College application season happens senior year, but the planning for college starts much earlier. If you have a student getting ready to enter high school it’s not too early to start thinking about the process. In this session we will cover each year of high school and what students (and their families) can be doing to be as prepared as possible for applying to college broken down into easy to follow step by step directions. All attendees will leave with a free copy of the Ultimate High School Timeline for Getting Into College.

Everyone wants their child to get the best education they can and when it comes to college there are a few places that everyone knows. There are so many “Best Of” lists but what do those rankings even mean? Choosing a college is much more than picking a school. It has to be the right school for your child; where they can flourish but be challenged, have opportunities both inside and outside the classroom, a place that becomes home and helps launch their career. Find out about all the different types of colleges and universities out there and how to choose the one that fits best. Learn what to ask on the campus tour (and what you can ignore), how to compare schools, and how to get the real inside scoop on campus life. Understanding the college process starts here!

What does it take to get into college? Is it really all about the test scores? How many extracurricular activities should a student have? Do they really need foreign language? And seriously they need how many volunteer hours? In this session learn how colleges and universities make admissions decisions and how you can hack the system in your favor. Admissions decisions can be complicated but we will pull back the curtain and give you all the secrets the schools don’t want you to know (like how to get college credits in high school for next to nothing!) College admissions can be a game, but you can’t win if you don’t know the rules.

What is FAFSA and when do students fill it out? Where are the best places to find scholarships? What is the difference between grants and loans? One of the biggest concerns about college is how to pay for it. Come find out everything you need to know about financial aid and funding for school including a few insider secrets such as the best kept secret to finding scholarship money, and why you shouldn’t judge a college based on the sticker price.

Are you ready for college applications? Need some guidance on what the common app is and how to get started? Book a Common App party for your organization and have everyone work through the platform together. Appropriate for students and parents, this workshop can help you navigate how to use the platform to showcase your student’s talent to the best of their ability. This workshop can be fully customized to your group or organization and typically last from 1 to 3 hours in length. Workshop locations should have access to computers or attendees should plan to bring their own laptops.