JRA Educational Consulting Blog

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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Creating a college list is akin to chiseling away at a piece of stone to create a sculpture. You don’t have to do it all once; you can chip away at it little by little and eventually – optimally by August before your senior year – you’ll have a strong, workable list that will lead you to your best buffet of options when decision day arrives.

Topics: College Counseling, College Planning, Going to College, College Visits

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You open your laptop to create your college list, then your head begins to spin. Seems everybody’s got opinions about where you should go to college. Your mom was a Florida Gator and likes the idea of you staying in state. Uncle Joe is a proud Ohio State Buckeye and tells you there’s nothing like being in the stadium for a Big Ten showdown. Your guidance counselor is extolling the benefits of attending Oberlin, a small liberal arts college. Google searches are little help. The options are dizzying and you’re not sure where to begin.

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

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High school students applying to college may have gone wide-eyed at the news that some of the colleges they are strongly considering have gone "test optional" – meaning that ACT and SAT scores are not required. While that’s true, it’s not the same as saying that ACT and SAT scores don’t matter. In fact, ACT and SAT scores will be considered if submitted.

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

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Topics: College Admission, College Counseling, FSU, UCF, Going to College, Florida State Universities, College Tips

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Now, with mandated social distancing in our lives for the foreseeable future, all schools, big and small, are faced with the very same issue. While Skype or Zoom-based interviews are likely to increase in popularity and number, it’s also certain that letters of recommendation (LORs) will grow in importance to admission officers when they evaluate applicants. On top of that, a number of colleges will be test-optional next year, so in the absence of SAT or ACT scores, emphasis on LORs, among other factors, will increase.

Topics: College Application, Letter of Recommendation, Going to College, Coronavirus

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Today, we’ll share tips and pointers that we picked up from recent college counseling conferences (prior to the Coronavirus hiatus). Additionally, we have updates regarding changes to testing, both national and international. Here we go!

Topics: Going to College, APUSH, Coronavirus, STEM Courses

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In our May 28^th blog post titled “On Your Way to College? 9 Important Things for New Freshmen and Their Parents,” we recommended several “must have/take with” items for the move from home life and dorm life. A recent post on grown&flown suggested – based on parents’ feedback – other things that could well come in handy, so we’re supplementing our list with what we think are grown&flown’s best ideas of things to have to make the transition an easier one.

Topics: Going to College

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