Mr. K's College Knowledge

Seniors & Families, It is almost October 1st...and as a college counselor, that only means one thing. No not football, apple picking, or the leaves changing...it means deadlines! We have been talking about college admissions and the application process for close to a year now...and now the first deadlines are around the corner...we can see them, and for some, that can make us very nervous! But no need to worry, you got this!  You have your list of colleges, you are working through the applications, you are ready to send your SAT/ACT scores, and you talked to your teacher months ago in order for her to commit to writing your letter...right? Many already have a teacher committed to writing a letter, others are just learning they need a teacher recommendation letter as they are reading this. If you fall in the latter category, don't freak out, but right now is the time to find a teacher and ask (beg) for a letter.  You may be asking yourself, why do colleges need lett...

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...

Well seniors are all definitely in the thick of things right now, as we blow through October, and head into November. Many Early Action/Decision deadlines are November 1st, and Regular Decision Deadlines are right around the corner. There is no slowing down now, and I wanted to  re-post a blog I wrote a couple of years ago. My hope is this will help students and parents to make sure they have everything covered.  For seniors who have applied to all of their schools, a few of their schools, or none of their schools, take a look at the following list of what you can be doing now for the college admissions process: ·          Revise your college list: Take a look at your college list and make sure you have 2-3 safeties, targets, and reaches in each category. Hopefully you have done your research on these colleges and visited some of them. It is imperative that you are happy with all of the colleges you apply to, not just the rea...

This information should be helpful for all students, especially seniors in the middle of the application process. Almost all colleges will require at least one teacher recommendation, as a crucial part of the application process. When deciding on which teacher to ask, remember these important tips: Stick to a junior or senior year teacher …possibly a sophomore year teacher. Students have changed from freshmen year and admissions counselors want to see the type of person and student they will be receiving and the more recent the evaluation the better! Ask a teacher who really know you. Don’t just ask the teacher that you received an ‘A’ in, but the teacher that you were able to connect to. It’s OK if this class  wasn't  the highest grade you received, but if the teacher can talk about your learning style, participation, work ethic, ability to work with others, leadership, and other important qualities in a way that really brings you to life, will lead to the most effe...