College Mentors

The Early Action and Early Decision deadlines are fast approaching--most are either November 1st or November 15th.  How do you decide whether to apply EA or ED, and what's the difference? Definition: Early Action (EA) is a NON-BINDING agreement in which you apply before the general deadline to show your interest in a particular college.  Early Decision (ED), on the other hand, is a BINDING CONTRACT to attend the college, should it accept you. Since ED is binding, you'll usually need to file a preliminary application for financial aid at the same time, so that the college can provide you with an estimate of your financial package. Not all colleges offer EA or ED--and most that do will offer one rather than the other (though an increasing number are offering both).  In addition, there's a trend now toward having TWO different early tracks--EA or ED I and EA or ED II.   You also need to check the particular college's web site, as other hybrid early programs are show

Much as I blanch at the thought of using advertising terms, such as branding, to describe something so deeply individual and human as the entire college process,  I read an article today that struck me in its honesty and validity...Michael Szarek, a college counselor from New Jersey reminds us (to remind our young people): You are what you post. Michael's advice to sign up for a service (free) like Google alerts in the name of the student and the parent makes a lot of sense--in fact, let me list all of Michael's suggestions: Sign up for “Google Alerts” in your name and your child’s name.  They come in as daily emails listing references to that name or phrase.  If your name is John Smith, it may be a bit laborious, but it’s worth it. “Google” the names of your family members on a regular basis.  Google alerts doesn’t catch everything.  And you can do a google search at any time. Allow your child at least one social media outlet to build his or her “brand”, but monitor

By now most, if not all, of your college applications are in, and you're beginning to get your responses...but in order to make an informed decision on which college to attend, you also need to know what your financial aid package will be.  So, time to file your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)...and if you're applying to Private Universities, most likely you'll need to file a CSS Profile. There is NO cost to file the FAFSA, so be sure to go to the official government site: www.fafsa.gov   It's fairly easy to fill out these days--basically asking for your parents' financial information from their tax forms and your financial information from your tax form (if any).  The good news is that now, if you've already filed your forms, you can opt to have much of the information pulled automatically from the IRS. If you haven't filed your taxes yet, you should estimate based on your taxes from last year and then update the FAFSA after you've