Juniors: This is the right time for you to start preparing for the SAT & ACT

If it’s your junior year, odds are that your thoughts have turned to standardized tests. Maybe you’re still deciding whether you’ll take the ACT or the SAT. Perhaps you’re looking ahead at your calendar to plan possible test dates, or you’ve purchased a study guide that is beginning to gather dust on your shelves.

As a junior, standardized tests may seem a distant reality until the spring when suddenly it’s time to get serious about them. During the first semester, you may be thinking that you have plenty of time to get studying. Maybe you’re even thinking that if you begin to study now, you’ll forget everything you learn before test day. Rest assured, though, that when the second semester rolls around, the heat will be on.

In reality, the first semester of junior year is the perfect time to get serious about preparing for your ACT or SAT. To learn more about why you should start prepping for standardized tests during the first semester of your junior year, keep reading.

Underestimating ACT and SAT Time Commitment

If you’re like most juniors, you’ve had your share of tests already. You’ve probably taken on finals or maybe even a few AP exams already. You might think that prepping for tests is no big deal. We hate to be the bearers of bad news, but the time commitment involved with preparing for other tests, even when it represents a year’s worth of knowledge, is still minimal in comparison to the preparation required to tackle an SAT or ACT. Here’s why.

The SAT and ACT are unlike any other tests you’ve ever taken. If you took the PSAT as a junior, (which you definitely should, if there’s any question,) then you have some idea of the test format and content. Essentially these tests don’t just simply test a collection of knowledge, but also a variety of skills, thought processes, and strategies. Preparing for them requires a variety of different approaches, and it isn’t something you can master in a few weeks.

Many students believe that prepping for the SAT or ACT should take roughly four to six weeks. While this does represent a significant time drain for the serious student, it is still just a scratch on the surface. To really prepare, absorb, and master all the test knowledge and techniques that you’ll need on exam day, you need roughly nine months. At first glance this may seem excessive, but remember that most students take these tests more than once, so allowing six months of prep before your first test date will leave you another three months of prep to improve before your second test date.

Underestimating the time commitment involved with successfully mastering the materials and strategy necessary to ace your standardized tests is an all too common error. To really make sure you’re ready to perform at the peak of your ability, allow about nine months for standardized test preparations.

Overestimating the SAT vs ACT Decision

We know lots of students who say that they aren’t ready to begin test prep because they have yet to decide which standardized test they’ll take. While this is indeed an important decision that bears careful consideration, it is no reason to delay actual test preparations. In fact, even if you choose the “wrong” test for your unique skills and situation, the time you can spend preparing for it if you begin now should more than pay off for making an earlier decision about which test you’ll take.

In other words, the benefit of selecting the right test cannot outweigh the score improvement of slow and gradual preparations over a prolonged period. Selecting which test you’ll take is an important decision, but it’s one that you are more than ready to make right now. If this choice is what’s holding you back, take the plunge and make your best decision possible. Starting to study for your test now will more than pay off in the end.

Underestimating the Number of Practice Tests Recommended

While studying for the test can and will take up the majority of your prep time, many students forget to consider how much time will also be spent on practice tests. Keep in mind that these tests are lengthy. A realistic practice test will mimic an actual test not only in content but also in format. This means that it will take as long as an actual test, up to half a day!

Most students believe that two or three practice tests is a lot to take before your actual test day. At EdBrand, we recommend more. To start with, we recommend a formative assessment at the very beginning of your studying to help guide your progress. This is a practice test before you even begin studying. In addition, we recommend two or three more practice tests along the way.

While this might seem like a nonissue if you have yet to take one, seasoned test takers know that a practice test can take up to four hours to complete, and then another two to three hours to review. This essentially means a whole day needs to be spent on each one. To ensure that you have enough time in your undoubtedably busy schedule, don’t delay.

Why Now Is the Perfect Time to Get Started

Junior year is no cakewalk. If you’re feeling the pressure already, rest assured that there will be some relief headed your way soon. The winter term of junior year is generally the slowest. You’ll be past the phase of settling into new classes, learning the ropes of new teachers, and simply navigating a whole new workload. At the same time, you aren’t yet feeling the weight of college applications or standardized tests seriously around the corner.

For these reasons, starting your standardized test prep now is a great idea. Take advantage of the time that you have to allow a steadily progressing approach to standardized tests. Many strategies such as time management are ones that cannot be learned overnight, but instead need to be carefully calculated for your individual pacing requirements. This means getting a head start to learn more about your own strengths and weaknesses before perfecting your approach.

Remember, while you can always dial back your study time later on if you feel you have everything under control, you’ll never be able to get back lost time if you start later and wish you hadn’t. It’s best to dive into studying for your ACT or SAT now, and then put on the brakes later if you can.

Come chat with us if you need more help planning your road to college! 

Guide to Extracurricular Activities for students in Class 11

Besides being a fun and engaging way to socialize and interact with other high school students, extracurriculars are an extremely important part of your high school record, and their impact on your future college applications is something you should already be keeping in mind.

Your extracurriculars can teach you useful skills, provide leadership opportunities, and allow you to pursue your interests in ways that stretch far beyond the classroom. 11th grade — the last full year of high school you’ll have to show on your college applications — is a particularly significant time for your extracurriculars, and you’ll need to keep a careful eye on how you develop your involvement during this school year.

Interested in learning more about how to strengthen your extracurricular activity resume in 11th grade? Below, we’ll go over what makes 11th grade special, what to expect in 11th grade, and what you should aim for when considering your 11th-grade extracurricular involvement.

What’s so special about extracurriculars in 11th grade?

As you’ve most likely already heard, 11th grade is a very important year for your future college applications. This is true for two reasons.

One reason is that once you reach 11th grade, you have a great deal more experience than you did when you started high school, and your potential for achievement is much higher. With your accumulated experience, you’ll have the opportunity to become a leader, take on additional responsibilities, and perhaps even create lasting change in your school or community.

Your accomplishments during this time period are significant for your personal development, but they’re also highly useful when you apply to college. College applications will require you not only to list your activities, but to detail your involvement in each extracurricular. Your achievements and the roles you take on during your junior year can demonstrate to colleges that you’re dedicated, hardworking, and proactive in pursuit of your passions.

The other factor contributing to the importance of 11th grade to your applications is simply that the timing of the college application process places special emphasis on your junior-year record. Assuming that you’ll fill out your college applications in the fall of 12th grade, 11th grade will be the most recent full academic year for which colleges are able to see your academic and extracurricular performance.

Because 11th grade is quite important, it’s likely to be a busy year for you. Not only will your classes be more challenging, but competition among students for high grades and class rank can get fierce. You’ll also get started in earnest with the process of applying to college, which is no simple task.

If you’re thinking about applying to college through an Early Decision or Early Action program, You’ll need to have a solid resume ready to submit by October of your senior year at the latest.

Keeping on top of your extracurriculars while you manage these other tasks can be difficult, but maintaining and growing your extracurricular involvement is essential during this time. Remember, high grades and test scores alone won’t get you admitted to colleges, especially those with selective and holistic admissions policies.

What can I expect from extracurriculars in 11th grade?

As we mentioned above, once you’re in 11th grade, you can anticipate facing higher expectations from those around you, such as your coaches, advisors, or teammates. You’ll also have higher expectations for yourself. If you made it to the state tournament in tennis last year, for example, maybe this year your goal will be to reach the final round in that tournament. Your coaches or advisors can help you determine what goals are appropriate and how to set goals in a strategic, constructive way.

Meeting these new, higher expectations from yourself and others will take time. Unsurprisingly, you can expect your time commitment to your extracurriculars to increase, especially if you take on greater responsibilities and leadership roles. Between spending time with friends and family, tuitions, and getting a good night’s sleep, your days will be fuller than ever.

The increased time commitment for your extracurriculars, along with the responsibilities of keeping up your grades and starting the college application process, means that you’ll have to develop your time-management skills to a higher degree. There are only so many hours in a day, and you’ll need to use those hours strategically.

Some people find that they need to reduce their total number of extracurricular activities in order to fit them into the available time. Others may decrease their involvement with one activity in order to prioritize another. It’s up to you to decide which of your extracurriculars are the most important — something we’ll address below — and create the right balance.

Overall, you should not be resistant to the idea of reducing your commitments in some area if you feel overwhelmed. Your mental and physical health should always take precedence over academic and extracurricular obligations. 

Your school or your guidance counselor may offer resources to help you manage your busy schedule and reduce your stress level as you work toward your college ambitions. Different methods work for different people, so be prepared to try several different paths to find the best one for you.

As you move through 11th grade and strengthen your extracurricular involvement, you can even start thinking about your long-term impact on your activity or organization. Even if you don’t take on a formal leadership title, you may be called upon to coach, manage, and set a good example for younger participants. You’ll have opportunities to shape your club or group and set it up for a successful future, with long-term plans and goals to aim for.

What should I be aiming for in my junior-year extracurriculars?

11th grade is the time to develop and deepen your skills in your extracurriculars. In recent years, colleges have preferred to see applications that are specialized — in other words, applications that display a deep commitment to a few key passions rather than shallow involvement in a large number of different activities.

If you enjoy a particular activity, you might think about also becoming involved in related activities in order to help demonstrate that specialization on your application. For example, if you love performing with the Drama Club, you might also strengthen your skills and your college applications by becoming involved in the local spoken-word poetry group, or become a news presenter for your school’s student news channel.

Obviously, you should take on leadership positions and additional responsibilities when possible. It’s also necessary to take these commitments seriously; they will require your time and effort to do well. Success in leadership positions not only demonstrates that your peers like and respect you, but shows colleges that you’ll have the dedication and the skills to make the most of the more independent opportunities that will become available to you after high school.

For competitive activities, you need to put significant work into analyzing and preparing for competitions. Being a member of the team is far from all that matters, and on your resume and college applications, you’ll be expected to describe what you actually accomplished in as concrete terms as possible. It’s difficult for colleges to place the quality of your extracurricular involvement on an objective scale, but your success in competition offers one small way to quantitatively determine your success.

If your extracurricular activities include athletic involvement, and you’re an especially talented athlete, you’ll need to learn about the athletic recruitment process (if you haven’t already done so) and determine whether it might play a role in your college application process

For any extracurricular, you’ll also need to start thinking about whether and how you plan on continuing that activity in college. Not every college offers every extracurricular, of course, and if you are strongly interested in continuing your involvement past your high school graduation, you’ll need to check the opportunities available at each school before you decide to apply.

 In 11th grade, you’ll face not only increased demands on your time and responsibility, but some fantastic opportunities to create change, achieve high-level goals, and make a name for yourself through your extracurriculars. With the help of your counselor, advisors, coaches, Edbrand Mentors, and other supporters, it’s up to you to figure out which extracurricular path to take in order to best prepare you for the future.

How To Talk To Your Classmates About College

I know that all of you are working diligently through your college applications during this time of the year, your friends are likely doing the same thing. Some of your friends may even be applying to the same colleges as you, making them “competition” from a college admissions perspective.

How should you approach conversations about college applications with your friends, especially if you are competing for admission to the same schools? In this post, we’ll walk through the do’s and don’ts of talking to your peers and classmates about the college application process without invading their privacy or causing tension.

Things You CAN Ask Your Friends When Applying to College

If the topic of college applications comes up, you don’t want to reveal too much about your own applications, but you also shouldn’t antagonize your friends by shutting them down if it comes up.

If you do have to talk about college with your friends, here are some conversation points that are safe to hit:

• Basic Application Requirements: It’s okay to talk about things like application deadlines, number of recommendation letters required, and other information that can easily be found online. In fact, it may be beneficial to clarify this basic information with your friends to ensure that you are both filling out the application thoroughly and correctly.

• Asking How They’re Doing: College applications season can be a stressful time for both you and your friends. Even if you don’t want to help each other with the applications themselves, you should still be there for your friends and make sure that they are handling the added responsibility well.

• What You’re All Looking For in a College: You don’t have to ask your friends what colleges they are applying to specifically, but you can ask them general questions about what type of school they’re looking to attend and what factors they’re taking into consideration when making their college list. Your friends could even bring up some aspect of college that you hadn’t thought of or help you weigh the pros and cons of each university you are considering. These all may influence your decision to apply or attend a college.

Topics You May Want To Stay Away From When Talking About Colleges

Even if your friend group tells each other everything, you and your friends’ academic and extracurricular profile along with your college application is private information. It may be tempting to talk about your college applications with your friends, but you risk losing your edge in the application process if your friends decide to steal your application ideas or essay strategies. So when you’re discussing college applications, you want to stay away from topics that are confidential.

Some of these topics include:

• Academic Performance: Everyone’s grades, class rank, standardized test scores, and other metrics of academic performance are their own business. You may not want to ask your friends for the specifics of their grades and test scores even if your school seems to value it by ranking all of you.

• What Colleges You’re Applying To: This will vary from person to person. Some people are comfortable sharing which schools they’re applying to, and if that’s the case you should see whether you two are applying to similar schools and use it as an opportunity to collaborate. Some people, however, prefer not to share where they are applying to college. If that is the case, you should respect their wishes. It’s often difficult to tell what a person’s preferences are unless they’ve told you, so it may be best not to ask which colleges they are applying to just to be on the safe side.

• Any Extenuating Circumstances: Extenuating circumstances such as a disability, a difficult financial situation, or a disciplinary infraction are often touchy subjects. You may be seen as insensitive if you pry into these matters with your peers. It is worth noting, however, that these special circumstances could affect a college admissions decision, so be aware if you have any of these.

• Financial Aid: As mentioned above, it’s okay to discuss financial aid with your friends as long as you keep the questions general. What you shouldn’t do, however, is try to get very specific things like their scholarship and loan list or ask anything too personal like how much money they were awarded. As a general rule, don’t pry into any information that you wouldn’t be comfortable sharing yourself.

• Admissions Decisions: Eventually, your friends will share with you what college they’ve chosen. However, they may not be comfortable sharing which colleges they got into, which colleges waitlisted them, and which rejected them. If so, simply congratulate them when they tell you their final college choice and don’t push the subject.

I hope this helps and the very best for this whirlwind of a college season!

5 things 11th graders need to do this spring

It’s true—junior year of high school is kind of a big deal. It’s a barrage of standardized tests to take, grades to worry about, a whole slew of extracurriculars to juggle, and of course, impending college applications looming overhead.

So, as winter turns to spring and you start eyeing the summer months like a fox at a chicken farm, it’s tempting to hit the brakes with them and enjoy the slower pace as the school year winds down. Keep in mind that there are a handful of important tasks that you needs to attend to before you reach senior status. These things aren’t particularly time-consuming, but they’re important, and they’ll go more smoothly with a little parental insight and nudge along the way.

1. Have an honest conversation with your parents about life after high school.

It’s often our tendency to think that everyone follows the same prescribed path after that diploma lands in their hand, but it’s important to step back and realize that that’s not always the case. And without an honest conversation about planning and goals, you might find that you and your parents have different paths in mind.

Start with the idea that college isn’t always a given and even if you do choose to go to college, there are options whether that is applying early decision to the college of your top choice, taking a gap year before you head out.

There’s nothing wrong with any of these plans, especially if they are actually plans and not just last resorts. If your decisions for life after high school are made with a level head and some forethought, you're off to a good start, wherever the path leads.

2.  If college is on the horizon, make a college short-list.

Choose eight to 10 schools for your college list. However, students who are less picky can do six and the ultra-ambitious can aim for 12. There are a number of factors to consider when making this short-list. Although dining hall options and dorm life might factor into your decision, at this point the most important considerations are more likely to be things like college selectivity, geographical region, programs geared towards an intended major, and extracurricular offerings.

These are generally the most important factors to consider at this stage of the game. (Soft serve at the dining hall usually comes much later.)

Remember to take a good hard look at your test scores, grades, and extracurriculars to get a realistic idea of the kinds of schools he or she should consider. The shortlist should ideally contain about two or three safety schools, two or three reach schools, and four or five target schools.

3. Create a standardized test schedule.

Unfortunately, you can’t just show up at school on any given Saturday and take the SATs as the whim strikes them. The schedules for SAT tests and ACT tests are available online and announced well in advance, and the test is administered only a few times over the course of the school year.

One important reason to make sure you have finished a college short-list is so that you can plan to accommodate the necessary standardized tests. Many colleges or specific programs require certain SAT Subject Tests. Others require these subject tests only of students who take the SAT, but not of students who take the ACT. In any case, you need to know which standardized tests are required for each school on your short list.

It’s most likely that your teen has already taken an SAT or ACT by spring of junior year, but if not, now is definitely the time to get started. There are two spring test dates to choose from, and if your child is taking the SAT, it’s likely that one of those dates will be consumed by SAT Subject Tests, leaving only the other free for the SAT.

There are also two fall dates to choose from for both the SAT and the ACT. If you are considering an Early Decision application, try to take tests earlier to be sure that you’ll have plenty of time to send the scores to the appropriate school.

4. Take a critical look at extracurriculars.

 To call senior year busy is an understatement. Between classes, standardized tests, social life and all the inevitable milestones, time is at a premium. Review the extracurriculars you anticipate as you enter senior year.

If you are worried that you might being overextending, now is the time recalibrate. If you wait until the school year has begun, it’s likely that grades, test scores, or relationships with friends and family will already be impacted.

Generally, college admissions committees want to see leadership positions and dedication to a few key activities over time therefore cut activities that are time consuming and have no leadership positions. 

5. Plan a productive summer.

 After all the work of junior year, it’s probably tempting to spend the summer at the beach. But ultimately, this isn’t the best plan. Many college applications explicitly ask about how applicants spend their summer, and colleges that don’t ask directly still ask students to outline their activities and work experiences.

Plan a productive and meaningful summer. This could include a job or internship somehow related to an intended career path, or a summer program dedicated to important academics or extracurriculars. Some students pursue research opportunities or service projects. Others seize the chance to get college visits out of the way.

Whatever the case may be, make sure that there are some plans in place that will ensure that summer is a productive time.

It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement and the tumult of junior year. There is a lot at stake and it comes at a time when most teens are still trying to figure themselves out. Keep these five considerations in mind and be sure to go through them before the summer months to make sure that you’re working towards future goals.

Dealing with Rejection from the Top College of your Choice

Soon, high school seniors all around the country will be awaiting the arrival of college admissions decisions. While the method has changed from a paper envelope arriving in the mail to electronic delivery straight to your mobile device, one thing that hasn’t changed is the emotion of that moment. For some lucky students, an acceptance results in a wave of euphoria and sheer joy. For those less lucky, a rejection can trigger feelings of sorrow, grief, and even depression.

If you have your heart set on a singular dream school that you don’t ultimately get into, these feelings can be even more intense. You might feel overwhelmed. You might be tempted to crawl into bed and stay there. You may even worry that you’ll never achieve your other dreams either. Rest assured, though, that getting rejected from your top choice isn’t the end of the world. In fact, the majority of students who apply to selective colleges don’t actually get in.

In this post, we’ll discuss how you can deal with rejection from a top choice college and how to redirect your energy towards moving forward in a positive, productive way. To learn our top tips about coping with rejection from your top choice college, read on.

1. It’s Okay to Feel Heartbroken

For some students, college applications represent the culmination of many years of hard work. If you don’t get into your top school, you might feel like all of your hard work was for naught, and you may legitimately feel heartbroken. That’s okay; it’s a completely normal reaction to falling short of a goal you’ve work so hard towards.

While it’s natural to feel sorrow and the need to grieve, you can’t spend the remainder of your senior year in your bed. It may be helpful to set a self-imposed time constraint on the active grieving process. Allow yourself a few days to really indulge in self-care. Watch some movies, take a hot shower, and get takeout from your favorite restaurant. When a few days has passed, though, you’ll need to resolve to move forward. You might still feel sad, but it’s time to start channeling those emotions into something productive. At the end of your self-care days, get back up and prepare to take on the world again.

2. Don’t Take It Personally

You might think that your college admissions decisions are a direct indicator of your worth as a person or as a student. It’s important to remember that this is definitely not the case. College admissions decisions are based on so many factors that you can’t control. If you did your best to control the ones you could, then you need to know that there were other factors at play.

Maybe this was the year that the Division 1 Football team lost four starting players and one of those replacements edged you out of a seat. Perhaps 30 students from your town decided to apply to the same school and only one could be accepted. Maybe you were up against a fourth-generation legacy whose parents, grandparents, and great aunt all donate heavily each year.

You never know what other factors are at play in college admissions, so taking a rejection personally is never a good idea.

3. Your Top Choice College May Not Be The Best School For You

While it might seem like the most perfect college you could imagine, no college that doesn’t recognize what an amazing candidate you are is going to be the best fit for you. There are hundreds of amazing colleges out there, and odds are high that you will be able to succeed elsewhere if you set yourself to attending one that’s the best fit for you personally.

Start by identifying what it was about your dream school that made it so alluring. Was it the geographic locale, a specific academic program, or another aspect altogether? If you can pinpoint a few of the most desirable qualities, you can bet you’ll be able to find those same qualities at other schools that would be happy to have you as a student.

Redirect your focus to the schools that you did get in to. Join social media groups for accepted students. Reach out to current students or recent graduates. Network to learn more about each school and get a better feel for it. Visit campus again if you have a chance. The more you know about it, the better prepared you’ll be to make an informed decision about where you do go.

4. Ask Yourself What You’re Going to Make of This Opportunity

Instead of thinking of this as a door closing, think of it as one that has opened. You have an opportunity in front of you to start fresh. What are you going to do with this opportunity?

Shift your thinking to view this as an amazing chance to attend a college where you’re truly valued. If a college doesn’t want you, you’re probably better off elsewhere anyway. Some day, your alma mater will not matter nearly as much as what you made of your college experience. Will you be a dedicated student and a committed member of the community or will you begrudgingly go through your years there wishing you were someplace else? Only you can make this decision.  

5. Your College Choice Isn’t Binding

Finally, remember that you aren’t required to attend any single school for four years. While you definitely shouldn’t go into a college with the attitude that you can just transfer if something doesn’t go your way, it is important to keep perspective that you aren’t stuck someplace if it ends up being a bad fit. The best you can do is give it your best shot and then, if it doesn’t work out, consider transferring someplace else that will.

If you’ve been rejected from your top choice college, it’s only natural to feel a wide array of emotions that may range from grief to anger to self-doubt. There is no right way to feel when you get the news that you’ve been rejected, but there is a right way to recover. Reframing your thinking to recognize the opportunity before you and to capitalize on the chances that you do have will help you to land gracefully.

6 Things for Parents to Know About Winter Break

December is here and its around the time when your children are coming back from college. For some of you parents out there, this might be the first time your kids might be coming back and for those parents here are some things that you should know: 

1. Your kids will have changed

The first thing you will notice will a stark change, both in physical shape (freshman 15) and in their overall confidence. They will sound more mature (some will also have a feigning accent) and most importantly you might face attitude thanks to the new found confidence of completing a new semester

2. The Holiday Frenzy is not for anyone

Some teens are happy to get caught up in all the family traditions while others suddenly scoff at them. Discuss what yours is up for.

The underlying issue usually involves having enough time with friends rather than an outright rejection of you or the festivities. Alleviate some stress by highlighting the activities and events where you require your teen’s presence and the ones they can choose whether to attend.

3. Post Holiday Blahs

After New Year’s Day, everyone in your household will head back to work or school—except your college student. They’ll still be staying out late with their friends, sleeping until noon and coming and going on their own time (unless they have a job). Talk with your teen about how this will all work, especially if everyone will be sharing cars or your house has a few light sleepers.

4. When Boredom Sets In 

As most of their friends return to college or the ones who commute start their second semester, your freshman might complain, “There’s nothing to do here.” They’ve had their fill of home cooked meals, sleeping in and a pile of clean laundry always at the ready. At college, there’s rarely time to get bored and always someone around to talk to or hang out with. Not much you can do but offer suggestions, but I can tell you now, the one about cleaning their room probably won’t go over well.

5. Some kids don’t want to go back

For any number of reasons, college wasn’t what they expected and they’re thinking of transferring for next fall. Make a point of discussing with your freshman what didn’t work out to determine how to find a better fit. Keep in mind that if next semester goes better, which it often does, your teen may decide to stay put.

6. Grades come in online

When we were in college, semester grades arrived in the mail via USPS. There was no hiding the results from our parents. Today, like everything else related to college, grades are sent electronically, within days after final exams, to your student’s account.

Ask your teen to pull up their grades online and go over them together. Reviewing the results could lead to a constructive discussion. Who knows, you might be pleasantly surprised by what you learn.

With some flexibility and a willingness to negotiate on both sides, winter break can turn into more of the fun time you hoped for.

10 Things you need to Know if you're Thinking about Transferring College?

Most college students don’t admit it, but they often think about whether they ended up at the right college. Being an international student myself, this crossed my mind during fall semester of my freshman year of college: Should I transfer?

I was homesick and incredibly lost for the first couple of months but I ended up staying back at my college and ride it out. But for those of you who know in your heart that you’re not at the right college, here are ten things to know about the transfer admissions process:

1. The transfer process is markedly different than the freshmen admissions process. Whereas your high school record and standardized test scores dictate the freshmen admissions process, your GPA and course selection in college matter much more if you apply as a transfer student
2.  There are some colleges that will accept transfer students for the spring semester, but most of the highly selective colleges only admit students for the fall semester.
3. Most students who transfer do it after freshman or sophomore year.
4. No matter how large your classes are, make sure to connect and build a relationship with two professors if you’re planning to transfer. These professors can write your letters of recommendation.
5. You need to be in “good standing” at your current college to be competitive to transfer. If you are on academic or social probation, it can be difficult to get admitted to a top college.
6. The admit rate for transfer admissions is typically higher than the admit rate for freshmen admissions. Why? Almost every college in the country struggles with retention. When a student drops out, transfers, or even goes abroad for a semester, the college needs to fill that bed with another student to stay financially stable. The odds are in your favor if you apply as a transfer student.
7. If you applied to the same college as a high school senior, your old application (or what’s left of it) will be evaluated to some extent. But the primary focus of the transfer admissions committee will be on your current application.
8. Sometimes colleges have limited financial aid for transfer students. Check with each admissions office/financial aid office to determine if financial aid is available.
9. If you are applying to transfer into a very specialized program (i.e. engineering, business, nursing, etc), make sure you have the prerequisites in place so that you are as competitive as possible.
10. Most students don’t believe it, but there are plenty of students who transfer from a community college to a traditional four year college—even Ivy League colleges. The transfer admissions process focuses more on your academic performance at your current institution rather than where you attend.

As appealing as another college can be for a student, they need to remember that there will be an adjustment when they transfer. Students will have their friend groups solidified and it takes a confident individual to start fresh in a new environment when everyone else is hunkering down where they are. However, ending up at the right place is all that matters. I hope this helps

Financing your Education with Student Loans

One of the biggest challenges with studying abroad is funding your education. As application numbers are increasing there are a decreasing number of scholarships available for international students. Taking out a loan is a great option to fund your education. However, Indian banks only give a limited amount of money which is usually not enough to cover the high costs a foreign education, and loans in forged countries becomes challenging since you have no prior documentation in that country. 

Unless you have a guarantor in the country you’re going to, the chances that you can get a loan are slim (though some universities have loan offices which do lend money). Another option is through up and coming Fintech companies. Here are three companies that are great options for get loans from and in our experience, have been quite pain free!

Avanse Education Loans 

Avanse is a new age education finance company and an associate company of Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Limited (DHFL). International Finance Corporation (IFC), an arm of the World Bank holds 20% equity stake in Avanse and promises a litany of services than any other Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFC): 

• 100% Tuition Fee as determined by the Institute or University

• Living Expenses including purchase of Books, Computers and other expenses essential to complete the course (up to 75% of total living cost though not exceeding 20% of the total tuition fee)

• Caution Deposit / Building Fund / Refundable Deposit supported by Institution Bills / Receipts but not exceeding 10% of the total tuition fee.

• Travel expenses / passage money up to Rs. 75000/- for students traveling abroad.

Learn more here 

The Paras Education Foundation

Another Indian based fintech company that gives students a lot of autonomy . 

• 100% loan for the amount certified by the school

• Pre-approved loans to avoid processing delays while you decide on the best school

• 3% to 6% per annum interest rate

• Repayment tenure of up to 10 years

To know more, go check out their page 

Prodigy Finance (Great for Grad Schools)

Prodigy Finance, a crowdlending platform launched in 2008 by Cameron Stevens (current CEO) and two of other INSEAD MBA students, who, being from South Africa and Slovenia, had experienced first-hand the difficulty of financing their post-graduate education across borders. They created Prodigy Finance, a lending marketplace which breaks new ground in cross-border lending and community lending.

Prodigy Finance focuses on the crème de la crème: facilitating loans for students enrolled in post graduate programs at 104 of the top schools of the world. The qualifying programs include: MBAs, Masters in Management or Finance at business schools like Harvard, INSEAD, London Business School, HEC, Stanford and Wharton; as well as Masters of Law, Public Policy, Public Administration and MS Engineering degrees at top US schools and universities.

Prodigy Finance does not require from borrowers a co-signer or collateral. To gauge the loan risk, the company analyzes standard data points such as credit reports. But its main competitive advantage in the underwriting process lies in its unique knowledge of the asset’s risk. Prodigy Finance owns 10 years of statistical data and analysis of the financial outcome and loan default rate of each academic program and type of international student.

Loans are offered in dollars, pounds and euros, depending of the school the student is going to.

Prodigy finance is a true community lender, rather than an open crowdlender. Wealthy alumni, alumni-related family offices and the school themselves brings the bulk of the funds used to finance the loans. Credit Suisse acted as a conduit to reach this community in 2014, raising $25 million for an Education Bond to finance loans on Prodigy Finance. Further, the company invests by issuing bonds on the Irish stock exchange with a committeemen in impact investing that bring social benefits. 

To know more, click here.

Is it too late to apply for college in US?

The short answer is no. BUT, you’re behind the ideal schedule. 

That being said, just because you’re beginning the process later than most doesn’t mean that you’re not going to get into a great college. It just means you’ve got some catching up to do in the next few months and you may need to reframe some of your thinking.

 Here are some ground realities: 

1. You will not be able to apply Early Decision for most colleges. Some colleges have an ED 2 application in January which you could still go for
2. Most scholarship dates have also passed. his means that if finances are a concern, you will need to consider other ways to meet your financial needs. You could think about applying to colleges with solid financial aid packages or lower tuition costs.
3. Keep in mind that college applications are not a process to be rushed. You might be tempted to hurry through your personal statement or get your standardized tests over in one fell swoop, but this isn’t wise since it likely won’t project your most polished image. You’re going to need to slow down enough to do your best work. If this means that you miss some deadlines, you may need to find schools with later ones. (Don’t worry, we’ll provide a list further down).
4. In addition, realize that your personal time crunch does not mean someone else’s crisis. This is a busy time of year for everyone, and teachers and guidance counselors have many students who need their help. You might feel particularly stressed about waiting your turn, but it’s helpful to remember that you aren’t the only one trying to meet application deadlines, even if you’ve gotten a late start.

What Are the Most Important Things To Do Right Away?

There are a handful of things that you need to get started on right away in order to maximize the amount of time you have left: 

1. Register to take standardized tests: There are December SAT and ACT test dates that you can register for by phone until mid-November. After that, you’re looking at a February ACT or a March SAT. Getting these planned as soon as possible will leave you the most options. We also consider looking at Test optional schools. Some of the top schools in the country are going test optional or test blind.
2. Start making a college list: For now, focus on schools that you truly want to attend and don’t worry about application deadlines. You might still be able to make a January deadline if the pieces fall into place and if not, you can make another informed decision as the situation warrants. Have a look at our blog to learn about how to make a college list?
3. Request teacher recommendations: When you do so, be sure to communicate that you realize how late you are in requesting these and that you are truly grateful to the teachers who agree to take them on in a timely manner. For more information about selecting a teacher to write your recommendations, check out our pos about What Makes a Good Recommendation Letter.  

Can I Still Make a January 1 or January 15 Deadline?

The good news is, you might still be able to make one of these deadlines if the stars align in your favor. What do we mean by this?

First of all, you will absolutely need to make sure that you take your standardized tests in December and that you do well enough on them to leave you some options.

In addition, you’ll need to make sure that you have enough time to gather all the necessary application materials including letters of recommendation, personal statements, and transcripts.

While it’s not impossible to make a January application deadline, you might not be putting your best foot forward if you have to really rush in order to do so. The good news is, there are plenty of schools with deadlines beyond January.

Which Schools Have Deadlines Past January 15?

Here are some of our favorite colleges with later application deadlines.

Great Options With Feb 1 Deadlines:

• Baylor University

• Colorado State University Fort Collins

• Cornell College

• DePauw University

• Dickinson College

• Hobart and William Smith Colleges

• Marist College

• Merrimack College

• Quinnipiac University

• Rhode Island School of Design

• Roger Williams University

• Simmons College

• St Lawrence University

• Trinity University

Great Options With Feb 15 Deadlines:

• Allegheny College

• Assumption College

• Brigham Young University Hawaii

• Creighton University

• Drew University

• Earlham College

• Emmanuel College

• Endicott College

• Howard University

• Morehouse College

• Rollins College

• Texas Christian University

• Washington College

Great Options With Rolling Admissions:

• Indiana University

• Loyola Marymount

• Michigan State

• Pace University

• Penn State

• Quinnipiac

• Roger Williams

• Rutgers

• University of Alabama

• University of Maine

• University of Minnesota

• University of New Haven

• University of Pittsburgh

• University of Tulsa

If the calendar has turned to November and you’re just getting started on your college applications, you are probably starting to feel the heat. Don’t worry; it is still possible to get it all done and get into a great school.

If you need a little help along the way, consider contacting us. Every year we get students who have a change of heart in the last minute and we are always to help! Best of luck!! 

Parents: Here's how you can involve yourself in the college process

Post-secondary education is an ever-evolving field. It’s generally understood that someone who applied to college in the 1950s or ‘60s encountered an admissions environment very different from the one you’ll find today, with different application processes, different admission standards, and tuition rates that seem impossibly low from today’s perspective.

What you might not realize is that even if you went to college more recently, in the ‘80s or ‘90s, your experience also doesn’t reflect the current state of college admissions. Acceptance rates, standardized tests, admissions requirements, and college costs have all changed significantly within the space of a generation. At the same time, it’s more important than ever before that young people go to college—the career and income benefits are substantial.

If you’re a parent who is currently helping a student navigate the world of college admissions, and especially if that child is your first to go through the application process, it’s important that you update your expectations and assumptions about what that process will hold. In order for your child to successfully get admitted to a college that’s a great fit for them, they’ll need your informed help. Here’s our advice for what you need to learn and how you can get up-to-date.

The Changing Face of College Applications

Now more than ever, a bachelor’s degree is a highly valuable asset when thinking about career opportunities. You yourself may have come of age in a world where attractive career prospects didn’t necessarily require a college education, but the country is changing. Employers are raising their educational requirements for entry-level jobs, both because those jobs now require additional skills, and because the competitive job market allows them to be more choosy.

With more students applying to more colleges, and applicant pools at top-tier schools continuing to grow, it’s also gotten harder for a student to get into their college of choice. 

For example, in 2016, Stanford University, currently the most selective school in the nation, accepted fewer than 5% of undergraduate applicants, less than one in twenty. Compare this to the 1995-1996 application season, in which Stanford accepted nearly 16% of applicants—still highly selective, but quite a different figure.

One important takeaway is that there’s always some element of chance to elite college admission. Competitive schools have to turn down many qualified applicants simply because of space constraints, and your child may very well be one of them. There’s simply no way to be sure, so you’ll need to be realistic about your expectations and help your child be realistic about theirs.

 Overall, the college application process is just more serious than it used to be. Parents and students routinely spend considerable time and money perfecting applications, preparing for standardized tests, and piling on extracurriculars, leadership positions, specialized summer programs, and other enrichment experiences. Today’s aspiring college applicants tend not to get much unscheduled free time. 

The stakes are high, and there’s a lot of pressure involved. Many college admissions advisors, including those here at EdBrand, encourage today’s applicants to think strategically when applying to college. It’s no longer just about finding a few schools your student likes—it’s about compiling a carefully chosen list of schools to maximize your student’s chances of getting admitted somewhere that’s a good fit for them.

How you choose to approach this new set of realities is up to you and your student. However, you need to both be aware that getting accepted to a top-tier school is difficult, and your student will be competing with applicants who have put this kind of concentrated effort into making themselves compelling candidates for college admission.

Paying for College: The New Realities

Many different factors come into play when figuring out which colleges might be strong matches for your student, but one of the most significant is cost. Need-based financial aid, scholarships, and loans can help make a college more affordable, but the bottom line is that without a way to pay for a college, your student can’t attend.

You’ve probably already heard that the cost of getting a college education has gone up dramatically over time, and that’s true even within the last few decades. In fact, college tuition increases have outpaced inflation, meaning that not only is the dollar amount higher, but it’s actually harder for the average family to afford college than it used to be.

The average cost of tuition plus room and board at four-year colleges was $23,600 for the 2014-2015 school year, compared with $7,602 for the 1990-1991 school year. As of 2017, at a few especially expensive colleges, the yearly estimated cost of attendance for an average student is nearing $70,000.

For top-tier colleges, it’s close to impossible for most students to pay their own way based on savings and part-time or summer income, as many students did in the past. Financial aid can help a great deal, but most well-regarded colleges award financial aid based at least in part upon the family’s financial need, so your income and assets will be taken into account when assessing your student’s aid eligibility.

What does this mean for you as a parent? It means that if you make assumptions about college costs based on your own experiences from two decades ago, you and your student likely won’t be adequately prepared for the realities of college costs today. Updated information is essential if you’re going to make informed decisions about saving for college, seeking financial aid and scholarships, and choosing colleges your family can afford.

Top Tips for Parents: Getting Up to Date and Helping Your Student

If your established notions about college admissions process were formed a long time ago, you may feel a little overwhelmed by the amount you need to learn. However, many resources exist to help get you on the right track. Here’s a selection of our best advice for getting informed, adapting to the current state of the admissions world, and helping your child make wise choices throughout the application process.

• Get informed. Acknowledge that the system has changed, and use all the resources available, from websites to info sessions to meetings with guidance counselors, to gather information about applying to college today, especially regarding the schools your child is interested in. Don’t assume—look it up.

• Talk to other parents. Parents whose children are slightly older than yours and who have been through the process recently will have valuable information and personal insight to share. Ask them what they wish they’d known.

• Start early. Many application tasks, especially those that are research-related, can be started well in advance of your child’s senior year. Your plans don’t need to be set in stone years in advance, but it’s a good idea to have a sense of direction.

• Stay realistic. It’s okay for your child to have big dreams and apply to some reach schools, but you should help them manage their expectations about application outcomes and match their accomplishments to appropriate colleges. You probably think that your student is pretty great, but admission to selective colleges can be brutal, and many qualified applicants are rejected. Think practically, and have a backup plan.

• Help your child build a strong applicant profile. Starting early in high school, ask questions and offer opportunities for your child to figure out what subjects or career paths interest them most. Encourage them to maintain strong academic performance and extracurricular involvement, and address academic or other problems early before they become major obstacles.

• Openly discuss paying for college. You may be uncomfortable talking to your child about money, but it’s essential that your child knows what the family can afford. Like it or not, cost is a major factor in choosing a college, and your student needs to know which schools are practical possibilities and how much financial aid might be required.

• Be prepared to deal with practical tasks. During application season, you may be able to help in innumerable small and large ways, from arranging for tutoring and assistance to checking in about deadlines to helping to gather information. Individual needs depend upon your student—talk to them to figure out where you can be most helpful.

• Always offer personal support, encouragement, and love. You’re a parent, not an admissions coach, and your close personal relationship with your child is important. While you may have to push your child to be focused and responsible sometimes, you also need to look out for their health (mental and physical) during this stressful time, help them build good habits, and respect their need to make independent choices (and sometimes mistakes) about their intended adult path.