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ACT Test Preparation | Test Prep Resources

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Overview of the ACT (video) | Khan Academy

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Overview of the ACT (video) | Khan Academy

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Daily Practice for the New SAT App | SAT Suite of Assessments – The College Board

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Daily Practice for the New SAT App | SAT Suite of Assessments – The College Board

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beginning of content:

*UPDATE*update Daily Practice App No Longer Supported

As of June 2020, College Board is no longer supporting the Daily Practice App for the New SAT. It won't be available for download in the app stores, and existing users may experience issues with the app's performance and functionality. We strongly recommend that existing users delete the app.

If you have already completed a paper practice test, you can go to our page with scoring tips, scroll down, and download scoring guides. Use the guides to help score your test and understand the right answers.

SAT Practice on Khan Academy

While the Daily Practice App will no longer be available, you can still practice for the SAT for free on Official SAT Practice on Khan Academy®. It offers:

Interactive problems

Video lessons

Full-length practice tests

Personalized study plan

Instant SAT Essay feedback

You can access Official SAT Practice from any computer or mobile device. If you take a full-length practice test on Khan, it will be scored instantly.
Practice now.

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*UPDATE*update Daily Practice App No Longer Supported As of June 2020, College Board is no longer supporting the Daily Practice App for the New SAT. It won’t be available for download in the app stores, and existing users may experience issues with the app’s performance and functionality. We strongl…

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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A Quick Guide to the Application | The Common Application

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A Quick Guide to the Application | The Common Application

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Check out this quick overview of the Common Application so you'll be ready to get started as soon as you create your account.

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80 colleges and universities announce plan for new application and new approach to preparing high school students

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80 colleges and universities announce plan for new application and new approach to preparing high school students

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Eighty leading colleges and universities on Monday announced a plan to reverse a decades-long process by which colleges have -- largely through the Common Application -- made their applications increasingly similar.

Further, the colleges and universities are creating a platform for new online portfolios for high school students. The idea is to encourage ninth graders begin thinking more deeply about what they are learning or accomplishing in high school, to create new ways for college admissions officers, community organizations and others to coach them, and to help them emerge in their senior years with a body of work that can be used to help identify appropriate colleges and apply to them. Organizers of the new effort hope it will minimize some of the disadvantages faced by high school students without access to well-staffed guidance offices or private counselors.

While the goals of the effort are ambitious, so are the resources and clout of the colleges participating in this campaign. These colleges include every Ivy League university, Stanford University and the University of Chicago; liberal arts colleges such as Amherst, Swarthmore and Williams Colleges; and leading public institutions such as the Universities of Michigan, North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Virginia. The 80 members expect more institutions to join.

While they aim to create a new way for students to apply, they also hope the portfolio system they create prods changes in high school education that could have an impact beyond those who apply to these institutions.

The new group is called the Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success. It will be open to public institutions with "affordable tuition along with need-based financial aid for in-state residents," according to an outline provided by the coalition. (There isn't a clear definition yet for "affordable.")

Private colleges may join if they "provide sufficient financial aid to meet the full, demonstrated financial need of every domestic student they admit." That means colleges need not be need blind (in which admissions offers are made without regard to financial need) to participate. And indeed a number of colleges that have joined are "need aware" for some students, meaning that, for some of their slots, they consider only those students who do not have financial need. But colleges that engage in "gapping," in which some admitted students are not provided enough aid to attend, will not be allowed to join. Gapping is common among private colleges that do not have substantial endowments.

To participate, colleges also must have a six-year federal graduation rate of 70 percent, a threshold that will exclude many public institutions.

The new effort brought immediate response on social media and on websites where high school students trade gossip and tips about the application process. Many comments suggested that frustrations with the Common Application have people ready for an alternative. One comment on Twitter was from a counselor to high school students: "Look out Common App -- here comes viable competition." A comment on College Confidential (where students and their parents discuss admissions): "Bye-bye Common App!"

But others were quick to note that most coalition members are wealthy, prestigious institutions, and raised questions about how this would help those who aren't likely to be admitted to those colleges. (More below, but that's the line the Common Application is taking.) And some questioned whether the portfolios would add stress to high school freshmen by having them think about college admissions that early.

There are three main parts to the coalition's work:

The high school student's portfolio: This would be offered to all high school students, free, and they would be encouraged to add to it, starting in ninth grade, examples of their best work, short essays on what they most proud of, descriptions of their extracurricular activities and so forth. Students could opt to share or not share all or part of their portfolios, but college admissions leaders would provide regular prompts, appropriate for grades nine and up, and questions students should ask about how they are preparing for college.

New forms of interaction with high school students. Students could opt to share (with any privacy levels they desire) some or all of their portfolios with people who might provide advice. Community organizers focused on education might check in on students to see how they are progressing. Colleges could, at students' invitations, provide feedback as early as freshman year of high school. Pamela T. Horne, vice provost for enrollment management at Purdue University, which is part of the coalition, said she always worries about high school students who may well have the talent to do well in math and science but don't have anyone pushing them. She envisions universities such as Purdue accepting students' invitation to advise them as early as ninth grade, "so we can say, 'yes, you are on a path to be ready for calculus,' or can say, 'yes, you did well in science courses so here are more to take,'" and so forth.

A new application system. The coalition will introduce a new online application. Like the Common Application, there will be some factual information that students would need to enter only once (name, high school, etc.). But once an applicant hits short answers or essay or other sections, each college would prepare its own questions. The idea is to link many of the questions to material that applicants would have put in their portfolios, so applicants are not scrambling for ideas on essays but are relying on work they did in high school. (Standardized test scores and high school transcripts would continue to be provided to colleges.)

The portfolio system is scheduled to be live in January, and the application in the summer of 2016.

The goal of these three features is to change the way students, colleges and society think about the admissions process. "The idea isn't about how you should pad your résumé, but about how you should have significant experiences as part of your education," said Horne.

Stephen M. Farmer, vice president for enrollment and undergraduate admissions at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said UNC was joining because of the opportunity in this new approach to interact with low-income students much earlier, and to help them prepare for admission. "We've got to broaden our thinking about what constitutes talent," he said, adding that this approach will lead universities to focus on developing the talent of high school students, not just picking already talented high school seniors.

Seth Allen, vice president and dean of admissions and financial aid at Pomona College, was one of the organizers of the coalition. He said the coalition's ambition is to "serve students who don't have the college-going resources" of wealthier students, and to create a communication system so that others "can act as a proxy for a counselor asking the right questions."

Allen said that organizers also want to shift college preparation and admissions away from the current frenzy, which many find decidedly disconnected from educational values. When colleges ask their own questions, and students are drawing on a large portfolio of work to answer, "I'm hoping to have more rich, vibrant parts of the application."
Community College Transfers
Coalition organizers stressed that they expected more colleges to join over time, as details are worked out and better understood. Reviewing a list of the initial 80 colleges (available at the end of this article), the lack of any University of California campuses jumps out, given that UC includes some of the best universities in the country and that most of the system's divisions meet the minimum graduation rate requirement.

Dianne Klein, a spokeswoman for the university system, said that when coalition organizers approached UC about joining, the plans for the application did not have features for evaluating community college transfers. "That alone was a nonstarter," she said, because the university values transfer students. Further, it was unclear if applicants could use the same application to apply to all UC campuses, not all of which have a 70 percent graduation rate.

Klein said UC has been told that the coalition now plans to include applications that can be used for community college transfer applicants (as does the Common Application). As a result, UC remains open to joining the coalition, she said, adding that there has not been time for a new round of discussions. Coalition officials confirmed that they are planning to have a transfer option as part of the application.
A Challenge to the Common App?
One big question about the new system is how much of a challenge it will represent to the Common Application, which has more than 600 members, including most if not all of the new coalition's members. Over its 40-year history, the Common Application has grown from a small group of small liberal arts colleges to a dominant player in college admissions, attracting all kinds of colleges with competitive admissions, many of which have reported boosts to application numbers since joining the Common App.

All of the coalition members contacted for this article said that they plan to offer, but not require, the coalition application, and that they expect to continue having a majority of applicants (certainly in the coalition's early years) apply through the Common App. Several members of the Common Application board are admissions officials at colleges joining the coalition.

Many admissions leaders who once raved about the Common Application stopped doing so in fall 2013, when the Common App introduced a new software system that resulted in numerous glitches and system crashes that prevented applicants from submitted their applications on time. Students, guidance counselors and college admissions deans all complained not only about the problems, but what they perceived as a slow response from the Common Application. Many also started talking about how the Common Application represented a "single point of failure" in admissions technology, since many institutions had no other way to accept applications.

The Universal College Application -- now up to 44 colleges -- gained ground in the wake of the Common App's technical failures in 2013, but Universal has never had the critical mass or recognition among high school students of the Common App.

Further, the Common Application has been criticized on issues aside from the technology failures (which no longer appear to be a problem). Some admissions experts have questioned whether, in the simplicity of its approach, it has homogenized college admissions to the point where the application process has lost its ability to help students and colleges find a good match. (For an example of this type of critique, see this essay in Inside Higher Ed by Theodore A. O'Neill, formerly dean of admissions at the University of Chicago.)

Organizers of the coalition took care not to criticize the Common Application in discussing their new venture. But there is no question that, if it takes off, the coalition could represent a significant challenge to the Common App, which charges a per-applicant fee to colleges. Allen of Pomona said he would consider the new application highly successful if, in a few years' time, it was responsible for 15 percent or so of his college's applications. Across coalition members, such a decline would be a serious loss of revenue for the Common Application.

Purdue's Horne said that, in considering the reasons to join the coalition, "we want to assure that no matter what, in the future we have at least two different online applications, so that just in case something goes wrong, we have an alternative."

Matthew T. Proto, vice president and dean of admissions and financial aid at Colby College, said he welcomes having an alternative to the Common Application, and views the coalition application as creating "another pathway" for students to college. Proto said he wants to see Colby and other high-quality colleges attract more students from disadvantaged backgrounds, and he thinks the portfolio could help more of them envision college in their future and present their own talents in ways that might win them admission.
Customizing Applications
For colleges that are joining the coalition, one attraction is the ability to embrace a less formulaic approach to applications than has been the norm. Jeremiah Quinlan, one of the organizers of the coalition and dean of undergraduate admissions at Yale University, said that "technology has completely transformed our application process, and the back end of our process, but the Yale application today is very similar to what I filled out when I applied to Yale decades ago, and the students are very different."

He said he imagined Yale asking applicants to submit a piece of work from their portfolio "rather than another 500-word essay," so that the admissions team would be looking at actual student work.

Jess Lord, dean of admissions and financial aid at Haverford College, said that he has "not been a total fan of this push to minimize institutional presence in the application," so he is pleased by the idea that the coalition will move away from that model. He said that having similar or identical applications "has obviously meant more applications and arguably helped access," but he added that he thinks "there might be a better balance that would more fully serve students and institutions."

While he believes applications with more of a unique tie to an institution create an "opportunity for students to build relationships with institutions," to the extent others prefer the status quo, the Common Application remains an option for colleges. "[Having] more application options serves the larger end by giving students more pathways to engage with specific institutions," Lord said.
Common Application Makes Its Case
Aba G. Blankson, director of communications for the Common Application, started a discussion about the new coalition by taking the high road. "If the coalition helps more students to go to college, then that's great. Ultimately that's what it's all about," she said.

But she went on to question whether the new application is the best tool for many low-income students. Blankson said that 32 percent of the 860,000 applicants who used the Common Application last year were first-generation students. Many of these students enroll at colleges that, in part because they serve many disadvantaged students, don't have the graduation rates to be eligible for the coalition.

"All students deserve an opportunity to go to college," she said. "Not all of them are going to be admitted to [coalition] institutions. Having the breadth and diversity of our membership helps more students find a fit, even if they are not admitted to some of these elite institutions."

Patrick O'Connor, associate dean of College Counseling at Cranbrook Schools and a member of the Common Application board (but speaking for himself), raised another issue. He said that he had "equity" concerns, given that colleges may be evaluating very different submissions from those who use the Common Application and those who used customized coalition applications. "If one applicant on the coalition application uses a portfolio item, while a Common App applicant uses an essay prompt, will it be easy to compare the qualities of the two submissions?" he asked.
Building the Website and Paying for It
Allen of Pomona said the portfolio and application system is being built, for free, by CollegeNet, a company that provides technology services to colleges in admissions and other areas. CollegeNet last year filed an antitrust lawsuit against the Common Application, and CollegeNet's CEO last year wrote an essay in Inside Higher Ed criticizing the Common Application. CollegeNet has also been a major supporter of the Education Conservancy, a group that has promoted a range of reforms of college admissions.

Eventually, Allen said, CollegeNet will likely receive fees on a per-applicant basis from colleges that use the coalition application. He said he expected the payments to end up being cost neutral, as colleges would be paying less to the Common Application if applicants start to use the coalition's application.
Calls for Reform in Admissions
Efforts to reform college admissions are difficult to pull off for a number of reasons. One is that institutions find it difficult to move together, as institutional interests may not always align. In 2006, Harvard and Princeton Universities ended their early action programs, in which applicants find out early if they are admitted. Many critics said that the practice favored wealthier students, who had the support (financial and otherwise) to make decisions early. But Yale University declined to go along, and momentum stopped. Today early action is back at Harvard and Princeton.

Legal threats may also limit reforms. Another reform many would like to promote is to reduce the use of non-need-based aid. Many college leaders say that they would move funds from non-need-based (so called merit aid) to need-based, but that they can only do so if the colleges with which they compete do so at the same time. And mutually agreeing on such a plan could lead to antitrust investigations by the U.S. Justice Department.

The coalition appears to have identified a path around legal problems (no collaboration on aid or setting tuition rates), and on identifying issues on which a substantial group of colleges can agree. And while the group is clearly made up of public and private institutions that are more competitive (and more well off) than many of their peers, this is a group of institutions that others seek to emulate.

The coalition's work also comes at a time of many calls for reform in the admissions process. The College Board is preparing to introduce a new version of the SAT -- and more colleges than in the past are going test optional.

Institutions such as Goucher, Bennington and Bard Colleges are introducing new options for applications -- and attracting considerable praise for doing so.

And First Lady Michelle Obama has stressed the importance of better guidance for low-income high school students if more of them are to prepare for and apply to college.

Meanwhile, admissions leaders will gather in San Diego this week for the annual meeting of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, where the coalition's announcement is sure to generate considerable discussion.
Coalition Members
The members of the new coalition are:

Amherst College

Bates College

Bowdoin College

Brown University

Bryn Mawr College

California Institute of Technology

Carleton College

Clemson University

Colby College

Colgate University

College of the Holy Cross

College of William & Mary

Colorado College

Columbia University

Connecticut College

Cornell University

Dartmouth College

Davidson College

Duke University

Emory University

Franklin & Marshall College

Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering

Georgia Institute of Technology

Grinnell College

Hamilton College

Harvard University

Haverford College

Illinois State University

Indiana University at Bloomington

James Madison University

Johns Hopkins University

Miami University of Ohio

Michigan State University

Middlebury College

Mount Holyoke College

North Carolina State University

Northeastern University

Northwestern University

Oberlin College

Ohio State University

Penn State

Pomona College

Princeton University

Purdue University

Reed College

Rice University

Rutgers University at New Brunswick

Skidmore College

Smith College

St. Olaf College

Stanford University

State University of New York at Geneseo

State University of New York at Buffalo

Swarthmore College

Texas A&M University

Tufts University

Union College

University of Chicago

University of Connecticut

University of Florida

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

University of Maryland at College Park

University of Michigan

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

University of Missouri

University of New Hampshire

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

University of Notre Dame

University of Pennsylvania

University of Pittsburgh

University of Rochester

University of South Carolina

University of Vermont

University of Virginia

University of Washington

Vanderbilt University

Vassar College

Virginia Tech

Washington University in St. Louis

Wellesley College

Wesleyan University

Williams College

Yale University

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80 colleges and universities announce plan for new application and new approach to preparing high school students

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As 80 colleges unite to create new application and portfolio platform for high school students, a look at who is in and who is not (for now), how colleges plan to use the service, and how Common Application is responding.

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3 Holistic College Admissions Trends to Watch | College Admissions Playbook | US News

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3 Holistic College Admissions Trends to Watch | College Admissions Playbook | US News

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Advice on Putting Together Your Application | Yale College Undergraduate Admissions

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Advice on Putting Together Your Application | Yale College Undergraduate Admissions

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Advice on Putting Together Your Application

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Students commonly want to know what part of the college application "carries the most weight." The truth is, there are many parts to your application, and together they help us discover and appreciate your particular mix of qualities. Academic criteria are important to Yale's selective admissions process, but we look at far more than test scores and grades.

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Advice College Admissions Officers Give Their Own Kids - The New York Times

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Advice College Admissions Officers Give Their Own Kids - The New York Times

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While most parents find the college process stressful and bewildering, we interviewed some who have a unique perspective: admissions officers who are also the parents of teenagers and college students themselves. They know that while parents can't control where their child is admitted, they can influence whether their teenager views the college process as stressful and frustrating or as an exciting time filled with opportunity.

These admissions officers tell their own children that high school is far more than just a pathway to college - it's a time for maturation, self-discovery, learning and fun. They encourage their teens to embrace activities and courses that reflect who they genuinely are, not who they think colleges want them to be.

We interviewed admissions officers at Allegheny College, Georgia Tech, Kenyon College, M.I.T., Penn State, Vanderbilt, U.C.L.A., U.N.C.-Chapel Hill and the University of Richmond. Every one of them emphasized the importance of their child finding a college that fits, not the other way around.

With throngs of high school juniors about to embark on college visits over their spring breaks, here is their advice. (Interviews have been edited and condensed.)
Diane Anci, vice president for enrollment management and dean of admissions and financial aid, Kenyon College
"Before the college brochures make their way into our house, I plan to ask my son a series of questions that I hope will help him define the type of collegiate environment in which he will be most happy and do his best work. Knowing who you are provides a protective armor in a process that can be overwhelming. Not only are you inundated with communication from the colleges, everyone you know has an opinion of what is a good college and what is not, and they feel very free to express it. It's empowering for a teen to be able to say, 'I'm the kind of person who...' "

Here are some of the questions she plans to ask her own kid:

Do you like the idea of being the smartest student in your class or surrounded by really smart kids?

Is it important to find a specific course of study or to have a wide range of options?

Do you like the idea of meeting five new people a day or finding five people who will be your friends for life?

Are you drawn to familiar people and places or are you excited by a new region, meeting students from across the nation and around the world?

Do you prefer to work in a highly collaborative environment or are you energized by competition?

Clark Brigger, executive director for undergraduate admissions, Penn State University
"I tell my kids, 'Do not wait for the deadline to submit your applications.' There's a rule in our house that I pay for the applications completed before Labor Day, but after that, my children are responsible for the fees. Getting those applications in early is the best way to reduce stress senior year. I want them to do well in their academic courses and extracurricular activities and to enjoy that last year of high school. Why spend it struggling with applications?"

"As an admissions officer, when that deadline comes around, I see a huge spike in applications. That's when the procrastinators send them in. It's advantageous to get ahead of the bubble. Think about it strategically: there are thousands of applications and essays to get through. If you get yours in early, the reader may be more relaxed and in a better mood at that point in the process."
Doug Christiansen, vice provost for university enrollment affairs, dean of admissions and financial aid, Vanderbilt University
An essential lesson of the college process is learning to make and manage big life decisions and weather setbacks, says Mr. Christiansen. "As parents we know that our kids may not get accepted everywhere they apply. I advise students to complete all of their applications ahead of the early decision news [when] they are in a positive frame of mind. It is far easier to rebound from disappointment and proceed when you have a game plan already in place."

"When a rejection letter arrives, I see parents who can't even move on because they are so mad at the school. But that is not letting the child move on. Then it is almost like the next school they get admitted to and may attend is a disappointment. Instead, tell your child: 'It didn't work, it is their loss, you're wonderful, now what do we need to do to go forward?'"
Youlonda Copeland-Morgan, associate vice chancellor, enrollment management, University of California, Los Angeles
"Community service is an expectation in our household. We raised our kids to understand that they have a responsibility to make their community better and to give back. My job was to make sure intellectually that they understood the value of community service and why it was important. I think community service should come from the heart. It's important that students don't engage in community service because somebody else wants them to. Find something you are passionate about, or you are interested in if you are too young to know what your passions are."

"We would talk a lot with our sons about leadership opportunities, and I think that's the area where we had to give them more guidance. We would say to our sons: Where do you think you can be of greater help? What's going on at your school, what are the issues? What are the things you like to do where you could provide leadership? With the church there's a youth group: You've been a part of this group for a long time; do you think it is time for you to step up and do something different? This matters in your college application."
Stephen Farmer, vice provost for enrollment and undergraduate admissions, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
"When my son was applying to schools, I never read his essay. Parents can sometimes do more harm than good with the essay. My advice to students is to first show your essay to a friend and ask, 'Can you hear my voice in this? Could you pick my essay from a stack of 200?' The essay doesn't have to be about something life-changing or confessional. Smaller topics, written well, almost always work best."

"My wife and I have tried to give our kids some air and room to breathe growing up. We never checked their homework or felt like their schooling was a family project. It was their life and their work - we provided guidance. In the end, our kids need our love more than they need our direction about college. If that direction gets in the way of the love, it's not helpful and it's not worth it."
Cornell B. LeSane II, vice president for enrollment and dean of admissions, Allegheny College
"My daughter, now a high school senior, has been the driver of the process. Sure, there have been times when I've been the backseat driver: Are you sure, and have you thought about this or that? As a parent, it's impossible not to do that. But you need to allow them to find their way."

"As an admissions officer, I've had parents tell me, 'Oh, we missed a deadline - that's my fault.' At that point I'm thinking - just how interested is the student in our school? I'm not a fan of parents taking over the process. Let the students be the drivers, let them take ownership. Parents should be a great sounding board, but they should not be the ones filling out the applications."
Stuart Schmill, dean of admissions, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
"What I tell students, and my own kids, is that you don't have to take every advanced class. My high school daughter, for example, is taking advanced math and science courses but chose not to take advanced English and history. You should challenge yourself. For some students this might mean taking the most advanced classes, but it also might mean taking the most advanced classes appropriate for that student, and not spreading themselves too thin."

Applicants do not need to tick off a laundry list of engagement in every field, like art, music, sports, Mr. Schmill explains. "M.I.T., and other highly selective colleges, want students who prioritize quality over quantity." Mr. Schmill offers high school students this litmus test when choosing extracurricular activities: "If you couldn't write about this on your college application, would you still do it?' If the answer is 'no,' then you shouldn't be doing it."
Laura Simmons, assistant director, undergraduate admissions, Georgia Institute of Technology
"For our children, it's important to earn some money in the summer, so they can do things like put gas in the car. As an admissions officer, that plays right into what I am looking for in the admission process: I'm not looking for students to have done any particular activity in the summer; but instead, I'm looking to see how students grew from whatever they undertook. I do see students who are doing magnificent research and that is a great thing. And I see students, like my daughter, who are working as a lifeguard at the pool all summer, and they are both learning from those experiences."

"There are some majors here where, if students don't have any connection to that major, it's hard for us to predict if they will be successful in it. But in some cases that experience can also come from something they did during the school year. My daughter, for example, is interested in journalism and communications, and she writes during the school year. Over the summer, we don't feel she needs to do more."
Gil Villanueva, associate vice president and dean of admission, University of Richmond
"As my son prepares his college list, I'm going to hand him a spreadsheet. Across the top will be the schools, and down the side will be the list of things he feels are most important to him in a college. When he visits these schools and does his research, he'll fill in the spreadsheet, and it will be a nice road map for him. At some point, once you visit two or three schools in a day or five schools a week, they begin to blend, and you definitely want some bread crumbs to remind you of where you've been."

"On the same spreadsheet, I'll have him track what I call the 'three rates' for each college. The first is the retention rate: Are students returning as sophomores? Because if they are, then I make the argument that they have had a very good experience, their needs are met. Next is the graduation rate. A fifth year or a sixth year in a college represents forgone income or time that you are not in graduate school - and you are not going to get that back. The last rate is the placement rate or 'student outcomes.' What are students doing six months, a year or five years after graduation? Are they employed, are they in graduate school, what type of companies or organizations do they work for? The three rates gives parents and students peace of mind that they've done their research."

Jennifer Breheny Wallace is a freelance writer based in New York and the mother of three children. You can follow her on Twitter @Wallacejennieb
Lisa Heffernan is the author of three business books, including a New York Times business best seller, and writes about parenting during the high school and college years at Grown and Flown. You can find her on Facebook.

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Advice College Admissions Officers Give Their Own Kids

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While most parents find the college process stressful and bewildering, we interviewed some who have a unique perspective: admissions officers who are also the parents of teenagers and college students themselves. They know that while parents can't control where their child is admitted, they can influence whether their teenager views the college process as stressful and frustrating or as an exciting time filled with opportunity.

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College Planning - Getting advice, choosing a college and finding a career

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College Planning - Getting advice, choosing a college and finding a career

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College Planning | Getting advice, choosing a college and finding a career

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There are many things you can do now to learn more about yourself and begin planning for your future.

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9th Grade Checklists | Federal Student Aid

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9th Grade Checklists | Federal Student Aid

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Students To Do: Take challenging classes in core academic subjects. Most colleges require four years of English, at least three years of social studies (history, civics, geography, economics, etc.), three years of mathematics, and three years of science, and many require two years of a foreign language.

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The College Board - College Admissions - SAT - University & College Search Tool

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The College Board - College Admissions - SAT - University & College Search Tool

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College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools

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College Board is a non-profit organization that clears a path for all students to own their future through the AP Program, SAT Suite, BigFuture, and more.

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10th Grade Checklists | Federal Student Aid

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10th Grade Checklists | Federal Student Aid

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Students To Do: Meet with your school counselor or mentor to discuss colleges and their requirements. Consider taking a practice Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), or check out the ACT Aspire exam "sandbox."

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16 17 IHS College Resource Handbook.pdf - Google Drive

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16 17 IHS College Resource Handbook.pdf - Google Drive

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Find Colleges - College Search Step-By-Step

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Find Colleges - College Search Step-By-Step

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Find Colleges | College Search Step-By-Step

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Get a step-by-step guide to using College Board's College Search.

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2016 College Resource Fair - IssaquahHSCCC

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2016 College Resource Fair - IssaquahHSCCC

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2016 College Resource Fair - IssaquahHSCCC

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College Basics for High School Juniors - The New York Times

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College Basics for High School Juniors - The New York Times

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Daniel F. Chambliss is a Eugene M. Tobin Distinguished Professor of Sociology at Hamilton College and an author (with Christopher G. Takacs) of "How College Works," a coming book from Harvard University Press.
For high school juniors who attend a prep or elite public school, advisers are readily available to help you find the right college. For everyone else, here are the basics.

The No. 1 Rule in College Basics

First, you must go. Unless you have a good trade (electrician, plumber) or plan a military career, a college degree is necessary for a decent life in 21st-century America.

Unfortunately, college will be very expensive. The good news, however, is that a decent college education is the best product you'll ever buy. It never breaks. It doesn't rot, it can't be stolen, and it won't burn down. It's impervious to floods and global warming. If you sell it (and you will), you'll still be able it to sell it over and over again. It will make you wealthier, healthier and better at solving problems. All told, an excellent purchase.

Think About What You Want

"It's all about 'good fit' - figuring out what you want out of college, and finding the college that best fits," said Cassie Magesis, a college counselor at Goddard Riverside Community Center.

Think seriously about your goals, your strengths and your weaknesses, how you work, what support (financial and personal) you'll need and so on. Once you know what works for you, you're halfway there.

Calculate the Costs

Of course, financial "fit" is crucial. Unless your parents are wealthy or savvy savers, you'll probably have to borrow some money. Figure out what you think college will cost - and include everything.

"I can't tell you how many kids have to drop out of CUNY, which they commute to, because they can't afford the monthly MetroCard," Ms. Magesis said.

Check the financial aid packages available. Some of the most expensive private colleges offer lavish financial aid packages to lower-income students they want. Harvard famously charges nothing - nothing - to enrolled students with family incomes under $60,000.

One more thing: Don't borrow so much that you change your career plans and your life to pay for college. College exists to help your life, not your life to help college.

Do Your Research

How do you find the right school? Guidebooks, available at most libraries, can help you get a feel for different colleges, and U.S. News listings provide a rough guide for different quality of institutions. Lots of people knock the rankings, but realistically, prestige does matter. People (employers, for instance) will care where you went to college.

It's also a good idea to talk with college graduates, especially people familiar with various colleges - teachers you trust, family friends, graduates of different schools.

Online programs, I should note, are not for your typical recent high school graduate. They work best for strongly motivated adults who have a clear career path or want training for specific jobs. They basically increase access by providing less college: less face time with caring teachers, less campus life with other students, less "atmosphere." A good traditional campus with close faculty member contact is a better choice for most young people.

Overall, people matter more than programs, and teachers matter more than topics. For traditional students, motivation will be the crucial factor in your college success, and some colleges are better at motivating their students. Small classes, good teachers, exciting lectures, fellow students who really want to learn: these are the factors to watch for. Find those, and you'll get the deal of a lifetime.
We'd like to continue this discussion with you. Do you have experience and advice that you'd like to share with rising high school juniors? Please feel free to do so in the comments box below.

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Daniel F. Chambliss is a Eugene M. Tobin Distinguished Professor of Sociology at Hamilton College and an author (with Christopher G. Takacs) of "How College Works," a coming book from Harvard University Press. For high school juniors who attend a prep or elite public school, advisers are readily available to help you find the right college.

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11th Grade Checklists | Federal Student Aid

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11th Grade Checklists | Federal Student Aid

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Applying to College With The New York Times - The New York Times

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Applying to College With The New York Times - The New York Times

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If you're a college-bound student who could use some help understanding how to apply to college, and how to pay for it, The New York Times may be able to help.

We've combed through the archives of The Choice to help students understand and navigate college admission and financial aid. (Though the blog was discontinued in June, its posts are still available.) When relevant, we have also included recent Learning Network lesson plans.

We hope this online guide will help clarify how the admission process works and help you find and apply to the college that best fits your academic and financial needs.

Click on the categories below to go directly to that section:

Counselor's Calendar
Timely advice from experts for students who want to stay on track during the college admission process. For Seniors: For Juniors:
The Envelope, Please
High school seniors from around the world blog about their college searches.
Will Walker, in his introductory post, writes that he never cured cancer or built a spaceship, but he is trying to capture a university's attention. Go to related article "

Meet the High School Class of 2013 | This class features two students from around the world: Maimuna Abdi Yussuf, a Somali student who was raised in Kenya and attends African Leadership Academy, a private school in Johannesburg; and Sush Krishnamoorthy, from New Delhi, who attends Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, a private school in India. Other student-bloggers include Leobardo Espinoza Jr., a first-generation college student whose parents never attended high school; Candice Childress, of Las Vegas, who enjoys "all those wonderful, moth-bitten old grandma things" and is hoping to restore the film industry to its former glory; and Bryan Stromer, a student with cerebral palsy who attends a public high school in New York City and is hoping to be an advocate for students with disabilities.

Meet the High School Class of 2012 | One attends a Minnesota public high school and dreams of becoming a veterinarian. Another is an aspiring screenwriter who attends Brooklyn Technical High School in New York City and whose college list doesn't include "heavy-hitting titles such as Harvard, Yale and Brown," because his parents have given him a clear mantra: "Forget privates, let's talk SUNY." Another is a high school senior in Long Beach, Calif., who is vacillating between practicality and dreaming big - he is applying to four University of California campuses, as well as Harvard, Princeton and Columbia - while thinking about how much financial aid he might reasonably receive.

Meet the High School Class of 2011 | Six seniors at Cherry Creek High, a public school in Denver, blog about their college searches. You'll meet Kori Hazel, a son of divorced parents who likens the college search to a prison sentence; Avery DiUbaldo, who is applying to theater programs and has already submitted all of his applications ahead of the Jan. 1 deadline; Michael Campbell, who says he must have missed "the take-it-easy-senior-year thing" and who describes himself as afraid of rejection; and Uyanga Tamir, a native of Mongolia who is desperately in need of scholarship assistance, but knows that few schools are "need-blind" in their assessment of international students.

Meet the High School Class of 2010 | The inaugural class of the " Envelope, Please " series includes Anne Paik, a senior at Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles who has applied to a dozen colleges, including the University of California, Los Angeles; Columbia; Amherst; and Pitzer. She writes: "Simply put, if I can't afford the price tag of my dream school, I can't go." Another is Brett Ferdinand, who attends Cedar Park High School, a public school outside Austin, Tex. Brett writes about missing a critical application deadline at the University of Texas at Austin, which he had considered his "safety school" - raising the stakes for the decision letters he will soon receive from Rice, the University of Virginia and Duke, among other universities.

Choosing a College

How to find colleges that fit your academic and financial needs.
Specifically: Beginning the Search | Rankings | Determining College Fit | Making Your College List

From 'Today' on NBC: Beginning the Search

College Basics for High School Juniors 4 Sure-Fire Ways to Derail Your College Search College Options (And Strategies) for the 'B' and Even 'C' Student The Top Places to Study Video Game Design - For Credit Further Scrutiny of For-Profit Colleges How Important Is the College You Choose? Some 'Colleges That Change Lives' Put Ivy Admission Rates in Perspective Forget Who's No. 1 or No. 138: How to Use the U.S. News Rankings 'Ignore the Rankings' and Other Advice From the College Life Fair Yale vs. U.S. News & World Report 'Best Colleges'? Counselors Beg to Differ With U.S. News
Learning Network Lesson Plan | Preparing for the Future: Improving College Readiness

Tip Sheet: On the Wisdom and Merits of Exploring 'Less Visible' Colleges

The Choice and Colleges That Change Lives on Minnesota Public Radio

A Key Factor in the College Search: Your Learning Style Community College Serves as a Path to Four-Year Institutions Why Go to College at All? Making the Case for the Liberal Arts A West Coast University Targets Spanish Speakers Struggling with English How to Assess a College's Mental Health Offerings The Best College for You May Be One You Have Not Considered This Land: At an Age for Music and Dreams, Real Life Intrudes Tip Sheet | 5 Ways To Find Your College Fit Going to College While You're Still in High School Debating the Merits of Leaving High School Early to Go to College Is College for Everyone? Struggling to Pick a College? Try a Pro-Con List How Applicants Winnow Their Choices (as Reported by Parents) Keeping Quiet About a Daughter's College Choices Drafting a College List in a Tough Economy
College Visits
When a College Visits Your High School Don't Wear One College's Sweatshirt When Visiting a Rival Campus, and Other Tour Tips Planning a College Visit? Readers Suggest Questions to Ask What (Not) to Ask on a Campus Tour 'Do You Have My Major?' and Other College Questions to Avoid Tips From Dad, the College President, on Making the Most of a Campus Visit Sit In on College Courses, Without the Visit How to Make the Most of a College Visit Tip Sheet: Planning a College Tour? Get Used to 'New England in Mud Season' Colleges Tell Tour Guides to Stop Walking Backwards Advice From Mother and Daughter on Visiting Colleges When the College Tour Takes a Detour to a Keg Party
Standardized Tests
Colleges Acknowledge SAT and ACT Score Cut-Offs in Admissions How Admissions Directors at Penn and Michigan Think About Test Scores From Education Life: Digging Below The Surface of 'SAT-Optional' SAT v. ACT, as Chronicled by Fortune magazine An Argument Against Taking (and Retaking) the SAT and ACT Middlebury Dean Says SAT or ACT Score Is 'Seldom a Deal Breaker' Getting In Without the SAT A New Book Argues Against the SAT Questions for the SAT's Top Cop Teachers Say A.P. Courses Are Filled With Students Trying to Improve Their Résumés
Applying to College
Specifically: The Admission Process | Early Admission | Completing the Application | Writing the Essay | The Interview
Snapshot of One College's Admissions Process

Tip Sheet | 8 Things Admissions Officers Wish You Knew About Applying to College Should a College Applicant 'Friend' an Admissions Officer? A Private School Counselor Offers His Take on Independent Counselors For Hire for Hundreds of Dollars, or Thousands, Independent Counselors Proliferate Protecting Friendships During the College Admissions Process A Warning: Colleges Can Change Their Minds 28 Summer Reading Suggestions From College Admission Experts College Admissions Tips for Military Veterans The Shifting Definitions of Merit in Admissions
2009 Guidance Office | Guidance Office: Submit Your Questions to Harvard's Dean of Admissions | Answers: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Part 4 | Part 5 | Sifting Your Harvard Questions, Looking For Parenting (and Other) Lessons
You Got Deferred. Now What? Cautionary Advice Before Hitting the Early Decision Button The Case for Early Decision Commentary: Too Many Applications May Be a Crapshoot White? Black? Hispanic? Why Not All of the Above? Tip Sheet | How to Apply to a Performing Arts School When Listing Extracurricular Activities, No Need to Fill All Blanks Advice From a Dean of Admissions on Selecting High School Courses Proofread That Application, Unless You Want to Be 'Excepted' With Waived Fees and Express Processing, College Applications Emulate Credit Card Companies Disclose Disciplinary Infractions, Admissions Officials Say Some Checklists for Those Applying, or Already Decided The Perils of Being Too Cute in Your Application 'The Ideal High School Graduate' Please Submit a Transcript, Essay and ... Reference Letter From Your Dad? Is There a Place on the College Application to Divulge Cheating? Note to Applicants: Admissions Officers Do Read What Your Teachers Say Your Admissions Essay, Live on Stage Learning Network Lesson Plan | Getting Personal: Writing College Essays for the Common Application Learning Network Lesson Plan | Going Beyond Cliché: How to Write a Great College Essay Tip Sheet: An Admissions Dean Offers Advice on Writing a College Essay How to Write a College Application Essay
The Almighty Essay
The College Essay as an Early Memoir A Plea From the Admissions Office to Go for the 'Dangerous' Essay Treating a College Admissions Essay Like a First Date The End of a One-Word Essay Question (Discuss) 'Some of the More Mundane Moments in Life Make Great Essays' Hearing the Voice of a 51-Year-Old Man in the Essay of a 17-Year-Old Girl Not the 'Hook' the Admissions Office Had in Mind Check Every Word Before Hitting 'Send' (And What to Do if You Didn't) A Few Essays That Worked (and a Few That Didn't) Juniors: In the Quiet of Summer, Start Your Essays Crafting an Application Essay That 'Pops' Stuck on the Essay? Try Writing a Letter to an Imaginary College Roommate On College Essay, Write About Something That Made You 'Feel Deeply' Advice on Whittling Your Admissions Essay What the New Dean at Pomona Looks For in an Essay Tip Sheet: An Admissions Dean Offers Advice on Writing a College Essay Alumni Interview, the Home Version Do Admissions Interviews Matter? Free Fashion Advice for College Interviews, From a $15,000 Consultant
Choosing a Major
Calculating the Potential Return on Your Major Choosing a Practical Major Does the College Major Matter? Not Really Creating Your Own Major, From 'Keeping It Real' to 'Grand Romantic Gestures' Your College Major May Not Be As Important As You Think
Paying for College

2011 Guidance Office | Seeking Your Questions on Financial Aid | Answers:
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7

2010 Guidance Office | Seeking Your Questions on the Fafsa | Answers: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7

2011 Guidance Office | Seeking Your Questions on Scholarships and Student Loans | Answers: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7
Learning Network Lesson Plan | When College May Not Be Worth the Cost: Examining Student Loan Debt When Admitted Students Change Their Minds and Request Financial Aid Borrowers of Private Student Loans Face Challenges, Report Finds Only One in Three Full-Time Students Pays Full Tuition Expert Advice on the Best Ways to Secure Financial Aid How Final Is a College's Financial Aid Offer? Transferring to a State University, and Saving Tens of Thousands of Dollars in the Bargain How to Compare Financial Aid Award Letters How Much Merit Aid Will Your College Offer? Take a Look That Merit-Based Aid Offer Is Final, Universities Insist Brennan's Quest: Helping His Parents by Securing $25,000 in Merit Aid Tips on Finding and Securing Scholarships On the Bucks Blog: Weighing the Financial Appeal of Community College
Paying for College Without Loans, Scholarships or Looting Your Parents' Retirement
A Cheaper Way to Get Textbooks: Rent Raising Questions About Why College Is So Costly Questioning a College President About the High Cost of College Talks About Financial Aid (and Finances) Don't End After Freshman Year
Decision Time
Specifically: Getting In | When the Envelope Arrives | Deciding Where to Enroll
How One College Evaluates a Transcript
Shedding Further Light on How One College Decides
Debating Legacy Admissions at Yale, and Elsewhere Why So Many Applications for So Few Elite Spots? Continuing the Discussion Is There a Danger in Pestering an Admissions Officer?

When the Envelope Arrives
College Decision Checklist: However It Arrives, Check Your Envelope at Home Tip Sheet: If You Are Accepted, Rejected or Deferred Tip Sheet: What to Do After Your Admissions Decision Arrives 6 Tips About College Admissions Results Advice From the Keeper of a Long Waiting List On the Joys of Not Getting What You Want College Decision Beckoning to Be Unveiled? Please, Let It Wait Until You Get Home. What to Do While on a College Wait List What to Do if You Are Deferred to the Regular Decision Pool Bracing Students, and Parents, to Hear 'No' Senioritis A Potential Vaccination for 'Senioritis' University Sends 'Fear of God' Letter to Students With Senioritis A Dean's Advice to Seniors: Don't Slack Off 7 Reasons to Avoid Senioritis

Deciding Where to Enroll
For the Undecided, Some Resources to Help Make a College Choice When a Friend Chooses a College, Be Happy or Be Quiet Tip Sheet: Making the Final College Decision The College Decision From the Professors' Perspective
On Campus

Advice on the Transition From Applicant to College Student
7 Things Graduating Seniors Should Know About College Tip Sheet | How to Succeed in College On Going to College, and Saying Goodbye Now That You've Gotten In A Pre-College Summer To-Do List Advice for Smart Students on Succeeding in College Lessons From a College Student: Finding Your Fit on Campus Put Yourself Out There and Do Something Crazy College Is a Journey, Not a Destination A Co-Ed Dorm Room? That Wasn't Mentioned on the College Tour A Daughter Responds to a Mother's Anger Over a Co-Ed Dorm Room Sharing a Dorm Room With a Student of a Different Race
2010 Guidance Office | When a Stuffed Animal Won't Do, Some Colleges Welcome the Family Dog | Answers: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

For Parents
Pestering Parents: The Admissions Office Perspective Keeping Secrets: Where Children Applied to College A To-Do (and To-Don't) List for Parents College Admissions Advice for 'Neurotic' Parents A Manual for 'Helicopter Parents' to Land Their Aircraft
What advice would you give college-bound students as they navigate the admissions process? Please share your ideas and suggest additional resources in the comment box below.

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Applying to College With The New York Times

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If you're a college-bound student who could use some help understanding how to apply to college, and how to pay for it, The New York Times may be able to help. We've combed through the archives of The Choice to help students understand and navigate college admission and financial aid.

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BigFuture - Get Ready for College - College Planning, Financial Aid, Educator Resources

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BigFuture - Get Ready for College - College Planning, Financial Aid, Educator Resources

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BigFuture - Get Ready for College - College Planning, Financial Aid, Educator Resources

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Choosing a college is a big and exciting decision. Explore your interests and take the time to find a college that will put you on a path to a bright future.