As we head into the holiday season, college planning is probably the last thing on your mind as a high school junior. You are probably consumed with holiday shopping, semester exams and projects, or trying to decide what to wear to the winter formal. Many of you may be dreaming about staying home from school and sleeping in late; however, this is the perfect time for you to work on your plans for college. Before you ring in the New Year, be sure you complete the following five tasks for high school juniors.

1. Register for the SAT and/or ACT. I know you might have just finished taking the PSAT and the last thing you want to do is think about another college admission test right now. But this is actually a perfect time to schedule yourself for one of the spring test dates. Taking the SAT or ACT in your junior year will help you get more comfortable with the tests and identify areas where you may need some additional help. Get ready for a spring test now, and you’ll have a much easier time, and be under less pressure, in your senior year. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: apply for scholarships, college planning for high school juniors, SAT
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Can you feel it in the air? High school seniors everywhere have started the countdown to graduation. It’s only a few weeks before we ring in the New Year, and before you know it, you’ll be headed across the stage to get your diploma! I know you are anxiously awaiting the winter break and a much needed reprieve from classes, but this is no time to neglect your college preparation agenda. Before we ring in 2012, here’s a list of five things every high school senior should be working on now…

1. Complete your college applications. This should go without saying, but don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today! Check to make sure you have ALL items needed for your college applications: letters of recommendation, transcripts, test scores, college admission essays, etc. Be sure to have someone review everything for errors/omissions and get your applications ready for submission. Next, submit them online, or (if you are sending them offline) take your completed packets to the post office or UPS store to be weighed to ensure you have the proper postage; nothing would be worse than getting back your applications returned as undeliverable after the deadline due to insufficient postage. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: apply for scholarships, college tips for high school seniors, FAFSA
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Imagine this: You receive a letter from some national company informing you that you’ve been selected as a scholarship finalist, even though you can’t remember applying. All you have to do to secure your scholarship is fill out a form online, and cover the nominal cost of the scholarship taxes with a quick credit card payment.  The company assures you that your scholarship check will be sent immediately upon receipt of your online payment.

WAIT!  This scenario should have triggered loud alarm bells in your head. Did it?  What would you do in this situation?  Would you call your best friend to celebrate the good news while borrowing your mom’s credit card and paying the “scholarship taxes”?  Or would you have the good sense to see through this scholarship scam? Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: apply for scholarships, scholarship application, scholarship scams
Posted in Paying for College | Leave a Comment »