Whether you're in Great Neck or in Guam, time constraints, logistics, social distancing, or simply dollars and cents may make face-to-face, in-person counseling impractical, if not impossible.

That's why College Connection offers E-Planning, a comprehensive combo of online, e-mail, telephonic, and virtual counseling, with a real-live college planning counselor on hand and on call,...

Colleges once considered “safety” schools have become “reach.” The application process, seemingly simple back in the day, is now overwhelming. And the cost of college, well, let’s just say that arm and leg may not cover it. What’s a high school student (or parent) to do?

On Monday, April 20, 2020 at 7:30 PM, the Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island will play host to a free college planning workshop, where high school students and their parents will get the inside scoop on how to...

Seriously, though, getting started down that long and winding road to college admissions, as it is with many things in life, is often the most difficult part of the journey.

So, what will follow below is a basic (very basic, as in, just to give you a push) primer -- a "To Do" list, if you will -- to set y...

College is closer than it appears in the rearview mirror!

Almost time to stick that Thanksgiving turkey in the oven (and can that Christmas music be far behind?). [By all rights, if the heralding of Christmas (1 day) begins the day after Halloween, the festivities for Chanukah (8 days) should start right after Valentine's Day. Just sayin'... ]

Early Action. Early Action II (like hitting the snooze button?]. Regular Decision.Now is the time to put those finishing touches on the yet unsubmitted applications. Dot the i's. Cross the t's. Answer the optio...

Whether planning for college, applying to college, paying for college, or just thinking about college, this workshop is a must attend for high school students and their parents.

Seth Bykofsky, a/k/a The College Whispere...

Seldom are the words “ethics” and “humanity” heard in the same breath as “college admissions,” but on Wednesday, March 22^nd at 7:30 PM, the Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island will play host to a college planning workshop, where high school students and their parents will get the inside scoop of how to choose the “best” colleges, the ins and outs of the application and admissions process, writing persuasive essays, and navigating the maze of financial aid ...

In case you were wondering what to do over Spring Break, we’ve come up with a definitive list of the “Top Ten” things high school students (particularly juniors) should be doing to prepare for the coming college application and admission season.

So, in between soaking up the sun on the beach, hitting the slopes, or sleeping until 2 PM, pick up the iPad or Android and have a go at one (and more) of these:

10. Search for “Best” Fit Colleges. [And if you do nothing else in this endeavor,...

COLLEGE CONNECTION, Home of The College Whisperer™ and Official Sponsor of College Admission Success™, offers comprehensive college planning and counseling. Guidance and support in choosing a college, getting in to college, and finding the money to pay for college, all while taking the stress, the worry, the frustration and the madness out of college applications and admissions.

At COLLEGE CONNECTION, we’ve not only got your back, we’ve got your best moves forward!

From college mat...

COLLEGE PLANNING FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS & PARENTS

• Choosing Colleges That Are “Best” For You

• Navigating The Application Process

• Admission Strategies

• ​Winning Essays

• Financial Aid Essentials & Scholarship Sourcing

College Connection, Official Sponsor of College Admission Success™, offers a FREE College Planning & Admissions Workshop. Open to students and parents alike, this forum will explore such topics as choosing a college that’s a “best” fit for you, the intricacies and nuances of...

If there is a single question The College Whisperer™ is asked most about the college application process, it is, “Where do I begin?”

My typical response is, “At the beginning, of course!” ;-)

Seriously, though, getting started down that long and winding road to college admissions, as it is with many things in life, is often the most difficult part of the journey.

So, what will follow below is a basic (very basic, as in, just to give you a push) primer -- a “To Do” list, if you will...

The college application season approaches (and waits for no one)!

Just a brief, yet important, overview as to what high school juniors/rising seniors should be doing at this stage of the college admissions game (batteries sold separately):

1. Naviance - Build that Resume (in the About Me section). Every activity, in school and out; every award, honor, citation, and pat on the back; basically, anything you have done during waking hours from the 9th grade on. [Include senior year activities, etc....

Test prep and fees for APs, SATs and ACTs: $1500
College Application fees: $1000
College tuition, room & board: $60,000

Knowing how to navigate the college application, admissions & financial aid process? PRICELESS!

Okay, so we’re mixing Farmer’s Insurance with MasterCard, but surely you get the message.

The college admissions process, from application to financing, is confusing, confounding, complex, and overwhelming. Getting in the admissions game is one thing. Understanding the rules (where...

Build that Snowman yet?

Well, snow or no snow, this is the perfect time to begin to build your high school Resume, both on Naviance and on paper.

NAVIANCE: While many college applications have an activities section, most are extremely limited in the number of activities you may list. [ Common App limits you to 10.]

That’s why it is so important to have a “paper” (Word Doc) Resume that may either be uploaded to your college application or sent under separate cover to Admissions.

Naviance all...

While watching the Academy Awards, trying to second-guess who would win the Oscar and who would get snubbed, slighted, or sacked, it dawned on me -- the awarding of the Oscars is very much like college admissions: Arbitrary, capricious, and pretty much anybody’s guess, educated or otherwise.

Was Birdman really more worthy than The Budapest Hotel? Eddie Redmayne truly a better actor than, say, Benedict Cumberbatch? Why was Feast the “best” animated short film, and not The Bigger Picture? ...

You’ve seen them. In the newspapers and magazines. On Internet search engines and online tutorials. Even on your Twitter feed.

“10 Things You Must Do Before Applying To College”

“7 Myths About FAFSA”

“8 Reasons Why Your SAT Score Matters”

“The 5 Best College Dining Halls”

Yes, along with those inane college rankings (the ones that prompt colleges to extend their application deadlines, so they can have more applications to deny, thus decreasing the acceptance rate, and moving them...

As you head down that long and winding road toward college (try to stay behind the salt spreader :-), take advantage of College Connection’s College Cafe.

Information is updated regularly, so check back frequently at College Cafe!

To Do List:

Nag. Nag. Nag. Yup, it’s what we do! LOL

Here are a few things high school juniors should be working on as we move toward the Spring --

1. Naviance -- Begin building/updating your Resume (Under About Me);

2. Take the SAT and the ACT. Repeat the test on whi...

1. Common Application member institutions still open to new applicants may be found by going to the Common App website, scrolling down Member Colleges & Universities, and clicking College Search....

The one word I hear most in my college planning and counseling adventures is "overwhelmed." Followed, in many instances, by "frustrated," "frightened," and "flabbergasted." [The latter probably being a good SAT word! :-)]

How something so seemingly simply (it actually was just that, back in the days when applications were written by hand and submitted via the United States Postal Service) could be turned into something so complex, complicated, costly, and, in almost every respect, inane.

The in...

L.N. of Manhasset, NY writes:

My son will be a junior in high school this year, and we are considering enrolling him in an online college planning course. The price seems right ($299), and a set of CDs is also available for an additional sum. Any thoughts?

The College Whisperer™responds:

Good for you for wanting to start college planning early. Too many high school students, waiting until the start of their senior year, wish they had gotten a head start in their junior year!

With respect to the...

If there is a single question The College Whisperer™ is asked most about the college application process, it is, "Where do I begin?"

Plan. Prepare. Prevail!  

Before college applications, the Common App, CSS Profile, FAFSA, financial aid forms, and the whole college application and admissions process get to you, you need to get to us! 

Whether applying to college, paying for college, planning for college, or just thinking a...

THE COMMON APPLICATI...

1. Common Application member institutions still open to new applicants may be found by going to the Common App website, scrolling down Member Colleges & Universities, and clicking College Search. Indicate that yo...

While applying to college -- let alone actually going -- may seem far away, now is the time to start planning, preparing and gearing up, way before the madness of the senior year of high school. 

So, what can high school juniors (and, in many instances, sophomores), and their parents, start to do now to get ready for the college application and admissions process? 

Well, here is a short "To Do" list to get the ball rolling: 

-Check out the college planning calendar to get an idea...

For all those with "end of the world" anxieties, here are just a few things that the college-bound shouldn't worry about:

-You missed the Early Action deadline. "It's not the end of the world..." There are literally hundreds of colleges and universities with regular decision deadlines yet to come, not to mention (though we always do) the legion of schools with rolling admissions.

-Your Common App essay lacks formatting and pagination. "It's not the end of the world..." No worries here. If y...

You, and your unsuspecting parents, may be suffering from that dreaded and most feared malady known as CAS (College Application Syndrome), and not even know it. And yet, you need not suffer the debilitating side effects of ...

Our friends and colleagues at College Admission Book (you don't have to buy the book. You have The College Whisperer™ and College Connection! :-) have created a step-by-step guide to completing and submitting the Common Application. [Click HERE to view.]

Yes, it is lengthy. True, some of the advice must be taken with that proverbial grain of salt. Agreed, that the round "How To" does not always fit neatly into the square holes of Common App. And yes (sigh), most folks (especially teens apply...

·         -  GPA and test scores aren’t everything. Yes, they count. Do not, however, discount the importance of your extracurricular activit...

Well, not quite...

The new and improved version of The Common Application, $8 million dollars and more than a year in the making, launched at Midnight on August 1, giving entree to some 500 of your favorite college applications, and serving as starting gate to the great college admissions game.

And so, at 1:10 AM, your intrepid blogger excitedly clicked on CommonApp.org, in the hope of creating a login, perusing the application, and reporting back to the masses on the highlights, insights a...

In a world where there is an App for virtually (pun intended) everything, it's no stretch to find Apps slowly creeping into the already cramped and convoluted world of college applications and admissions.

Yes, there are Apps to match students to colleges. Apps for scholarships. Even Apps to help you on the SAT (Number 2 pencil App not included).

And now, from the folks who brought you Naviance, The Musical comes Naviance, The App. Hold on to your iPhones, iPads and iWhatHaveYous, ladies a...

As the frenzy to complete and submit college applications before deadline (be it Early Decision, Early Action or Regular Decision) heightens, that finger drawers perilously close to the dreaded "submit" button.

With the Common App serving as the very foundation of your foray into college admissiondom, you scrutinize every word, each digit, all the dotted "i"s and crossed "t"s. You pore over your personal statement, short answers and supplemental essays, making sure they give voice to the very ...

Live from the Common App. . .

The Common Application is now live at www.CommonApp.org. Are you ready?

Yes, the mainstay of the college application season, home to the apps (and sundry supplements) of "456 Common Application members in 46 states and the District of Columbia, as well as in France, Germany, Italy, Scotland, and Switzerland," will see you now. Let the insanity begin!

Registered? Committed your Login and Password to memory? (Don't be a wise guy. Write it down!) Personal stateme...