Former President of Pine Crest School to Join International College Counselors

International College Counselors is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Lourdes Martinez Cowgill to the position of Senior Director of College Counseling. Cowgill, who served as president of Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton for 15 years, will work one-on-one with undergraduate and graduate students, advising them and guiding them through the college admission process.

As a former President, Headmistress and College Counselor at Pine Crest School, Cowgill worked closely with students including Presidential Scholars, National Merit Scholars, scholar-athletes, visual and performing arts majors, Ivy League-bound applicants, and many others. Additionally, Cowgill regularly spoke with colleges on behalf of students, and was instrumental in making Pine Crest School one of the top private college preparatory schools in the nation. Under her guidance, Pine Crest students matriculated to all of the top colleges and universities in the United States.

At International College Counselors, Cowgill will provide expert college advising services to students all over the world who wish to attend a school in the United States. These expert college counselor services include assisting students with college selection, college admissions essay writing, application support, high school planning, interview preparation, scholarship help, wait list / deferral strategies and more.

Cowgill's leadership positions on the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Board, National Merit Corporation Advisory Council, and Educational Records Bureau (ERB) Board of Trustees offer families insight into standardized testing and the role it plays in selective college admissions.

Cowgill is fluent in both English and Spanish. She has done national work in that academic field as a member and Chair of the Spanish Achievement Test (Spanish SAT II) and presenter for Spanish AP workshops in the Southern region.

Cowgill earned her B.A. from Barry University, her M.A. and Ph.D. from Bryn Mawr College, and her M.Ed. from Florida Atlantic University.


ABOUT INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE COUNSELORS
http://internationalcollegecounselors.com

International College Counselors provides individualized college counseling services to students. The expert college counselors at International College Counselors guide each student through the entire graduate and/or undergraduate college admission process. Services provided by International College Counselors include college selection, college admissions essay writing, interview preparation, high school planning, scholarship help and more. The college admissions counselors at International College Counselors have helped hundreds of students navigate the college admissions process, and get into the best fit school. International College Counselors is headquartered in Hollywood, Florida, and has offices in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties; New York; Boston; Medellin, Columbia and Caracas, Venezuela.

Notes for Parents of High School Students

Get your Insider Information here. Last week, the team at International College Counselors attended a counselor breakfast with admissions representatives from Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Penn and Stanford. There are a lot interesting developments at each of the schools and within the domain of Higher Ed. What the expert college advisors at International College Counselors know you need to know: Schools give a lot of weight to Early Decision. At Duke, 25% of the Early Decision applicants were accepted; 1/3 of the class was filled by Early Decision. At Penn, 1/3 to 1/ 2 of the class was filled by Early Decision applicants. This is significant given that the other three schools have Early Action (Non binding) as opposed to Early Decision (Binding) and therefore do not show evidence of such preference. Without reservation, the expert college advisors at International College Counselors always recommend that students seriously consider Early Decision options when they begin the college process. If there is a school your student really wants to attend, and it offers Early Decision, don't miss out! Free online financial aid calculators are invaluable tools. For those families who worry about the cost of college, and as to whether you can bind your child to a particular institution without financial aid details, know that every college now offers a Financial Aid Calculator. These can be found on the school's website. This calculator can help you determine, based on last year's financials, how much money your family can expect to receive from that particular institution. Here are links to a few such calculators Northwestern: https://npc.collegeboard.org/student/app/northwestern Emory: https://npc.collegeboard.org/student/app/emory Keep in mind, you or your student can always call a school's financial aid office for information and ask questions,without giving your name. Questions? Contact International College Counselors. As always, the expert college counselors are available to answer any specific questions our clients have. Don't hesitate to call or email us at 954-414-9986 or www.internationalcollegecounselors.com If you are interested in becoming a client of International College Counselors, please call or email us. College planning is definitely worth thinking about, and the sooner, the better!

AP Test Reporting

To report the AP test or not to report the AP test, that is this week's question. After taking one of the many various AP tests, there are usually three ways a student will feel: Great! Good. And Awful. If you think you did great or good, congratulations! If you're sure you did awfully and scored a 1 or a 2, or you're not sure how you did, you can withhold or cancel your score. Because AP grades are released in July, any request for changes in reporting must be received by June 15. Note that it's not likely that any one AP grade you submit, no matter how low, will fatally wound you. Canceling vs. Withholding Canceling AP grades Canceling an AP grade permanently means you'll never, ever see the grade and it's deleted from your record forever. The option to cancel a score helps a number of students, say the expert college advisors at International College Counselors. Some of those students took an AP course but found that the class didn’t cover all the information on the test or they didn’t study for the test as much as they should have. (And this happens more than we’d like to think.) This option also encourages the risk takers, the students who take an AP exam in a subject they might not have taken the class for. (They’re the ones who study a lot on their own). To cancel a score, you must send the College Board a Score Cancellation Form AND a written request by mail or fax by June 15. You must include in your letter: your full name, home address, birth date, high school the year(s) that you took AP Exams the name, city, and state of the college you specified the name(s) of the exam(s) for which you want a grade cancelled your signature This service is free but note that the grade report that you and your high school receive will indicate that the grade has been canceled. Withholding AP grades Withholding a score means you may have one or more grades withheld from the colleges you indicated on your answer sheet. This gives you the chance to see your scores before the colleges. You may later release the grade to that college by sending AP Services a signed written request and a small fee. What we suggest to the students we work with at International College Counselors is to not send your scores to any colleges in May. Our reasoning is as follows: with your test, as explained to our company by an AP representative, you only get to send your scores to one school free, any others are $15. In other words, if you choose to withhold your scores from all the colleges until you see them, you're only "losing" $15. Many students can think of the $15 as "insurance". It's easy to see your scores and then send them in if you want to. You can withhold a score if you already sent them in, but if you took them this year, we recommend waiting until early July. Beginning July 1, grades by phone are available for the 2012 exams. It'll cost you a few extra dollars to get your scores by phone, but it's a very small price to pay in the larger scheme of things. To withhold a score, you must notify the College Board by sending them a written request by mail or fax by June 15. You must include in your letter: 1. your full name, home address, birth date 2. the year(s) that you took AP Exams 3. the name, city, and state of the college you specified 4. the name(s) of the exam(s) for which you want a grade withheld. (All your grades will still appear on the reports sent to you and your high school.) 5. a check for the exact amount due made out to "AP Exams." There is a $10 fee per score, per college. 6. your signature Note that unlike a canceled score, a request to withhold a grade does not permanently delete your grade. A withheld AP grade will be sent to your high school. It will count in your AP average and affect AP scholar designations. This means you can choose the scores that work to your advantage and feel confident to take some extra AP exams. Make sure you keep a copy of all your correspondence with the College Board. Contact the College Board For more information straight from the College Board on AP grade reporting services, including addresses, phone and fax numbers: Contact International College Counselors For help from an experienced college advisor, please contact the expert college counselors at the Miami based International College Counselors of http://www.internationalcollegecounselors.com International College Counselors (954) 414-9986 About International College Counselors International College Counselors is a Miami-based company that provides expert college counseling on undergraduate and graduate college admissions, financial aid, tuition, essays, and college applications. The college admissions counselors at International College Counselors work with domestic and international students. International College Counselors, founded by Mandee Heller Adler, tailors college counseling and college coaching services to address the goals, needs, and dreams of each student. International College Counselors has seven offices in three countries.