All College Applications Articles

college applications

Understanding Prior-Prior Year FAFSA Filing and What It Means for Students and Parents

By Lynell EngelmyerLast updated on January 31, 2019
The federal government has come up with a wonderfully confusing new name for something that actually simplifies the financial aid process. Let me try to make it easier to understand. Historically, students and parents have used income information from the last full calendar year on financial aid applications (FAFSA). In other words, you used the …
Photograph of a "Wrong Way" sign that symbolizes your mistakes as a high school student, which you need to explain during the college admissions process.
college applications

How to Tell Colleges About Your Mistakes

By Lynell EngelmyerLast updated on June 16, 2020
News flash! You’re not perfect. You know it. Your parents know it, and every admission counselor reading your application knows it. So, how do you handle your imperfections when it comes to applying to college? Some issues don’t need to be shared. The fact that your bedroom looks like a pile of old Mayan Ruins …
Sell yourself to the admission officers when you're writing a college essay
college applications

Tips for Writing a College Essay: Learn How to Sell Yourself

By Lynell EngelmyerLast updated on June 16, 2020
You’ve likely heard that your college application is your time to “sell” yourself.  For most of us we translate “sell” to “brag” and that just feels uncomfortable or slightly obnoxious. But, selling can span a spectrum somewhere between telling and boasting. The key for you is to find the right spot on that spectrum–to tell your …
What should you do if you've been waitlisted?
college applications

What to Do If You’re Waitlisted by a College

By Lynell EngelmyerLast updated on August 13, 2021
You finally finish your college applications, your parents have stopped nagging you, and now you wait. If you get in, your ecstatic. If you are denied admission, you can move on, but being waitlisted is a little bit like being stuck in the nowhere land of college admissions. It’s the purgatory of your senior year, …
college applications

How to Build a Great College Application List

By William StaibLast updated on November 5, 2019
How many colleges should prospective students apply to? What if a student isn’t accepted to any of the schools on their list? One of the most important parts of the college search process is building a college application list. Why should you make a list? It’s critical that students create a balanced college application list …