We asked FastWeb users to share their advice on college admissions, based on their personal experiences. Here's what they said: "Keep your options open and don't plan your whole life around one college. It will make it a lot easier if you don't get accepted. And if you don't get accepted, your world isn't over. There will be other colleges for ...

College admissions offices are busy places. Think about an admissions office receiving 5,000 to 10,000 or more applications. That is a lot of reading. What will make your application stand out? How colleges decide Before we address that question, let’s look at the process in general. I don’t believe any two admissions offices do everything alike, but there are similarities. Most ...

According to Dean Flagel, the average admissions officer reads about 1,000 applications per month and spends roughly 7 or 8 minutes on each application. That's not a lot of face time for a student's essays, letters of recommendation, or resume. Oftentimes, students cram as much as possible into their application so that admissions officers can feel like they really get to ...

As you prepare for college, you'll encounter at least one (and probably more than one) of the following college entrance exams: PSAT/NMSQT: Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Assessment Test SAT Reasoning Test ACT SAT Subject Tests (formerly the SAT II) Admissions requirements vary from school to school. Consult your prospective school when deciding which test to take. Learn more ...

Before you put your college applications in the mailbox, here’s a quick checklist to make sure you haven’t left anything out. The General Application Don’t leave anything blank unless the application tells you to. Make sure all information is accurate and legible. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call the university’s admissions office. Did you wait until the last ...

It’s all too easy for juniors to hit a lazy streak in February—finals are long over, the winter holidays are but a distant memory, and spring break is just around the corner. February feels like limbo, the month juniors need to get past in order to reach their senior year. Little do they know how stressful senior year can be. Juniors ...

Fall Look for leadership roles in clubs and activities. Start thinking about college choice. Sign up for FastWeb's College Search to find the right school for you. Make an appointment to talk with your guidance counselor. Strengthen relationships with teachers, counselors and activity advisors. This will help you obtain recommendations for college later. Become familiar with the standardized tests you need ...

[widget:1577] In 2005, studies showed that while only six percent of non-Hispanic students were likely to drop out of high school, that number was nearly 23% for Hispanic students. According to the ERIC Digest, “That third generation Latino youth perform not significantly better than their second generation Latino peers is very disconcerting. Since they have U.S. born parents, a much larger ...

What Is It? The SAT Subject Tests (also called the SAT II: Subject Tests) is a series of one-hour, multiple choice, standardized exams that test a student's knowledge of a particular subject. Up to three tests can be required for admission by some colleges while other colleges do not require any. Entrance requirements vary from college to college. SAT Subject exams ...

[widget:1577] At last, summer's almost here! After a school year full of hard work, you can finally put away your books, break out your bikinis, and soak up the sunshine. This is not only what you deserve but in fact what you need: If you have been working to your maximum level during the school year, you owe your body about ...

Acceptance Form: This form documents the student's receipt of an award letter. The form usually includes a space to indicate acceptance of offered aid, declination of all or part of the package and some means for requesting an appeal to modify the award. Acceptance letters and award letters are frequently combined into a single document. Admit-Deny: Some schools will admit marginal ...

Ok, so I am a junior now. My day starts at 6:30, school starts at 7:30 and ends at 3:00pm. Soccer practice or games start immediately after on Tuesdays and Fridays, then dinner and homework and emails, texting, plus a job on the weekends. It seems like the pressure never stops, particularly at school. Competition is a forever part of high ...

Responses to a few questions on this subject: How many recommendations should I send? Remember that each admissions officer or committee reads THOUSANDS of applications, so this is not a competition to see who sends the most. The truth is that you can really annoy a reader with a ton of recommendations, especially if they don’t explain different information. Whatever the ...

ACT, SAT, PSAT - little words that cause big anxiety. If you're getting ready to apply for college, then you know what these tests can mean to your applications. Follow these simple test-taking strategies to get your angst under control. Know your test. Make sure you know the format and scoring standards of your test ahead of time. (See "Know Your ...

Ready to head off to college? Ready to be independent? Looking for some fun: football games, meeting new friends, parties, maybe pledging, certainly dating? It’s going to be exciting, challenging and mind expanding. Oh, and by the way, have you decided in what you are going to major? Any idea what courses you want to take; where they will lead; what ...

When choosing a college, you need all the information you can get. But visiting each campus can be expensive. And who has time research hundreds of Web sites or call each school individually? That's where college fairs come in. "College fairs are a 'one-stop shopping' kind of experience," says Greg Ferguson, director of the National College Fairs program of the National ...

We realize it is tough being a teenager today. Far tougher than when we were that age. We didn’t have the same pressures, decisions or competition. So what are we, as parents to do? We can’t live their lives or make their decisions. It is their time now and we have to step back and allow them to experience and work ...

As promised, here is an exceprt from the first of my posts on navigating the admissions process. Just a reminder (DANGER! legal jargon coming), the information in these notes does not necessarily reflect the views of my institution , or anyone else in admissions or counseling (even though, no matter what anyone else has told you, I’m right and they’re wrong). ...

Ready to move beyond high school, but you haven't graduated yet? Itching for new challenges and excitement? Maybe you should think about taking college courses before you graduate. Early college programs, like AP courses, can offer a lot: you learn more about your favorite subjects, get a chance to try out college-level academics and you may get a real start on ...

The PLAN is a warm up for the ACT, but it also helps you prepare for life after high school. What is the PLAN? The PLAN is a curriculum-based test that covers material commonly taught in the classroom. It measures what you have learned and how well you can use that knowledge. Students typically take the PLAN during their sophomore year ...