Survival Advice

Getting ready to start 11th grade? Simplify your life and plan ahead with our best articles and advice on test prep, the college search, and more.

by CollegeXpress

Last Updated: Sep 30, 2021

Originally Posted: Aug 30, 2021

Surviving junior year of high school

• Getting Ready for Junior Year: Where to Begin?: Junior year is a lot like a treasure hunt: it will be a lot easier if you have some sort of map or guide to help you along the way. Lucky for you, we have one right here!
• How to Survive Junior Year: Junior year is often called the hardest year of high school. So you know what to expect and to make things a little easier, here are some tips on how to balance everything out.
• 12 Ways to Reduce Junior and Senior Year Stress: Here are six things you can do right now to ease your stress, plus six habits you can (and should) develop to keep your stress levels in check for a long time to come.
• 5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Junior Year of High School: Junior year of high school is a stressful year, but here are five things to remember that will make it a little easier.
• Video: Junior Year Advice: Check out this practical advice to high school juniors from a senior! Kat goes over six simple tips that contributed to her junior year success.
• Video: 5 Tips to Increase Your Junior Year Success: Junior year has a reputation for being tough, but our student vlogger Robert knows the best tips and tricks to help you succeed. 

Really starting your college search

• College Prep in High School: What to Do All 4 Years: Juniors, here's what you can and should be doing to make your college search easier!
• College Prep Steps Every High School Student Should Know About: The best way to maintain your course toward college and not end up freaking out right before applications are due is to create a schedule and break it down over your four high school years. Find out what to do during junior year! 
• How to Prepare for Your College Search as a Junior: Junior year is tough, but preparing for your college search a year in advance will make it easier in the long run.
• Your College Search: When and How to Start: Do you feel lost when trying to begin your college search? You're not alone. Find out more about when and how to start your search process now.
• The Best College Search Websites, Books, and Apps: Searching for colleges requires a lot of research, and it can be difficult without the right tools. Here are the top resources to use for your college search!
• How to Build the Perfect College List: These tips will help you organize your research and make your final college list no matter where you are in the process.
• Get a Head Start on the Application Process Junior Year: College applications can be stressful, especially if you leave all the work for senior year. Get a head start while you're a junior with these tips! 
• The Ultimate Guide to the College Search: How to Find Your Perfect College Match: This is it. This is how you find the perfect college—or colleges—for you.

Prepping for standardized tests

• Standardized Test Timeline for High School Students: What to Take and When?: You encounter a lot of exams throughout high school, and the college admission type usually start spring of junior year. Here's what you should know!
• How to Prepare for the ACT, SAT, and Other Tests: This standardized test guide covers the ACT, SAT, SAT Subject Tests, AP Tests, and more. It's basically everything you need to know to get ready for your exams!
• College Admission Tests: Everything You Need to Know: Get ready to have your mind blown by acronyms. This is everything you need to know about standardized tests related to college admission.
• My Standardized Test Prep: Top Tips From Real Students: High school students share their real-life experiences taking standardized tests, the tools they used, and their top tips for success.
• 4 Tips for Taking Your Standardized Tests Early: If you're planning to take the SAT or ACT early in your junior year, here are four tips to make sure you make it through in one (emotional) piece.
• Find a lot more test-taking and study tips in our Test Prep section!

Attending college fairs

• How Can I Prepare for College Fairs?: College fairs are a great way to explore schools without going to campus. But how can you be sure to get the most out of them? Our experts have the answer!
• How to Navigate College Fairs From Start to Finish: College fairs are a great opportunity to get a feel for multiple schools at once and ask representatives your biggest questions. Here are our top tips for these events. 
• How to Make the Most Out of College Fairs: Take a look at these tips to get the most out of the next fair you attend. 
• 10 Things to Ask About at a College Fair: Be sure to learn as much as you can at your next college fair by asking schools about these 10 topics.
• 4 Mistakes to Avoid at Your Next College Fair: Many students don't realize the benefits of college fairs. Learn from these four mistakes to be more successful at these events.

Visiting your colleges of interest

• Why Are Campus Visits So Important?: Campus visits play a crucial role in finding the best-fit college for your needs. Check out what our experts have to say about why they're so important.
• The 3 Main Types of College Visits: Check out this intro to the three most common types of visit typically offered by colleges: traditional tours, open houses, and overnight visits.
• Checklist for Planning Your First Campus Visits: Planning campus visits can seem like a daunting task. But if you follow this simple checklist, you'll be in perfect shape for all your college tours.
• College Visits: How to Prepare and Explore Campus: Campus visits are vital when considering what colleges to apply to. Whether you go in person or explore online tours, these tips can help you get there.
• The Essential List of Campus Visit Questions: It's important to ask the right questions on your campus visits. So here's a big list of them! 
• Beyond the Brochure: How to Plan Informal Campus Visits: Official campus tours are great, but they only give you part of the story. Get a more realistic view of your colleges with informal campus visits
• 7 Ways to Make Campus Visits More Affordable: College is already expensive, and unfortunately, so are college visits before you even apply to a college. Don't worry! There are plenty of ways to save money.
• Ways to Make Campus Visits More Fun: Are all those campus visits tiring you out? Here are a few ways to make them a little more entertaining...including a rousing game of Campus Visit Bingo!
• How to Have a Great Virtual Campus Tour Experience: Virtual college tours are a great alternative if you can't physically visit a campus. Here's what to look for and questions to prepare to make the most of them. 
• Find even more advice in our Campus Visits section.

We know this is a lot! But junior year is an important one, and we want you to be prepared. Bookmark this page to revisit as you progress through the year, and be sure to take advantage of our College Search tool, Scholarship Search tool, and Lists & Rankings as well. It's going to be a busy year, but it will be worth it when you're well prepared for the college admission process and life as a senior. Good luck!