Applying to College
College Fair Alert! Colleges That Change Lives
By CIT Consultant Susan Whalen College Fairs & Information Sessions Colleges That Change Lives is several things at once: A bestselling college admissions book by Lauren Pope, now in its fourth edition; a related nonprofit 501C organization that provides research-driven data on student satisfaction and the college experience; and, at its heart, a consortium of…
Read MoreCongratulations to Jia Rydholm, American University Class of 2027!
CIT congratulates Jia Rydholm on her acceptance into American University’s Class of 2027! American is the home of the Women & Politics Institute, two topics about which Jia cares deeply. She has been accepted into the selective Politics, Policy, and Law Scholars Program, a rigorous, multidisciplinary three-year program. Within the PPL program, she will major…
Read MoreThe College Search x 4: Meet the Fallenstein Family!
College Inside Track values developing relationships with the families we work with. This is especially true for consultants who work closely with students and parents. So when CIT founder and consultant, Jay Benanav, received this Christmas card from a family, we couldn’t help but share their story. Julie Fallenstein knows a little about the stress…
Read MoreFAFSA changes
The COVID relief bill passed at the end of 2020 also included some significant changes to the FAFSA. The changes go into effect for the 2024-25 school year. The FAFSA for that school year opens on October 1, 2023 and will use tax information from 2022. And because the FAFSA is completed each year…
Read MoreCongratulations to Ivy Mills, Northwestern University Class of 2027!
Congratulations to Ivy Mills, Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism’s class of 2027! Ivy is a soccer-playing future journalist whose smile and personality light up a room and zoom call. Ivy’s terrific personality and thoughtful way of looking at things made working with her a terrific experience. She’s also very dedicated, as one of her…
Read MoreWhat’s in a Name? Names and College Documents
This article is written by Heather McCowen, Ph.D., CIT Consultant. There are many reasons why students may not have all their naming ducks in a row. While working in both public schools and in independent consulting, I’ve encountered countless situations in which the sort of name issues have arisen that can cause the college admissions…
Read MoreCongratulations to Sophia Richter, High Point University Class of 2027!
Congratulations to Sophia Richter of Liberty High School in Kansas City, MO! Sophia will be attending High Point University in North Carolina after applying Early Decision. She will be pursuing a biology degree and plans to pursue medical school. She was awarded the Presidential Scholarship and will travel to High Point, NC in late January…
Read MoreDual Enrollment, PSEO, College in the Schools? CIT Consultant Kim Koffi on What You Need to Know Now
Kim, we are getting so many queries from families right now about dual enrollment programs. What is dual enrollment? What is PSEO? The Post Secondary Enrollment Option (PSEO) is a dual degree program in Minnesota that allows high school juniors and seniors to take college courses outside of their high school in-person or online. They…
Read MoreHighly Selective College Deferring and Suggesting EDII? Here’s What to Know
Deferred at your highly selective school, with an option to choose Early Decision II? Here’s what you need to know. Numbers of applications submitted to Highly/Most Selective Colleges continues its strong upward trend during the currect application cycle. Admissions officers have speculated a number of reasons for this much higher rate of applications. Online learning…
Read MoreDeferred: What to Know and What to Do Next
1.5 MIN VIDEO: “Why Was I Deferred, and What Do I Do About It?” Deferred: What to Know and What to Do Next This is the season for colleges to release Early Action/Early Decision/Restrictive or Single-Choice Early Action decisions. We know that this is both an exciting and nerve-wracking time. Year over year, the…
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