Admissions Academy

This course discusses everything you need to know about your personal data: your grades, your test scores, and your extracurriculars. How important are standardized tests? Do you have a running list of your activities and awards? How do you create your Common App login? We’ll outline all the moving pieces of the application process, teach you how best to track them, and give you the tools you need to succeed. It can feel like a lot, but a little organization goes a long way!

Being memorable to the admissions committee is important! Who are you? What makes you unique? What do you want to do? How do you want to appear? Would another person understand your goals by looking at your resume? We teach you how to stand out in ways that truly represent who you are and where you want to go.

Your personal statement is how admissions committees get to meet you and, hopefully, really like you. You want to sound like yourself! You also want to be memorable. (And no, you don’t need to have overcome a personal tragedy, and you don’t need to have cured cancer.) By the end of this course, you will have an authentic, unique personal statement that makes you shine.

There are almost 6,000 colleges and universities in the US — how do you know where to apply? Should you chase prestige, or are you better off as a big fish in a small pond? What should you consider when making your list? This class will also touch upon affordability (although we go into much more detail about the financials in the next class).

Which schools offer merit scholarships, and which ones don’t? Which schools meet need? Which do both? (Or neither?) What about need-based scholarships and grants? How do you manage college costs? We’ll demystify the process, defining the FAFSA, NPC, and CSS and their roles in determining school costs. Going to college doesn’t need to mean going into debt!

Thought you were done writing essays when you finished your personal statement? Think again! Many schools require additional essays. This class covers many of the most common supplemental essay topics and shows you just how to address them.

Your activities list is one of the best ways to let admissions committees know who you are. (What’s the activities list? It’s the Common App format of your resume, fulfilling the Common App requirements.) By the end of this course, you will have the activities list that makes the most sense for YOU.

This course covers all the practical, hands-on parts of navigating the Common App. We’ll click those buttons and show you what needs to go where.

Applying to Florida state system schools? This course is for you! Learn all about Bright Futures, how the different Florida schools recalculate GPA, the differences between summer and fall admission, special programs and alternate pathways, and how guaranteed transfers work.

It’s time! You’ve got your acceptances — but now what? How can you assess the indefinables and compare apples to oranges as you decide where to live for the next four years? “Too many choices” is a great problem to have, but it’s still a problem. We’ll talk about following your heart but staying rational.