For families targeting Ivy League and highly selective colleges, quality and depth of involvement consistently outweigh quantity. The ideal time to drop an activity is when it has become box-checking rather than genuine engagement, and your student’s energy would be better invested in pursuits where they can demonstrate sustained passion.

The goal is becoming “well-lopsided”, developing superior talents in one or two areas, rather than surface-level involvement across many.

Searching for comprehensive strategies on building a compelling application profile? Explore our complete guide to top-tier college application tips to maximize your chances. For more insights on strategies around extracurricular activities, keep on reading.

What Are the Signs That My Student Should Drop an Extracurricular Activity?

The clearest sign is when an activity feels like box-checking rather than genuine engagement. Key indicators that it’s time to reconsider an activity include:

• Your student dreads attending or participates with minimal enthusiasm.
• They show no interest in seeking leadership roles or increased involvement.
• They couldn’t imagine writing about this activity in their college essays with genuine passion.
• The activity doesn’t connect to any academic interest or personal growth story.

Colleges want to see activities pursued for multiple years with increasing involvement each year. As veteran college admissions expert Jamie Berger explains, “If it’s something you don’t like, you probably don’t want to rise to be the president of that club.” This lack of natural progression signals to admissions officers that the involvement might not be authentic.

However, don’t confuse performative activities with those serving important personal functions. Activities crucial to your student’s physical health, mental well-being, sense of community, or genuine joy remain valuable even without direct admissions benefit. The distinction lies in whether continuing serves your student’s authentic development or merely occupies a line on their application.

How Early Should Students Narrow Their Extracurricular Focus for Top Colleges?

The ideal timeline follows a natural progression: freshman year is for exploration, then strategic narrowing begins by sophomore year. Jamie advises families: “Freshman year, try a lot of stuff and then narrow it and do something in the summer related to the ones you liked, then narrow down to fewer clubs the next year.”

For highly competitive programs at elite universities, the timeline can extend even earlier. Students targeting specialized majors face particular pressure. Jamie notes that students seeking spots in programs like Stanford’s aeronautics have typically been “little astronauts since middle school.” Stanford admitted roughly 13 aeronautics majors from approximately 1,300 applicants in one recent year, making activity alignment critical for such impacted programs.

The overarching goal is to demonstrate sustained commitment. Here at Great College Advice, we advise our students that “deep dives for four years into activities is what’s most valuable. The great well-rounded kid is not the ideal anymore.”

Admissions officers at the most highly selective colleges like to see students who have well-defined interests in which they excel and exhibit leadership. They do not like to see students who flit from one activity to the next without really committing to any.

Even if your student hasn’t yet found that defining passion, there’s space for continued exploration. High school is a time for discovery, and working with experienced counselors can help students find the right balance between exploration and commitment.

Should My Child Quit an Activity They’ve Done for Years If It’s Not Related to Their Intended Major?

This question has nuances, and the answer isn’t automatically yes. While activity-major alignment matters significantly for competitive programs, personal well-being also carries weight in application narratives and student success.

Jamie explains this directly: “Should my kid quit rowing? He’s not going to get a scholarship for crew. Well, rowing could be super important to this kid’s physical health, sense of well-being, and sense of community, and they should not give it up. They may have to sacrifice some aspects of an extra rowing camp to do something academic or have a job in the summer, but they shouldn’t give it up because it’s not going to help them get into college in a very literal way, because it’ll help them get into college by being important to their life.”

The strategic approach involves allocation rather than elimination. Keep activities essential to your student’s well-being while finding time to add experiences aligned with academic interests.

Summer is a great opportunity for this rebalancing. Perhaps rowing continues during the school year, while summer includes an academic camp, research opportunity, or relevant work experience.

For highly competitive majors, alignment becomes more critical. Jamie recalls working with a family whose son attended summer camp for seven years but wanted to major in aeronautics at Stanford. Despite excellent grades and scores, he was a long shot because he hadn’t done any aeronautics-related extracurriculars.

The solution wasn’t necessarily to abandon all non-aeronautics activities, but to consider related, but less competitive, programs like physics, where his general science profile might prove more competitive.

Or as we like to say: Stop worrying. Do what you love. And the rest will take care of itself.

How Many Extracurricular Activities Should a Student Have for Top 20 Colleges Admissions?

There is no magic number, and chasing a quantity target often backfires. The Common App provides space for ten activities, but students need not fill all ten spaces.

The Great College Advice Family Handbook is direct about this: “The number of activities is less important than the depth of the commitment. Some students sign up for a million clubs but make little contribution to any. Other students join no clubs but have one special activity that occupies almost all of their time outside of school. What counts is what information goes into those spaces.”

At elite universities like MIT and Harvard, admissions committees have their pick of students with perfect grades and scores. Activities become the primary distinguishing factor among academically qualified candidates. Jamie describes this reality: MIT and similar schools “get the pick of the litter of kids with the highest achievements, grades, and scores. And the only way they distinguish them from each other is those activities.”

Students who succeed at the highest level typically fall into two categories.

1. The first group has “national finalist level, national winner level” achievements—accepted to elite programs such as Stanford, MIT, and the Ivy League universities based on demonstrated excellence. These students succeed even with relatively narrow activity profiles if their achievements are exceptional enough.
2. The second group presents unique, authentic pursuits that tell a compelling story. Being “well-lopsided” with superior talents in one or two areas impresses admissions officers more than being thinly spread across many activities. The student who manages a McDonald’s and connects it to business school aspirations can be as compelling as the student with prestigious internships because authenticity and demonstrated growth are compelling attributes.

Is It Okay to Drop an Activity After Sophomore Year If My Student Lost Interest?

Yes, authenticity matters more than forced continuation. Admissions officers can sense the difference.

Jamie confirms this: “Even if they’ve done something for two years and they realize after sophomore year, it’s just not for them, then it’s just not for them. And yes, it would be better if they did the same thing for four years, but you don’t want them to get into Harvard and be miserable in a major they didn’t want. So maybe they don’t get to go to Harvard, but they don’t head down the wrong career path.”

This perspective reveals an important truth: the college admissions process should guide students toward their authentic path, not force them into performative choices that lead to misaligned college experiences. Dropping an activity strategically is preferable to maintaining hollow involvement.

The key is redirecting that time productively. Use this free time to dive deeper into remaining passions, explore new interests that might become meaningful commitments, or add experiences aligned with your student’s evolving academic direction. An activity started in junior year that genuinely excites your student can demonstrate authentic engagement, especially if they rapidly assume leadership or achieve notable results.

What matters most is that your student can speak genuinely about their involvement when the time comes for essays and interviews. Forced continuation produces shallow narratives that admissions readers easily identify.

How Do I Know If an Activity Is “High Impact” Enough for Elite College Admissions?

High-impact activities share key characteristics:

• Sustained commitment over multiple years,
• Increasing involvement and leadership,
• and demonstrable achievements or growth.

Crucially, the activity itself matters less than what your student has done with it.

Jamie shares a powerful example that illustrates this principle: “I helped a kid get into very selective schools, whose main activity was that he started working at McDonald’s. He became a manager, and he also went to national conferences. He got accepted to the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. He didn’t have illustrious academic camps. But he did what he did for four years, and he loved it. He was able to write about his story. It led to what he wants to do for a living. And the colleges recognized this is someone who knows what they want, who’s done it, who stuck with it and excelled at it.”

What makes an activity high-impact is the story it tells: passion, persistence, growth, leadership, and connection to future goals. This explains why seemingly ordinary activities can prove more compelling than prestigious programs. After all, the narrative matters as much as the activity itself.

The Great College Advice Family Handbook reinforces this: “Leadership roles are great to put on college applications. While not all students are natural leaders, there are ways they can demonstrate leadership other than by having an official title or position. For example, a student might manage the website or lead a fundraising effort for a school club.”

Can Working a Regular Job Be as Impressive as Prestigious Summer Programs for College Applications?

Absolutely, and sometimes more so. Meaningful work experience can be equally or more impressive than expensive summer programs, especially when it demonstrates growth.

The Great College Advice Family Handbook confirms this: “There are a variety of meaningful ways students can spend their summers, and they don’t all come with a huge price tag. Additionally, it is completely acceptable for students to work during the summer.”

The McDonald’s example from Jamie’s experience demonstrates exactly how transformative regular work can be. A student who worked his way to management, attended national conferences, and connected the experience to his business school aspirations presented a more compelling narrative than students with generic, prestigious academic camp experiences. His story demonstrated initiative, growth, leadership, and clear direction; all without the price tag of so-called ‘elite’ summer programs.

The key differentiator is what your student does with the opportunity. Elements that transform ordinary work into extraordinary application material include:

1. Advancement and increased responsibility over time. 
2. Documented achievements and contributions to the workplace. 
3. Clear connections to their academic narrative and future goals. 
4. Stories of problem-solving, leadership, or meaningful impact.

Colleges recognize that not every family can afford elite summer programs, and authentic growth through real-world work demonstrates maturity and initiative. What matters is the story your student can tell about their experience and how it shaped their aspirations. It’s not about the prestige of the program name.

If you’re uncertain whether your student should drop an activity, how to help them develop deeper involvement in their passions, or how their current extracurricular profile aligns with their college goals, we’re here to help. Our admissions counselors have guided thousands of families through these exact decisions.

Schedule a free consultation to discuss your student’s unique situation and get personalized guidance on building a compelling application profile.

The post The Extracurricular Smorgasbord: Stop Gorging! first appeared on Great College Advice.

The post How to Disclose a Learning Difference on the College Application first appeared on Great College Advice.

How do I preview my Common App before submitting?

The Common Application includes a built-in preview feature that every applicant should use before submitting. To access it, log into your Common App account, navigate to your application for a specific college, and look for the “Preview” or “Print” option. This generates a complete PDF document showing exactly what admissions officers will see when they review your application.

This PDF preview is invaluable because it allows multiple review options. You can sit with a parent and go through the application side-by-side, or you can share the PDF with your college counselor for their professional review. This flexibility means you maintain control of your application while still benefiting from fresh eyes catching potential issues.

The PDF format also makes it easier to spot formatting problems, text that got cut off due to character limits, or sections that look incomplete when viewed as a whole document rather than screen by screen.

What common mistakes should I look for when reviewing my Common App?

Your application review should cover several categories of potential errors, ranging from simple typos to strategic missteps.

Biographical and Family Information: Double-check your graduation year, parent education details, and financial aid status. These factual errors are easy to make when filling out forms quickly but can create confusion or administrative issues for admissions offices.

Activities Section Strategy: The Common App provides space for only ten activities with strict character limits. What matters most is not filling every slot, but ensuring the activities you do list accurately represent your involvement. The number of activities is less important than the depth of commitment—students need not fill all ten spaces, but what counts is what information goes into those spaces. Use strong, action-oriented verbs to describe your accomplishments.

Essay Alignment: One of the most common mistakes students make is writing essays that don’t actually answer the prompts. As veteran college admissions expert Jamie Berger explains, students often try to squeeze unrelated accomplishments into supplemental essays rather than directly addressing what colleges are asking. He notes that the essay that simply reiterates accomplishments already listed elsewhere is the worst possible approach—admissions officers want to understand who you actually are beyond your data.

School-Specific Requirements: Verify that you’ve selected the correct application deadlines and completed any honors program or scholarship applications that may have separate due dates. One parent in the Great College Advice community shared their experience discovering too late that USC Honors College essays were due November 15th, not December 1st as they had assumed—a costly oversight that proper preview would have prevented.

When should I start reviewing my application before the deadline?

Starting your review process early is essential for submitting your strongest possible application. Great College Advice recommends having your application ready to submit four weeks before each college’s official deadline.

As part of this, final drafts of all essays should be completed one month before the application deadline for that college. This means if your Early Decision deadline is November 1st, your essays should be finalized by October 1st. For January 1 Regular Decision deadlines, essays should be complete by December 1.

This timeline serves two important purposes beyond simply avoiding last-minute stress. First, it’s practical—if you’re rejected from early applications, you’ll have only about two weeks to complete remaining Regular Decision applications if you haven’t already finished them. Leaving all this work to the last minute means running the risk of submitting poorly crafted applications.

Second, the timeline is emotional. If a student is rejected by their first-choice college, the psychological energy needed to complete subsequent applications is significant. That disappointment can negatively impact the quality of remaining applications if they’re not already substantially complete.

Should I have someone else review my Common App before submitting?

Having another person review your application before submission is strongly recommended, though different reviewers serve different purposes.

Parents: Parents should proofread the general information sections to check for small errors like graduation year or financial aid status. Parents know family details that students might misremember or enter incorrectly. There are several ways to facilitate this review—sharing your login information, sitting together to review side-by-side, or sharing the PDF printout for independent review.

Professional Counselors: Working with an experienced college counselor provides strategic review beyond basic proofreading. Great College Advice’s packages include detailed instructions about how to complete the application platform and line-by-line review to ensure every field is filled out correctly and strategically. This includes guidance on which activities to list and how to meaningfully describe them within character constraints.

Important Boundaries: While others can help catch errors and offer feedback, the Great College Advice Family Handbook emphasizes a critical boundary—the application content, especially essays, must genuinely represent your voice and experiences. Do not complete the applications yourself as a parent, and more importantly, do not write the essay. Your student’s application needs to be a reflection of them and therefore needs to be their work.

What sections of the Common App need the most attention during review?

Not all sections of your Common Application require the same level of scrutiny. Focus your review time strategically on these high-priority areas.

Activities Section: This section deserves careful attention because of its strict limitations and strategic importance. Jamie Berger emphasizes that demonstrating an ongoing, in-depth commitment to an activity matters more than the activity itself. Students should be “well-lopsided” with superior talents in one or two areas rather than appearing to flit from one activity to the next without real commitment. During review, ensure your activity descriptions maximize the limited character count and clearly convey your level of involvement and impact.

Personal Statement: Your main essay should reveal something about you that isn’t captured elsewhere in your application. As Jamie Berger explains from his years helping students gain admission to highly selective schools, admissions officers already have all your data—they don’t want to hear more about your accomplishments. They want to get a feel for who you actually are. Review your essay to confirm it shares genuine insight into your personality, values, or perspective.

Supplemental Essays: These require particularly careful review because each college asks specific questions for specific reasons. Verify that each supplemental essay directly answers what’s being asked. Students often fall into the trap of trying to squeeze in more achievements rather than thoughtfully addressing the prompt.

Academic Information: Confirm that your course listings, GPA, and test scores match your official records. Any discrepancies between your application and your transcript can raise red flags.

How do I make sure my essays answer the prompts correctly?

Essay alignment is one of the most critical aspects of your application review, yet it’s where many students stumble.

For your main Personal Statement, the approach is relatively flexible. The seven Common App prompts are broad enough that your answer just needs to fit vaguely into one of them. This gives you creative freedom to share the story that best represents who you are.

Supplemental essays, however, require precision. Jamie Berger, drawing on his extensive experience as a highly acclaimed college admissions counselor, explains that when colleges ask supplemental questions, they’re asking very specific questions that they want you to answer in very few words. He notes that students often veer far from the questions trying to force in additional achievements. You cannot veer off and give an anecdote about a discovery you made in a job if it doesn’t answer the question about why you want to attend that specific school.

During your review, read each prompt carefully and then read your response. Ask yourself honestly: Does this essay directly answer what they asked, or am I using this space to talk about something else I wanted to include? The best supplemental essays demonstrate genuine research into and enthusiasm for each specific college while directly addressing the prompt.

As Jamie Berger emphasizes, the students who succeed have shed the mindset of trying to figure out what admissions officers want to hear. Instead, they approach essays authentically—not trying to game the system, but genuinely reflecting on who they are and what they want from their college experience.

What happens if I submit my Common App with errors?

Understanding the consequences of submission errors underscores why thorough preview is so important—once you submit your Common Application to a specific college, you cannot make changes to that submission.

Minor Errors: A small typo or grammatical error typically won’t derail an otherwise strong application. Admissions officers understand that students are human and review thousands of applications with minor imperfections.

Significant Errors: More serious mistakes—incorrect graduation year, wrong school names, copy-pasted essays with another college’s name, or missing information—can create genuinely negative impressions. These errors suggest carelessness or lack of genuine interest in that particular school.

Deadline Confusion: Some of the most costly errors involve misunderstanding deadlines. One parent in the Great College Advice community shared how their family applied to USC Honors College by the November 15th deadline but thought supplemental essays were due December 1st. In reality, the essays were due November 15th with the main application—the field to input essays had disappeared because the deadline had passed. This misunderstanding meant missing the honors college opportunity entirely.

Administrative Consequences: Some colleges may penalize incomplete or problematic applications administratively. For example, students might be moved from Early Action consideration to Regular Decision if materials don’t arrive by the deadline. This is particularly true for official test score reports, since students have more control over ordering those than over their high school’s transcript-sending process.

The lesson is clear: prevention through thorough preview is always better than hoping admissions officers overlook errors or that deadlines are more flexible than stated. Take the time to review before you submit.

Ready to Submit a Flawless Application? We Can Help.

Don’t leave your college future to chance. Our team of experienced admissions counselors provides comprehensive line-by-line application review to ensure every field is filled out correctly and strategically. From essay development to activities descriptions to deadline management, we’ll help you present your strongest possible application.

Book Your Free Consultation Today and discover how Great College Advice can help you navigate the college application process with confidence.

About Great College Advice: Great College Advice is a boutique college admissions consulting firm with over 100 years of combined experience helping students navigate the college application process. Our counselors provide personalized guidance including strategic college list development, essay support, and comprehensive application review.

The post Why Proofread Your Common App first appeared on Great College Advice.

As I listened, the piece grated on me because only one viewpoint was represented here. Specifically, the viewpoint is the idea that education is primarily about getting a job. What was missing was the perspective of those who see education as an edifying experience, who believe that “training the brain” to be nimble, and to be able to “learn how to learn” are the chief values of education (for an explanation of this alternative point of view, see this post).

As part of the broader process of learning how to apply to college, selecting a major that balances career alignment with personal fulfillment is a decision that deserves careful, strategic thought—and ideally, expert guidance. Our approach starts not with a list of “hot” majors, but with understanding the student themselves—their strengths, their weaknesses, and what genuinely motivates them.

Technology Disruption Impacts Job Creation and College Major Demand

Furthermore, many observers (Thomas Friedman, Daniel Pink) have pointed out that many of today’s top-earning jobs didn’t exist ten years ago. And while the professor identified healthcare as a good field to head for, we can also bet that the healthcare industry may undergo tectonic shifts in the next decade (hello, Artificial Intelligence).

Speaking of AI, a Computer Science undergraduate degree was once viewed as a ticket to, at a minimum, a stable and well-paying job that delivered a tremendous ROI. However, that theory is now in question as AI evolves, disrupting jobs such as software development.

Software Development Job Postings on Indeed

Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

This ‘AI Threat’ to computer programming is now making families begin to question the ROI of a Computer Science major. The most recent enrollment trend data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center indicates that for the first time in a very long time, the number of Computer Science majors at 4-year colleges and universities declined in 2025. In fact, it decreased a surprisingly large 8% year-over-year to just over 600,000 undergraduates majoring in the computer science field. This compares to a 7% increase in Engineering majors to over 680,000 and an almost 6% increase in Healthcare Services to over 1,000,000 undergraduate majors.

How to Choose a Major in College

As shown above, technology disruptions have and will continue to impact the careers we thought we would have as we declared our college majors.

I think more people should be having this sort of conversation about what education means in the 21st century. While there is no getting around the fact that we all need to earn a living and that our educational backgrounds do–in a very real sense–prepare us for our economic success and social contributions. A purely instrumental view of education can be self-defeating.

New industries and jobs are created and some disappear

When you choose a major, look through the course guides of the potential list of colleges where you are interested in applying. It is important that you have the flexibility to take general courses in areas that provide tools to help you think for yourself and be a multi-disciplinary problem solver.

• For example, does it really make sense to spend a bunch of money to educate oneself to read and interpret X-rays, when much of that work can be outsourced and AI is being trained to improve on human findings?
• Or does it make sense to get a degree in accounting or pursue a career in law? LLMs are being trained on accounting standards and legal precedent so that much of the ‘grunt’ work done by associates can be automated.
• It’s amusing to think that the translation industry used to be a multi-billion dollar field. But, technology has essentially replaced the human worker and so an American with a Masters degree in Chinese language needs to use this knowledge in another industry.

Your education should provide the skills to adapt

The fact is that as we decide upon our major, we have to realize that the economic landscape is going to change. The professional preparation we begin in college is only the start. We have to continue to learn, modulate, and roll with the times. The labor market is going to evolve, and some jobs that pay well today may pay poorly tomorrow. Or vice versa.

So in counseling our clients about their majors, we really try to hone in on the student’s aptitudes and passions: what sort of domains of knowledge to they really enjoy?  What interests them? Then I spend time talking about appropriate learning environments. Because college is really about learning–and not merely about acquiring knowledge.

How Should Students Evaluate Whether a Major Aligns with Their Career Interests?

This is the foundational question, and the answer is more nuanced than most families expect. According to the Great College Advice Family Handbook, students should evaluate a potential major across five key dimensions:

• Professional or vocational connectedness: Does the major prepare the student for a particular job or career of interest? For students who are career-oriented—those who wouldn’t attend college if it didn’t lead directly to employment—this dimension is primary.
• Preparation for graduate school: Does the major serve as a prerequisite for advanced study? For example, pursuing a graduate degree in psychology typically requires a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
• General intellectual development: A major is a student’s first attempt at mastering a particular domain of knowledge using the analytical tools of the field. In other words, students learn how to learn—a skill that transfers across every career.
• Personal enjoyment or fulfillment: Some majors don’t line up neatly with particular professions, but they can be deeply rewarding and provide useful background knowledge for a wide range of paths.
• Ease of completion and strong grades: Students headed to graduate programs may want to select a major where they can complete coursework with high marks. Struggling just for the sake of completing a particular major probably doesn’t make sense.

At Great College Advice, the team uses a suite of proprietary assessments to help students and parents clarify these dimensions. As Sarah Farbman, senior admissions consultant, explains: 

“We have a ‘Why Go to College’ survey that helps us understand why someone is going to college. Some students are career-oriented—if they couldn’t get a job from the college experience, they wouldn’t go. Others want to broaden their horizons and learn more about themselves. Those are two really different schools.” The team also asks parents to complete the same survey separately, which reveals whether the student and parent are aligned on priorities—or whether there’s a disconnect worth discussing.

Great College Advice’s approach includes five proprietary assessments:

1. Why Go to College survey, 
2. Student Questionnaire, 
3. Parent Questionnaire, 
4. Interest Inventory, 
5. The RIASEC assessment—designed to match a student’s personality and career orientation with appropriate majors and college environments.

Does My Student Need to Choose a Specific Major Before Applying to College?

This is one of the most common questions practical-minded parents ask, and the honest answer is: it depends on both the student and the schools they’re considering.

Some colleges don’t require students to declare a major during the admissions process at all. Most selective liberal arts colleges, for instance, admit students without any regard to major—students declare at the end of their second year. But certain programs within universities can be significantly more selective. The business school at Boston College is generally harder to enter than the College of Arts and Sciences. Engineering schools within larger universities often have more stringent admissions requirements and standards.

Jamie Berger advises families to match their student’s level of certainty about a major with colleges and programs that fit that certainty. If your student has a clear direction, the intended major plays a big role in deciding where to apply. But if your student is undecided—or what the Great College Advice team calls “multi-interested”—it may be best to choose a school that allows for exploration.

Even for the undecided student, however, it is important to identify general areas of interest and competence. This is why we ask our students to do so many different kinds of exercises to discover these preferences and personality traits.

One parent in the Great College Advice community shared a perspective that resonated with many families: when evaluating colleges, don’t forget to compare academic support, mental health resources, career services, and first-year advising. “These matter just as much—sometimes more—than walking the grounds.”

Are Certain Majors Required to Enter Specific Careers, or Can Students Succeed with Any Major?

The reality is more flexible than most people realize.

For certain technical professions—engineering, architecture, accounting, dental hygiene, physical therapy—the choice of major is indeed essential for entering the field. But beyond those, the choice of undergraduate major may have surprisingly little bearing on career competitiveness.

Medical school is the most striking example. While students must complete science prerequisites before applying, their actual major can be in the humanities or social sciences. The MCAT has been redesigned to include knowledge of sociology, psychology, philosophy, economics, and even politics. Some medical schools actively recruit students who have pursued majors outside the sciences because, as the Great College Advice Family Handbook puts it, “being a good doctor is not just about being a good technician: one must also be an ethicist, a psychologist, a communicator, and a good business person.”

Law school accepts students with virtually any undergraduate major—a biology major is just as welcome as a political science major.

Journalism has shifted dramatically. Many editors now prefer to hire journalists with substantive majors in economics, business, foreign languages, or sciences rather than a journalism degree.

Jamie Berger frames this in terms of how rapidly the world changes: “The jobs or professions that are the most lucrative today may not be so tomorrow. Think of the computer programmers trained in the 1980s and 1990s who found their jobs outsourced. Think of the rise of social media and the decline of newspapers.” Today’s graduates will have not only many different jobs in their lifetimes but likely more than one career. This is why Great College Advice emphasizes preferences, personality, and aptitude in choosing a major—not just targeting one narrow field.

Expert Perspective: Consider the job prospects of the architect who speaks Chinese, the doctor who understands economics, the engineer who has a passion for art, and the lawyer who understands psychology. No profession in the 21st century stands in isolation from all other domains of knowledge. — Great College Advice Family Handbook

How Can Parents Calculate the Return on Investment (ROI) for a Particular Major?

For practical-minded parents, ROI is often the driving concern—and understandably so. But calculating return on investment for a particular major is genuinely difficult because so many variables affect a person’s earning potential.

The city where your student chooses to live, the organizations they work for, their personal characteristics, and even life choices like marriage all play significant roles in lifetime earnings. While broad averages suggest that engineers generally earn more than poets, you cannot say that all poets will earn less than all engineers.

Where to start: Payscale.com compiles an annual report on the earnings potential of various majors. This is a useful reference point, but treat it as one data point among many.

What to be cautious about: The Great College Advice team warns parents to be skeptical of press articles that focus on the economic value of certain majors or list “average salaries” of graduates. The methodology of these surveys is notoriously weak and the results more impressionistic than scientific. More importantly, any individual’s experience may not match population-level averages.

The team’s advice is direct: “We believe that parents should consider the higher education investment as an investment in their student, rather than as an investment in a particular university or a particular major.” Focus on what subjects and possible career paths will likely make your student both happy and successful—not just what the national average says.

Jamie Berger has spoken candidly about the ROI of the college admissions process itself, noting that finding the right fit—including the right academic programs and merit aid opportunities—is where the real financial return lies. As he puts it: “In terms of increased merit aid and finding the perfect fit, I think it’s totally worth it.”

Practical Tip: Keep in mind that the major is only one aspect of your student’s higher education. The courses and other experiences outside the major may have decisive impacts on a person’s career trajectory. For some students, it may be more helpful to develop a short list of possible majors based on aptitude and interest than to attempt to pinpoint a specific career path before the end of high school.

What If My Student Has No Idea What to Major In—Should We Be Worried?

First, don’t panic. In retrospect, most of us have been poor predictors of our own career trajectories. Your student is not doomed to career failure if they are completely undecided about a major.

When a high school senior says they have “no idea,” this can often be chalked up to youthful exaggeration. An 18-year-old typically has at least some sense of which subjects are more interesting, which come more easily, and which might be worth exploring further. While it might be initially reassuring if the student could identify a specific major, it may be enough to narrow the possibilities down to a cluster of choices that match their primary interests and aptitudes.

The Great College Advice team recommends a three-step strategy for undecided students:

Step 1: Pick colleges with academic strengths that match the student’s general interests—even if those interests are broad.

Step 2: Make sure the school’s career and academic advising system is well structured to provide continued guidance. Not all advising programs are created equal.

Step 3: Encourage the student to explore classes within their cluster of interests during freshman year. This gives them firsthand understanding of both the content of potential majors and the career avenues that branch out from each discipline.

Chances are you were not certain of what you wanted to be when you grew up. Unfortunately, adults ask young people ‘what do you plan to major in?’ all the time—mostly as a way to start a conversation—and we forget how stressful it can be for young people to provide a definitive answer.

The best advice? Help your teen focus on shorter-term goals instead of thinking about “lifelong goals.” The road ahead will undoubtedly have many twists and turns, so better to make concrete plans in the short term than very vague ones for the long term.

How Does Choosing a Major Affect the College List, and What Happens If My Student Wants to Change Majors Later?

This is where the financial implications of the major decision become most concrete—and where strategic planning pays off.

The ease of changing majors varies enormously by school. Some colleges make switching simple, while others require a formal application, minimum GPA, and even an interview. Switching is generally more difficult at large universities, especially when a student wants to move between different schools within the university—say, from arts and sciences to the business school or engineering program.

The hidden cost of changing majors: Students who switch often discover they lack prerequisites for the new major, which can delay graduation by one to three additional semesters. Each additional semester means more tuition payments—a direct financial hit that can undermine the ROI of the entire degree.

However, smaller private colleges may be more flexible in granting waivers or even allowing a student to create their own interdisciplinary major so they can graduate on time.

The Great College Advice strategy for managing this risk is straightforward: if a student is unsure about which major to choose, or has two or three different areas of interest, select colleges with strengths in all of those potential areas. That way, if the student decides to switch, they won’t need to transfer to another university—saving significant time, money, and disruption.

A member of the Great College Advice community offers a practical perspective on how early career focus should work: when it comes to students interested in professional paths like law, “focus on doing activities that really interest her” rather than prematurely narrowing to pre-professional tracks. The right undergraduate experience builds a foundation—it doesn’t need to look like the career itself.

Which Colleges Offer the Best Career Services and Internship Placement, Especially for Non-STEM Majors?

For non-STEM majors—particularly those in liberal arts who are likely to pursue graduate school—the quality of career services can make or break the post-graduation experience.

Sarah Myers advises families to look beyond whether a college simply has a career center. “Every college is probably going to have a career center, but you need to ask: how many staff are there? What are their hours? Do you have to make appointments or can you just drop by?” She also recommends researching the alumni network: “A lot of times colleges publish information about how many alumni have helped out other graduates from that college.”

Sarah’s personal experience illustrates why this matters. As a psychology major at Colgate University—a small liberal arts college—she was able to spend extensive time with a career advisor who had deep knowledge of the student body and remembered other psychology majors she had previously advised. That personalized guidance led Sarah to an enriching teaching experience in Japan that ultimately shaped her career in counseling.

What to look for in career services:

The Colleges That Change Lives (CTCL) group of colleges are well known for being exceptionally nurturing institutions with strong career support—a good starting point for families prioritizing post-graduation outcomes for liberal arts students.

When building your college list, treat career services as a key criterion alongside academics, campus culture, and cost. Evaluate the school’s schedule too—if your student is at a college that goes later into the summer, they may have fewer opportunities for summer jobs and internships. These details, which often seem minor during the application phase, can significantly impact long-term career success.

Looking for an Admissions Counselor?

Great College Advice is a college admissions consulting firm with six counselors and over 100 combined years of experience. The team provides personalized guidance—including proprietary career and personality assessments, strategic college list development, and “How to Choose a Major” information sessions—to help families make informed decisions about their student’s future. Learn more about our services on a complimentary call.

The post Pros & Cons of Choosing a Major for Career first appeared on Great College Advice.

The post How Will You Receive Your Admission Decision first appeared on Great College Advice.

For a complete understanding of what happens after you apply, including being admitted, waitlisted, rejected, or conditionally admitted, see our comprehensive guide on admission decisions and common outcomes.

What Is the Fundamental Difference Between Early Decision and Early Action?

Understanding the core distinction between these two application plans is essential before making any strategic decisions about your college applications.

Early Decision (ED) is a binding promise. Under this program, students apply early, usually by November 1 or November 15, and receive decisions by mid-December. In return for this early review, the student, parents, and school counselor sign a pledge that if accepted, the student will attend that college, withdraw all other applications, and not accept any other offers of admission. You can only apply to one school Early Decision.

Early Decision Two (ED2) operates similarly but with later deadlines—typically about six to eight weeks after ED1. This allows students who weren’t ready for the November deadline, or who were deferred or denied from their ED1 school, to make a binding commitment to another institution.

Early Action (EA) offers an early application review without the binding commitment. Students may apply as early as mid-October and receive decisions as early as mid-December. However, EA applicants are under no obligation to accept an offer and can wait until May 1 to decide. Students may apply to multiple schools EA.

As veteran college admissions expert Jamie Berger explains: “Early action is something almost everyone should do. You’re not bound to a school. You’re just expressing genuine interest. And you get some answers in December or January, so you have some schools in your back pocket.”

Be aware that some elite universities offer their own variations, including Restrictive Early Action (REA) and Single Choice Early Action (SCEA). These non-binding programs require that you not apply early to other private colleges although you typically can apply EA to public universities.

When Should a Student Apply Early Decision vs. Early Action?

The decision between ED and EA should be driven by your specific circumstances, not by the assumption that “earlier is always better.”

Apply Early Decision when all three conditions are met:

First, the college must be far and away your first choice. Ask yourself honestly: “If I got into every college on my list, would I choose to go to this particular school?” If you can’t answer with a confident “yes,” ED to that school is not advised.

Second, you need a reasonable chance of admission. Are your grades and test scores within the range the university generally accepts? If your scores are slightly below the 50% range, do you have a “hook” that makes you appealing, such as legacy status, recruited athlete designation, first-generation college student status, or underrepresented background?

Third, if your family needs financial aid, the school should meet 100% of demonstrated need. Great College Advice generally does not recommend that students with significant financial need apply ED unless that school guarantees to meet full financial need.

Apply Early Action when:

• You want the benefits of early notification without binding yourself to one school. 
• You need to compare financial aid packages before committing. 
• You’re still exploring your options and haven’t identified a clear first choice. 
• You’ve had academic challenges that senior year grades could help overcome.

Jamie Berger notes: “The only time not to apply early action is when you’ve had a rough patch. Say your junior year grades were lower and you need to prove yourself in the first semester of senior year. That is the rare occasion when regular decision is going to be greatly to your advantage.”

Does Applying Early Decision Actually Increase Your Chances of Admission?

The statistical advantage of ED is real but often misunderstood.

Many highly selective colleges accept 30-50% of their entire freshman class through the ED process, and the ED applicant pool is typically smaller than the regular pool. This creates a genuine statistical advantage for qualified applicants. Colleges value ED applicants because they can count on those students enrolling, which helps them predict yield—a critical metric for admissions offices.

However, Great College Advice emphasizes an important caveat: “What may be statistically true for an entire pool of applicants may not be true for an individual applicant. Admission is not a matter of randomized statistics. If a student does not possess at least the minimum requirements for entrance to a particular college, they will not somehow sneak past the admissions gate in the early round.”

Early applicants are still judged on their merits. The ED advantage works for students who are already competitive for admission—it doesn’t transform a reach school into a likely one.

As one parent in the Great College Advice community observed: “Don’t waste your ED on a dream school where you’re significantly below their typical admits. Save that binding commitment for a school where you’re actually competitive and where it can make a real difference.”

The key question isn’t whether ED provides an advantage generally, but whether it provides an advantage for you specifically, given your academic profile and the schools you’re considering.

How Does Early Decision Affect Financial Aid and Scholarship Opportunities?

This may be the most consequential consideration for many families, and it’s often underestimated.

When you apply ED, you essentially give up the right to compare financial aid packages. As Jamie Berger explains: “Early decision favors families who can pay the full cost or can pay what the Net Price Calculator estimates. Every family should be running the NPC for each school they want to apply to, especially if they want to apply early decision. If it pumps out an amount you can’t pay, you shouldn’t apply early decision because you are bound to accept that offer.”

The financial implications extend beyond just comparing packages. The ED system can subtly disadvantage students with high financial need in ways that are difficult to prove. Great College Advice notes: “If a student with high financial need is qualified for admission but not necessarily a clear stand-out, they may be deferred to the regular round. The reason? A high-need student costs the institution more money. If the admissions office feels they will have to pay a heavy price to admit a student in the ED round, the college may choose to defer a decision so as to ‘shop around’ for better customers in the regular pool.”

Early Action preserves your negotiating power. Jamie Berger illustrates: “It’s somewhat like buying a car. If you get four financial offers and your top choice gives you the least money, you can write to them and ask if they can approach what school X is offering. Early action gives you that bargaining ability. Early decision does not—you’re bound to one school.”

While the ED commitment isn’t legally binding, it is ethically so. You can be released from the agreement if the financial aid package is insufficient, but this should be a genuine last resort—not a planned strategy to game the system.

What Are Restrictive Early Action (REA) and Single Choice Early Action (SCEA)?

Several elite universities have created their own early application variants that fall between standard EA and ED.

Restrictive Early Action (REA) is non-binding like regular EA, but it restricts you from applying Early Decision to any other private college. You can typically still apply EA to public universities.

Single Choice Early Action (SCEA) is also non-binding but more restrictive—you cannot apply ED or EA to any other school (with some exceptions for public universities).

Schools offering these programs include Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Stanford. The appeal for students is clear: you can apply early to a highly selective school without making a binding commitment. However, you cannot hedge your bets with other early applications to private institutions.

Understanding these distinctions is crucial when building your application strategy. Violating the restrictions—even accidentally—can result in rescinded applications or offers. Always read the fine print on each school’s early application policies and discuss your strategy with your counselor.

What Happens If I’m Deferred or Rejected in the Early Decision Round?

Not every ED application results in acceptance. Understanding your options after deferral or rejection is essential.

If you’re deferred, your application moves to the regular decision pool for reconsideration alongside all RD applicants. You’re released from any ED commitment and free to pursue other options, including applying ED2 elsewhere.

If you’re rejected, the decision is final for that application cycle, but you’re similarly released from the ED agreement.

Great College Advice states clearly: “Once a college has released you from the ED agreement either by deferring or denying you, you can feel free to tell another school that you will go there if accepted by applying ED2, if they offer an ED2 application plan.”

This is precisely why Great College Advice insists that students complete all applications before ED decisions arrive: “If a student is rejected from all ED and EA applications, they will have only about two weeks to complete and submit the remaining RD applications. Leaving all this work to the last minute means running the risk of submitting poorly crafted applications.”

Beyond the practical concerns, there’s an emotional dimension: “If a student is rejected by their first choice college, and maybe some second and third choices too, the psychological energy needed to complete those subsequent RD applications is significant. That disappointment can have a negative impact on the quality of those RD applications.”

Can I Back Out of an Early Decision Acceptance, and What Are the Consequences?

This question comes up frequently, and the answer requires understanding both the technical and practical realities.

Technically, the ED agreement is not a legal contract. You cannot be sued for breaking it. However, the consequences are serious enough that Great College Advice treats it as a moral promise.

Breaking the agreement could potentially ruin admissions chances at that university for future applicants from your high school, and will likely ruin your relationship with your high school counseling department. The ED agreement requires your counselor’s signature, and they are expected to enforce it. If you refuse to honor the agreement, the university may express its displeasure by refusing to admit future applicants from your school.

Jamie Berger puts it directly: “It’s not legally binding, but there are consequences if you back out. Consequences to the high school. Consequences to the kid.”

The only legitimate reason to withdraw from an ED acceptance is if the financial aid package is genuinely insufficient for your family to afford attendance. If that happens, you should work with the financial aid office to try to find a solution. If one cannot be reached, you can ask to be released from the commitment—but this should never be your planned strategy going in.

A community member noted: “We tell families to think of ED as a real commitment. Don’t sign it hoping the aid will work out or planning to back out if something better comes along. That’s not fair to the school, your counselor, or future applicants from your high school.”

Making Your Decision: A Strategic Framework

Choosing between Early Decision and Early Action isn’t about gaming the system—it’s about aligning your application strategy with your genuine circumstances and priorities.

Choose ED if: You have a clear, unwavering first choice. Your academic profile is competitive for that school. Your family can afford the school regardless of the specific aid package, OR the school guarantees to meet 100% of demonstrated need. You’re ready to commit.

Choose EA if: You want early answers without binding commitments. You need to compare financial aid packages. You’re still refining your college list. You want to keep your options open while demonstrating genuine interest.

Choose Regular Decision if: You need senior year grades to strengthen your application. You’re not ready to commit to any school early. Your college list is still evolving significantly.

Remember that applying ED is the ultimate demonstration of interest—but it should only be done when it’s genuinely the right decision for your situation. As Great College Advice advises: “Please discuss any thoughts about applying Early Decision with your counselor” to ensure your strategy aligns with your goals, your profile, and your family’s needs.

Ready to Build Your Early Application Strategy?

Deciding between Early Decision and Early Action is one of the most important choices in your college admissions journey—and you don’t have to figure it out alone. Our team of veteran college admissions experts at Great College Advice can help you evaluate your options, identify the right schools for your ED or EA applications, and build a strategy that maximizes your chances of admission.

Schedule a free consultation today to discuss your student’s unique situation and get personalized guidance from professionals who have helped thousands of families navigate the admissions process successfully.

The post Early Decision vs. Early Action: Which Is Right? first appeared on Great College Advice.

For practical parents focused on value and ROI, understanding what scholarships and financial aid are available in the US is essential groundwork before weighing your final options.

What criteria should we use to evaluate and compare colleges for best fit and value?

When evaluating colleges, start with financial criteria as your foundation—this should be the starting point for all families, regardless of income level. From there, develop a comprehensive list that includes academic factors (majors offered, class sizes, faculty accessibility), location preferences (urban vs. suburban, distance from home), and social considerations (campus culture, extracurricular opportunities). Great College Advice uses a detailed assessment with over 100 categories, using pull-down menus ranging from “must have” to “not interested,” covering everything from specific majors to campus size to internship availability.

The key insight is to focus on “compatibility” and “preferences” rather than chasing “dream schools” or “perfect fits.” College selection always involves some compromise, and the goal is to satisfy most criteria rather than maximize every single factor. 

How do we calculate the real cost of attending each college on our list?

To calculate the true cost of college, you need to understand three key numbers: Cost of Attendance (COA), Student Aid Index (SAI), and Net Price.

Start by reviewing each school’s COA on their website—this includes tuition, fees, room, board, books, and estimated personal expenses. However, personalize this number based on your student’s actual lifestyle: factor in car expenses if bringing one, technology costs, travel between home and school, and off-campus food and entertainment.

Next, use the federal Student Aid Estimator at studentaid.gov to estimate your SAI. Most importantly, run each college’s Net Price Calculator (NPC)—schools are legally required to provide these tools. As veteran college admissions expert Jamie Berger advises: “Every family should be going in and doing the Net Price Calculator for each school they want to apply to.”

While NPCs provide estimates rather than guarantees, going through this process for every school on your list gives you directional guidance on affordability. Paul Wingle, a respected voice in the Great College Advice community, reinforces this approach: “The family should be clear on what they can afford, be clear with their student regarding the number, run the net price calculator, and not count on merit unless and until merit is awarded.”

Should my student apply Early Decision if we need financial aid?

If financial aid is a significant factor in your college decision, approach Early Decision (ED) with caution. ED is a binding commitment—if accepted, your student must attend regardless of the financial aid package offered.

As Jamie Berger, a highly acclaimed college admissions counselor, explains: “If you apply Early Decision, you are bound to accept that offer. Early Action still gives you that bargaining ability. Early Decision does not. It is somewhat like buying a car—if you get four financial offers from four colleges and your top choice gives you the least amount of money, you can write to them and bargain. Early Decision eliminates that leverage entirely.”

The ED system can also subtly disadvantage students with high financial need. Qualified but not standout applicants may be deferred to the regular round so colleges can “shop around” for full-pay students. Great College Advice generally recommends that students with significant financial need avoid ED unless applying to one of the few schools that guarantee to meet 100% of demonstrated financial need.

Bonnie Hale, another trusted voice in the Great College Advice community, offers practical timing advice: “As long as all of his supplemental essays are ready, he should definitely wait until he receives the ED decision. Save money on application fees, and IF admitted, he’d have to withdraw all other applications per ED agreement.”

A better strategy for aid-dependent families is applying through non-binding plans and comparison-shopping aid packages once all decisions arrive. 

How do we build a balanced college list with reach, target, and likely schools?

A balanced college list should include schools across three categories: reach schools (where admission is uncertain but possible), target schools (where your student’s profile aligns well with admitted student averages), and likely schools (where admission is highly probable).

As Paul Wingle advises: “A balanced list should include reach schools, and with reach schools comes the strong possibility of a denial or two, even for well-credentialed applicants. Hopefully, your list includes other schools where you might study your preferred major, and that those schools represent a range of selectivity.”

The key is ensuring your student would be genuinely happy at every school on the list, including the likely admits. Great College Advice recommends around 8 to 12 schools as an ideal range—this allows strategic coverage without the diminishing returns of over-applying. Jamie Berger puts it directly: “If you make a good list, you don’t have to make a huge list.”

For each category, ensure schools meet your financial parameters by running Net Price Calculators. If your student is unsure about their major or has multiple areas of interest, prioritize schools with strengths across those potential fields, making any future major change easier.

Avoid the trap of applying to eight highly selective schools hoping statistics will favor you—think about your individual chances at each institution rather than aggregate admission rates. 

When should we make campus visits, and what should we look for during tours?

Campus visits are among the most important moments in college selection—schedule them strategically during the fall and spring of junior year or the summer and fall of senior year for initial exploration, then revisit top choices after acceptances arrive.

When visiting, go beyond the polished admissions tour. Let your student take the lead—they should ask questions, take notes, and capture photos to aid memory later. If multiple tour guides are available, consider splitting up: the student goes with one group, the parents with another, then compare notes afterward.

Beyond the standard tour, check the campus events calendar for lectures, performances, or sporting events during your visit. Eat in the dining halls, explore the surrounding neighborhood, test public transportation, and locate basic necessities like grocery stores. The more time you spend on campus, the more information you will gather and the better sense you will get of the college.

Most importantly, develop a list of criteria-based questions before you arrive—rather than passively absorbing information, actively gather data points that matter for your specific decision. Virtual visits can supplement but rarely replace the visceral feel of spending a full day on campus.

How can we negotiate or compare financial aid packages from different colleges?

Once you receive multiple admission offers, carefully compare financial aid packages by looking beyond the bottom line. Examine the composition of each package: how much is grants and scholarships (free money) versus loans (which must be repaid) versus work-study (which requires your student’s time)? Federal subsidized loans are more favorable than unsubsidized loans.

For negotiation, Jamie Berger explains the process: “If you get four financial offers from four colleges and your top choice gives you the least amount of money, you write to them. Can you approach that? Can you help us in any way? We really want to go to Villanova. You can bargain with them.”

Present competing offers respectfully, emphasizing your student’s genuine interest in the school. Be specific about the gap you’re asking them to close. Some schools have formal appeal processes; others handle requests informally. Timing matters—don’t wait until the May 1st deadline approaches.

As Paul Wingle counsels families waiting on decisions: “Do not make an enrollment commitment before costs are known. Do you have any other active applications out at other schools? Do you want to compare aid offers?” Never deposit until you fully understand your costs after aid.

How do we weigh academic fit against financial considerations when choosing a college?

Balancing academic fit with financial realities requires honest family conversations and clear prioritization. Parents should consider the higher education investment as an investment in their student, rather than as an investment in a particular university or a particular major.

Your student’s personal characteristics, work ethic, and network-building will ultimately drive career outcomes more than institutional prestige alone. For ROI calculations, recognize that earning potential depends heavily on location choices, industry selection, and individual attributes, not just the degree. Payscale.com provides earnings data by major as a starting point, but these are averages that may not reflect your student’s specific path.

When weighing options, ask: Will this school support my student’s academic interests and career exploration? Can we afford it without crippling debt? Does the campus culture fit my student’s personality and learning style?

If a school excels academically but creates financial strain requiring excessive loans, that “better” school may actually produce worse long-term outcomes. The Great College Advice philosophy emphasizes that students often thrive at many different institutions—finding a compatible environment that’s financially sustainable typically outweighs marginal prestige differences.

Below, a graduate of Rhodes University in Memphis recounts how she chose her college.

“I followed the money. When looking at schools, I sought out schools that had good reputations for liberal arts and hands-on instruction. Although I was accepted to my top picks, I ultimately chose the school that offered me the most money, even though it was at the bottom of my list.

Was this a good choice? It’s hard to say. I do believe that students should ultimately follow their gut instinct, but I also think that college is what you make of it. I knew that I could survive anywhere, so it was the right decision for me to get a quality education for a good price. If tuition was not a concern, I would have chosen the school that I felt best complemented my personality, learning style and interests. (And I probably would have had a more positive collegiate experience.)

I suggest to students that they pick a dealbreaker quality. What one thing is most important to them? Be it cost, location, course offerings, etc. Then eliminate all schools that don’t fulfill the qualifications of their dealbreaker. What is left is generally a short list, so then I suggest that they trust their instincts and pick the school that feels right and fulfills their key requirement.”

This correspondent went on to pursue two graduate degrees, and is now an information specialist and reference librarian in Memphis.

Her strategy is an excellent one, and one that many students and parents don’t consider. There are literally thousands of colleges in the US, and hundreds of excellent ones. If money is a consideration, build your college list around that principal criterion. Many colleges are willing to pay top dollar (by giving substantial tuition discounts and scholarships) to well-qualified applicants.

Do NOT sell yourself short. If you have talents and academic abilities, be prepared to show them off during the admissions process. And depending on the audience for whom you are prepared to show off, you may get money thrown at you!

Continue your research: Understanding your full range of funding options is crucial before making any final decisions. If you seek professional help, schedule a free consultation with a counselor today.

The post Helping Your Student Choose a College first appeared on Great College Advice.

Helping your student choose the right college requires balancing academic fit, campus culture, and financial reality—and there’s no single “perfect” answer. The most effective approach starts with establishing clear financial parameters, then systematically evaluating schools against your family’s specific criteria for academics, location, and student experience. 

For practical parents focused on value and ROI, understanding what scholarships and financial aid are available in the US is essential groundwork before weighing your final options.

What criteria should we use to evaluate and compare colleges for best fit and value?

When evaluating colleges, start with financial criteria as your foundation—this should be the starting point for all families, regardless of income level. From there, develop a comprehensive list that includes academic factors (majors offered, class sizes, faculty accessibility), location preferences (urban vs. suburban, distance from home), and social considerations (campus culture, extracurricular opportunities). Great College Advice uses a detailed assessment with over 100 categories, using pull-down menus ranging from “must have” to “not interested,” covering everything from specific majors to campus size to internship availability.

The key insight is to focus on “compatibility” and “preferences” rather than chasing “dream schools” or “perfect fits.” College selection always involves some compromise, and the goal is to satisfy most criteria rather than maximize every single factor. 

How do we calculate the real cost of attending each college on our list?

To calculate the true cost of college, you need to understand three key numbers: Cost of Attendance (COA), Student Aid Index (SAI), and Net Price.

Start by reviewing each school’s COA on their website—this includes tuition, fees, room, board, books, and estimated personal expenses. However, personalize this number based on your student’s actual lifestyle: factor in car expenses if bringing one, technology costs, travel between home and school, and off-campus food and entertainment.

Next, use the federal Student Aid Estimator at studentaid.gov to estimate your SAI. Most importantly, run each college’s Net Price Calculator (NPC)—schools are legally required to provide these tools. As veteran college admissions expert Jamie Berger advises: “Every family should be going in and doing the Net Price Calculator for each school they want to apply to.”

While NPCs provide estimates rather than guarantees, going through this process for every school on your list gives you directional guidance on affordability. Paul Wingle, a respected voice in the Great College Advice community, reinforces this approach: “The family should be clear on what they can afford, be clear with their student regarding the number, run the net price calculator, and not count on merit unless and until merit is awarded.”

Should my student apply Early Decision if we need financial aid?

If financial aid is a significant factor in your college decision, approach Early Decision (ED) with caution. ED is a binding commitment—if accepted, your student must attend regardless of the financial aid package offered.

As Jamie Berger, a highly acclaimed college admissions counselor, explains: “If you apply Early Decision, you are bound to accept that offer. Early Action still gives you that bargaining ability. Early Decision does not. It is somewhat like buying a car—if you get four financial offers from four colleges and your top choice gives you the least amount of money, you can write to them and bargain. Early Decision eliminates that leverage entirely.”

The ED system can also subtly disadvantage students with high financial need. Qualified but not standout applicants may be deferred to the regular round so colleges can “shop around” for full-pay students. Great College Advice generally recommends that students with significant financial need avoid ED unless applying to one of the few schools that guarantee to meet 100% of demonstrated financial need.

Bonnie Hale, another trusted voice in the Great College Advice community, offers practical timing advice: “As long as all of his supplemental essays are ready, he should definitely wait until he receives the ED decision. Save money on application fees, and IF admitted, he’d have to withdraw all other applications per ED agreement.”

A better strategy for aid-dependent families is applying through non-binding plans and comparison-shopping aid packages once all decisions arrive. 

How do we build a balanced college list with reach, target, and likely schools?

A balanced college list should include schools across three categories: reach schools (where admission is uncertain but possible), target schools (where your student’s profile aligns well with admitted student averages), and likely schools (where admission is highly probable).

As Paul Wingle advises: “A balanced list should include reach schools, and with reach schools comes the strong possibility of a denial or two, even for well-credentialed applicants. Hopefully, your list includes other schools where you might study your preferred major, and that those schools represent a range of selectivity.”

The key is ensuring your student would be genuinely happy at every school on the list, including the likely admits. Great College Advice recommends around 8 to 12 schools as an ideal range—this allows strategic coverage without the diminishing returns of over-applying. Jamie Berger puts it directly: “If you make a good list, you don’t have to make a huge list.”

For each category, ensure schools meet your financial parameters by running Net Price Calculators. If your student is unsure about their major or has multiple areas of interest, prioritize schools with strengths across those potential fields, making any future major change easier.

Avoid the trap of applying to eight highly selective schools hoping statistics will favor you—think about your individual chances at each institution rather than aggregate admission rates. 

When should we make campus visits, and what should we look for during tours?

Campus visits are among the most important moments in college selection—schedule them strategically during the fall and spring of junior year or the summer and fall of senior year for initial exploration, then revisit top choices after acceptances arrive.

When visiting, go beyond the polished admissions tour. Let your student take the lead—they should ask questions, take notes, and capture photos to aid memory later. If multiple tour guides are available, consider splitting up: the student goes with one group, the parents with another, then compare notes afterward.

Beyond the standard tour, check the campus events calendar for lectures, performances, or sporting events during your visit. Eat in the dining halls, explore the surrounding neighborhood, test public transportation, and locate basic necessities like grocery stores. The more time you spend on campus, the more information you will gather and the better sense you will get of the college.

Most importantly, develop a list of criteria-based questions before you arrive—rather than passively absorbing information, actively gather data points that matter for your specific decision. Virtual visits can supplement but rarely replace the visceral feel of spending a full day on campus.

How can we negotiate or compare financial aid packages from different colleges?

Once you receive multiple admission offers, carefully compare financial aid packages by looking beyond the bottom line. Examine the composition of each package: how much is grants and scholarships (free money) versus loans (which must be repaid) versus work-study (which requires your student’s time)? Federal subsidized loans are more favorable than unsubsidized loans.

For negotiation, Jamie Berger explains the process: “If you get four financial offers from four colleges and your top choice gives you the least amount of money, you write to them. Can you approach that? Can you help us in any way? We really want to go to Villanova. You can bargain with them.”

Present competing offers respectfully, emphasizing your student’s genuine interest in the school. Be specific about the gap you’re asking them to close. Some schools have formal appeal processes; others handle requests informally. Timing matters—don’t wait until the May 1st deadline approaches.

As Paul Wingle counsels families waiting on decisions: “Do not make an enrollment commitment before costs are known. Do you have any other active applications out at other schools? Do you want to compare aid offers?” Never deposit until you fully understand your costs after aid.

How do we weigh academic fit against financial considerations when choosing a college?

Balancing academic fit with financial realities requires honest family conversations and clear prioritization. Parents should consider the higher education investment as an investment in their student, rather than as an investment in a particular university or a particular major.

Your student’s personal characteristics, work ethic, and network-building will ultimately drive career outcomes more than institutional prestige alone. For ROI calculations, recognize that earning potential depends heavily on location choices, industry selection, and individual attributes, not just the degree. Payscale.com provides earnings data by major as a starting point, but these are averages that may not reflect your student’s specific path.

When weighing options, ask: Will this school support my student’s academic interests and career exploration? Can we afford it without crippling debt? Does the campus culture fit my student’s personality and learning style?

If a school excels academically but creates financial strain requiring excessive loans, that “better” school may actually produce worse long-term outcomes. The Great College Advice philosophy emphasizes that students often thrive at many different institutions—finding a compatible environment that’s financially sustainable typically outweighs marginal prestige differences.

Below, a graduate of Rhodes University in Memphis recounts how she chose her college.

“I followed the money. When looking at schools, I sought out schools that had good reputations for liberal arts and hands-on instruction. Although I was accepted to my top picks, I ultimately chose the school that offered me the most money, even though it was at the bottom of my list.

Was this a good choice? It’s hard to say. I do believe that students should ultimately follow their gut instinct, but I also think that college is what you make of it. I knew that I could survive anywhere, so it was the right decision for me to get a quality education for a good price. If tuition was not a concern, I would have chosen the school that I felt best complemented my personality, learning style and interests. (And I probably would have had a more positive collegiate experience.)

I suggest to students that they pick a dealbreaker quality. What one thing is most important to them? Be it cost, location, course offerings, etc. Then eliminate all schools that don’t fulfill the qualifications of their dealbreaker. What is left is generally a short list, so then I suggest that they trust their instincts and pick the school that feels right and fulfills their key requirement.”

This correspondent went on to pursue two graduate degrees, and is now an information specialist and reference librarian in Memphis.

Her strategy is an excellent one, and one that many students and parents don’t consider. There are literally thousands of colleges in the US, and hundreds of excellent ones. If money is a consideration, build your college list around that principal criterion. Many colleges are willing to pay top dollar (by giving substantial tuition discounts and scholarships) to well-qualified applicants.

Do NOT sell yourself short. If you have talents and academic abilities, be prepared to show them off during the admissions process. And depending on the audience for whom you are prepared to show off, you may get money thrown at you!

Continue your research: Understanding your full range of funding options is crucial before making any final decisions. If you seek professional help, schedule a free consultation with a counselor today.

The post How to Help My Student Choose a College first appeared on Great College Advice.

How Should My Student Decide Whether to Take the SAT or the ACT?

The most effective approach to choosing between the SAT and ACT is surprisingly simple: try both. Since some students are better at the SAT and others at the ACT, your student should plan to take a full practice test of each in a test-like environment before deciding on which they prefer.

Many test prep companies offer free diagnostic practice tests as a marketing strategy and will provide a detailed analysis of the results. This diagnostic process is invaluable because it reveals which test format aligns better with your student’s thinking style and academic strengths.

Some students ultimately choose to take both the SAT and ACT in official testing situations to see which produces better results in a live environment. This is a valid strategy, but students should always be thoroughly prepared before sitting for any official exam.

Once your student has identified which test works best for them, plan to take the first official test in the winter or early spring of junior year. This timeline provides enough runway to retake the test if scores don’t meet expectations while avoiding the pressure of senior year application deadlines.

What Are the Key Structural Differences Between the SAT and ACT Formats?

Understanding the structural differences between these tests helps families make informed decisions:

The SAT consists of two main sections—Evidence-Based Reading and Writing plus Math—with a total testing time of two hours and 14 minutes. The College Board has eliminated the writing section entirely.

The ACT includes four sections: English, Math, Reading, and Science Reasoning (now optional), totaling about 2 hours and 45 minutes, including the optional Science section but without the optional writing component.

Comment: Hardly any schools require it – including West Point – so it’s irrelevant at this point.

The ACT’s dedicated optional Science section tests data interpretation and scientific reasoning abilities—skills not directly measured on the SAT. Students who excel at reading graphs, interpreting experimental data, and drawing conclusions from scientific passages may find the ACT more favorable to their strengths.

What Does ‘Test Optional’ Really Mean for College Admissions?

This is perhaps the most misunderstood aspect of modern college admissions. Despite the widespread adoption of test-optional policies since the pandemic, the reality is more nuanced than many families realize.

Great College Advice counselors are direct about this: “Test optional means take the tests.”

The vast majority of colleges remain test-optional in 2025-2026, but many operate as test-optional in name only. Submitting an above-average test score consistently increases admission odds. The general rule of thumb is straightforward: if your student scores above the 50th percentile of a school’s reported range, they should submit their score to that institution.

As one admissions officer candidly shared with Great College Advice: “Test scores matter less than you think they do, but more than you want them to.”

There’s an important distinction between test-optional and test-blind policies:

Test-blind schools (like the University of California System) won’t even consider test scores if submitted. All applicants compete on an equal, scoreless playing field.

Test-optional schools create an unclear competitive landscape. Students with strong scores who submit them typically have an advantage over students who don’t—colleges may publicly promise equal consideration, but as Great College Advice notes, you can’t unsee a score that is staring at you on the page.

Robin Kaminsky, a member of the Great College Advice community, has observed that even though schools claim to be “test optional,” they actually prefer test scores, especially for competitive programs like engineering.

How Important Are SAT and ACT Scores for Merit Scholarships and Financial Aid?

The financial implications of standardized testing often surprise families. Test scores are very important for merit-based financial aid.

At many colleges and universities, merit-based scholarships are closely tied to ACT and SAT scores. For families seeking merit aid, investing in test preparation to raise scores makes financial sense because a few more points can mean thousands more dollars in scholarships.

This is one of the most compelling reasons to take standardized tests seriously, even at officially test-optional institutions. A student targeting schools known for generous merit aid should aim for scores at or above the 75th percentile of admitted students to maximize scholarship opportunities.

Many public universities and private colleges use test scores as automatic qualifiers for tiered scholarship programs. In these systems, crossing certain score thresholds can immediately unlock significant financial awards, making every point genuinely valuable in the overall college cost equation.

What Is Superscoring and How Does It Work for SAT and ACT?

Superscoring is a favorable policy where admissions offices combine the best section scores a student has achieved across all test dates into a single, higher composite score.

According to Great College Advice, most colleges superscore ACT and SAT, but policies do vary among schools; some schools will superscore one test but not the other, and some schools will not superscore.

Here’s how superscoring works in practice: If a student scores higher in Math on their October SAT and higher in Reading on their December SAT, a superscoring school will combine these optimal section scores into a single, higher composite. This means sending all test scores to schools that superscore can actually benefit your student by presenting their best possible combined result.

Both the SAT and ACT also offer Score Choice, which allows students to decide which complete test dates to send to colleges. However, parents should be aware that a handful of the most selective schools require students to submit scores from every test taken since ninth grade—a critical reason why Great College Advice advises against taking any official test “for practice.”

One parent in the Great College Advice community confirmed an important detail: “Once you send official score reports, schools see all of the scores that make up a superscore.” This transparency is worth considering when planning your testing and retake strategy.

How Should My Student Prepare Effectively for Standardized Tests?

The Great College Advice Family Handbook offers clear guidance on test preparation: “Just like getting to Carnegie Hall, the best way to get ready for standardized tests is to practice, practice, practice!”

Although colleges may not openly discuss it, students’ scores on both tests can be significantly improved through familiarity with the test format and strategic coaching.

Recommended preparation approach:

Students should complete as many full-length practice exams as possible under realistic, timed conditions. At a minimum, practice at least one section every week in the month(s) leading up to the exam date.

Free and low-cost resources include:

• Practice exams on the ACT website (ACTstudent.org) and College Board website (CollegeBoard.org)
• Khan Academy’s comprehensive SAT preparation materials
• The Real ACT Prep Guide (official ACT preparation book)
• The Official SAT Study Guide (official College Board preparation book)

For more structured preparation, families often weigh the choice between private tutoring and group test preparation courses. One parent in the Great College Advice community shared valuable insight: while their student prepared content independently using prep books, it was the “final test-taking strategy and stamina that required professional help.” A focused intensive course provided the polish needed for meaningful score improvement.

Critical warning: Never take an official SAT or ACT “for practice.” Some selective schools require students to submit all test scores from ninth grade onward, meaning a low “practice” score could follow your student throughout the application process.

When Should My Student Take the SAT or ACT, and How Many Times?

According to Great College Advice, students should plan to take their first official SAT or ACT in the winter or early spring of junior year. This timing provides enough opportunity to retake the test if scores don’t meet goals while avoiding the compressed timeline of senior year applications.

How many times should you take the test? As many times as necessary until you stop seeing material improvement. Since most colleges superscore, they won’t know how many attempts you made—they’ll only see your best section scores combined into an optimal composite.

Score context matters for retake decisions:

If you score 1400 on the SAT but are targeting Ivy League universities (where average scores are in the mid-1500s), plan to retake unless you have a compelling hook like recruited athlete status.

However, for less selective colleges, a 1400 represents an excellent score that may not warrant additional test dates, unless a higher score would unlock better merit scholarship tiers.

For schools that are genuinely test-optional (and where you’re not pursuing merit aid), don’t invest time in retaking unless you’re confident of significant improvement. That time is better spent strengthening your GPA and developing meaningful extracurricular activities.

Taking the Next Step

Understanding the real differences between the SAT and ACT, and how test-optional policies actually work, gives your family a strategic advantage in the college admissions process. The key is starting early, practicing systematically, and making informed decisions based on your student’s individual strengths and college goals.

For comprehensive guidance on standardized testing strategy, college list development, application planning, and every other aspect of the admissions journey, talk to our team today.

The post SAT vs. ACT: What is the Real Difference? first appeared on Great College Advice.

The US college application process can feel overwhelming for international students unfamiliar with its unique requirements and cultural expectations. Successfully navigating this journey requires understanding standardized testing requirements, crafting authentic essays that reveal your character, building a balanced college list, and managing complex timelines across different school systems. For a comprehensive overview of how the entire admissions process unfolds from freshman through senior year, see The College Admissions Lifecycle: A Guide Through High School.

What standardized tests do international students need for US college applications?

International students typically need the SAT or ACT for admission to US colleges. While many schools have adopted test-optional policies in recent years, taking these tests is still recommended for competitive schools and can significantly boost scholarship opportunities.

As the Great College Advice Family Handbook explains, “At many colleges and universities, merit-based financial awards (or scholarships) are closely keyed to ACT and SAT scores. Thus, for families that seek merit scholarships, it is worth trying to raise scores in order to win a bigger scholarship. Investments in test preparation can really pay off, as a few more points can mean thousands more dollars in scholarships.”

Non-native English speakers will also need to demonstrate English proficiency through tests like TOEFL (administered by ETS) or IELTS. Official test scores need to be requested through the testing agencies: ACTStudent.org for the ACT, Collegeboard.org for the SAT, and ETS for TOEFL.

Good news for applicants: many colleges now allow students to self-report test scores on applications and only require official score reports after a student accepts admission, making the initial process more streamlined.

How can international students present extracurricular activities that impress US admissions officers?

US colleges value depth of commitment over the quantity of activities. Veteran college admissions expert Jamie Berger emphasizes that successful applicants should be “well-lopsided” rather than well-rounded, demonstrating superior talents in one or two areas rather than spreading themselves thin.

“The things that can fall away are the things that you feel like you’re just doing to check a box,” Berger advises. “They want to see things you’ve done for multiple years and have gotten more involvement with each year.”

The Common Application provides space for only ten activities, and students need not fill all spaces. What counts is the information that goes into those spaces, demonstrating ongoing commitment, achievement, and leadership.

Key principles for international students:

Activities from your home country absolutely count, and having unique cultural experiences can help you stand out among applicants. Summer activities matter significantly, and it’s completely acceptable to work during the summer. Leadership doesn’t require official titles; managing a website, leading a fundraising effort, or taking initiative in meaningful ways all demonstrate leadership qualities. Your activities should connect to your intended field of study when possible. As Berger notes, “The kids who get into aeronautics programs at the top schools have been little astronauts since middle school.”

What makes a compelling personal essay for international students applying to US colleges?

The most effective college essays are authentic and self-reflective, not attempts to game the system. Jamie Berger offers a crucial perspective on who reads your essay: “The first person reading your essay won’t look like me—they don’t have a white beard. They’re probably closer to 28 than my age. They’re probably working at their alma mater. They’re excited, they’re sculpting a class. They have all your data. They don’t want to hear more about your data or your accomplishments. They want to get a little feel for who you actually are.”

The worst possible essay is one that duplicates your activities list. “Imagine being an admissions officer reading 40 things a day and you come to one that’s just a reiteration of all that stuff that’s right there on paper already,” Berger explains. “You don’t get to know the kid at all.”

The essay process takes months because students must shed the “tell me what they want” mindset and write authentically. International students should embrace their unique cultural perspectives while ensuring their essays reveal genuine character and values.

For supplemental essays, answer the specific questions directly. “When they’re asking supplemental questions, they’re asking very specific questions that they want you to answer in very few words,” Berger notes. “You can’t veer off and give anecdotes if it doesn’t answer the question.”

How do I build a balanced college list as an international student?

Building a balanced college list is crucial for international students. Great College Advice recommends organizing your list into “reach,” “target,” and “likely” schools, replacing the outdated term “safety schools” with the more accurate “likely” category.

Contrary to what media coverage might suggest, most US schools accept most applicants. As noted by Great College Advice: “Actually, most schools in the US accept most students. So yes, if you are committed to getting into Northwestern or Emory or Harvard, your life is going to be hard. But there are so many great educational pathways out there.”

A well-balanced list typically includes around 12 schools. As Jamie Berger cautions, “Applying to eight Ivies is an incredible amount of work. I haven’t met yet many young people who would be equally happy in freezing Ithaca, New York or the woods of Hanover, New Hampshire, who would be happy in Morningside Heights, Manhattan or in Philadelphia.”

Financial criteria should be your starting point, especially as an international student who may have limited access to need-based aid. Consider compatibility and fit rather than chasing prestige. Finding “likely” and target schools you’d genuinely be happy attending is just as important as identifying reach schools.

What application deadlines and timeline should international students follow?

The US application calendar has several key deadline types:

Early Decision (ED): Typically November 1-15. This is binding; if accepted, you must attend and withdraw other applications. Some schools offer ED2 with January deadlines.

Early Action (EA): Typically November 1-15. Non-binding, giving you an advantage at some schools without commitment.

Regular Decision (RD): Typically January 1-February 1. The standard deadline for most applications.

Great College Advice expects students to submit all materials to their counselor at least four weeks before each college’s official deadline, with a goal of finishing all applications by early December.

After submission, monitor your application portals diligently. Colleges communicate primarily through these portals, so check them regularly to ensure all materials—transcripts, test scores, and recommendations—have been received.

For international students considering UK universities alongside US schools, note that UK deadlines operate differently: October 15 for Oxford, Cambridge, and medicine programs, with mid-January deadlines for most others. UK decisions may arrive as late as May 15, which can create timing complications with the US May 1 decision deadline.

How do transcripts, recommendations, and test scores get sent from international high schools?

Every high school handles transcript procedures differently. Most schools now send transcripts electronically through document services, but international students must familiarize themselves with their school’s specific policies and internal deadlines.

For recommendations, build relationships with teachers who know your work well. Request recommendations early and provide your recommenders with context about your goals and accomplishments to help them write compelling letters.

Official test scores must be requested separately from your application:

• ACT scores: ACTStudent.org
• SAT scores: Collegeboard.org
• TOEFL scores: ETS

As the Great College Advice Family Handbook notes, “More and more colleges are allowing students to report their test scores unofficially by simply inputting their results into the application and then requiring the student to officially send in their score reports from the testing agency once the student has accepted a spot.”

After submitting your application, use each college’s admissions portal to verify all materials have been received. If materials are missing, follow up promptly. Sometimes materials arrive a few days after deadlines due to processing—this is usually acceptable as long as you submitted by the deadline.

What financial aid and scholarship options exist for international students at US colleges?

Financial aid for international students varies significantly by institution. Merit-based scholarships are often closely tied to standardized test scores, making test preparation a worthwhile investment. Note that federal aid is typically unavailable for non-US citizens.

Some highly selective private universities offer generous need-based aid to international students, though policies vary. Research each school’s approach carefully—some are “need-aware” for international applicants, meaning your financial need could affect admission decisions.

When building your college list, start with financial criteria. Consider less selective schools that may offer substantial merit scholarships to strong international applicants. Great College Advice’s comprehensive packages include guidance on strategies for reducing college costs and maximizing merit aid opportunities.

For students also exploring UK universities, some offer merit scholarships, particularly less selective institutions. As noted in Great College Advice’s UK webinar, some UK universities offer significant accommodation incentives for international students — for example, Aberystwyth University has offered free first-year housing for international students in specific residence halls. US students can use federal student loans at many participating UK universities. UK universities may also offer their own need-based financial aid, called ‘bursaries.’ However, note that US Pell Grants cannot be used at foreign institutions. Highly selective UK schools like St. Andrews and Edinburgh typically don’t offer merit aid.

Ready to navigate the US college application process with expert guidance? Schedule a free consultation today. Great College Advice has been helping international families since 2007, with specialized support for students applying to universities in the United States and abroad.

The post US College Apps for International Students first appeared on Great College Advice.