Updates and related info from College Counseling

Test Prep Options for Juniors

We’d like to share a number of opportunities for students who are interested in group test-prep sessions for the upcoming ACT and SAT administrations. The complete ACT and College Board test dates and deadlines are available here. There are a variety of test-prep opportunities both off-campus (day students) and on-campus (day or boarding students).  The following opportunities will be offered on campus at Williston:

On-campus offerings through Summit Educational Group

 Please note: Financial aid is available for the Summit 6-session classes only.  All prices include materials. Each class and workshop begins with a four-hour diagnostic practice test.  Please see each registration form above for specific dates and times.

 On-campus offerings through Brian Leaf

  • Full-day ACT Intensive, Sunday, February 11, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. $350 all materials included.  Register at www.brianleaf.com
  • Full-day SAT Intensive, Sunday, April 8, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. $350 all materials included.  Register at www.brianleaf.com

Brian Leaf at the Leaf Learning Center in Northampton is offering the following off-campus opportunities:

8-Week Prep Class for the NEW SAT
When: Eight Wednesday Nights, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., January 10 through March 7
(No Class 2/14)
Where: New Leaf Learning Center, 269 Main St, Northampton
Cost: $750, all materials included
REGISTER/PAY ONLINE NOW

Full-day ACT Intensive
When: Saturday, January 27, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Where: New Leaf Learning Center, 269 Main St, Northampton
Cost: $350, all materials included
REGISTER/PAY ONLINE NOW

8-Week SAT Prep Class
When: Eight Wednesday Nights, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., March 14 through May 2
Where: New Leaf Learning Center, 269 Main St, Northampton
Cost: $750, all materials included
REGISTER/PAY ONLINE NOW

Full-day ACT Intensive
When: Saturday, March 31, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Where: New Leaf Learning Center, 269 Main St, Northampton
Cost: $350, all materials included
REGISTER/PAY ONLINE NOW

Please be in touch with Molly Ward in the College Counseling office with any questions.

Looking for a little more ACT test prep before the big day?

With the ACT at Williston coming up on April 18, here’s a tip directly from the ACT about something that could get your scores cancelled: using an unapproved calculator. Click on the link below for more information.

For those looking to get in a little more practice, click the link below for access to more practice questions, directly from the ACT. Enjoy!

When It Comes Time to Write That College Essay…

Choosing a topic to write about is not always easy. What you think may be unique could possibly be run- of-the-mill for the admissions officer who has read thousands of essays. Here some common essay topic pitfalls to potentially avoid:

Looking for Internships?

Internships can be be helpful in a lot of ways. They can give you insight into certain professions and that exposure can help you figure out if you remain interested in that field. Getting an internship shows initiative and drive, two attributes that colleges are looking for in candidates. Below is an article I found on the Colleges That Change Lives website that shows companies that offer internships. Worth a look:

For Juniors

Our Class of 2016 College Kick-Off event was Thursday, February 5 and featured talks by the Directors of Admission from Boston College, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and Yale University. This event got our juniors thinking about the college admission process. As they go into March break, juniors might be starting to ask more questions about the process.

Here’s a great article that juniors should read and think about:

Filling out the FAFSA (and applying to more than 10 schools)?

FAFSA stands for “Free Application for Federal Student Aid” and is the first step for students who want to apply to most federal-, state-, or college-level aid. It’s not only for federal aid, although it is filed with the U.S. Department of Education. Here are two links that will help explain some of the process, which is particularly useful if you’re applying to quite a few schools.

Check out the link below to see what to do:

ACT and Test-Taking Tips

Planning to take the April 18th ACT? Have you registered?

Just a friendly reminder that if you haven’t registered yet, I would do so sooner rather than later. The link below takes you directly to the ACT website where you can register:

Avoid paying a late fee, register today for The ACT scheduled for April 18. Register here.

So for those taking the ACT at Williston on April 18, I thought it would be a good idea to post some links straight from the ACT itself. Click here to get some tips from the ACT for test day.

Hello Williston!

Greetings Williston and welcome to College Counseling’s Blog!  This year, the other college counselors and I will be blogging from time to time, imparting advice about anything college-related—from our thoughts  regarding standardized testing and the common app, to posting articles  we read online that we think you may find interesting.

We will try to keep it varied and include photos of trips we take visiting colleges. We’ll even pass along tweets from the ACT, College Board, the Common App and others about helpful hints and strategies as you go through the college application process.  For now, here’s video from Common App that offers advice on how to get started filling that document out… Enjoy!

Read the full Common App article on getting started here.