JRA Educational Consulting Blog | Judi Robinovitz

And what, pray to tell, are the results of a head in the sand? Year after year it’s the same story: parents and their children are unable to understand the unique, often disheartening results of the college selection and application process. What we’re finding is that rather than taking a realistic view of today’s college admissions climate, families ignore years of admission trends combined with the most recent facts and figures. We don’t want that to happen to you. Mens sana in corpore sano – we may not give you a healthy body, but we can surely provide you with peace of mind by offering some healthy advice.

Topics: College Admission, College Application

Finishing your personal statement in the Common Application, that 250-to-650-word essay that goes to nearly every college on your application, is a major accomplishment. Celebrate!

Topics: College Application Essay

Because FSU applications have increased 169% since 2016, the university is changing its current admissions processes to help meet the enrollment goal of 6,200 freshmen. If you are planning to apply to FSU in fall 2022, please note these changes:

Topics: College Admission

As we officially move into summer, rising seniors have started thinking about the what, when, and how of college applications. Most applicants will be using the Common App, a convenient, “one-stop” platform used by nearly every well-known college: all 12 Florida state universities, all 8 Ivies, and many out-of-state private and public schools, including this year’s new members, Texas A&M and the University of Texas at Austin. Creating your Common App account is a simple matter of going to commonapp.org and inputting your email and other personal data. Once you create your login, navigating the platform is relatively straightforward. You can begin your Common App today – right after you finish reading this! – even though you can’t send anything to colleges until after August 1^st. Here’s why.

For years, we’ve been advising high school students to “demonstrate their interest” in their schools of choice by visiting the campus, among other critical actions. Colleges want to see that an applicant has taken the time and put effort into learning about their institution. Why? Because that demonstrates a higher potential to actually attend the school if accepted; that’s what schools hope for. There are other, equally important reasons to get to a campus – some obvious, others not quite so.

If you have a child who’s been diagnosed with dyslexia, you’ve likely struggled to figure out what the best educational environment would be for them. Should you look at specialized schools for dyslexia and if so, how do you go about finding the one that is right for your child? There are a number of choices today, including schools exclusively for dyslexic learners, schools that cater to a wide range of learning differences, and programs within mainstream schools.

Medical schools aren’t concerned about your undergraduate major. They do care about your GPA (especially grades in certain pre-med courses which you can take no matter your major), and your MCAT score.

• Rigor of your undergrad curriculum is not considered in medical school admissions.
• Take the easiest version of coursework and get perfect grades.

Topics: College Application Essay, Common Application, College Application, Coalition App, UF, FSU, UCF, Personal Statement

A recent survey (Lipman Hearne & the National Research Center for College and University Admissions) found that more than a quarter of “high achieving” high school seniors use services of Independent Educational Consultants (IEC’s) to optimize college search. When 1,300 high school seniors with SAT scores of 1150 or higher (out of 1600) and/or ACT scores of 25 or higher were asked, 26% percent said they had worked with an IEC.

Topics: College Counseling

Applying to college is a fairly involved process, and one with no guarantees! Students and their families often ask us what steps they can take to improve their chances of college admission. Because it’s not as simple as one-two-three, below we’ve provided some college admission strategies you can use today to begin improving your chances for college admission.

Topics: College Admission, College Counseling