CIT Consultant Tips: Building the College List, Part One

Anne: Your teachers’ words are likely familiar–check your sources! Don’t believe everything you read online. Make sure you are assembling research from a number of sources–school representatives, college guide-books and real students who can give a first-hand account. Susan: At the outset, embrace the idea of exploring colleges with which you are completely unfamiliar.  A…

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6 Questions You Need to Ask on Your Next College Tour

Chirping birds, beautiful old buildings covered in ivy, large century trees and an eager student chatting and walking backward. This is what many of us experience during our kid’s college tours. I’ve been on many, many tours during the searches for my kids and in addition to the painted picture here, I noticed one other…

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“Enough” in the AP Curriculum Landscape

Written by CIT Consultant Susan Whalen As high school students begin the new school year, College Board officials have sounded new alarms about students who are “over-enrolled” in AP classes, as well as speaking directly to equity issues posed by high schools that “underserve” their students with feeble curriculum offerings for the potentially college-bound. At …

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3 things to consider before making your college decision

  May 1 is National College Decision Day, the deadline for students to make deposits to attend the college of their choice. But before you send in that check, here are three important things to consider:   1. Affordability is part of fit   Many students choose their college based on academic and social fit…

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The Limited Utility of US News & World Report for College List Building

  By Jay Benanav Let’s Talk College Rankings: The Limited Utility of US News & World Report    Every year, U.S. News & World Report releases its highly anticipated college ranking list, which is considered by many as the gold standard for evaluating higher education institutions. While these rankings offer some valuable insights, they have…

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How to build a perfect college list

perfect college list puzzle

  By Paige Feldman, College Inside Track   Creating a college list can feel overwhelming. With over 2,500 four-year institutions in the U.S., the competition is fierce —top colleges are attracting more applicants each year, driving acceptance rates even lower. So, how do you craft a college list that’s perfectly balanced: not too vast, not…

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8 things to consider for prospective college athletes

college athletes

  Having a student as a prospective college athlete is an exciting opportunity that also expands what you need to consider when finding the right college fit. College Inside Track’s Cozy Wittman, whose daughter played college athletics, shares important things to consider:   Always keep eyes on the major and the educational piece It can…

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College application trends

college admission trends

  At College Inside Track, we regularly track emerging college application trends, and there are a few that we believe all students and their families should consider when compiling their final college list.   Test Optional Fact: Test Optional policies continue to be in flux.   Some schools are truly test optional; some are test…

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