international college counselors blog

Why the PSAT Matters

Monday, October 10th, 2011

Many students are about to take the PSAT test in a few days and many of them are probably wondering why it’s so important. Here are some reasons:

The expert college advisors at International College Counselors understand that the PSAT is the best practice for the SAT. It’s a standardized test made by the College Board, the same company that creates the SAT, and it tests the same three subjects as the SAT: critical reading, math, and writing. The kinds of questions and the directions are almost exactly the same as the SAT. Students also get to experience sitting down for a two to three hour test with few breaks. For many, it’s an eye-opener. The real SAT is about an hour and a half longer than the PSAT.

PSAT scores indicate how a student might do on each section on the SAT. Using the test results, students can then focus their test review on the areas and types of questions they most need to improve. Students and parents can also use the scores as a gauge to see what kind of additional study aids or tutoring is needed. Consider poor results as an early warning signal that serious work may be needed before a student takes the real SAT.

By taking the PSAT, a student could become a National Merit Scholar. This is a highly prestigious recognition. To participate in the National Merit Scholarship Program, a student needs to score above a certain percentile on the test.

Through the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), different sponsor organizations offer different amounts of scholarship money to high-scoring students, even if the student reaches levels below that of National Merit Scholar. According to the National Merit website, Merit Scholarship awards are supported by approximately 440 independent sponsors and by NMSC’s own funds. Sponsor organizations include corporations and businesses, company foundations, professional associations, and colleges and universities.

High scoring African American high school students become eligible to participate in the National Achievement Scholarship Program as well as in the National Merit Scholarship Program.

Students can see how their performance on the SAT test might compare with that of other students. This may boost self-esteem or be a good dose of reality/kick in the pants.

To all students: Good luck on the PSAT!

The college advisors at International College Counselors are available to review PSAT scores and recommend highly qualified tutors to help. Please contact us with any questions you may have.

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University of Florida Innovation Academy

Sunday, September 4th, 2011

University of Florida has radically changed the undergraduate college experience, understand the expert college counselors at International College Counselors.

New to the college is Innovation Academy (IA), a new enrollment model that operates on a spring-summer calendar. IA lets the popular UF admit more students than current capacity will allow.

Students enrolled in IA will take UF courses on campus during the spring and summer terms. They will not be allowed to take fall classes on campus for the entire undergraduate degree program.

By limiting students to spring and summer classes only, the University of Florida hopes to take advantage of the classroom space that becomes available when students graduate or drop out after fall semester or leave campus to study abroad.

During the fall, IA students are encouraged to take advantage of online courses, study abroad programs, internships, research, community service and/or employment.

IA students will be able to participate in fall semester activities available to all UF students. This includes access to all UF services and activities, all year long, including football and other events. In addition, IA students can live on campus, belong to any club, participate in student government and participate in Rush.

IA students will meet the same requirements and standards for their majors as all UF students. They will also receive the same academic advising as other UF students.

Students in IA will share the same undergraduate experience. UF describes this as a way to provide a small-college experience in combination with the opportunities available at a large, comprehensive research university.

Who is Eligible to Participate?

Initially, the program will be limited to 500-800 freshmen and transfer students admitted to select majors. The long-term goal is a mix of 2000 students.

When Will the Program Begin?

The first group of students admitted to IA will enroll Spring 2013.

For more information about UF’s Innovation Academy, click here or contact an expert college counselor at International College Counselors, if you are a client or interested in becoming one.

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Test Score Reporting

Saturday, August 27th, 2011

Although some students may not notice until it is too late, some high schools are reporting, on the high school transcript, all college entrance scores provided by the testing agency, namely the College Board (SAT) and the American College Testing (ACT) programs.

Prior to sending their transcripts, students should look into whether their school is doing this. At most schools, students do have the opportunity to decide if their scores will be recorded on the transcript. This will be done on an all or none basis.

Regardless as to whether scores appear on a transcript, all scores must also be sent through the appropriate testing agency. When sending scores, students should be sure to take advantage of the College Board Score Choice option when possible. Score Choice gives students the option to choose the SAT scores by test date and SAT Subject Test scores by individual test that they send to colleges, at no additional cost. This gives students more flexibility and control over their scores. Score Choice is optional, and only allowed at certain colleges.

Although many students do not notice until it is too late, some high schools are reporting, on the high school transcript, all college entrance scores provided by the testing agency, namely the College Board (SAT) and the American College Testing (ACT) programs.

Regardless as to whether scores appear on a transcript, all scores must also be sent through the testing agency. Students should be sure to take advantage of the College Board Score Choice option when possible.

Score Choice gives students the option to choose the SAT scores by test date and SAT Subject Test scores by individual test that they send to colleges, at no additional cost. This gives students more flexibility and control over their scores. Score Choice is optional, but only allowed at certain colleges.

International College Counselors
954-414-9986

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE COUNSELORS
International College Counselors provides expert college counseling on undergraduate and graduate college admissions, financial aid, tuition, essays, and college applications. Mandee Heller Adler, college admissions consultant and Founder of International College Counselors tailors her college counseling and college coaching services to address the goals, needs, and dreams of each student. Our college advising company works with domestic and international students. Let us help you make the best decisions in choosing, getting into, and paying for college

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The Common Application Now Available for Submission

Wednesday, August 10th, 2011

On August 1, the Common Application for Undergraduate Admissions became available for submission (Click here to download forms.)

Things are going to get really busy once school starts again so it’s best to start the application now, if you haven’t already.

This year, 45 new schools joined the Common App for 2011-12. There are now 463 Common Application members in 46 states and the District of Columbia, as well as in France, Germany, Italy, Scotland, and Switzerland. This membership represents the full range of higher education institutions in the US: public and private, large and small, highly selective and modestly selective, East Coast, West Coast, and every region in between. For a complete list, click here.

The 2011-12 version of the Common Application was available for preview in April. The big change in this year’s form is the 500-word limit placed on essays.

A video on the Comm App website takes students through the process. Students register for an account and then access the system online. Users can search for colleges by criteria they enter and then click on the schools where they want to apply.

Clients of International College Counselors can call us or email us for help. Common questions on the Common Application can be found if you click here.

The Common Application currently provides both online and print versions of its First-year and Transfer Applications. (To download forms for Transfer Admission, click here)

Students do not have to be complete the Common App in one sitting. The form can be saved and worked on later (just don’t wait too long). The completed form can be previewed in a PDF format before you hit that send button. There are no take backsies.

Last year, close to 2 million Common Applications were submitted through the Common App Online. According to the Common App website, a new single-day record was set on December 31, 2010, when students submitted 127,175 applications.

The system does streamline the process, enabling students to complete one form to send to any number of member colleges. To note, some colleges have supplemental applications that include questions specific to their school, such as “Why do you want to attend ‘Name of School’ University?” Information about these supplements and more can be found on the Common App website.

If you have a meeting with ICC coming up- please try to complete the common app. Of course, please do not send it in- just save the long in and password for our review.

International College Counselors
954-414-9986

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Thinking about Applying Early? Read the Small Print.

Wednesday, August 10th, 2011

Early Policies. They can maximize your chances to get into a school but you need to read them carefully.

Early Decision. Early Action. Single-Choice Early Action. Regular Decision.

Which one should you choose?

The names sound similar, but there are huge differences.

Early action means students who get accepted do not have to commit. Early decision means if you get accepted you have to commit. Unsurprisingly, when schools switch from Early Decision to Early Action, they can experience a giant rise in early applications. Adding to the layers of confusion, many schools are “Single-Action Early Action” which means you will violate the rules if you apply Early Action to one school and Early Decision to another.

Be aware, there is an increase in the number of schools that have restrictions in their Early Action policies. You do not want to get caught violating these policies so be sure to read and understand the policies of each school – even the tiny print.

To make it even more confusion, policies can change constantly. One year a school may drop their early admission policy. Another year, a school may switch from Early Decision to Early Action.

Then, too, at some schools only domestic students can apply early. International students may need to apply regular admissions.

International College Counselors recommends students apply with an early strategy.

Below is a quick reference list of the main types of early policies. Double check application deadlines as can they vary year to year.

Types of Applications Typical Deadline Restrictions

Rolling September onward Nonbinding

Early Action late Oct. to late. Nov. Nonbinding
You may apply early to more than one college.

Restrictive Early Action November 1 Nonbinding
You can not apply to more than one Early Action program. School policies then differ on whether you can concurrently apply to Early Decision at another school.

Single-Choice Early Action November 1 Nonbinding
You cannot apply early to other schools

Early Decision mid-Oct. to mid Nov. Binding
You can apply early to only one college.

Early Decision II January 1 or January 15 Binding

Regular Decision December 15-January 1 Nonbinding

Binding means that you agree to attend the college if it accepts you and offers adequate financial aid. If you’re accepted by your first-choice college early, you must withdraw all other applications.

Early Notification/Early Evaluation is an option offered to applicants by a limited number of selective institutions and is designed to give students an idea of their chances for admission. This is not an admission plan, nor is it an offer of admission.

For more information on Early Action, Early Decision and which program is right for your student, clients of International College Counselors should contact one of our expert college advisors.

International College Counselors
954-414-9986

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Florida Virtual School (FLVS) Clubs

Sunday, July 31st, 2011

Online education isn’t just a solitary pursuit anymore. Now students enrolled full-time or part-time in Florida Virtual School (FLVS) have many opportunities to explore interests outside their classes, meet other students, and experience “school” life.

FLVS offers virtual “clubs”
Hundreds of Florida Virtual School students have the opportunity to “virtually” participate in clubs and other extracurricular activities. Florida’s range of activities outside the online classroom includes Future Business Leaders of America, Science Club, Spanish Honor Society, Model UN Club, Newspaper Club and more.

As a member of the FLVS Science Club, for example, students have participated in Earth Day activities, attended local science fairs, written articles about environmental issues, and participated in field trips and competitions like the Florida State Science Olympiad.

Online clubs and groups are only open to FLVS middle school and high school students who are active in at least one course. Students in grades 6-12 are eligible for part-time virtual school enrollment.

This means if a club is very important to your student and it is not offered at his or her school, your student can enroll in a virtual class and join.

For those unfamiliar with virtual schools, in short, virtual schools are distance education schools run by the public school system. They offer instruction through web-based applications that students complete at home. They are responsible for any state testing requirements and the virtual school keeps regular records of academic achievement.

Florida Virtual School offers education for students in grades K-12. This school is funded by the state, and does not charge tuition.

Virtual schools are held to the same high standard as regular public schools. Instructors are certified teachers who work only for the virtual school, or work for the virtual school as part of their contract with the school district.

To allay any confusion, virtual schools are not homeschools. Virtual schools consider students to be public school students and get state money for their enrollment.

For more information on FLVS clubs, click here.

For more information on Florida Virtual School, click here.

International College Counselors
954-414-9986

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THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS SCHOLARSHIP OF ALL: The Rhodes Scholarship

Tuesday, July 19th, 2011

International College Counselors now has a sister website specializing in graduate school admissions www.iccgrad.com. Please pass this email along to anyone you know who may be headed down this route.

THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS SCHOLARSHIP OF ALL
The Rhodes Scholarship

There are few scholarships that can surpass a Rhodes Scholarship in prestige. One of the world’s oldest scholarships, the Rhodes has world-wide recognition. Recipients have gone on to become presidents, prime ministers, senators, Supreme Court justices, poets, university presidents, astronomers Nobel Prize recipients, and more. Famous American Rhodes Scholars include former US President Bill Clinton, former head of CIA James Woolsey, astronomer Edwin Hubble and Olympic gold medalist Bill Bradley.

Rhodes scholars have virtually any job open to them.

Each year, 32 Rhodes scholars are selected from the United States from a pool of approximately 1,000 applicants. Rhodes Scholarships are distributed according to a system of geographical districts. Annually, there are 80 Rhodes scholars worldwide.

Those selected have the opportunity to study at Oxford University for one to three years, with all tuition fees paid and a living allowance provided. Students pursue a course of study of their own choosing at Oxford and may work toward a master’s degree, a doctorate degree or a second bachelor’s degree.

The Rhodes Scholarships were established after the death of Cecil Rhodes, founder of the De Beers diamond company, and the selection criteria has remained unchanged since Rhodes’s will laid them out in 1902.

Recipients are selected based on

1. Literary and scholastic attainments.
The selection committees want to see candidates with very strong academic records. There is no official minimum GPA for the Rhodes, but a GPA of lower than 3.7 is not competitive. Applicants should be broadly educated and should have chosen challenging courses outside their major as well as within it. Students must also have excelled in their chosen field.

2. Energy to use one’s talents to the full, as exemplified by fondness for and success in sports.
Intramurals or independent activity is acceptable. A significant extracurricular record is necessary to be competitive.

3. Truth, courage, devotion to duty, sympathy for and protection of the weak, kindliness, unselfishness and fellowship.

You must show the committee you arevery committed to making a difference in the world, however you choose to do this. Really think about want to do make the world a better place, how your unique skills can help you accomplish this, and how Oxford will help you realize your goals.

4. Moral force of character and instincts to lead, and to take an interest in one’s fellow beings.

The selection committees understand the prestige of the award, and one thing they’re really tuned into is whether students are after that prestige, or after the full experience. So really understand who you are and why you want this opportunity.

Not written into the selection criteria is that a true Rhodes candidate also needs to posses competence around people and the right mix of self-confidence and humility. The candidate also needs superb relationships with faculty and/or mentors.

If you decide to apply for a Rhodes scholarship, the best time to act is in the spring of your junior year of college. The online application is available in July and due in October.

This is not something you can wait until the last minute to act on. The application is very time consuming. Five to eight letters are requested, but you should submit eight letters. And these must be detailed, insightful, and strong. You also need an extraordinary personal statement and you need to be nominated by your university.

To apply, students must be ages 18 to 24, and must have a completed bachelor’s degree prior to entering Oxford.

For more information go to RhodesScholar.org

If you are a citizen of certain countries including, but not limited to, Australia, Bermuda, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica and Zimbabwe, you may apply through your own country. But do your research. Not all of these countries are willing to accept applicants who live permanently or attend school outside of their country. Most applications are due earlier than for the US competition.

International College Counselors
954-414-9986

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FAFSA To Be Required for Florida Bright Futures effective July 1

Wednesday, June 15th, 2011

While we can’t confirm the details, but here is what we know so far:

All students applying for and/or receiving a Bright Futures scholarship will be required to fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

This new law, which goes into effect July 1, applies to incoming freshman, graduating from high school in 2012 as well as students renewing their Bright Futures scholarships.

No FAFSA = No Bright Futures $$$$ even though Bright Futures is still a merit-based scholarship and NOT need-based.

Students who do NOT submit a FAFSA application will not receive their Bright Futures Scholarship money this fall.

The FAFSA is also required for students getting Florida Resident Access Grants and Access to Better Learning and Education Grants.

A FAFSA is a detailed financial form used by the government to determine a student’s eligibility for need-based federal student financial aid. Until now a FAFSA was never required for Bright Futures. Lawmakers claim their only aim with a required FAFSA is to get more demographic information about students who are attending college on taxpayer money. Common wisdom says that lawmakers are making it more difficult for students to get the scholarship money. Students will need their parents help to fill out the forms, which are very detailed.

Parents and students with questions about the FAFSA requirement should contact their college, a university financial aid counselor, or a college admissions expert at International College Counselors.

International College Counselors
954-414-9986

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To Expand Access, UF Prepares to Roll Out a No-Fall-Semester Option

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

The following news came across our desks at International College Counselors this morning. Like you, we are working on finding out what this means for the class of 2012.

The University of Florida is planning to grow by enrolling 2,000 students in a spring and summer cohort. The students will be considered full-fledged undergraduates, but they will be allowed to live and take classes on the campus only during the spring and summer.

Those students could still participate in on-campus activities in the fall like getting football tickets, and would be able to enroll in fall online courses if they wanted to move more quickly through school. There is also the option to study abroad, work, or do internships away from campus in the fall.

Currently, the university plans to enroll the first spring-summer students in January 2013.

Applicants will be able to apply for both regular fall admission and the spring-summer option. Students will only be offered spring-summer admission if they have expressed interest in it. While university officials plan to eventually serve 2,000 students with the new schedule, they hope to enroll between 500 and 1,000 in the first year, depending on the mix of freshmen and transfer students.

Florida state universities have been struggling with public demand that doesn’t often align with public support. The budget passed in Florida earlier this month reduced appropriations for the University of Florida by about $54-million, and this is following years of deep cuts.

The University of Florida had received 29,000 applications for 6,400 slots in next year’s freshman class. The university has already increased the number of freshmen it admits in the spring to 400, from about 100 less than five years ago. It also brings in about 1,000 transfer students in the spring.

This month, lawmakers changed the rules for Florida’s Bright Futures scholarship to allow students to use it in the summer, but only if they opt for Florida’s spring-summer schedule. The elimination of the year-round federal Pell Grant isn’t a problem because students can use the grant in the summer as long as they have aid money left.

Read the full article here.

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Attend College Information Sessions

Wednesday, April 20th, 2011

The Schools are coming! The Schools are coming!!

Attending info sessions can help students learn about colleges and, as importantly, will enable colleges to learn about their interest.

To find out about upcoming info sessions, students should visit the websites of the schools they are interested in, and fill out the online forms to receive more information. This way they’ll learn when the college comes to town.

At an info session, representatives from a University will present information about their institution and answer questions about the college admissions process. Students, and parents who accompany them, will learn what distinguishes one school from another, what colleges look for in the selection process, and what one can do to enhance the college application.

It’s never too early to start looking at colleges say International College Counselors. Students who are sophomores or juniors in high school must start now.

Exploring College Options is one upcoming event. It is hosted by five of the country’s leading universities: Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Penn and Stanford.
More details on this event are provided on the Exploring College Options website.

If you have any questions, please contact an expert college counselor at International College Counselors. The main office number for International College Counselors is (954) 414-9986

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