Sarah Farbman, senior admissions consultant, frames it simply: “There are essentially three sources of aid — the college itself providing need-based or merit-based awards, and then external scholarships from outside organizations. Within those sources, the aid takes different forms that families need to understand.”

Below, we break down each type, explain how they appear on award letters, and share the insider strategies our counselors use to help families maximize their financial outcomes.

1. Grants: Free Money Based on Financial Need

Grants are the gold standard of financial aid because they are free money — no repayment required. They are sometimes referred to as “gift aid” and are typically awarded based on a family’s demonstrated financial need as calculated through the FAFSA or CSS Profile.

The major federal grant programs include:

• Pell Grants are awarded to students with exceptional financial need, with a maximum award of approximately $7,395 per academic year. Pell Grants are an entitlement — if you qualify based on the government’s criteria, you will receive the funds. Once a family’s Student Aid Index (SAI, formerly called the Expected Family Contribution or EFC) exceeds a certain threshold, the student becomes ineligible.
• Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG) are also federally funded but distributed by colleges themselves from a limited annual allocation. These need-based grants can range up to $4,000 per year. Because each school receives a finite amount, the funding can be depleted — students who apply late may miss out even if they qualify. This is one reason Sarah Farbman stresses filing early: “The sooner you get in line for money, the more money you are going to get. Schools at some point will max out their financial aid budget, so you want to be first in line before they max it out.”
• State grants vary by state and may require enrollment at an in-state institution. Check your state’s higher education agency for specific programs and deadlines.

2. Scholarships: Merit-Based and Criteria-Based Awards

Like grants, scholarships do not require repayment. The key difference is how they are awarded: while grants are need-based, scholarships are typically merit-based or criteria-based, rewarding academic achievement, athletic talent, artistic ability, community involvement, or other specific qualifications.

Sarah Farbman draws a clear line between the two: “Need-based aid is based on an algorithm. You fill out a form — whether it’s the FAFSA or the CSS Profile — and the colleges are going to package you how they want. Merit-based aid is what we like to think of as a discount. People call it a scholarship, and it is, but from the college’s perspective, it is a recruitment tool to attract strong students. It is not related to the FAFSA.”

Scholarships can come from colleges themselves (institutional merit scholarships) or from external sources such as corporations, foundations, community organizations, or religious institutions. External scholarships range widely — from small one-time awards of $500 to $2,000 from local organizations up to rare full-ride scholarships from major foundations like the Coca-Cola Scholars Program.

However, families should be aware of “stacking” policies before investing significant time pursuing outside awards. In some cases, colleges will reduce the merit scholarships they offer you by the amount you receive from a third party — especially if the third party scholarship is paid directly to the institution. Always contact a school’s financial aid office to ask how outside scholarships will affect your institutional aid.

For a deeper look at scholarship strategy, see our guide on whether applying for financial aid affects admissions chances.

3. Loans: Borrowed Money You Must Repay

Loans are a common component of financial aid packages, but they are fundamentally different from grants and scholarships — they must be repaid with interest. As Sarah explains, when helping families decode award letters, loans fall into the category of “your money later,” and should be considered separately from gift aid when evaluating an offer.

It is important to remember: taking out a loan is always optional. It is entirely at the family’s discretion, regardless of what appears in the award letter.

The main types of student loans include:

• Subsidized Loans (Direct Subsidized Loans) are available only to students who demonstrate need on the FAFSA. The federal government pays the interest while the student is enrolled at least half-time and during the six-month grace period after graduation. These are taken out in the student’s name.
• Unsubsidized Loans (Direct Unsubsidized Loans) are available to any student regardless of need. Interest begins accruing immediately from the date of disbursement. Students can defer payments until after graduation, but the unpaid interest will capitalize (be added to the principal), increasing the total amount owed. These are also in the student’s name.
• Parent PLUS Loans are federal loans taken out in the parent’s name. They generally carry a higher interest rate than student loans, and repayment begins as soon as the loan is fully disbursed unless the borrower requests deferment. Families must have filed the FAFSA to access Parent PLUS Loans.
• Private Loans from banks or private lenders are typically a last resort after all federal options have been exhausted. Interest rates vary and may be higher than federal loan rates, and terms are less flexible.

Annual Federal Student Loan Limits (Dependent Students)

Sarah warns families to look carefully at award letters because schools often group loans alongside grants under a single “Total Aid” figure: “Financial aid letters can be very confusing. That total they’re giving you needs to be broken down carefully, because in some cases those are loans with interest rates that you’re going to have to pay back, and in other cases they are grants, which are free money.”

4. Work-Study: Earning Money Through Campus Employment

Federal Work-Study (FWS) provides eligible students with part-time employment, typically on campus, funded jointly by the federal government and the college. Unlike grants, work-study money is earned — the student receives a regular paycheck for hours worked.

Key things families should understand about work-study:

Having work-study in your aid package does not guarantee a job. It makes the student eligible to apply for designated positions, but the student must find and secure employment. Sarah notes that the experience varies by school: “Some colleges will assign you a place you’re going to work — a guaranteed position. In other cases, it’ll say you need to go find a job. My son at a public university — it said he could get a job on campus, but he had to go out and get the job.”

Work-study earnings are typically modest — often around $2,000 per semester at roughly minimum wage. At $15 an hour, it’s going to take a while to make a considerable dent in your college bill. Plus that is still your money. You are working for it.

One parent in the Great College Advice community shared a helpful realization: work-study should be viewed as a budgeting tool for personal expenses rather than a meaningful offset to tuition.

5. Institutional Funds: The College’s Own Money

In addition to federal and state programs, colleges and universities use their own institutional funds to round out financial aid packages. These funds — generated from endowment income, tuition revenue, and fundraising — are among the most powerful tools available to families seeking to reduce college costs.

Institutional funds take two primary forms:

Institutional grants are need-based awards from the college’s own budget. Some schools use the CSS Profile alongside their own internal algorithms to assess a family’s financial situation and determine whether institutional grant money will be provided. These grants can be a significant source of additional aid when federal funds alone are not enough.

Institutional merit scholarships are discounts colleges use to recruit students they want on campus. This is where strategic college list-building becomes a family’s most powerful financial tool.

Sarah Farbman is direct about the landscape: “Elite schools like Yale, Princeton, and Stanford do not need to use discounting as a recruitment tool. You could be the best student in the entire universe — you are not going to get a merit-based scholarship at Yale. They don’t do it.” However, she adds: “There are many high-quality public and private institutions that regularly offer students $20,000 to $35,000 off the sticker price because they are using it as part of their recruitment strategy.”

Jamie Berger, veteran college admissions expert, reinforces this point: “Having us help you do everything just right for a year — the sticker price for us might seem large, but it might save you $20,000 a year by getting more merit aid at a college.” He emphasizes that the number one strategy for maximizing institutional merit aid is building the right college list — one that includes schools known for generous discounting where your student will be competitive for those awards.

Understanding which schools use institutional funds generously — and building a balanced college list that accounts for cost considerations — is one of the most important financial decisions in the entire admissions process.

How to Tell the Difference on Your Award Letter

When award letters arrive, the most critical skill is separating “other people’s money” from “your money later.” We recommend families start by identifying the full Cost of Attendance (COA) — not just tuition and fees, but food, housing, travel, books, supplies, and personal expenses — and then categorize every line item in the aid package.

Quick Reference: Financial Aid Categories

At Great College Advice, families use a proprietary comparison spreadsheet that standardizes every school’s offer. 

It All Starts With the FAFSA

To be considered for any federal or need-based institutional financial aid, families must file the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). The FAFSA opens on October 1 each year, and early filing is critical.

Even families who believe they will not qualify for need-based aid should strongly consider filing. The Great College Advice Family Handbook puts it this way: “Over 70% of college applicants apply for financial aid. Although applying for financial aid can present many challenges and can be a tedious process, you definitely should not shy away from applying because you assume that it won’t be fruitful.”

Filing the FAFSA also establishes a financial benchmark — an insurance policy of sorts. If circumstances change (job loss, medical emergency), having a baseline on file makes it easier to request a reassessment. Additionally, the FAFSA is required to access federal student loans and, at some schools, to be considered for merit-based scholarships.

Some private colleges additionally require the CSS Profile, which collects more detailed financial information — including home equity — and uses institutional algorithms to determine how much of the college’s own funds to award. Check each school’s requirements well in advance, especially if applying Early Decision or Early Action.

For a complete month-by-month guide, see our Financial Aid Timeline for High School Seniors.

The Bottom Line: Build the Right College List

Understanding the five types of financial aid is essential, but the families who get the best financial outcomes are those who use this knowledge strategically from the very beginning of the college search. At Great College Advice, our team of counselors with over 100 years of combined admissions experience helps families navigate this complex landscape every day. 

Great College Advice counselors leverage experience, proprietary data, and deep knowledge of institutional aid patterns to help families build lists that balance reach, target, and likely schools with realistic financial expectations.

Ready to build a financial aid strategy tailored to your family? Schedule a free consultation with our team.

The post 5 Different Kinds of Financial Aid first appeared on Great College Advice.

 Many families wisely turn to advisors even later in the process. As Sarah Myers, Senior Admissions Consultant at Great College Advice, explains: “It is never too late. There’s almost never a time when you can’t send an application.” This comprehensive guide will walk you through exactly what options remain and how to make the most of them. For a complete overview of the college application process, see our guide on how to get into college.

What are the actual deadlines for colleges that still accept January applications?

The assumption that “all the deadlines have passed” simply isn’t accurate. Many excellent colleges maintain Regular Decision deadlines extending well into January, February, and even March.

Sarah Myers confirms: “Many colleges have regular application deadlines that aren’t until mid-January or even February—even in March. And there are other colleges that have a rolling admission deadline where they’ll even take applications late into the summer.”

Colleges with February 1st deadlines include:

Auburn University, DePaul, DePauw, Gonzaga, Indiana University, Miami University of Ohio, University of Michigan,  Rollins College, TCU, Trinity University (Texas), and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).

Colleges with February 15th deadlines include:

Allegheny College, Baylor, College of Charleston, Pace University, University of Kentucky, and the College of Wooster.

The practical takeaway: your student still has meaningful options. The question isn’t whether opportunities exist—it’s identifying which schools are the right fit.

Are colleges with later deadlines less prestigious or competitive?

Many families worry that later-deadline schools are somehow “less than.” This concern is unfounded.

While the most hyper-selective institutions (Harvard, Stanford, and similar schools with sub-5% acceptance rates) have earlier deadlines, many highly respected universities maintain January and February deadlines. The University of Michigan and numerous other excellent institutions fall into this category.

Sarah Myers shares an important insight: “There are some schools that will actually go fishing for students later in the game as well. For example, last year Syracuse University was accepting applications pretty late, and they even came back to some students that they had rejected and asked them if they wanted to come back.”

For families focused on educational value and return on investment rather than prestige rankings, later-deadline schools often represent exceptional opportunities. These institutions may offer stronger merit aid packages as they work to fill their incoming class, and they frequently provide excellent educational outcomes that translate into career success.

How do rolling admissions colleges work and which ones are worth considering?

Rolling admissions represents a fundamentally different approach to college applications. Rather than evaluating all applications after a fixed deadline, these schools review submissions as they arrive and make decisions on an ongoing basis.

Sarah Myers explains the mechanics: “There are colleges that have what’s called rolling admission, so that they’re filling slots continually. Your chance of getting in is not going to be as good [later in the cycle], but they may still want a student—especially if you have a special skill or you’re playing a certain sport they’re looking for, or a certain musical instrument that they want.”

Key advantages of rolling admissions:

• Faster decision timelines—often within weeks rather than months
• Flexibility in application timing
• Opportunity to apply while refining applications for other schools

College websites clearly indicate whether they use rolling admissions, making it straightforward to identify these opportunities during your research.

Can hiring a college counselor in the fall or winter of senior year still make a difference?

The short answer: absolutely. The value of professional guidance may actually increase when time is limited.

Sarah Myers addresses this directly: “It’s not too late, and it’s most important that you do a good job on your application. So if you’re hustling at the end and feeling like there’s a crunch, it’s really a good chance to reach out to an advisor. Many advisors will work on an hourly basis if you need a little bit of help, but also if you do want that full experience and full help, even in January we can make that happen.”

A skilled counselor brings two critical elements to late-stage applications:

Strategic guidance: Experienced counselors understand which schools are realistic targets given your student’s profile, which late-deadline schools offer the best fit, and how to allocate limited time across applications.

Tactical expertise: From essay strategy to application mechanics, counselors help avoid costly mistakes that waste precious time. As veteran admissions expert Jamie Berger notes, his team of six counselors brings “well over 100 years of experience in college admissions” and meets weekly to discuss clients and share expertise across different regions and school types.

Learn more about when to hire a college counselor and why professional guidance matters.

How should we prioritize and build a realistic college list at this late stage?

Building a college list under time constraints requires focus and realism. The goal is identifying schools where your student has genuine chances of admission and would genuinely be happy attending.

Great College Advice structures lists into three categories: “reach,” “target,” and “likely” schools. Jamie Berger emphasizes a crucial point that many families overlook: “Having happy likelies will lead to a happy outcome regardless.”

He elaborates: “In this day and age when Duke’s admissions rate last year was 4.8%… when Northeastern is in single digits—yes, it’s as important [to find likely schools you love]. And I will work so hard to get you into those top choices, but I will really push you. If you don’t like Stony Brook (even though it’s a great school), there are hundreds of colleges out there. We’ll find you one you like that you’ll get into.”

Practical list-building priorities:

• Focus on schools with remaining deadlines that match your student’s academic profile
• Consider location preferences, intended major, and campus culture
• Evaluate financial parameters—some later-deadline schools offer substantial merit aid
• Work as diligently on “likely” schools as on “reaches”

For guidance on the right number of applications, see our article on how many colleges you should apply to.

What’s the strategy for writing quality application essays under time pressure?

Essay quality matters far more than quantity, and the principles of effective essay writing don’t change under time pressure—if anything, they become more important.

Jamie Berger’s core advice is straightforward: “Be authentic and answer the question.”

He warns against a common mistake: “The essay that writes a resume that duplicates their activities list is the worst possible essay. 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. You don’t get to know the kid at all.”

For supplemental essays specifically, Jamie emphasizes precision: “When they’re asking supplemental questions, they’re asking very specific questions that they want you to answer in very few words. So you can’t veer off and give an anecdote about the discovery you made in a job if it doesn’t answer the question.”

Time-constrained essay strategy:

• For your main personal statement, be genuinely self-reflective—this is where admissions officers learn who you are beyond your grades
• For supplementals, answer exactly what’s asked—don’t try to squeeze in more about your achievements
• Match your tone to the school’s culture (formal for serious “why this major” questions, playful for creative prompts)
• Prioritize your best effort on schools where you have the strongest admission chances

Learn more about the essay process in our guide on what college admissions officers look for in an essay.

Will applying late affect my child’s financial aid opportunities?

Financial aid considerations add complexity to late applications, but opportunities remain for families who understand how the system works.

Key financial aid realities:

Schools with fixed Regular Decision deadlines (January 15, February 1, February 15) typically maintain full financial aid pools for all applicants meeting their deadlines. If you submit by the published deadline, you’re competing on equal footing for institutional aid.

Rolling admissions schools present a different dynamic. As Sarah Myers notes, admission chances can decrease as the cycle progresses—and the same applies to financial aid. Earlier applicants may receive priority for limited scholarship funds.

Critical action item: File the FAFSA immediately if you haven’t already. Over 70% of college applicants apply for financial aid, and missing FAFSA deadlines can be more costly than missing application deadlines. Some private colleges require the CSS Profile for need-based aid as well.

Great College Advice’s Family Handbook emphasizes: “Even if you won’t qualify for aid, filing for financial aid establishes a benchmark of your family’s financial situation at the outset of the student’s college career—which gives the college a reference point if something should happen that changes your situation.”

If merit scholarships are a priority for your family, research schools known for strong merit programs and verify that your student’s profile matches their typical award recipients. A counselor experienced with financial aid strategy can help identify schools likely to offer the best packages for your specific situation.

Your Next Steps in College Admissions

If you’ve reached January without completed applications, here’s your practical action plan:

1. Assess what’s actually due. Research deadlines carefully—you likely have more options than you realize.
2. Build a balanced, realistic list. Include reaches, targets, and likely schools where your student would be genuinely happy.
3. Consider professional support. Even a few hours with an experienced counselor can dramatically improve application quality and strategy.
4. File the FAFSA now. Don’t let financial aid deadlines pass while focusing on applications.
5. Prioritize essay quality over application quantity. Better to submit strong applications to 8-10 well-chosen schools than mediocre applications to 20.

Turn to a Professional Admissions Advisor

The college application process can be stressful, but families who approach it with clear strategy and realistic expectations consistently find good outcomes. As Sarah Myers puts it: “Where you end up is not who you’re going to be for the rest of your life.”

For personalized guidance on your specific situation, contact Great College Advice to schedule a consultation. Our team of experienced counselors has helped families navigate every stage of the application process—including many who started later than they’d planned.

The post Why It’s Not Too Late to Apply to College in January first appeared on Great College Advice.

At Great College Advice, our team of six experienced college admissions counselors — with more than 100 combined years of experience — has helped students navigate the waitlist process at schools ranging from Ivy League institutions to flagship state universities. We have seen firsthand what works, what does not, and when it is time to redirect your energy toward the schools that have already said yes.

What Are My Realistic Chances of Getting Off a College Waitlist?

Understanding the odds is the first step in making a smart decision about whether to remain on a waitlist. The honest answer is that acceptance rates off waitlists are generally quite low — but they vary significantly from school to school and year to year.

“The realistic chances of getting off a waitlist depend on the school, because different universities will waitlist a different number of students and will also pull a different number of students off the waitlist,” explains Sarah Farbman, Senior Admissions Consultant and COO at Great College Advice. “However, in general, the chances of getting off the waitlist are not good.”

Farbman shares a telling example: “We looked at the University of Michigan, and that year they offered about 28,500 students spots on the waitlist. Roughly 18,000 chose to stay on the waitlist, and of those, approximately 955 were offered a spot — which means about 5% of waitlisted students got in.”

That figure is representative of many competitive schools. Community member Bonnie Hale, a veteran school counselor, reinforces this with additional data: “The percent of students who were admitted off of Cal Poly’s waitlist last year was 3.3%. More than ten thousand students were on the waitlist; they admitted 345. Chances are very slim.” She adds that at UC Berkeley, “more than 7,000 students were on the waitlist with less than 1% being admitted.”

Paul Wingle, a respected voice in the Great College Advice community, notes that families should “check the Common Data Sets, Section C2” for historical waitlist data at specific schools. He shares an example: “The last available report showed 3,010 applicants were offered a spot on the waitlist, 2,288 took a spot, and 40 were admitted.” The Common Data Set is a standardized reporting framework used by most colleges, and Section C2 specifically covers waitlist statistics — making it one of the most reliable sources for this information.

Despite the long odds, Farbman emphasizes that it does happen: “I have seen students get off waitlists. I have seen it happen three times in my career — three specific schools and three specific students. So it does happen.”

What Is a Letter of Continued Interest (LOCI) and How Do I Write One?

The single most important action you can take after being placed on a waitlist is writing a strong Letter of Continued Interest, commonly referred to as a LOCI. This is a concise, strategic letter addressed to your specific admissions officer that accomplishes two things: it reaffirms your interest in the school, and it provides new information that was not in your original application.

“The best thing you can do to increase your chances of getting off the waitlist is to continue to demonstrate interest in the school, and the best way to do that is by writing a Letter of Contined Interest,” says Sarah Farbman. “This is a letter to your specific admissions officer that affirms your interest in the school and articulates new reasons why you are interested.”

Farbman is emphatic about what a LOCI should not be: “Do not just repeat your application. They have your file — they already have all the information you gave them. It is important not to rehash that information, but rather to include new information, new updates, and things you did not tell them before.”

What to include in your LOCI:

A strong LOCI should contain specific, new reasons you are interested in the school, concrete ways the school aligns with your values and goals, and meaningful updates since you submitted your application. Those updates might include a higher test score, an improved grade, a new award or achievement, or a new experience with the school such as an additional visit or a conversation with an alumni.

Paul Wingle recommends using established resources to craft a compelling letter: “Your student should submit a LOCI providing updates on academic progress and any achievements or awards. College Essay Guy has free resources on writing a LOCI.”

What not to do:

“Send them a polite letter. Do not email them every day — that is not going to work,” Farbman cautions. The line between demonstrating interest and becoming a nuisance is one that students must respect. A single, well-crafted LOCI is far more effective than a barrage of communications.

It is also critical to follow the school’s specific instructions. “If they are saying, please don’t send us a letter, do not send them a letter,” Farbman warns. “But if they are not saying that, go send them a letter.”

Writing a compelling LOCI is one of the core services provided through Great College Advice’s deferral and waitlist support, included in all comprehensive and elite packages. As Farbman notes, “This is absolutely something we can help with. We help with this all the time.” Learn more about choosing the right college counselor for this level of support.

Should I Stay on the Waitlist or Move On?

This is perhaps the most difficult question families face, and it is as much a psychological decision as a strategic one. The answer depends on your emotional resilience, the strength of your other acceptances, and your willingness to live in uncertainty.

“The only reason not to remain on the waitlist is psychological,” explains Sarah Farbman. “If you are on the waitlist, you may be thinking all spring — maybe, maybe, maybe — when it might be better to dedicate that psychological space and that emotional space to just moving on.”

She frames the trade-off clearly: “Staying on the waitlist and checking your email every day is very stressful. And it impedes you from putting down roots and forming relationships at the school you have been accepted to.”

Veteran college admissions expert Jamie Berger puts it even more directly: “Definitely do not hold your breath for the waitlists. Pick a school you will be happy with now, and if you hit that unlikely waitlist lottery, it will be a pleasant surprise.”

A Great College Advice community member, offers similar counsel: “Follow the specific guidelines of the college, check the Common Data Set for information on acceptance rates off the waitlist, and move on mentally to the colleges that have accepted you.”

If you do decide to remain on the waitlist, there is one non-negotiable step: “You definitely want to make sure that you have paid a deposit at a school that you have been accepted to and that you are excited about,” Farbman says, “because chances are that school is where you are going to go.”

What Should I Do While Waiting on the Waitlist?

Once you have submitted your LOCI and paid your enrollment deposit at an accepted school, the waiting game begins. Here is how to manage it strategically and emotionally.

1. Commit fully to your deposited school. Sign up for orientation, connect with your future roommate, join social media groups, and begin the mental transition. As one parent in the Great College Advice community observed, “The kids who fully committed to their backup school ended up loving it, and the ones who spent the whole summer hoping for a waitlist call were miserable either way.”
2. Keep your grades up. Colleges that pull students from waitlists will request your final transcript. A significant drop in grades could cost you an offer — and as Bonnie Hale warns, “I have seen offers rescinded after the student was admitted. I have seen students receive warning letters.”
3. Monitor deadlines. Some schools publish a specific date by which they will stop accepting students off the waitlist. “If they say they will accept you off the waitlist by July 15th, then July 16th, you are moving on,” says Farbman. Paul Wingle suggests following dedicated waitlist tracking threads on forums like College Confidential for real-time updates.
4. Use a personal email. One of our community members offers a practical but often overlooked tip: “Use a personal email and link the accounts. Colleges that track interest may do so through email and web link click rates. Also, waitlist activity can extend past the time access is available for high school accounts.”

Do Waitlisted Students Receive Financial Aid or Merit Scholarships?

One of the most common questions families have is whether students accepted off a waitlist receive the same financial aid packages as students admitted in earlier rounds. The short answer: it depends, but expectations should be tempered.

Jamie Berger is characteristically direct about merit aid from the waitlist: “Students admitted from waitlists do not usually receive huge merit. ‘Merit’ aid is a way of enticing students schools want more than others to accept based on institutional priorities. From other students, the school’s priority is the money.”

Paul Wingle provides additional nuance: “Big merit off of a waitlist is unusual, but merit is about yielding students the college really wants in the class. If the waitlist is unranked, they are reaching into it to find a student who meets an institutional need.” In some cases, a school may have placed a student on the waitlist as a form of yield protection — they assumed the student would choose a more competitive school. If that student demonstrates genuine interest through a LOCI, the school may make a strong financial offer to secure their enrollment.

For need-based aid, the picture is somewhat better. Most schools that meet full demonstrated need will extend the same need-based packages to waitlist admits. Some schools even provide information proactively — as Wingle notes from one school’s communication: “If you are a US citizen, permanent resident, or DACA recipient and have submitted all required financial aid documents, you will receive a financial aid offer via your portal sometime after receiving your waitlist decision.”

Families who are particularly focused on maximizing their college investment should understand that the waitlist inherently limits your ability to compare financial aid offers — one of the key strategic considerations discussed in our guide to choosing a college after being accepted.

How Is Being Waitlisted Different from Being Deferred?

These two admissions outcomes are often confused, but they represent very different situations with different timelines and different strategic responses.

Sarah Farbman explains the distinction clearly: “Deferred means you applied for the early decision round, and they are saying not yes, not no — we are going to read your application during the regular decision round.” She offers a memorable analogy: “Imagine it is currently January 14th, and your friend says, do you want to come to a party with me on June 7th? And you say, what? June? I don’t know. Don’t ask me now. Ask me closer to the time. That is basically what being deferred means.”

Being waitlisted, on the other hand, means that the regular decision round has concluded and the school is saying: “You are not accepted, but if we have room, we may offer you a spot.”

The strategic response for both situations is similar — writing a Letter of Continued Interest — but the timing and context differ significantly.

Deferral typically happens in December (from an Early Decision or Early Action round), and the student’s application is reconsidered alongside the regular decision pool in March or April. Paul Wingle notes that “a deferral puts the student in the RD pool and releases them from any ED or REA restrictions,” freeing the student to apply elsewhere.

Waitlisting happens after regular decisions are released (usually late March or April), and movement on waitlists may not happen until May, June, or even into the summer. “If you are deferred from your top choice school, the first thing you should do is read the information the school is giving you,” Farbman advises. “Sometimes schools will give you specific instructions. It is very important that you follow those instructions.”

For a deeper understanding of early application strategies and how deferral fits into the broader timeline, see our guide to application strategy and demonstrated interest.

When Do Colleges Start Accepting Students Off the Waitlist?

The timing of waitlist movement is one of the most anxiety-inducing aspects of the process, because it varies widely and often drags well into the summer.

The primary trigger for waitlist movement is May 1 — National College Decision Day. This is the deadline for admitted students to pay their enrollment deposits. After May 1, colleges can assess how many seats remain unfilled and begin pulling from the waitlist if needed.

Paul Wingle explains the dynamics that drive this: as students commit to one school, they free up spots at every other school that accepted them. This creates a cascade of openings, particularly at large public universities. Jaye Salvin, a Great College Advice community member, describes this phenomenon with the UC system: “Remember that most of the kids who apply to UCs apply to all of them or a lot of them. So once students start accepting offers, more students will be accepted off of waitlists — things move around quite a bit.”

Some schools may continue accepting students off the waitlist well into the summer. “Some schools will publish a deadline by which they will stop accepting people off the waitlist,” says Farbman. Others leave it open-ended, which can stretch the uncertainty for weeks or months.

Paul Wingle also notes that some schools, like Carnegie Mellon (CMU), may have a “priority waitlist” that “requires an attestation that if you are admitted off the waitlist, you will attend.” This is essentially a binding commitment similar to Early Decision, and students should take it seriously.

Community member Tobi Adeyeye Amosun shares a real-world perspective: “I have a couple of friends whose kids have gotten in off the waitlist and they are having to make a decision within the week.” This underscores the importance of being mentally prepared — when a waitlist offer comes, you may have very little time to decide.

Can I Be on Multiple Waitlists at the Same Time?

Yes, you can accept a spot on multiple waitlists simultaneously, and there is no ethical restriction against doing so — as long as you have also paid an enrollment deposit at one school where you have been fully accepted.

Paul Wingle explains the rules clearly: “They have time. They can decide which of the schools that accepted them they like best and can deposit on or near May 1. They can also accept a waitlist spot. If they are admitted off a waitlist, they can withdraw from the other school. Getting off a waitlist is the exception to the ‘no double deposit’ rule.”

Robin Kaminsky, a college counselor and Great College Advice community member, reinforces this: “By May 1 they should choose a school they were admitted to and accept the offer of admission and proceed with an enrollment deposit and all actions to attend that school. If they are admitted off a waitlist, they can decide at that time whether to accept the offer and withdraw from the original school or not.”

However, being on multiple waitlists requires a clear-eyed assessment of your priorities. As Sowmya Athreya advises, “Get on a waitlist only if you would be willing to forgo your deposit to go there. It is best to assume the waitlist will not pan out.” Paul Wingle frequently asks a clarifying question that every family should consider: “When considering taking a waitlist spot, I think it is useful for the student to ask: would I drop any of the acceptances I have today to go to this school instead?”

The Psychological Side: How to Cope with Waitlist Uncertainty

The emotional toll of the waitlist is often underestimated. For students who have spent years building their applications, being placed in admissions purgatory can feel devastating — and the extended timeline only compounds the stress.

Sarah Farbman acknowledges this openly: “Being a senior in high school is hard, and getting ready for college is hard. It is an enormous psychological lift. And staying on the waitlist and thinking, oh, maybe, maybe — checking your email every day — that is very stressful.”

Her advice is practical and compassionate: “It is a judgment call. You know yourself, or if you are a parent, you know your kid, and you just have to make the wise choice and decide for yourself: I want to stay on this waitlist, or I need to move on and turn my focus elsewhere.”

As one community member shared: “My son applied early, got waitlisted, waited forever, and was eventually rejected. He picked Purdue and has loved it there.” This is a common outcome — students who fully commit to their deposited school often discover that it was the right fit all along.

Paul Wingle consistently encourages families to focus forward, not backward: “The thing about a waitlist is to be pleasantly surprised if an admission offer comes from it, but to focus on and prepare for orientation and move-in at a school that has accepted the student.”

How Can a College Admissions Counselor Help with Waitlist Strategy?

Navigating the waitlist process is one of the most stressful phases of the college admissions journey, and it is also one where professional guidance can make the most tangible difference. A skilled counselor brings experience, objectivity, and strategic thinking to a situation that is often clouded by emotion.

At Great College Advice, waitlist and deferral support is included in all comprehensive packages. This includes crafting a targeted LOCI that highlights genuinely new and compelling information, strategic advice on which waitlists to remain on based on realistic assessment of your candidacy, guidance on the psychological aspects of the decision, and help navigating financial aid implications if you are accepted off a waitlist.

As Farbman notes, “This is something we can help with. We help with this all the time.” The difference between a generic letter and a strategically crafted LOCI — one that articulates specific, new reasons for your interest and demonstrates genuine fit — can be significant.

Jamie Berger, highly acclaimed veteran college admissions expert, often shares stories of students who came to him in moments of uncertainty and found their path forward. In one case, he describes a student who “had naively assumed he would get into Chicago ED, then came to me in December in a panic to build a list and get help with last-minute essays. He was waitlisted at Northwestern but admitted to Emory, where he is likely headed.”

The lesson: a strong backup plan and expert guidance can transform a waitlist disappointment into an even better outcome.

Ready to navigate the waitlist with confidence? Contact Great College Advice to schedule a free consultation with one of our experienced admissions counselors.

The post How To Get Off The College Waitlist first appeared on Great College Advice.

When Is the Best Time to Take the SAT or ACT for the First Time?

The ideal window for a student’s first official SAT or ACT is the winter or early spring of junior year — typically between December and April. By this point, most students have completed the coursework in math and English that these tests assess, and there’s still enough runway to retake the test in the spring or early fall of senior year if the initial scores fall short.

Jamie Berger, a veteran college admissions expert at Great College Advice, emphasizes a critical principle in his guidance to families: students should never take an official test “for practice.” A handful of the most selective schools require that students submit scores from every test taken from ninth grade onward. This means every official sitting carries real weight.

Before registering for an official exam, students should take a full-length practice test of both the SAT and ACT in a timed, test-like environment.

On occasion, a counselor may recommend an earlier or later test date based on the student’s academic trajectory, course load, and extracurricular schedule. A student who is ahead in math, for example, might be ready to test in the fall of junior year, while a student taking AP courses with heavy spring demands might be better served waiting until summer.

“Once your student understands whether the SAT or ACT is better for them, plan to take the first official test in the winter or early spring of junior year. This will leave enough time to take the test again should the scores be unsatisfactory.”

— The Great College Advice Family Handbook

For a deeper look at how standardized testing fits into the college admissions process, explore our comprehensive guide on how early to take the SAT or ACT.

What Is the Ideal SAT/ACT Testing Timeline from Freshman Year Through Senior Year?

A well-planned testing timeline removes stress and maximizes results. Here’s the strategic approach:

9th and 10th Grade: Build the Foundation

Freshman and sophomore years are not the time for official testing. Instead, students should focus on building strong academic foundations in math and reading — the skills that underpin both the SAT and ACT. The PSAT, typically administered in October of 10th and 11th grade, serves as a useful low-stakes diagnostic. For juniors, the PSAT also qualifies students for consideration for the National Merit Scholarship, so it’s worth taking seriously.

By the end of sophomore year, motivated students can begin taking full-length practice tests of both the SAT and ACT at home or through a prep company. This early diagnosis helps families plan summer preparation if needed.

11th Grade: The Main Testing Window

Junior year is when the real testing action happens. The recommended sequence:

Fall (September–December): Complete diagnostic practice tests if not already done. Begin focused test preparation — at a minimum, practice a section each day in the months leading up to the exam.

Winter/Spring (December–June): Take the first official SAT or ACT. If scores are below target, retake in May or June after additional preparation. Many students see meaningful score improvements on a second sitting simply from greater familiarity with the testing format and conditions.

12th Grade: Final Opportunities

August–October: The last practical window for retesting. Students applying Early Decision or Early Action (with deadlines typically in November) need their final scores by October at the latest.

December: The absolute last test date for most Regular Decision applicants, though some schools may accept January scores. Check each college’s specific requirements.

One parent in the Great College Advice community shared practical wisdom about this timeline: when it comes to competitive programs like engineering, even at technically test-optional schools, submitting strong scores can make a meaningful difference in admissions outcomes — and waiting for a higher score before submitting an application is sometimes the smarter strategic move.

How Many Times Should You Take the SAT or ACT?

The sweet spot for most students is two to three official sittings. Here’s why that number works:

The first attempt establishes a baseline and gives students the invaluable experience of testing under real conditions — something no practice test can fully replicate. The second attempt typically yields improvement as students apply lessons learned from the first sitting and benefit from additional preparation. A third sitting can be worthwhile if a student sees a clear upward trajectory and has done meaningful work between tests.

Beyond three attempts, the returns diminish significantly. Students should turn their attention elsewhere, like making an impact in their community or brainstorming potential essay topics.

How Superscoring Works in Your Favor

Most colleges practice “superscoring,” combining a student’s best section scores across all test dates to create the highest possible composite. For example, if your student scores higher in math in March but higher in reading in June, colleges that superscore will use the higher score from each section.

This is why submitting scores from multiple test dates can actually benefit your student at schools that superscore. Great College Advice counselors help families navigate these decisions toward the end of the application process, ensuring the right scores are sent to the right schools.

Both the SAT and ACT also offer Score Choice, which allows families to decide which score reports to send. However, some colleges require that students submit all scores, so it’s important to check each school’s policy.

Should My Student Take the SAT, the ACT, or Both?

Every college in the United States accepts both tests equally. The decision comes down to which exam better matches your student’s strengths — and the only reliable way to determine this is to take a full-length practice test of each under timed, realistic conditions.

A common strategy

Some students prefer to take both tests in an official setting to compare their real-world results. This is a perfectly valid strategy, as long as they’ve prepared for each. Once a student identifies which test plays to their strengths, Jamie Berger recommends focusing preparation efforts on that single exam rather than splitting time between both.

For students considering testing accommodations such as extended time, it’s worth noting that both the SAT and ACT offer accommodations — but the application processes and timelines differ slightly, so plan accordingly.

Is It Worth Taking the SAT or ACT If Colleges Are Test-Optional?

In nearly all cases, the strategic answer is yes — provided your student can achieve scores that strengthen their application.

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

Since the Covid pandemic, a growing number of colleges and universities have adopted test-optional policies. However, “test optional” does not mean “test irrelevant.” When test scores are not submitted, admissions offices weigh other credentials more heavily — including GPA, course rigor, essays, and extracurricular activities. At the most selective schools, where thousands of applicants have similar academic profiles, strong test scores function as a differentiator that helps admissions officers sort through the pile.

A community member in the Great College Advice network observed that even at schools advertising test-optional policies, admissions committees often “prefer test scores” — particularly for competitive programs. Students who applied test-optional to engineering programs, for instance, sometimes found themselves at a disadvantage compared to peers who submitted strong math scores.

The Financial Argument for Testing

Beyond admissions, there’s a compelling financial case for taking the SAT or ACT. At many colleges and universities, merit-based financial awards are closely tied to test scores. A few additional points can translate to thousands of dollars in scholarships annually — and across four years, that adds up significantly.

As Jamie Berger notes, investing in test preparation “might save you $20,000 a year by getting more merit aid at a college. You can’t guarantee it, but it very well often does.” For families focused on value and ROI in the college process, the testing investment is one of the highest-return decisions available.

FairTest.org maintains a comprehensive list of schools that do not require standardized test scores, which can be a useful reference as your family builds its college list.

How Should My Student Prepare for the SAT or ACT, and When Should Prep Begin?

Test preparation should begin at least two to three months before a student’s first planned test date. For most students targeting a winter or spring junior-year test, that means starting focused preparation in the fall of 11th grade.

The Great College Advice Family Handbook puts it plainly: “Just like getting to Carnegie Hall, the best way to get ready for standardized tests is to practice, practice, practice! Although colleges do not like to admit it, students’ scores on both tests can be significantly influenced by familiarity and coaching.”

Recommended Preparation Resources

Students should complete as many full-length practice exams as possible under test-like conditions. At a minimum, they should find time in their schedule to practice at least one section every week in the months leading up to the exam.

For test prep books, Great College Advice recommends the official guides: The Real ACT Prep Guide from ACT and The Official SAT Study Guide from College Board. These contain real past exam questions and are the most reliable preparation resources available.

For more structured preparation, Great College Advice’s comprehensive packages include a one-year license for self-paced SAT and ACT prep through Magoosh, and counselors work with each family to build a preparation strategy that fits their student’s learning style and schedule.

A Note for Parents: Remember that it’s OK to encourage and even, on occasion, cajole your student when it comes to standardized test preparation and performance. Be careful not to communicate that a high test score is a measure of your love and support for your child. Focus on the test as a ‘mountain to be climbed,’ and not a measure of a person’s worth.

What If My Student Needs Testing Accommodations for the SAT or ACT?

Both the College Board (SAT) and ACT offer accommodations to students with documented learning differences — including extended time, extra breaks, and alternative testing formats. The accommodation process requires advance planning, so families should begin early.

To qualify for accommodations, students do not need a 504 plan in place at their high school prior to requesting testing accommodations. The application should be submitted through the student’s high school; parents can only apply directly to the testing agencies in special circumstances.

The approval process can take weeks or even months, which is why Great College Advice recommends approaching your school’s guidance office as soon as possible. Ideally, families should begin the conversation no later than the sophomore year to ensure that accommodations are fully approved before junior-year testing begins.

If you think your student may qualify, start by talking with your school counselor about the documentation requirements. If your family is working with an independent college admissions counselor, they can help you navigate this process alongside the school to ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

Building Your Student’s Test Plan: Putting It All Together

The testing process works best when families approach it strategically rather than reactively. Here’s a quick-reference summary:

Sophomore Year: Take practice tests of both the SAT and the ACT to identify the best fit. Begin conversations about accommodations if applicable. Use the PSAT as a low-stakes diagnostic.

Fall of Junior Year: Start focused preparation. Register for a winter or spring test date.

Winter/Spring of Junior Year: Take the first official test. Evaluate scores and determine if a retake is warranted.

Summer Before Senior Year: Targeted preparation for a retake if needed.

Fall of Senior Year: Final test date (ideally by October for Early Decision/Early Action applicants).

Building this plan is one of the first things Great College Advice counselors work on with families. As Jamie Berger’s team advises, “While your counselor will be working with your student to put together a testing plan and preparation strategy, you are an integral part of that process.” Parents know their student’s strengths, stress levels, and schedules — and that knowledge is essential to creating a plan that works.

And if your family is ready for a personalized testing strategy as part of a broader college planning approach, reach out to Great College Advice to start the conversation.

​

The post When Do You Take the SAT or ACT first appeared on Great College Advice.

Choosing the right college means looking beyond polished admissions presentations to understand authentic campus culture, student well-being resources, and true community fit. For families weighing both quality and value, assessing these factors accurately on the campus visit is essential to ensuring your investment pays off with a positive college experience. This guide provides practical strategies for evaluating what campus life is really like—crucial information that complements your research into scholarships and financial aid options when building your college list.

Why shouldn’t I rely solely on the official campus tour to assess campus culture?

Think of the official campus visit as you would a timeshare presentation—polished, persuasive, and designed to close a sale. Admissions departments invest considerable resources, sometimes hiring specialized consulting firms, to craft memorable visitor experiences. Tour guides are trained employees following memorized scripts, not randomly selected representatives of student opinion.

As veteran college admissions expert Jamie Berger observes, the fundamental issue is that these presentations offer very little variability from one school to the next. After visiting multiple campuses, families often find their experiences blurring together—every school seems to have the same talking points about small class sizes, accessible professors, and vibrant campus life.

The Great College Advice Family Handbook emphasizes this critical distinction: “A college is more than a bunch of buildings: it is a community. It takes a bit of time to get beyond the superficial aspects of a campus to learn about that community of people.”

This doesn’t mean tours are worthless—they provide useful logistical information and demonstrate that your student is serious about the school (which matters for demonstrated interest). But don’t confuse the tour’s polished presentation with an accurate picture of daily student life.

What specific activities reveal an authentic campus culture that tours miss?

The most revealing insights come from unscripted moments and independent exploration. Before your visit, check the campus events calendar to see what’s happening during your stay. Attend a sporting event, play, concert, or lecture if timing permits—these gatherings reveal how students actually spend their free time.

During your campus walk, pause at bulletin boards in building hallways. One community member noted discovering this approach: “It was a great way to get a little inside glimpse into what was happening on campus when there weren’t a lot of students to talk with.” Bulletin boards advertise clubs, events, causes students care about, and the general pulse of campus activity.

Extend your exploration beyond the campus boundaries:

Visit the surrounding area and try local restaurants. Test transportation options—can students easily get to town, the airport, or nearby cities? Help your student identify where they’d find basic necessities like groceries and pharmacies. These practical elements profoundly shape daily student life.

Most importantly, talk to students who aren’t wearing admissions office lanyards. Ask them directly about their experiences. One parent in the Great College Advice community shared an approach of simply stopping random students walking across campus and asking honest questions about weekend life, academic pressure, and social dynamics, yielding far more candid responses than any official tour.

If offered, schedule a campus overnight stay. There’s simply no substitute for experiencing evening and morning routines alongside actual students.

How can I determine if a college is a “suitcase school” where students leave on weekends?

The “suitcase school” phenomenon can dramatically impact your student’s college experience. When significant portions of the student body pack up and leave each weekend, campus social life withers, creating a self-reinforcing cycle where emptier weekends prompt even more departures.

Research from the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA found that 39% of first-year students at less selective campuses reported going home frequently. This trend concerns college educators who recognize that students heading home miss the challenges and rewards of building new relationships and experiencing campus community.

When admissions officers insist their campus stays vibrant on weekends, dig deeper with these specific questions for current students:

Do you or your friends leave campus on weekends? If so, why? If you stay on campus, do you feel there’s enough happening? Are students packing up for the whole weekend or just taking day trips? Do you ever feel like you’d miss something important by leaving? What about students from far away who can’t easily get home? Do they feel isolated?

If possible, schedule part of your visit during a weekend to observe activity levels firsthand. A campus that feels energetic on Tuesday morning but deserted on Saturday afternoon tells you something important about student culture. For more on identifying this pattern, see our detailed guide on how to find out if a college is a suitcase school.

What questions should parents ask about student well-being and support services?

Parents carry legitimate concerns that students may not think to address. Parents should seek out the answers to their own parental questions—your questions about campus safety or financial aid are perfectly appropriate.

The key is approach. Let your student take the lead during tours and information sessions. Consider a “divide and conquer” strategy: while your student attends a class or meets with a coach, you can separately meet with someone in financial aid, student advising, or health services.

Priority questions for parents include:

Campus safety: What security measures exist? What are the crime statistics (colleges must report these)? How does campus security respond to emergencies? Is the surrounding area safe for walking at night?

Mental health support: What’s the student-to-counselor ratio? Are appointments readily available during high-stress periods like finals? What support exists for students struggling academically or personally? Does the school have a reputation for high-pressure environments that impact student well-being?

Financial aid accessibility: Can you schedule a meeting with a financial aid advisor to discuss your family’s specific situation? Understanding how financial aid impacts admissions helps you ask the right questions.

Practical support: What health services are available on campus? What are the housing options and guarantees? How’s the food quality? What dietary accommodations exist? What resources support students with disabilities or learning differences?

You can also write a quick email to the general admissions email after your visit to ask questions your student found intrusive during the tour itself.

How do I assess whether a college fits my student’s academic, social, and personal needs?

True fit assessment begins with deeply understanding your own student before evaluating any college. Great College Advice uses a structured assessment approach including the “Why Go to College” survey, which examines student motivations ranging from career preparation to personal growth and self-discovery.

This distinction matters enormously. As one assessment process reveals: “Some students are going to college in order to do a specific job. If they couldn’t get a job from the college experience, they wouldn’t go to college. Some students are like, ‘Yeah, I’ll get a job later, but right now I’m going to broaden my mind, to learn more about myself.’ Those are two different, really different schools.”

Career-oriented students will likely thrive at professionally-focused institutions with strong internship pipelines and industry connections. Growth-oriented students may flourish at liberal arts colleges emphasizing exploration and intellectual development. Neither approach is superior, but matching students to institutions matters critically for satisfaction and success.

Jamie Berger emphasizes helping students shed the “gaming the system” mentality: “I like to think that a little added feature of working with an experienced admissions consultant for a year is to help people who’ve always done it right start to realize—I’ve earned access to one of these schools. Now what do I want?”

Discuss concrete preferences with your student: urban versus rural settings, large versus small student bodies, competitive versus collaborative academic cultures, strong Greek life versus alternative social structures, political climate, religious affiliation, and diversity priorities. Focus on compatibility rather than chasing an elusive “perfect fit.”

The colleges that match your student’s academic profile, social preferences, and personal ambitions will yield happier, more successful outcomes than simply pursuing the most prestigious names regardless of fit.

When is the best time to visit campus to accurately assess the culture and student life?

Timing can make or break your campus visit’s value. If possible, based on your family’s schedule,  visit when classes are in session. As the Great College Advice team puts it, this is when you can spot “students in the wild”—walking to class, crowding dining halls, gathering in libraries, and going about their actual daily routines.

Avoid holiday breaks if possible. During Thanksgiving week, students have ventured home, admissions officers are often out of the office, and colleges rarely offer tours. Campus dining facilities and amenities will be completely shut down. Winter break is even worse—dorms locked, libraries on limited hours if open at all, faculty traveling. Unless you want to see locked, empty buildings, these windows offer virtually no insight into campus culture.

Optimal timing includes February, spring break (when it doesn’t overlap with the college’s own break), and fall months. Note that not all colleges offer weekend visits, and those that do typically only offer them during September, October, March, or April. Look for special events like “preview days,” “open houses,” or “admitted students days.”

For the most informative visits, spend a full day or more on campus, from morning until well into the evening. This allows you to experience the rhythm of campus life across different times—morning class changes, afternoon study sessions, evening activities.

One critical caution: don’t schedule more than two campus visits per day. Your experiences will blur together, compromising your ability to evaluate each school distinctly. Months later, you won’t remember which library went with which school.

How can I assess campus culture if an in-person visit isn’t possible due to cost or distance?

When in-person visits aren’t feasible, whether due to budget constraints or international distance, virtual resources can provide meaningful insights, though with acknowledged limitations.

Many campuses offer robust virtual visit options: virtual campus tours on their websites, virtual panels, information sessions, and interviews with faculty, students, staff, and alumni. Visiting a campus in person can give you information that is hard to glean from afar, but if visiting is too costly or time-consuming, virtual visits can be a great option.

Check online campus events calendars—these serve as “virtual bulletin boards” revealing what programming exists and whether it aligns with your student’s interests. Connect with current students through official channels where colleges often make students available to prospective applicants online. Research student newspapers, forums, and social media for unfiltered perspectives on campus life.

As Jamie Berger advises families unable to visit their first-choice schools: “If you live abroad, you can’t go visit. Write them a letter so they know you’re not just applying to 30 schools blindly. Something short, though.” This brief, thoughtful communication demonstrates genuine interest while acknowledging the logistical realities of international applications.

Take advantage of every virtual opportunity offered: Zoom meetings, Facebook groups, admitted students’ online communities, and virtual information sessions. “Just say yes to everything,” Berger recommends when it comes to demonstrating interest and gathering information about schools you genuinely care about.

While virtual research can’t fully replicate walking campus pathways and absorbing the atmosphere, a thorough online investigation combined with genuine outreach to admissions representatives and current students can provide substantial insight into whether a campus culture might suit your student.

Assessing campus culture and student well-being requires looking beyond polished presentations to understand authentic student experiences. At Great College Advice, our expert counselors help families develop comprehensive evaluation criteria matching students’ academic, social, and personal needs. Combined with strategic guidance on financial aid timelines and merit-based scholarship strategies, we help value-conscious families find colleges where students thrive academically and personally—at a cost that makes sense for your family.

Schedule a free consultation today.

The post Tips for Successful Campus Visit first appeared on Great College Advice.

Begin the college search process over winter break

Along with starting the college search process, here are some other productive activities to do over winter break:

1.  Start doing some college research.  There are so many college websites out there, it is hard to know where to begin.  These days, high schoolers are inundated with information about colleges on TikTok or other social media platforms. But, we often suggest that students begin with a simple college match survey.  You can find these on CollegeBoard.org or Princeton Review.  Once you find some colleges that you are interested in learning more about, visit CollegeData.com.  This site provides a wealth of information about size, academics and the competitiveness of the application process.  Another site to check out is Unigo.com.  This site can answer many questions you may have about the college application process.
2.  Volunteer.  Winter break is a great time to get in some volunteer hours.  You may work at an animal shelter or see if you can help with a holiday program at a local hospital.  Volunteering not only looks great on your college applications, but it is beneficial for your mental health and a great way to give back to your community. It may also be a great opportunity for you to explore some different careers.
3.  Begin thinking about next summer.  Now is the time to begin thinking about your plans for the summer.  Look into possible enrichment programs or camps that will help you explore an interest. You may want to start putting together your resume as you begin exploring potential summer job or internship opportunities.
4.  Network.  There are lots of gatherings during the holidays, which provide great opportunities for networking.  Before you attend your next holiday event, brainstorm some questions you may have from the people you know will be there.  Ask about career paths and college experiences. This is a great way to learn more about college from multiple perspectives.
5.  Read.  Reading is one of the best ways to improve your SAT scores, so take some time to dive into a good book or two or three!

Great College Advice

The post Winter Break Tips for High Schoolers first appeared on Great College Advice.

The short answer is yes. So don’t panic!

How to make changes to a college application

In most cases, you cannot actually change the application. Once it is sent, you cannot alter it. You probably even made a declaration when submitting saying something to the effect that “I understand that once I submit my application, it cannot be changed.”

So the only way to make the change is to contact the admissions office. You will need to write an email.

Who shall I contact to make changes on a college application?

Preferably, you’ll email the admissions officer who is going to read your application. Most admissions offices read by geographic reason, and most admissions websites will have a tool for you to find the admissions officer responsible for your state and high school. So take the time to look up who this person is. You may even find a bio on the website that tells you a bit about them.

Once you have found that person, compose an email. It doesn’t need to be long or involved. It just needs to state the facts and request an alteration.

Some instances in which you might want to make changes to a college application

• Your mom decided to read your essay “one more time” and found an error. Send admissions offices an updated PDF version of your essay and ask them to replace it with the copy submitted with your application.
• Your history grade improved from the C reported on your first quarter grades to a respectable B because you aced your last exam. Kindly ask your history teacher to write a few comments about your improved grade and sign it. Scan the letter and email it to all of the schools you have applied to and put a hard copy in the mail.
• The mayor of your city has just recognized a non-profit organization that you helped create. Cut the article out of the newspaper and mail it into the schools you applied to, along with a letter. If you can provide a link to the article, send an email in as well.
• If it was something you inadvertently left blank but wanted to answer, give the answer in the same format in which the original question was answered. For example, if you left out an activity, provide the activity in the same format that is required on the Common App. There are specific character limits for each of the blanks, and required information about when you participated in this activity. Follow that same pattern exactly.
• If you answered a question wrong (i.e., you wrote your test scores incorrectly, or you clicked the wrong box for citizenship), just explain the error concisely and provide the new, corrected response.

Do NOT spend a lot of time apologizing. Do express regret, but do so without a lot of wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth.  Just apologize, and then express gratitude to the recipient of your email for taking the time to make the correction.

Accidents happen.  Things go wrong.  People make mistakes.  Generally, admissions officers are understanding of these little goofs, and are happy to make the changes in your file.

In fact, it’s better to recognize the mistake early and make the correction than let the admissions officer read the incorrect information and make a judgment on your application before you have a chance to communicate the error.

So if you find a mistake, correct it!  It is possible to make changes to a college application even after it is submitted.

Remember that it is important to provide colleges with all of the information they need to make an informed decision about your application. Just because application deadlines have passed does not mean that you can not submit additional information.

Ready to get started with the college admissions process?

The team at Great College Advice has deep experience in guiding students along the road from high school college. We provide individually tailored, one-on-one advising to help students achieve their college dreams. If you’d like more information about our services, contact us for a free consultation. Or just pick up the phone and call us at 720.279.7577.  We’d be happy to chat with you.

Since 2007, the expert team of college admissions consultants at Great College Advice has provided comprehensive guidance to thousands of students from across the United States and over 45 countries across the world. Great College Advice has offices in Colorado, New Jersey, Chicago, North Carolina and Massachusetts.  

In addition to our one-on-one counseling, Great College Advice extends its support through one of the most active and resource-rich Facebook Groups for college-bound students and their families: College Admissions Experts. With nearly 100,000 members—students, parents, and experienced counselors—this vibrant forum offers peer support and expert advice like no other. 

The post How To Make Changes to a College Application first appeared on Great College Advice.

What do you do when you are deferred?

Let’s just be honest. Being deferred in the early round of college admissions really stinks. It’s a kind of purgatory. It’s disappointing, especially if the college in question was your first choice. A deferral feels like a rejection, even if it is not a final decision:  you COULD still be accepted in the regular round. Nevertheless, a deferral feels lousy.

You do have some options about what to do, though not all of them are very good.

Option 1:  Sit around and mope when you are deferred

This might be tempting. But it’s obviously self-defeating. There is no denying that deferrals are filled with negative emotions, and you must honor those feelings and understand that you really and truly feel down-in-the-dumps about a it. But wallowing in self-pity is not going to help make things different. You need to recognize and deal with the emotions, but then get up out of that chair and make some decisions and take some action.

Option 2:  Do nothing

On its face, this sounds like a bad option, too.  I mean, you’ve gotta something, right? Actually, in some cases doing nothing is just the right thing to do. But it implies that you already have a plan in place in the case of such a possibility. As educational planners, we help our students have a Plan B (and C and D) in place, just in case Plan A does not materialize. And in some cases, students find that Plan B is just about as desirable as Plan A, so they can just ignore the deferral and execute on their subsequent strategy without a whole lot of hand-wringing and teeth-gnashing.  Let Plan A go and turn to the other desirable options in front of you.

Option 3:  Apply to a bunch more schools

This is a possibility, but probably not advisable. First, it will just make a whole lot more work for yourself in trying to get new applications out the door. Second, these schools may be added to your list without full consideration of whether you even want to attend. Good decisions are seldom made in a panic.  Again, if you have taken the time to fully consider your options before you even submitted those Early Decision (or Early Action) applications, then stick with your original plan.  Just because Plan A did not pan out does not mean that the other elements of your overall strategy should be thrown out.  The deferral was always a risk–assuming you planned for that possibility in the first place.  Don’t let the emotional turmoil of a deferral push you into making silly decisions that don’t make sense when you’re in a more rational, calm state.

Option 4: When you are deferred, write a letter of continuing interest (LOCI) to the school(s) that deferred you

This is the best option by far. It allows you to do what is necessary to keep Plan A open as a possibility, but also lets you execute on the rest of your strategy.

So what’s needed? It depends on the school in question. When you receive your deferral letter, the university will have explicit instructions about what you do in the case of a deferral.  We recommend that you follow those directions faithfully. Some will advocate that you try to go above and beyond those instructions. But our belief is that you can easily go overboard and risk annoying admissions officers for not following their instructions.  They are giving you these instructions for a reason.

For example, some might advocate sending something that will help you stand out, like a box of cookies or a singing telegram. This would surely help the admissions officers to remember your name–only because you were over the top in desperation to be accepted. You might become memorable for all the wrong reasons and thereby tank your chances of admission. So please:  follow directions.

When you are deferred, how should you write your letter of continuing interest?

Again, the university will tell you exactly what you should do if you are deferred. Sometimes the instructions will be very simple: “please check this box on this form to indicate that you would like to be considered in the regular admissions round, or check this box if you would like us to chuck your application in the bin and take a flying leap.” (Most likely you’ll want to check that first box).

Sometimes they will ask you for any updates that you would like to add to your application that would be considered in the second review of your application in the regular decision round.  Most often, you will be asked to deliver these updates through the university admissions portal. You simply complete a text box on the portal with your updates and press “send.”  These updates will then be automatically added to your file.

Depending on the school, you may also be invited to submit a “letter of continuing interest” or LOCI.  This letter is what it sounds like:  it’s a proclamation of your continuing desire to attend the school if admitted.  You simply are reiterating what they already know:  that you submitted your application early in hopes of being accepted and those feelings of desire have not dissipated, and that despite your disappointment in the deferral, you still really, really, really want to go there.

What should I say in my letter of continuing interest?

A lot of ink (okay, maybe not ink…but a lot of pixels?) has been spilled explaining what these LOCI should like. Our take is that these should be very simple statements of fact and intent.

The facts

What have you done since you sent in your application that admissions officers should know and consider as they review your application for a second time? In most cases, the reality is that you have done very little in the six weeks between the early application submission and your receipt of the deferral.  But there are things you might want to share, depending on how seminal those six weeks have been.

Here are some examples:

• Your first semester grades in your senior courses were a triumph.
• Your SAT or ACT score took a great leap upward.
• You won a major sports award.
• You won a major academic award.
• You were accepted into a very competitive summer program.
• You were won a concerto competition with a local orchestra or band.
• You completed a major service project that you were preparing while you were preparing those early applications.
• You completed your Girl Scouts Gold Award.
• You had a poem published in a literary journal.

You get the idea:  what have you accomplished since the application was originally submitted that make a material differences in how you might be evaluated by the admissions office?

Again, our experience is that the vast majority of students do not have a lot of facts to add to their application.  But if there are facts to share, share them!

The continuing interest

In this part of the letter you should express–very briefly–your continued hope that the admissions office will select you. With this short paragraph of the letter, you really need to be concise. You also must not whine. You must not become a sycophant–complimenting the college (or worse, the admissions office) on the many positive traits this college possesses. You can reiterate that the school remains your top choice, that you remain eager to attend, and that you appreciate that your application will receive a second, serious review.

Some students have an impulse to go on and on about how wonderful the school is, about how they can imagine having coffee in this little cafe or they hope to be able to study in this or that library or take a course with Professor Longbottom.

Please spare your overworked admissions officers this schmaltz. All they want to know–really–is that you cared enough to send them a note and that you remain committed to attend if accepted.  Just make your point and close your letter with a “Sincerely yours” or “Yours truly” and be done.

So, in summary, what should you do when you are deferred?

The three-part answer is fairly simple.

First, feel the pain. It stings. Deferrals are no fun. You applied to a school in hopes that you’d be accepted. You weren’t–at least not yet. And the feeling you are feeling is real. So let it wash over you. But don’t let it debilitate you. There are things to do.

Second, execute on your backup plans that you put in place precisely for this possibility. You need to complete all the rest of your applications (if you haven’t already–which you should have done long before you received this deferral), and send them off.

Third, do whatever the college asks you to do to keep your application in consideration for the regular decision admissions round. Follow their instructions faithfully.

And if you are asked or invited to write a letter of continuing interest, do it. But keep it short, sweet, and to the point.  Share any new information that needs to be included in your application in the second review during the regular round. And simply restate that you would likely attend–or certainly would attend–if admitted.

Do you need help when you are deferred from your first choice college?

The counselors at Great College Advice are experts in helping students to pick up the piece after a deferral. Most of our clients have created clear alternative strategies in the event that their early choices do not come through as planned.

But if you find yourself at the end of your rope, not knowing what to do, feeling lost and without a strategy, we can help.  We can assist in getting you back on track. We can help you create that last-minute plan that will ensure that at the end of the regular admissions round that you have solid choices for your college education.

If you need help when you are deferred, contact us and we’ll show you how we can help.

The post Deferred From Your First Choice College? What to Do first appeared on Great College Advice.

Mark Montgomery
Educational Consultant 
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Here’s the transcript if you’d like to read:

I’m here on the Campus of the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio. And I could say that the College of Wooster is another one of those Mid-Western surprises. I’ve had on this trip where you walk into the campus and are really shocked by how really wonderful it is. I can’t say I was completely shocked because I knew from reputation that this is a really solid academic school. It’s kind of under the radar screen for a lot of people but a fantastic little liberal arts college in Ohio.

The thing I wanted to mention is the way I visit colleges. I tend not to go on canned admission tours. I tend to just show up kind of unannounced without a lot of fanfare or giving them prior warning of my visit. Then I walked into the Admissions Office today at 4:15, okay it closes at 5.

Immediately they said, let’s get you in touch with the person, what are the admissions reps and he sat down with me. He talked with me for about 40 minutes. He gave me kind of a personal tour of the campus as much as he could before he had to run off to pick up his wife. But really took a personalized – he gave me personal attention. And that’s really indicative of what the College of Wooster is all about spending the time and the energy and giving personal attention to each and every student.

Loren Pope put the College of Wooster in his book 40 Colleges that Changed Lives and, you know. It’s not surprising just my little experience here on an August day when the campus is pretty dead to walk into the Admissions Office and get a lot of personalized attention. We just met with the professor he was walking out of his office, stood there and talked with us for a few minutes, really impressive place.

Yes, the landscaping and the architecture yes that’s kind of a surprise to me. Because it really does kind of help to get a feel of the physical plant of a college. But really by reputation College of Wooster is one of those places that they take – maybe their students are diamonds in the rough not necessarily the tippy top academically. They will take students who have academic potential and they will mold them into scholars. That is really the hallmark of education here at Wooster, excellent education, someplace that is definitely off the radar screen for a lot of students but it shouldn’t be. This is a high value education and it deserves more attention.

The post College of Wooster – Changing Lives first appeared on Great College Advice.

• Pay attention to each student’s needs
• Alleviate stress for both student and parent
• Give the student a competitive edge
• Eliminate the confusion
• Save money

Personalized Attention

College selection and application is a very time-consuming process. Counseling—of all types—requires time and energy from a professional. But school guidance counselors are overworked and have less time than perhaps they once did to give personalized college counseling.

The National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) recommends that a college counselor work with no more than about one hundred students per year. However, a study by the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) measured the degree to which school counselors are overworked.

• Nationwide, the average college counselor in a public high school serves 315 students. In Colorado. The public school student-to- counselor ratio is 553:1.
• The student-to-college-counselor ratio is higher in large schools: nationally, in schools of more than 2000 students, the ratio is 654:1. Colorado has 18 high schools of this size–all along the Front Range.

Choosing a college is not something that is easily left to computer programs and mathematical algorithms. The admissions process, while seemingly quite simple on its face. Can necessitate different strategies and tactics for each individual student. As public schools continue to reduce the number of guidance counselors. Parents are turning to private counselors to ensure that their children get the direction they need and deserve.

Alleviate Stress

Choosing a college can be stressful for a variety of reasons. First, parents, who have been nurturing their children since the day they were born, have a hard time delegating this important decision to their children. Second, students are not always equipped to make this first great life decision: most students have not made their own educational decisions or chosen their schools. They may not possess the self-knowledge to make this decision, and may need to work through a process to develop a strong set of criteria on which to base this decision.

To make matters worse, the junior and senior years of high school can be very difficult for students. They have many competing priorities to balance: improving their grades, deepening their extracurricular commitments, and preparing for those annoying SAT and ACT tests (and don’t forget the difficulty of maintaining a social life!). For these reasons—and many others—the college selection and application process becomes a vortex of anxiety for everyone.

An experienced college consultant can help reassure nervous parents. Guide students through a process of self-discovery, and ensure that all the administrative pieces are managed with efficiency and accuracy. The transition from high school to college should be an exciting time in a young person’s life, full of anticipation and promise, and a professional college counselor can maintain the focus on the excitement—and not the stress.

Competitive Edge

College admissions today seems much more competitive than ever before. More and more students are applying to college, and each student is applying to more colleges. Acceptance rates at selective colleges continue to decline. So how can college-bound students give themselves a competitive edge?

As noted above, high school guidance counselors are overburdened. So more and more families are turning to private consultants to help select the right colleges and guide the student through the admissions process. According to the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA). An estimated 22% of freshmen at private, four-year colleges have used some kind of consulting services in the admission process.

Private day and boarding schools have more robust college counseling programs than do public schools. The student to counselor ratio at a private school may be as low as 50:1, compared to the national average of 315:1. Obviously, some students are getting more help than others.

Good guidance in selecting the right schools and in completing the application can make the difference between acceptance and rejection. We can help your son or daughter develop an appropriate college selection and admissions strategy to give them the best possible chance of reaching their educational goals.

Eliminate The Confusion

One of the great benefits of the Internet age is that students and parents have much more access to enormous amounts of information. With literally thousands of websites devoted to college selection and admission, parents and students can learn more about college admission than ever before.

But knowledge is not bliss: the overwhelming quantity of information that does little to clarify our vision and answer our individual questions. Which information is useful and Which sources can I trust? Which information applies to my child’s particular situation? The huge expansion of available information has created a new burden of having to sift through zillions of bits and bytes for useful tidbits.

An experienced college consultant can help do the sifting for you. By focusing primarily on your student, the counselor can pull the information that is directly relevant to the student’s situation. And because a good counselor also knows colleges well, he can select colleges that closely match the student’s needs, abilities, and ambitions.

Save You Money

In today’s economy, almost all parents are looking for a bargain in higher education. The biggest sources of financial aid and scholarship money in the United States are the colleges and universities themselves. Colleges award better financial aid and scholarship packages to the students that best match their institutional values and priorities. Thus for the price-sensitive family, it is crucial that the student select colleges that are a perfect fit. Not only for the student, but for the college.

While we can never guarantee a particular outcome, we have a strong record of helping families reduce the overall cost of a college education by carefully selecting the right colleges to which to apply. Even families that do not expect any financial aid often find that working with us can save them tens of thousands of dollars in tuition bills.

So while hiring an educational consultant may seem like a hefty cost. Many families are surprised at how much money they can save by hiring an experienced college consultant.

Read five more reasons to hire a college consultant.

Mark Montgomery
Educational Consultant

The post Why Hire An Educational Consultant? first appeared on Great College Advice.