11 Ways to Jump Start the College Admissions Process Your Junior Year

With the release of the new Common Application, the 2012-2013 college admissions cycle has officially started. From a college admissions point of view, the Junior year is the most important year of high school. Whatever college you plan to attend, a clear strategy will guide you toward your destination. Here are eleven tips from the college advisors at International College Counselors that will help Juniors jump start the college admissions process.

1. Meet with your counselor. Discuss your career goals and the classes you should take. Many colleges require a high school career that shows a progression of courses. Make sure your high school coursework is laying the foundation colleges are looking for.

2. Choose your classes wisely. The choices you make on your junior curriculum are the most important. The difficulty of the courses you take matter. Instead of going for the easy "A," choose classes that will challenge you. Colleges like to see students who have shown that they challenge themselves.

3. Keep your grades up. Class rank and grades are key factors in college admissions.

4. Explore your personal interests. Take classes in a variety of subjects that interest you. Join some clubs. Take part in different activities outside of your school. Take classes of interest at a community college. Now is your chance to find out what you like to do. Identifying your interests will help you choose a college major.

5. Make a calendar. Start by marking off important test dates and deadlines. Then write in action items and goals related to the college application process including essay deadlines you set for yourself, scholarship deadlines and campus visits.

6. Stay organized. Set up special folders for college-related materials and plan how you'll keep them straight. Designate a place for reference material and one for correspondence. Start a notebook just for the admissions process. Write down all user names and college application passwords as well as thoughts about schools. Keep a log of correspondence, phone calls, meetings with college representatives and visits to each school.

7. Plan your testing. Take the SAT and ACT early in the year so that you are done before April and can save May and June for subject tests and AP tests. Taking the tests early will also give you time to improve your score, if need be. Call the college advisors at International College Counselors for the name of an ACT and/or SAT tutor.

8. Get to know teachers. Work really hard to impress a chosen few of your teachers. You want them to know you - and like you - well enough to write a personal and exceptional letters of recommendation for you.

9. Get Involved. Perform community service and/or get a part-time job. Extracurricular activities show that you're well rounded and know how to manage your time efficiently.

10. Position yourself for leadership. Run for office in one of your clubs. If you have a volunteer job, explore options for taking charge of a project. Colleges like to see that you've moved up in an organization. It shows commitment.

11. Research, research, research. Gather college information and use it to narrow down your choices of colleges and universities. Seek out college entrance requirements, scholarships and financial aid options. Go on "virtual" campus tours. Visit the websites of schools that interest you. Attend college fairs and college nights. Talk with students from your colleges of interest. Obtain course catalogs. Plan to visit campuses. Learn about financial aid options.

In 2012, the college advisors at International College Counselors helped more than 200 students find, apply to and gain acceptance into the college of their dreams. The expert college advisors at International College Counselors are dedicated to helping students and their parents with the often daunting and complex college application process.

For more information on International College Counselors or to contact an expert college counselor, call 954-414-9986 or 800 452-9090.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE COUNSELORS:
International College Counselors provides expert college counseling on undergraduate and graduate college admissions, financial aid, tuition, essays, and college applications to domestic and international students. The college counseling and college coaching services are tailored to address the goals, needs, and dreams of each student. Mandee Heller Adler, founder of International College Counselors, is a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She also received an MBA from Harvard Business School. Ms. Adler's achievements have brought her recognition as one of South Florida Top 100 Small Businesses in 2012 and 2011.

International College Counselors has offices in New York, New York; White Plains, New York; Boson, Massachusetts; Miami Beach, Florida; Miami, Florida; Coral Gables, Florida; Palm Beach, Florida; Boca Raton, Florida; Medellin, Columbia and Caracas, Venezuela.


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10 Ways for High School Sophomores to Jump Start the College Admissions Process

School is starting for many high school students across the country. From a college admissions point of view, the sophomore year is the second most important year of high school. Although you may not know which college you want to attend or what you're going to major in, the college advisors at International College Counselors have provided a clear general strategy that will prepare you for wherever you apply.

1. Meet with your counselor. Discuss your career goals and the classes you should take. Many colleges require a high school career that shows a progression of courses. Make sure your high school coursework is laying the foundation colleges are looking for.

2. Choose your classes wisely. The difficulty of the courses you take matter. Instead of going for the easy "A," choose classes that will challenge you. Colleges like to see students who have shown that they challenge themselves.

3. Avoid the Sophomore Slump. School can feel tedious and boring, stay focused on the goal: college. Keep your grades up. Class rank and grades are key factors in college admissions.

4. Explore your personal interests. Take classes in a variety of subjects that interest you. Join some clubs. Take part in different activities outside of your school. Take classes of interest at a community college. Now is your chance to find out what you like to do. Identifying your interests will help you choose a college major.

5. Take the Preliminary SAT (PSAT) and the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT).The 2012 PSAT/NMSQT test dates are Wednesday, October 17 and Saturday, October 20. Make sure you go over the test results with a college counselor, an independent one or at your school.

6. Consider taking the PLAN. The PLAN is the American College Testing (ACT) counterpart to the PSAT. This test covers English, math, reading and science. It is typically given in October.

7. Get to know teachers. It's not too early to do this.Work really hard to impress a chosen few of your teachers. You want them to know you - and like you - well enough to possibly write personal and exceptional letters of recommendation for you.

8. Get Involved. Perform community service and/or get a part-time job. Extracurricular activities show that you're well rounded and know how to manage your time efficiently. Next year you will want to take on a leadership position, start laying the groundwork.

9. Read and Write. You will need good writing skills for your college essay and for the rest of your life. Reading builds vocabulary. College counselors at International College Counselors recommend students take a look at the SAT prep books out there. There are many resources from romance novels to manga comic books that will build vocabulary while being entertaining.

10. Learn, learn, learn. Take a look at the Common Application and get familiar with what colleges are asking for on their applications. Visit some college websites and see what all the fuss is about.

Since 2004, the college advisors at International College Counselors have helped more than 500 students find, apply to and gain acceptance into the college of their dreams. The expert college advisors at International College Counselors are dedicated to helping students and their parents with the often daunting and complex college application process.

For more information on International College Counselors or to contact an expert college counselor, call 954-414-9986.

Common Application Now Available

The Common Application is now available online at https://www.commonapp.org. This means students can start to enter their information, and begin their final school essays (supplements too!) Please note that some schools, which accept the Common Application, have not yet released their supplemental applications, and this is nothing to worry about. The main Common Application includes two essays: a 150-word essay about your involvement in a particular extracurricular or work-related activity, and a 500-word answer to one of 6 topics, one of which is "Topic of your Choice." In addition to the Common Application, several other schools will now be releasing their individual applications for Fall 2013 as well, including University of Florida, Florida State University, University of Central Florida and Indiana University at Bloomington. The Common Application also gained 37 new members for the 2012-13 application cycle. That brings the total number of colleges and universities that accept the Common Application to 488.  Member schools are in 46 states and the District of Columbia, as well as in France, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, and Switzerland. It is to your great advantage to get started on these applications as soon as possible--with some extra effort now, you can have much of the work done before senior year even starts! Clients of International College Counselors, be sure to contact us with your information once you've registered for the Common App or any other schools' applications, so that we can go over everything with you and help finalize your drafts before you push "Submit"!  Also don't forget to make note of your log in and password, and to send it to us once there is something for us to review. For more information on International College Counselors or to contact an expert college counselor, please visit www.internationalcollegecounselors.com This year, college advisors at International College Counselors helped more than 200 students find, apply to and gain acceptance into the college of their dreams. The expert college counselors at International College Counselors are dedicated to helping students and their families successfully navigate the college application process. ABOUT INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE COUNSELORS: International College Counselors provides expert college counseling on undergraduate and graduate college admissions, financial aid, tuition, essays, and college applications to domestic and international students. The college counseling and college coaching services are tailored to address the goals, needs, and dreams of each student. Mandee Heller Adler, founder of International College Counselors, is a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She also received an MBA from Harvard Business School. Ms. Adler's achievements have brought her recognition as one ofSouth Florida Top 100 Small Businesses in 2010. International College Counselors has offices in White Plains, New York; Boston, Massachusetts; Miami Beach, Florida; Miami, Florida; Coral Gables, Florida; Palm Beach, Florida; Boca Raton, Florida; Medellin, Columbia and Caracas, Venezuela. w.