Yes. And No. All students and parents seek some type of advice on how to approach the college admission maze. The web is rich with information about college admission. Talking with families that have already gone through the process know the steps from their experience – a year or so ago. The real question is who or what these resources are and if they are fully reliable for the year your child is applying to colleges.
It is easy to find colleges that look nice and have majors you want -- and reputations that you have heard about already. But when college search engines ask students if they want an urban, rural or suburban campus, many do not even know what that means. Or, when asked the size of college they are looking for, most all students do not know what is considered a small, medium or large college or university. The information may be there but knowing how to use it is critical to selecting and getting into college today.
At College Advance we counsel you and your student on the best ways to research colleges and financial aid opportunities. Knowing what to look for and where to look shortens the time it would take you to gather information on your own – and specific to your child’s college admission.
As a result, our students take charge of the selection and admission process with confidence. They will learn the importance of the academic preparation required or suggested by specific colleges. You as a parent will understand how need based and merit based financial aid works.
At College Advance, we help students personalize the applications. Colleges are putting more emphasis on applicant essays in their reviews. What you say and how you say it makes a big difference. We help your student develop essays that clearly show their writing abilities, creativity, personality and readiness to do college level work – the elements of the application admissions committees seek from their applicants.
Over the years we have developed techniques and approaches to this process which result in successful college admission to the best, right fit schools – with the best reputations -- for your child.
College Advance is a great way to support your role as a parent to give your child the gift of an experience of a lifetime.