An increasing number of colleges and universities now make standardized testing an option, not a requirement. That is, some colleges leave it to individual applicants to determine whether they wish to take the SAT I or ACT or Subject Tests, and then report the scores to schools.

As of...

There is probably nothing more important in college admissions than putting together a quality college list. Believe me, that's easier said than done. Right now is the time for juniors to be on this task, but many sophomores (about-to-be-juniors) want to get started as well. Choosing colleges should be a...

The City of San Diego Public Library system is at the forefront in California, if not the U.S., in providing information and resources about college admissions for underserved, first-generation, high school students. Eleven libraries in low-income areas now offer special collections that contain the most helpful college admissions books, and...

Admissions officers look first at test scores, the rigor of the courses you take, and your grades in those courses. After that, they are interested in a student's extracurricular activities -- in other words, how you spend your time outside of classes. Colleges care about the character of people they...

Definition of a Wait List
In order for a college to ensure that it will have a full freshman class, the admissions office often creates a wait list; that is, a list of students to whom admittance might be offered should fewer students than predicted say yes to their...

By the middle of April, all of your college acceptances will be in. I hope you are pleased with the outcome. If you have been accepted to your preferred college, then your decision is easy; done deal! Sometimes, though, that doesn't happen and you must choose one college from a...

In the "good old days" of college admissions, parents would show up at my door during the summer before their child's senior year and ask for help with choosing colleges and getting in. Except in rare cases, it was assumed that it didn't really matter what a student majored in;...

In the last few months, there has been a lot of hullabaloo around the issue of whether attending college is worth the time and money. Needless to say, there are proponents on either side who either say: 1) college costs too much and students don't really get that much out...

Who Are You? The Most Important Question in College Admissions!

At my first college admissions meetings with students, I ask parents to identify nouns, adjectives, phrases, and short stories that will help me know something about their son or daughter. Usually, one parent takes the lead, calling out a rapid-fire...

Last June, I wrote a blog entitled, "NOW Is the Time for Rising Seniors to Find and Choose Colleges They're Going to Love." While June is fine, right now is an even better time for juniors to organize a college list. If you come up with a list in February,...

When you were in grammar and junior high school, what did teachers ask you the moment you walked into class the first day of school in the fall?

"What did you do this summer?"

Most of the time, I bet your answer to this question was pretty predictable:...

There isn't a lot you need to do about college admissions during your freshman and sophomore years of high school. Nevertheless, this is a good time to start becoming informed about the process. It's never too early to do that. Also, 9th and 10th grades are school years when you...

Do you wonder what all the buzz around junior year is about? Well, truth is that college admissions officers seem most interested in that year. This is the time to shine!

While keeping a balance in your life, take the most Honors, AP/IB classes and get the best grades...

For some seniors, all of the applications are done and gone. Yippee! For others, there are some left to complete. Either way, after you send in your final applications, there are a few more things to do to make sure you get into a college that's right for you.

By now, most students who applied Early Action, Restricted Early Action or Early Decision to a college have heard back from them. The outcome of any early application is acceptance, deferral or denial. Congratulations if you have been accepted! Condolences if you have been denied. If you have...

As if today's high school seniors don't already have enough on their plates, last week the National Association for College Admission's (NACAC) State of Admission report offered high school seniors yet another admissions factor to worry about: "demonstrated interest." This is a "tip factor" in the admissions process, according to...

December is clearly an important holiday season with Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanza and New Year's Eve all taking place. However, for high school seniors it is also a "big-time" for college admissions, with many applications due as of January 1, 2, 5, 10 and 15. With deadlines just around the corner,...

Over the last year, I have been working with the very forward-looking San Diego Public Library system to provide high quality college admissions resources for under-served students. Eleven libraries in low-income neighborhoods now offer sectioned-off areas stocked with the latest college admissions books, as well as computer access to the...

Right about now, every college bound high school senior is doing (or should be doing) the same thing: filling out college applications. While each phase of the college admissions process is important, nothing is more important than completing the applications. When all is said and done, the best...

Did you know that each four-year college in the United States has a college admissions representative from their college assigned to every high school? Yes, even your high school has an admissions officer assigned to it by the different colleges. What we're talking about, is someone who is...