written by Lily McIntyre

With most (virtual) graduations in full swing, we start to look forward to the rising seniors who will be in a cap and gown a year from now, all of their hard work towards school and college/job applications having finally paid off. However, all graduates will tell you that it can be a long road to get to that point. The college application process can seem to be a daunting one, especially when coming up with your personal statement. Based on my own experience and my friends’ experiences, I can tell you firsthand that it takes a weight off of your shoulders if you write a rough draft of your college essay sooner rather than later. Even if you re-read your essay later and cringe, or decide to make lots of revisions, and it doesn’t matter. You’ll already be done with the hardest part: starting. Social distancing may be a pain in many ways, but you can actually use it to your advantage this time. It’s not very often that you’re left with little to do but think! Use this time as an opportunity to reflect on your past experiences and what you’ve learned from them. 
Want some tips for your essay? Here are 3 ideas that might be useful for brainstorming:

1. Leave your inner critic behind. A lot of college essay writers have trouble coming up with an idea because they immediately judge themselves for not being “interesting” enough. In reality, the actual subject matter isn’t as important as how you convey you through it. Don’t believe me? My college essay was about the word game Bananagrams and I got into some great schools! Stay true to you and it will be enough.
2. Use your opening sentence to hook your reader. Just like how your teachers might instruct you in English class, it’s so important that the first sentence of your college essay grabs the reader’s attention immediately. Sometimes, this can be done through an action word (e.g. “Wham!”) or through a unique quotation that gives readers an inside look at the story you’re about to tell.
3. Don’t shy away from some of those “not my finest moment” stories. College admissions officers look for a number of things in each applicant’s essay, especially personal growth. If you can show (not tell) how you’ve developed and matured from the beginning of your personal statement to the end, that lets the college admissions officers know that you’re more than capable of thriving at their school and growing even more.

Like I said before, the college admission process is definitely daunting at first. But really, it’s a checklist of multiple smaller tasks to form your whole application. If you can check off the personal statement part sooner rather than later, it can save you a lot of potential stress down the road. ​

Looking for a fresh set of eyes to look over your essay or someone to brainstorm with? Lucent Education offers essay revision services that tailor to each student’s individual needs. Whether you’re applying to an undergraduate, graduate, or MBA program, Lucent is committed to helping you showcase the best, most genuine you. For more details on our services, click this link: https://www.lucenteducation.com/store/c5/college-gradschool-services.

Info on how COVID-19 might affect your high school experience as it relates to college applications:

For seniors receiving decisions letters back from colleges:

• Pay close attention to communication from the colleges to which you’ve been admitted.
• College admission officers are still working (many from home), so don’t hesitate to still reach out to them and email them with questions.
• The cancellation of admitted student events and campus visits is difficult; most colleges are replacing those activities with online events like live chats, web panel discussions, and virtual live tours. 
• Many universities have already extended their reply deadline from May 1st to now June 1st, in order to give students more time to make their college decision. Watch for emails from the colleges or contact each school for updates. The National Association of College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) has also created a for colleges to report any changes to deposit deadlines and visit opportunities, as well as how to connect with each admissions office: here.  This list is likely to grow as time passes.
• Please carefully read letters and notifications from colleges on how to communicate with them; there are deadlines (many extended) and specific ways in which college wants to be communicated with (e.g. for wait list letters etc)
• As you are notified of college acceptance and financial aid, it's common for questions to arise. If you have questions about a financial aid package, don't hesitate to contact the college; though I’m not an expert in this particular realm, I have heard of negotiations on financial aid packages in the past or clarifications on how schools calculate their need. Here are some other resources which may help: Accepting Financial Aid, How to Break Down Financial Aid Award Letters, and Award Comparison Worksheet.

AP and SAT/ACT Exams:

• AP exams will be truncated to cover less material and offering an in-home exam.  Please continue to study for exams!
• College board has put together additional resources to supplement any online instruction students may still be receiving from high school: https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/coronavirus-updates#free-ap-classes
• Khan Academy also has a bunch of resources: https://www.khanacademy.org/about/blog/post/163503591115/khan-academy-is-the-official-practice-partner-for
• Updates on AP exams/program from college board will be here: https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/about-ap/news-changes/coronavirus-update
• SATs: cancellation for May subject tests are official; it is possible and likely that June exams will also be cancelled; we are awaiting news on if additional exams will be offered in the summer time https://www.collegeboard.org/releases/2020/college-board-cancels-may-sat-response-coronavirus?fbclid=IwAR1-gLDmv9bVgL94tgkyAM9XU3c_nIcdw82v641vq_7qvg05iOVhqwHGTQA
• ACT: exams have been postponed from April to June for now http://leadershipblog.act.org/?_ga=2.159268410.1898909573.1584994722-1635057728.1584994722

College visits:

• Most admissions offices are closed to gatherings (tours, admit days, open houses, etc) and most schools are closed for in-person classes as well.
• There are a few other resources to get a feel for specific college campuses especially as you're deciding where to apply (or choosing where to attend): https://www.youvisit.com/ is one option.
• Don't hesitate to reach out to colleges if you have specific questions; many colleges also have photos and videos of their campuses on their websites; and you can always do a google image search (insight into dorms is easily found here!)

Blaine at Financial Aid Coach gets tons of questions about college loans this time of year.  Here are his thoughts and expertise laid out as a primer.  ​

This time of year, once families have decided where their high school seniors will attend college for the upcoming fall, a new set of questions come into play. Admissions applications and financial aid forms have been completed, but parents are often left with wondering how they will cover the balance remaining. Let’s take a look at something that’s commonly used to help bridge the gap of remaining cost; college loans.

Considering the rising cost of college, loans come into play more and more. These are made available through the Federal Government, private banks and credit unions and sometimes even schools themselves. It’s common for families to need to utilize college loans. Students are graduating from college with over $20,000 in loan debt, on average. That’s not accounting for loans that are in their parent’s name.

Here are some of the more common loans that are made available to families:

FEDERAL DIRECT LOANS
These loans, formerly referred to as the Stafford Loans, are loans in the student’s name provided through the Federal Government. There’s no application process. Students become eligible for this loan by filing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

These loans are provided in specified amounts to college students. They come in subsidized (government pays the interest) and unsubsidized (families are responsible for the interest) forms based on need as determined by the FAFSA and other financial aid forms. While a family may not qualify for subsidized Federal Direct Loans, you can’t be turned away from the unsubsidized Federal Direct Loan because you make too much money or have too much in assets. This is a common misconception.

Here’s a bit more info on Federal Direct Loans. The interest rates for the 2016-17 Federal Direct Loans will be announced later in the summer.

PARENT PLUS LOANSBecause the Federal Direct Loans have a maximum amount that can be borrowed, which is commonly not enough to cover the full remaining balance, parents are left to look into other options. One of the more common loan options is the Parent PLUS Loan.

This is another loan through the Federal Government. The difference between this loan and the Federal Direct Loan is that the Parent PLUS Loan is a loan in the parent’s name, as the name of the loan would indicate. This loan is applied for on a pass/fail basis at a fixed interest rate provided by the government each new school year. Parents can apply for the maximum needed to cover any remaining balance.

Check out a previous article on common loan myths to avoid confusion when it comes to repayment of the Parent PLUS Loan.

To read the rest of the article: ​http://financialaidcoach.com/introduction-to-college-loans-2016/

Please double check with schools as decisions notifications can change!

There's not much of a difference between Early Decision 1 and Early Decision 2 - except for the timing.  Students that know that they have a first choice school, and will go regardless of being accepted elsewhere, have the opportunity to apply a bit earlier.  The timing for these 2 rounds are different with Early Decision 2 deadlines closer to the deadlines of Regular Decisions, but that the notification of Early Decision candidates is typically in February instead of late March/April.  

Here's a list of schools with the option to submit and Early Decision 2 (ED2) application:
​

Here's a list - Stanford (our alma mater) comes out today!

Barnard College: Mid-December
Boston College: December 5th, 5:30pm EST (Early Decision I)
Boston University: December 15
Brandeis University: December 15
Brown University: Mid-December
Cal Tech: Mid-December
Carnegie Mellon University: December 15
Columbia University: December 12th, 7pm ET
Cornell University: December 12th, 7pm ET
Dartmouth College: Mid-December
Duke University: December 15th
Emory University: By December 15
Georgetown University: December 15th
Harvard University: Mid-December
Harvey Mudd: December 15th (decisions mailed)
Johns Hopkins University: December 13th
Middlebury College: Mid-December
MIT: December 14th, 12:14pm ET
New York University: December 15th (Early Decision I), February 15th (Early Decision II)
Northwestern University: Mid-December
Notre Dame University: Mid-December
Pomona College: By December 15
Princeton University: December 12th
Stanford University: December 6th, 4pm PST
Swarthmore College: By December 15
Tufts University: Mid-December
Tulane University: November 20th, 4pm CST (Early Decision), December 19th, 3:30pm CST (Early Action)
University of Chicago: Mid-December (Early Action and Early Decision)
University of Michigan, By December 24
University of Pennsylvania, December 16th, 7pm
University of Virginia, December 6th, evening (Early Decision), January 31st (Early Action)
Vanderbilt University: Mid-December (Early Decision I), Mid-February (Early Decision II)
Washington University in St. Louis: Mid-December
Wellesley College: Mid-December, ED Round I
William & Mary: December 6th, evening (Early Decision I)
Williams College: By December 15
Yale University: December 16th

We get this question a lot - should we be preparing for the ACT or SAT exams earlier on in high school as opposed to waiting until Junior year to take a test prep class? Well, that depends. Some students decide to take their PSAT exam as their first indication of what to do in preparation for other standardized tests that will be a more important factor in their college applications.  That means waiting until sophomore or junior year to get a baseline.  And, for most students, this is the right path.  Many students are busy with keeping their grades up, time management between activities and academics, and it makes sense to push this until later.  If you know your student has generally tested well on standardized tests in the past, this may make the most sense.

However, if you are worried about the student as a test taker, we suggest taking a diagnostic practice test during or just after 9th grade to see whether the additional practice, earlier, would make sense.  This might mean sitting down for the Khan Academy SAT test offered free or the many resources and practice exams that are likely found at your local library. The diagnostic practice test will help indicate if there's a need for additional tutoring/test prep studies that need to occur outside of the usual school work preparation.

For all students, consider the following:

• Take the right classes: choose classes in a college prep track that will well prepare you for the subjects that will show up in the SAT/ACT and the chosen SAT subject exams you hope to take
• Do well in these classes: get to know the material well, the way it's posed in class might be slightly different than how it will show up in a standardized exam; knowing the material well will help to overcome the differences more easily
• Read a lot: this exposes you to lots of different types of writing, perspectives, and vocabulary that will better get you through that verbal section; it doesn't hurt that this is also our #1 tip for freshman that are wanting to write excellent college application essays as well
• Talk to upperclassmen: ask to see what the experience is like for the different exams, ask them what their biggest challenges were on the day of testing and what they would do differently next time (if there is a next time for them)

You've been soul searching about transferring schools.  One factor that's likely going to contribute to your decision making process is what  challenges may lie ahead if you do decide to go for it. 

Here's a list of possible challenges to think about:

• ​Application process - well, you've done it before if you're in school now.  It's arduous, hard work that usually incites nervousness and anxiety at different points of the process. But, it's also a time of self reflection, especially as it relates to why you'd like to transfer. You'll be carrying on with a college level course load while also working on personal statements and essays. 
• Course credits - depending on which school you're transferring to and from, your credits may not all (or at all) transfer in the process. It's like changing majors, but more so as you're changing schools entirely. Many schools have different foundational/general studies requirements, too. This might set you behind especially if you're considering studying abroad or a double major.

• Leaving behind people - you've likely made a few good friends in your first year or two at college or have met some professors/TAs that you really connected with. It can be hard to say goodbye.
• Fresh start - this is obviously also a positive, but a fresh start means making new friends and new connections.  This also means relearning the physical campus, culture, and social life of the school.
• Financial aid - the paperwork! And the financial aid package might be different at the new school; navigating this is administratively challenging and time consuming. This could also have positives if the new school is giving you a more substantial financial commitment!
• Academic changes - class style, educational philosophy, requirements of the school, and individual professors, will all change when you transfer schools. This might be adjusting to large lectures or needing to take more literature classes because of a core requirement at a liberal arts college.
• Logistics: the basics of registering for classes, orientation, checking your grades, communicating with the bursar, on campus housing, etc., are all new again. Things that you just got the swing of, you'll need to learn to navigate once more.

​However, there are lots of positives that come along with transferring, especially if it's the right decision for you:

• Personal growth - change usually means you get to learn something new, and there will be lots of changes ahead if you apply and get in (and especially if you choose to go)
• Best fit - most likely there is something significant about your current school that is unchangeable, hence consideration of transferring to another. Transferring will mean that this significant challenge will be very different and hopefully a much better fit for your learning needs.  Whether it's rigor of coursework, right social environment, or a school that has a strong department in your chosen career path, you'll feel a bit more at home in this regard.
• Friends - you'll gain new ones, while hopefully keeping the ones from your "first" school. 

While there are lots of challenges to consider, with the right self reflection and research, you may come to the conclusion that it is the best possible decision for you.  In which case, you'll be glad you did it! ​

There is a lot of narrative out there on thoughts for and against transferring schools - so you're not alone if you're reading this (about 25% of students actually transfer!).  We've compiled it here into several topics to consider as you go through the process of deciding if putting in applications is right for you:

Think twice:

• ​Is there a major problem with the current school? Homesick, long distance relationship challenges? Definitely think twice about transferring if these are the case; and see if there are workarounds that will solve these difficulties while staying.
• Trying to upgrade schools? Well, if you're at Cornell, aiming for MIT, and were denied admissions the first time around, keep in mind that the odds are lower as a transfer applicant. Consider if there have been major shifts or changes in your academic and career resume that would make a big difference in your admissions chances (major awards, publications, etc.). Also, consider that the time and effort to apply/adjust to a new school may not be justified depending on where you're coming from and going to (transferring courses, financial aid, the application process).
• Lousy roommate? This is something that can may have solutions if working with school administration or with time (rooming with others the next year or semester, or finding a single the next year).
• Classes are too hard or too easy?  Consider changing classes first, not schools.  Do some research: talk to professors and upperclassmen to better gauge if rigor might be a good reason to leave.
• Not making friends right away? This is more common than people think. Already tried to join a bunch of clubs? How about actively going to more events or finding an on campus job? Putting together a study group for a challenging class or sports/gym may also put you in places that will expose you to more possible future friends.

Reasons to transfer:

• You're in a 2 year program and looking to continue your education.
• Your current school is in a location that is no longer a fit for your academic learning or social interests.  For example, you decided that you wanted to study urban challenges, but your rural school is over an hour to the closest major city where you can get hands on experiences.
• Your current school's academic breadth and depth don't meet your career goals.  Perhaps you've decided to become an engineer, but your liberal arts school doesn't have a mechanical engineering program.  Or you're hoping to become a doctor, but there is a weak (or no) program for pre-med students.
• Your school's social life and culture is holistically not in alignment with yours. For example, most students leave campus to connect with the external community more often than stay on campus to build depth to student-student relationships. Or, Greek life rules campus and you hoped to have meaningful connections through clubs and have found that unsuccessful due to the dominance of Greek culture at the school.
• Your current school's method and philosophy of education/learning do not align well with your own.  Perhaps you're at a huge university with lecture classes, but you have a strong need and desire to have deep discussion in learning new material. Or you're a visual learner but all the seminar style classes are not conducive to your learning style.

There are lots of components of the Common Application and some look at it as simple and straightforward, others feel daunted by the amount of work ahead of them.  Here are some basic things to keep in mind as you start to put together the application.

• Get organized: there are lots of deadlines, essays, and various requirements.  Get organized, start a spreadsheet or check list, anything that'll help you track what you need to get done.
• Essays: typically the most feared part of the essay, but they don't have to be.  Have the right expectations going into them - similar to a major final paper for a class (or even more important!), you'll want to revise it over and over again with help from peers and other trusted adults.  Get the essays organized so that nothing falls through the cracks (be sure to check all the tabs for supplemental short answers and writing prompts).  We have a lot of tips on how to put together the essays on our blog as well; they're stylistically very different from most of the writing completed in high school.
• Activities: there's a section where you can list 10 of your activities.  But, the section allows 50 characters for a title and 150 for a description...characters, not words!  It's hard to cram all that you did in so few words, so you'll want to set aside special time to take a look at this section.  You can use this section in tandem with the Honors/Awards section in the Education section to maximize usage of space on the application.
• Word Real Estate: as mentioned in the prior bullet point, don't repeat yourself!  There are only so many words, characters for each section allowed, so use them wisely.  Think of the application holistically.

• Some popular activities that I've seen students experiment with: tutoring younger students, learning to program, volunteering at a hospital, getting involved in other community based non-profits (food bank, senior centers, etc.), new sports, new instrument, school clubs (or starting one!).
• Really let interest and enjoyment lead the way in exploring the different activities.  While you don't want to quit after the first meeting, you also don't want to stay beyond your true interest's expiration so that you can dedicate more time to activities that you truly enjoy into the next few years.

10th grade:

• Start sifting out the activities that are not worth the time that's put into it; for example, many times sports fall into this category where the love or skill level of the sport won't outweigh the 12+ hour commitment per week a school sport requires
• Consider moving into entry level leadership for the activities that you're in.  This might look like taking on a treasurer or secretary role at a school club or taking on larger projects at a non-profit or coaching younger athletes of the same sport.  Leadership doesn't have to be traditional, there are lots of ways to have big impact without a title (just as there are individual contributors and many industries that are very important such as within the engineering world).  This might look like starting or vastly increasing success in a fundraising for a club at school or taking on full responsibility for a sensor project for a new robot in your robotics team.

11th grade:

• This is when you might narrow down even further and deepen interests and increase leadership in the activities in which you're involved.  This will look different for each person and each activity.  For a cellist that might mean taking on first chair, coaching younger students, teaching private lessons to younger musicians, and competing more frequently.  For a school club member, that might mean taking on VP or Presidency 11th or 12th grade, starting new projects/ideas for the club (new fundraiser, new ways for the group to be more productive in its goals), or train new members to take on a leadership role you might be leaving in order to take on a bigger role.

Summers:

• Don't waste them!  Do something with them.
• Consider deepening interests in one of the activity areas you most enjoy.  For example, if you love to volunteer at the hospital, consider looking into summer programs that help children that are hospital bound or look into shadowing a doctor.  Or, if you are a swimmer, consider taking a life guard course or exploring other water sports.
• If applicable, summers can be a time to explore possible future careers.  If you're interested in becoming a dentist (as I was growing up!), you can ask a local dentist how you can volunteer in their office and learn more about what their day looks like.
• Of course, there are incredible summer programs put together for various activities (science research, robotics, math, writing, music).  The general rule of thumb for these programs is, the less it costs, the more its worth on a resume (typically because the more competitive it is to be part of).  Typically, these programs will have applications open during the winter of the school year prior and are great practice for future college application essay writing.

Utilizing the internet has made all parts of our lives easier - finding long lost friends, making reservations for date night, and finding x or y product with the best reviews.  Similar to our daily lives, admissions officers have also started using the internet in higher numbers to aid their admissions process. From a Kaplan Test Prep research study, 35% are searching out applicants and 68% consider it fair game to do so, but not all of them actually put it into practice.  From the same study, they found that admissions officers were finding positive supporting information for applicants as often as they were finding information that would negatively impact a student’s application.

Generally, admissions officers are hoping to find a more holistic version of some students through online searches and social media accounts - looking for additional, positive information about applicants.  However, it’s possible to turn off an admissions officer with remarks, posts, and images that violate (or do not align with) the expectation of how students are in a school's student community.  Here are some tips and cautionary words about social media for those applying to college/university.

Keep these tips in mind for before, during and after college acceptances.  Poor form after the fact can mean that a college rescinds their offer of admissions (this includes poor grades as well, don’t let senioritis get to you!):

Things not to do...

• General rule of thumb, if you don’t want your parents/grandparents to read something, don’t post it to social media at all
• Avoid any and all comments posted that can be seen as offensive such as  discrimination against race, groups, etc. - this includes comments meant to be funny or sarcastic; when in doubt, just don’t post it, you never know how something could be taken by someone else
• Generally, posts that violate a schools code of conduct will negatively impact an application if seen or share with an admissions officer (here’s info from Yale’s code of conduct equivalent: http://catalog.yale.edu/undergraduate-regulations/policies/)
• Be careful of posts that might even be semi-protected such as those on Facebook or a public Instagram story that's meant to go away after 24 hours; comments and posts can be saved with a screen shot and passed along, this includes memes, posts, stories, snaps, other images, etc.

Consider doing…

• Polish the public parts of your facebook page (e.g. about section, public images)
• Highlight your interests and accomplishments, there might be an opportunity to showcase information that you can’t expand upon in your actual application or a new hobby you're exploring
• Open a LinkedIn account: include work, research, and volunteer experiences; there is also a summary section to talk about aspirations and accomplishments
• Use Instagram to showcase unique experiences, hobbies, and new interests that may not be highlighted on the application
  
• If you write in a journal or are thinking about chronicling your life in a public space such as a blog, this might be a great place to showcase interests and extracurricular activities if put together earlier on in high school

​Last thought: don’t get too wrapped up in tailoring your presence as the research statistics don’t necessarily merit a lot of effort on this front (for now!).