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Posts Tagged ‘colleges’

What To Give Your High School Senior For Christmas

December 3rd, 2007 by Matthew C. Keegan | 1 Comment | Filed in College Planning

Christmas Gifts

Consider These Memorable Gifts For Christmas

Christmas is coming and maybe you are just now beginning to shop for your loved ones. If you are a parent of a high school senior, this holiday season can be a great time to start buying some items your college bound student will need for school right now. Your student can make use of that new desk or laptop computer months before leaving for school and they’ll have one less item to shop for later. College-themed gifts can be a great way to prepare your student for college months before they leave your home.

7 Gift Giving Ideas Sure To Please

Clothing — Students who applied and were accepted early for college know where they will be attending school next year. Why not reward them for all of their hard work by ordering a college sweatshirt, cap, and matching pants to wear right now? Just in time for the football bowl season and college hoops your student will look fashionably correct as they cheer on their future alma mater.

Linens — Grandparents, siblings and other family members can get into the game by purchasing bed linens, towels, even a throw rug for the dorm room. You already know his or her favorite colors, so why not help everyone by sharing some gift-giving ideas?

Computers — Will it be a PC or will it be a MAC? Most schools require students to bring along a computer and the best deals can be had during the holiday season. Make sure that you order one with tons of memory to last your student for the full four years of her undergrad studies.

Tickets — With the basketball season in full swing, chances are your student is avidly rooting for their team. Maybe a trip to see an on-campus game is in order, an opportunity to cheer on the home team and do a follow up tour of the campus.

Furniture — Some dorm rooms come fairly well equipped while others are stripped. A reclining chair, computer desk, table, or small bookshelf are thoughtful gifts for any occasion including at Christmas.

Electronics — Music systems have changed dramatically over the years and you may find it difficult to get the right gift in this area. No worries, the major retailers issue gift cards which can be redeemed for the right item after the holidays and for year end prices too! Also, if your cell phone plan is set to expire, why not add your son or daughter to our new plan and spring for that Apple iPhone your student has had his eye on since last summer?

Transportation — Going off to college means that your student will need a way to get around campus, make trips home, and attend the occasional away sporting event. If your budget allows it, year end car sales have driven down the price of everything from a Chevrolet Aveo to a BMW 3-Series. If a new car is a bit too pricey, consider a young used car sold by Hertz, CarMax, or a certified late model vehicle from off the dealer’s lot.

Shop And Compare

Shopping online can make comparing prices a breeze, saving you a bundle on all of your purchases. Your son or daughter won’t be leaving for college for many more months, but shopping for items they can use now or store for later is a smart way to celebrate the season.


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Submitting Your College Application The Right Way

November 19th, 2007 by Matthew C. Keegan | 2 Comments | Filed in College Planning

College Application

College attendance continues to climb as the number of students who choose higher education rises and as schools welcome an influx of students from abroad. Some universities are processing many times the number of applications than slots available, making it all the more critical that prospective students complete their applications in a timely and accurate manner. Understanding the college admission process is imperative if you are to stand the chance of acceptance. Please read on to learn the steps to take to submit your college application.

Getting Into the college of your choice — Applying to Elite U. means you will be in the company of many other students who crave an education at Harvard, Stanford, Duke and other top universities. Expect stiff competition or a possible rejection — if an elite school is what you want, then be prepared to apply to several.

Making a college choice comparison — If you have narrowed down your course of study, then making comparisons between various schools is easier to do. Figure in academics, costs, and lifestyle into the equation.

Application submission deadlines — You’ll want to make sure that your completed college application is submitted at least two weeks before the deadline. Early acceptance usually takes place in October and November while regular admissions are in January.

College application forms — Request your application from the school. Many schools are now posting this information online for easy access and download. The COMMON application form (as the name implies) is now accepted by more than 300 colleges and universities — this can be a real time saver for students and their families.

Application essays — You can expect to write one or two essays with each college application. Plan well in advance to consider what you will say and use that extra time to polish it to perfection.

Letters of recommendations — Schools typically require you to furnish one or two written recommendations from people who know you. Teachers, a guidance counselor and community leaders are among those whom you should solicit when it comes to applying to college. Make sure that you allow 3-4 weeks for recommendations to be written.

College entrance exams — Either the SAT or ACT tests are the required exams you must take for college entrance. Many students sit for both exams to make sure that they meet the requirements of any college.

High school transcripts — As every other student who is applying for college will require them, make sure that your transcript requests are submitted early in the game. Students schooled at home must learn what requirements they must meet as their aren’t any official transcripts to submit.

Extracurricular activities — Your balanced your curricular work with after school activities, perhaps marching band, cheerleading, scouting or church youth group participation. Schools are looking for well rounded students and this is your chance to showcase some of your more important activities.

Before you know it, you will be off to college thanks to plenty of advanced work on your part. To help you accomplish these tasks, please check out some helpful college planning tools and track college stats (FREE download) today. Finally getting ready for the FAFSA form is easy thanks to this form.


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In 9 Months You’ll Be Heading Off To College!

November 5th, 2007 by Matthew C. Keegan | 1 Comment | Filed in College Planning, College Search, Student Aid, Loans

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Handy tools to help high school seniors: we provide what you need to take the stress out of college planning.

The Last Hurrah

Today’s high school seniors are busy enjoying their final year of schooling, taking in frosty football games and thinking about what they will do over their Christmas break. SATs, writing projects, and applying to college are some of the other activities consuming time right now with the next few months being especially critical in planning life beyond high school.

Graduation is just seven months away and two months after that today’s high school seniors will become tomorrow’s college freshmen.

Let’s take a look at what you can do now to make going off to college as stress free as possible.

College Planning Is A Family Event

Preparing for college involves much more than the prospective student. Parents need to get involved as they are the ones providing the bulk of the financing while offering guidance on the schools to visit, scholarships offered, and financing options available. Even siblings cannot be forgotten as family decisions will impact them. Hey, you won’t have your little brother or sister pestering you for awhile, so you might as well enjoy their company while you can!

Busting The Stress With Helpful Tracking Tools

As you probably know all to well, the final year of high school isn’t as rosy as you may have thought it would be. Seniors still must finish up course work, take college entrance exams and deal with raging hormones. The thought of planning the next four years of life while handling the crisis of the moment can seem daunting; that is why we have developed free tracking tools to take the edge off of college prep.

Four tracking tools for college planning:

  1. Student aid tracking worksheet — a worksheet to record and track your financial aid information (excel file).
  2. College budgeting worksheet — an automated file to plan and budget college aid and costs (excel file).
  3. College cost comparison worksheet — compare colleges by cost and amount of aid awarded (excel file).
  4. College spending sheets — use these spending sheets to track daily – weekly – monthly spend (PDF).

Please visit this page to find the four tracking sheets and related planning tools.

Starting Your College Search

Of course, at the same time you are taking a look at your financial picture, you’ll want to begin your college search. Chances are you spent the summer between your junior and senior year visiting some campuses, but narrowing that list down to a manageable three or four schools will make college planning a whole lot easier.

Use a financial aid checklist to balance college search with student financial aid options for a clearer picture of your schooling options. Parents need to remember that Stafford loans and private student loans are two forms of student aid that have opened up educational opportunities for millions of students.

Finishing The Race In Style

With the tracking tools at your disposal, college planning becomes less of a stress and much more of an enjoyable experience. You still need to consider your college major and meet with your guidance counselor, so plan wisely now to create fond memories that will last a lifetime!


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