Happy Hanukkah! 

During the National Association of College Admission Counseling Conference earlier this fall, I attended a session titled "College Counseling for Jewish Students & Families." There were some great takeaways from this session and hope you find them helpful as well as you celebrate the final nights of the holiday.

First, if you are a Jewish student or parent starting your college search, or in the thick of it, it is worth considering how important Jewish life is to you and how active a role you want take in Jewish life while going to college. 

Here are some introductory questions you might want to ask yourself:

• What type of Jew are you? 
  
• What is Jewish life currently like at home? At school? Outside of school? How much do you want it to change? Stay the same? 
  
• Do you participate in Shabbat?
  

Second, you may want to think about the food and the role that plays in your life. For example:

• What will the dining hall and residence life experience be like? 
  
• Will there be food you can eat every day of the week (not just select Kosher options but full meals)?
  

Lastly, you may want to think about life inside and outside the classroom. For example:

• What about Greek life? (some organizations focus specifically on Jewish members)
  
• What about Israel Studies or Jewish Studies on campus?
  
• Are there clubs and/or organizations for Jewish students?
• Is there Hillel?

The presenters at the session also identified some "up and coming" schools for Jewish life. Their list included: U of Richmond, Elon, Virginia Commonwealth, Northeastern University, and College of Charleston. In addition some "hot schools" on their list for Jewish students included: Bradley University, Franklin & Marshall University, Muhlenberg, Colgate University, Ithaca College, Dickinson College, Lehigh University, Trinity University and Michigan State University. 

For more resources on Jewish life in college here are some helpful websites to check out.
www.hillel.org
www.chabod.edu
www.campramah.org
www.jlionline.org
www.cajue.org

P.S. Are you an admissions counselor?  Here's a tip for you. You might want to be ready for questions during your recruitment travel about Jewish life, especially if you are visiting a Jewish high school!

Recently, I have been asked by a lot of families for clarification on the different types of admission deadlines. With so many different options to choose from (and so many deadlines coming up quickly!) it can be confusing. Here is a brief summary of the various admissions deadlines.

Early Decision: This is an early college application process in which students complete their application for submission in November. In most cases, students will receive an admissions decision in December or before the new year. A student may only apply to one college for early decision as it is a binding decision. He or she may apply to other colleges for regular admission but if accepted to the early decision school he or she must withdraw all other college applications. As well, if admitted, a student must attend the school. A student should not apply early unless he or she is absolutely sure that this is the best fit college for them and is their top choice. Families should be aware that a student who is accepted early decision may miss out on comparing financial packages from different colleges.

Early Action: Like early decision, this is an application process that takes place early in the process and applications are typically submitted in November (with a few exceptions). Most students will receive a decision back from the colleges either in December, January or February. The benefits to early action are that it is not a binding decision (they can apply to other colleges) and although the student will hear earlier about a decision they still have until May 1 to confirm their enrollment. Even if a student is accepted early action to a specific school they can still make the decision to attend another college and compare financial offers.

Regular Decision: Students who apply regular decision may apply to as many colleges as they like. Most deadlines for regular decision are in early January with decisions sent out in late March and early April. Students who apply regular decision have until May 1 to either accept or decline the offers from the colleges. A student is only permitted to submit a matriculation (or enrollment deposit) to one of the institutions to which they have been admitted.

Single Choice (or Restrictive) Early Action: This is a non binding application option for students who are confident that the college they have selected is their first choice. Students agree not to apply to any other private colleges/universities under another early action, restrictive or early decision program. However, applicants may apply to other colleges and universities through the regular decision process. As well, a student may apply to public colleges or universities with a non-binding early application option or non-binding rolling admissions process. Students will typically hear back from single choice early action schools in mid-late December.

While these are the nuts and bolts of the different types of decisions, it is always important to check and confirm the policies for the colleges that you are applying to and to check their specific deadlines as they do vary.

Good luck making your decision!

A recent article in Inside Higher Education explains how some colleges are using the FAFSA against students and families. Make sure this doesn't happen to you when you file your financial aid forms this winter!

Essentially, the article suggests that when students list the colleges they are thinking of attending on the FAFSA, the U.S. Department of Education then shares all of the information on the FAFSA with the colleges on the list. Some colleges have discovered that the order in which students list the institutions corresponds to students' preferred colleges. So, some colleges are using this so called "FAFSA position" when considering the student's application for admission. 

This is very concerning because not only could this impact admission decisions for students but some college officials may actually offer smaller aid packages to those who list their school high on the list, assuming that the students are more likely to pay whatever it may take to attend his or her top choice college.

This is an article that is definitely worth a glance now and maybe again as a reminder closer to when you file the FAFSA in a few months. 

Our recent post on upcoming college fairs mentioned that a number of upcoming college fairs are coming up quickly this fall. Hopefully you have already marked your calendar for one of these dates and have gotten yourself registered to attend. If you are planning to attend a college fair, here are a few tips for what to do before, during and after you are at the fair.

What to do before the college fair:
1. Make sure you are registered for the fair (if that is an option). Registration (particularly for the large national fairs) will provide you with a barcode that you can print out and bring with you on the day of the fair. The colleges will then scan your bar code and collect your information so you don't have to fill out one contact card after another.
2. Look at the list of colleges attending the fair. Many of the college fairs have websites where you can see a list of the colleges attending. Make a plan for which colleges you want to talk with so you can make sure that you don't miss any. 
3. Do your research before you go. Doing some research on the colleges you will be talking to at the fair, particularly the ones you are most interested in, will help you have a stronger conversation and be able to ask better questions. 
4. Dress appropriately. No one is saying that you need get all dressed up for the college fair, college admission counselors know that you are students, but you should try to avoid things like wearing inappropriate slogans or showing too much skin. 


What to do during the college fair: 
1. Introduce yourself. When you walk up to a college's table take a moment to introduce yourself. The fair will likely be busy, so don't expect that the admissions counselor will necessarily remember your name, but it is polite to shake their hand and introduce yourself. Feel free to tell them your name, where you go to high school, and some of your interests.
2. Ask questions. One of the first things the colleges will ask you is whether or not you have any questions for them. Rather than staring like a deer in headlights, ask them a couple questions (see tomorrow's post for ideas) and strike up a conversation.
3. Be patient. College fairs can be busy and there will likely be a lot of lines to wait in talk to the colleges. Be prepared to wait patiently for your turn. As well, when you get to the front be respectful of the admission counselor's time particularly if a lot of students are waiting behind you. 
4. Take their business card. Most college reps will have their business cards on the table with their email and phone number. Take this with you so you can follow up on in the process.


What to do after the college fair:
1. Follow up. Use that business card you picked up from the table and make a connection with the admissions counselor. If you have follow up questions about the school or the application process you now have a contact in the office to email or call.
2. Look through the materials you picked up. All too often the college brochures that students pick up end up crushed in lockers, smushed in back packs, or thrown in the recycling bin. Colleges put a lot of time and thought into developing these for students so take some time to at least glance through them. 
3. Check for opportunities to visit campus. Now that you have interacted with the colleges in this informal setting, a next step may be to plan a campus visit. Take a look at your calendar and pick some dates that you and your family can schedule visits.
4. Continue your research. Perhaps the admissions counselor told you about their school's amazing anthropology program or their study abroad program in Chile. Whatever it might be, take some time to look a little deeper and get a better understanding of whether or not it might be a good fit for you.

Walking out the door this past weekend, I was struck by the cool breeze that greeted me. It is hard to believe how quickly September has flown by and that fall is in the air. With October upon us tomorrow I thought it would be helpful to send along a few reminders for high school seniors regarding their college admissions process. It is easy for students to get caught up filling out the applications themselves and sometimes forget about the other pieces needed to complete their applications. 

Here you go! 

1. Put in your transcript request early. Make sure you know your school's policy for requesting transcripts to be sent to the colleges. Sometimes, it can take a while for transcripts to be processed and sent. In fact, many high schools want transcript requests done a month in advance. This means that If you are applying to colleges with early deadlines, such as November, you want to make sure those requests are placed in the next week to allow your transcript plenty of time to be delivered. If you don't know the transcript request policy for your school, check in with your high school counselor.

2. Check in on your letters of recommendation. I typically encourage the students that I work with to talk to their teachers who they want to have write the letter of recommendation during the spring of their junior year. While some teachers work on these letters over the summer, some wait until they are back to school. I suggest that you check in with your teachers to see how your letters are coming, whether or not they need additional information from you, and to and make sure they are aware of how to submit the letters and what your deadlines are when you need the letters. 

3  Create a list of all of your deadlines. Deadlines can sneak up on you quickly during your senior year. Make sure you take the time to put all of these dates and deadlines for interviews, applications, college visits, college fairs, and other meetings in your calendar and make sure to stick to them (setting a reminder always helps!). 

4. Update your activities and resume.  Many of your college applications (and college interviewers) will ask about your involvement in activities and what you did over the summer. Double check to make sure that you have all of your most up to date activities, honors, and positions on your resume or activities list. 

5. Get ready for your last round of standardized tests or send your scores if done with test taking. If you are retaking the SAT, ACT or Subject tests this fall make sure that you are registered in advance and putting in some time preparing. Practice tests are a great way to familiarize yourself with the tests! All done with standardized tests? Remember, you need to send the official scores through College Board or ACT to your colleges. Again, make sure you are allowing enough time for them to be sent and received.

6. Schedule interviews. September, October and November are heavy recruitment months for college admissions officers and many will be traveling to your community. If you are planning to interview while these admissions officers are in your neck of the woods you should contact them early as their schedules fill up quickly.

7. Connect with your colleges. As I said above, the fall is a busy time for college admissions officers. Not only are they conducting interviews across the country but they may be visiting your high school or attending a college fair in the area. This is a great opportunity to connect with the college, learn more about them, and ask any additional questions you might have for them before you send off your application. 

Happy Fall! 

Starting your Common Application is exciting! Perhaps you were one of the many anxious students that logged on right on August 1 at the launch date for the new version of the Common Application, CA4.  

Now, don't get me wrong, I am a big proponent of doing things early to reduce stress later on in the admissions process. I know that seniors have a busy schedule once they get back to school. That being said, I do encourage my students to take their time filling out the Common Application. It is not a race and it is still somewhat early in the process. Personally, I think it is more important that the application be filled out correctly, and thoroughly, than to get it in months before the deadline. 

So, here are a few tips as you start filling out your Common Application for this year's application cycle:

1. Take your time. As I said above, it is not a race. Make sure you are filling in all of your information correctly. Sometimes, when students rush they make silly mistakes. Make sure you are reading each page in its entirety and filling out each piece of information carefully. Even minor errors can become a pain for you to fix later on in the process.

2. Read instructions and suggested tips. The Common Application has done an excellent job with their revisions of the application in terms of offering help and assistance to general questions. They have added in a section on the right side of each page that offers helpful suggestions and guidance as you fill out your information. If you have a question, consult these first, you might just find your answer.

3. Don't hit submit until you have had someone double check your work. College applications are a huge step for high school students as they establish their independence. Remember though, it is okay to ask for help. Find someone you trust (parent, college counselor, etc) to look through your application before you hit the "submit" button. Two sets of eyes (or three or four...) are always better than one and may just catch something you hadn't seen before.

4. Think through your options. While some of the sections are quite easy and quick to fill out (such as your profile and family information), some of the sections require a bit more thought and planning. For example, I encourage students to spend time thinking through the activities section before just filling it out. This section provides a big opportunity to share substantial information with the college about yourself. You want to make sure that you are not missing any activities, that you are providing accurate and informative descriptions, and that you clearly explain your role. You will also want to think through your options about reporting test scores. If you are applying to a test-optional college you may want to consider whether or not it makes sense for you to present your scores in the Common Application.

5. Confirm the educational information for your school. One section that can be confusing for students is the educational information. Some high schools rank their students and some don't. Some schools weight the GPA and some don't. Many schools are on different grading scales. Take the time to consult your transcript to determine your school's case and make sure to ask questions if you are unsure of what to put down in this section. 

Good luck!