JRA Educational Consulting Blog

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

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

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Hitting “submit” for that final college application produces myriad feelings: a deep sense of relief that the process is done coupled with the anxiety of knowing that you now must wait for college decisions. Perhaps you’re simply exhausted and ready to catch up on your favorite Netflix series and spend Saturdays doing something other than writing essays or taking college entrance exams. Before you dismiss all further thoughts of college applications, however, consider these few critical tasks in order to stay on top of things as you await college decisions. Check out what to do after applying to college.

Topics: College Admission, College Application

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Applying to college is never a one-and-done deal. As we’ve observed in previous articles, applying to college extends beyond the application itself, encompassing other activities like essays, test scores, and recommendations, all of which take time to complete or “collect” – in addition to the hours spent researching where you’d like to apply first! If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know that our mantra is apply early. But, you may be saying to yourself, “Surely, I can get my college applications done in a day or two.” How long do college applications really take?

Topics: College Application Essay, Common Application, College Application, Coalition App

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In our role as educational consultants, we receive most frequently questions about applying to college: When do I start? What do I do? When should I be finished? The list goes on. Our recent posts have focused on various aspects of the college application, including what’s needed and how long applications take to complete. We’ve put together a short, yet sweet, complete guide to applying to college. Today’s post will cover the following:

Topics: College Admission, College Application, College Counseling, College Planning, Going to College

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One thing that you absolutely DO NOT want to do is confuse college admissions officers by presenting contradictory – or inconsistent – information about yourself in your college applications. And there are multiple opportunities to do exactly that – through omission and commission.

Topics: College Admission, College Application, College Counseling, Activity Resume, Resume

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College admissions directors read hundreds − if not thousands − of college application essays, morning, afternoon, and evening.  They're the people in college admissions looking for the good read, the applicant’s essay that will make their day. That’s why getting the reader’s attention right from the start goes a very long way toward making you stand out from a long procession of students.

Topics: College Application Essay, College Application, Personal Statement

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Before we tell you what colleges are likely looking for in your list of activities, we’ll say this: their importance has not diminished in any way. In fact, it has probably increased in the face of so many colleges going test-optional because of COVID-19. Admissions officers will scrutinize your activities list and read between the lines to understand the true nature of your involvement to each activity. That brings us to activity “fundamentals” – what you must strive to include in your list.

Topics: College Application Essay, College Admission, Common Application, College Application, College Counseling, College Tips

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It’s a new school year that brings us a completely unanticipated college application environment: for one thing, more and more colleges are temporarily test-optional in the face of Covid-19; for another, it’s impossible to demonstrate your interest in a college by visiting its campus for a tour and information session. According to NACAC’s 2019 State of College Admission report, almost 83% of all colleges surveyed last year indicated that test scores were of considerable or moderate importance in making admission decisions. Additionally, 40% of the surveyed colleges said that demonstrated interest (a visit is part of demonstrated interest) was of considerable or moderate importance. That the pandemic has affected these two key factors, among others, and so has changed college admissions would be quite the understatement! The health crisis has upended the admissions evaluation process, redistributing the weight associated with the most important factors that have always been considered in admissions.

Topics: College Admission, College Application, College Counseling, Coronavirus

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Most of the Common App is pretty straightforward to complete, but one question we hear quite often from our students is “How should I complete the Testing page?” Unfortunately, the answer isn’t straightforward.

You should fill in your test scores and dates on the Common App Testing Section based upon the type of scores you wish to self-report.

Topics: College Admission, Common Application, Test-Prep, College Application, Educational Consulting

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