Mr. K's College Knowledge

Hey Everyone, This is a post from last year that I thought would be good to recycle...enjoy! As seniors are waiting for and receiving decisions for their Early Decision and Early Action applications for colleges, I wanted to share some tips to help when receiving admissions decisions from colleges. Ø    If you have been accepted to a school through Early Decision, you should  withdraw  your applications from any other colleges you have applied to or were planning on applying to. Remember, with Early Decision, you, your parent, and school counselor all signed an agreement, that if accepted this would be the school you would attend. Ø    If you have been deferred from Early Decision or Early Action to regular decision, do not get upset, as you still have a chance. For ED, you are no longer committed to attending the school, even if you are accepted through regular decision, so more options have just opened up. To be deferred means the college lik...

Last weekend, I flew to Boston, and took a bus 30 minutes to Easton, Massachusetts to visit Stonehill College . I spent two days there, learning about their community, academics, and meeting students, administration, and faculty. It was a wonderful opportunity to truly engulf myself and get a true understanding of what Stonehill College is all about. While there, there were a few key values about the school that became very clear; the Stonehill community is a family, where students receive an incredible education, are friendly to others, and truly want to help others, while improving themselves along the way. Stonehill has a quintessential New England campus on over 400 acres, where students are genuinely happy to be and receive a top notch education. Here’s everything you need to know about Stonehill College, plus my personal perspective below. Key Stats: Ø   Stonehill is a Catholic, Private, Holy Cross institution (same as Notre Dame) Ø   Stonehill opened in ...

Hey Everyone, As November 1st nears, seniors (and counselors) are officially in the thick of it all...sending out applications, getting back the latest SAT and ACT scores, and finalizing the college lists. It is a very exciting time, but a little scary as well...take a breath though, we will all get through it! For juniors, you are just beginning to think about potential colleges, and starting to line up your own SAT and ACT schedule...the possibilities are endless right now, so enjoy this time! I think at times we imagine admissions counselors to be these mythological people that live in a far away play, deciding the fate of our youth. In reality, admissions counselors are real people, with similar lives to all of us...some even have their own children going through the college application process! The New York Times recently interviewed a few admissions counselors from colleges across the country to ask them the type of advice they are giving their own teenagers who are applying ...

During the last week of summer, I was lucky enough to be invited to Lafayette College along with four other NYC college counselors. I hopped into a minivan with the four counselors, and the Lafayette College admissions representative behind the wheel, and an hour and twenty minutes later I arrived in Easton, PA to Lafayette’s beautiful suburban campus.  I spent the day there, learning more about the school’s academics, admissions, and overall community. Here’s everything you need to know about Lafayette College, plus my personal perspective below. Key Stats: ·          Location : Easton, Pennsylvania (the first exit leaving New Jersey) ·          Type : Medium-sized, private liberal arts college with a very strong engineering program ·          Size : 2,500 students in a residential campus/suburban setting ·       ...

Here we are...October 4th, and the applications are flying and the confusion is intense. With so many different college deadlines, application types, writing supplements, and forms that need to be completed, I'd imagine students and parents are already wishing the college application process was over! Well, while the college process will not be official over until May 1st, I do have some good news. For the first time, the FAFSA is now open well before January 1st. You may be wondering why this is a good thing...just more paperwork right? Well that is true, but in the long run, this should be a benefit to students and families...hopefully. For the 2017-2018 college academic year, families can now complete the FAFSA using their 2015 tax return. In the past, families would need to wait until after January 1st, file their taxes, then use that year's information to complete the FAFSA. This would only give school's a month or so to receive the information and send families a ...

Students rejoice! Nearly 20 college admissions officers told the Washington Post's On Parenting section what they are actually looking for in the candidates they screen. A common theme? Letting your personality shine through in the essay. This should come as no surprise since I work with many of you on this exact idea. For example: "When you write your college essay, use your authentic voice. If you’re a serious person, write your essay with a serious voice. If you’re a funny person, be funny. If you’re not a funny person, your college essay might not be the best place to try on that funny writer voice for the first time". - Ken Anselment, Lawrence University dean of admissions and financial aid "I look for beautiful, clear writing that comes to life on the essay page and offers insight into the character and personality of the student. Beware of being someone you are not in the essay. Beware of outside influence. Editing by adults or professionals often ...

Hey Everyone, I hope you are all enjoying the last month of your summer! I wanted to share with you a past Xavier student's recount of his college process, to hopefully help you as rising juniors and seniors. Below is the college process of Sal LaRussa '15 and his advice for all students going through it now. Enjoy! When many students begin the process of applying to college they are nervous, confused, and do not know what they want to do with the rest of their lives which is completely acceptable. This was true for me as well, and I hope to explain my college process and advice that I have for students. My college process first began when I received letters sophomore year from many colleges and I was completely confused. I had just gotten comfortable at Xavier and now I felt I was being kicked out. I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life so I continued to keep up my grades and study. Junior year came by and I began studying for the SAT. Many of my friends were ...

For the past decade, there has been two main avenues to apply to college: the Common Application and applying through the college website. Well, it's about to time to add a third option in there, as the Coalition Application has opened for business for the 2016-2017 college application year. In this post, I want to help students and parents understand what the Coalition is all about and how/when/if it should be used during the college process. We will all know much more as the fall approaches, but as of June, 2016, this is what I know... What is this Coalition: The official name of the Coalition is " The Coalition for Access and Affordability ". This idea was put into motion two years ago when the Common Application infamously crashed during the peak application season, causing students, school counselors, and admissions professionals to basically panic. It was not a pretty scene, and a few top colleges began thinking of new ways to improve the entire application proces...

S o you are officially a senior...this is exciting right? Only one more year of high school and then you are off to pursue the major of your choice at hopefully the college of your choosing! Although many students would like the college application process to be over already, you still have many months left. Some of the more important months throughout this process are June, July and August. The summer is a crucial time to prepare, search, and begin to formalize your college application plans. It is definitely not a time to sit around and do nothing. So look at these following tips on ways you can best utilize your summer days to best prepare yourself for the fall when you finally apply to college! Get Involved:  Depending on the selectiveness of the colleges you are applying to, admissions counselors are looking for applicants who have done something positive during their time off. Whether it is traveling, taking a pre-college summer class, volunteering, or working, make sure...

Most people associate USC with the University of Southern California, but people in the south will tell you the real USC is the University of South Carolina . I mean it was founded 79 years before Southern California, so I could see why some people get fired up about who gets to call themselves USC. Regardless, the University of South Carolina is one of the finest and oldest public institutions in the nation, founded way back in 1801. U of South Carolina is located in the Capitol City of Columbia, South Carolina and educates just under 25,000 students. When I toured the school a few weeks ago, I was extremely impressed with the layout of the campus, and the very strong academic profile of the school. This is a place we are seeing more and more students go to and I can definitely understand why it is so appealing to our students. Academics and Cost The University of South Carolina is growing at a rapid pace, with new buildings popping up all over campus, such as their brand new, sta...

A few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to visit 5 colleges and universities in South Carolina. I saw Furman University, Clemson University, University of South Carolina, College of Charleston, and Wofford College. Each one of these schools were different, but they all had amazing qualities, and I would be happy to send any students to these 5 schools. I want to first talk about Furman University , which is located in Greenville, South Carolina. Greenville is located in the Northwest region on South Carolina, at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and is one of the most charming small cities I have seen. There is a beautiful small river that runs through the town, it has one of the most admired Main Streets in the country, and is consistently ranked as one of the top places to live. Furman is about a 5 minute ride to downtown Greenville, and is also right next to another smaller downtown area, giving students a ton of off campus options. A Few Quick Stats Furman itself is locat...

Being on the waitlist at one of your top choice colleges is never a fun time. Students have worked so hard, and have already waited so long for a decision, just to hear that…they have to wait a little longer. However, if you have been put on the waitlist at your dream school, it is not the worse news in the world, as it is better than being straight-up denied. There are a few important things you should know about the waitlist, also known as the purgatory of college admissions… 1) Put a deposit elsewhere! You never quite know when or if you will hear that you have been taken off the waitlist. Often, you will not hear back from the waitlist until after May 1 st , as this is national deposit day. Schools will see what percentage of the students they have accepted will be attending their school. If the number reaches their goal freshmen enrollment, schools will not go to their waitlist. However, if they are low, they will move to their waitlist and start notifying students they have...

Last week, I was fortunate enough to travel to High Point University , in High Point, North Carolina, for a college counselor fly-in, to learn more about the school. To be honest, I did not know much about HPU, but I was extremely impressed with what they have to offer for students. Since I spent an entire day there, I was able to gather a ton of information, which I will try to breakdown for you below. I hope this can help you get a good grasp on the type of place HPU is, and it just may possibly be the right place for you! By the Numbers: High Point University was recently ranked the #1 most innovative college in the south and for the past four years, HPU has been ranked the #1 Best Regional University in the south by US News & World Report HPU has also been ranked by students as having the #1 food options in the country 20% of students are from North Carolina, while 80% are from the other 49 states and 38 countries There are just about 5,000 undergraduate students, whic...