Lee Academia's Consultants present their simple 5 Step process.

Contributed by Joyce Mei, Hunter College HS (Class of 2015)

A crucial part of the college admissions process is the application essay. And we all want college admissions officers to read our application and totally understand who we are from these couple paragraphs that are supposed to capture our essence. One must consider, then, how will a college admissions officer dub you?

We must keep in mind that these admissions officers have over 1000 applications to look over and that they will only spend an average of eight minutes per application. Therefore, they will label each applicant with a couple of words that stand out. It is the applicant’s job to make sure that dub is a good one. Here are a few examples:

• If someone wrote about his passion for collecting knick knacks people didn’t want, he might be dubbed “the kid who collects junk.”
  
  
• If someone wrote about how he took up wrestling because he was short and picked on and wanted to prove himself, he’d be the kid who needed to prove himself wrestling.”
  
  

Notice how these dubs are all things that the admissions officer would probably find amusing or surprising. They don’t care if you had a meaningful breakthrough or became champion at some sports event. You need to be that kid who makes the officer ask, “Can you believe it?”


For more information and advice on writing college admissions essays, contact Lee Academia experts.

Why engage the services of a private college consultant?

Independent college consultants are

• Available. Consultants aren’t tied to a school, a school district, or a school calendar. They work with students in the immediate neighborhood or across the world thanks to readily available technology. Not surprisingly, consultants do much of their most important work over the summer months getting seniors ready for the admissions process, and many work long weekend and evening hours. Lee Academia's experts worked 24-7 for the past 10 years, and have never complained about their hours, as their dedication to work with students always comes first.
  

• Responsive. It’s part of the business model. Consultants have to respond promptly to emails, phone calls and other forms of inquiry or they’re quickly out of business. Deadlines are everything in the world of college admissions and no one is more aware of time constraints and the need for immediacy than independent educational consultants.

• Knowledgeable. Consultants spend significant time visiting college campuses and attending professional workshops or conferences. It’s no secret that colleges have different personalities and management practices. But it’s virtually impossible to get a feel for these personalities or keep up with changes in programs and facilities without visiting on a regular basis. Lee Academia's experts visit over 80 schools each year to update their knowledge about campuses firsthand, despite the availability o
  

• Credentialed. Reputable independent educational consultants maintain memberships in organizations such as the National Association of College Admissions Counselors (NACAC) or local NACAC affiliates—each of which sets individual membership requirements demanding years of specialized experience, education and training, and a firm commitment to continuing education.

• Ethical. As members of the above-mentioned organizations, consultants subscribe to specific Principles of Good Practice governing the actions of consultants in their relationships with students and families, schools and colleges, and with colleagues.

• Parent-recommended. Anyone in the consulting business will tell you no amount of marketing will ever bring in as many clients as simple word-of-mouth. Informal surveys of educational consultants suggest that as many as 90 percent of families seeking college consulting services are referred by other families. The best consultants are well-known in the community and are respected for the service they provide. It’s as simple as that. So ask to speak with our satisfied clients and former students or check out the Testimonials.
  

Rising High school Seniors...You're running out of time. Avoid the time crunch in the fall.

Here's what you should start to do:

1. Check deadlines: Get a calendar and start keeping track of deadlines for applications and financial aid. You'll to decide whether to apply early decision, early action or regular decision, if given those choices. When you apply early, the school might require that you submit your financial aid application far in advance, so check deadlines.

2. Get started on the essay: Writing the college essay is nerve-wracking. If you start now, you're more likely to be able to devote the time to do a great job.

If you are applying to a school that uses the Common Application, you can obtain a list of the new essay questions that was released in February.

While you can often use the same essay for multiple schools, be prepared to answer a college's supplemental questions.

3. Don't forget the supplemental materials: If you are an artist, musician, or actor, applying to colleges can be even more time consuming. You typically will have to send a résumé noting your artistic background and accomplishments, as well as a portfolio that can be captured on a CD or DVD. Start and finish your portfolio now.

4. Research: If you haven't begun researching schools, get started now. Start requesting admission materials from school websites. In addition, spend time on the college's admission website. You can find academic profiles of the freshmen class, notable facts about the school, information on financial aid and scholarships. There are many schools that will offer virtual tours and opportunities for online chats, so why not check it out?

Also, start looking online at a school's relevant academic departments.

5. Get Help: Whether you know it or not, most collegebound students are getting help from private educational consultants. Why? Getting into college has become more and more fierce, with thousands of students applying each year. Ask an Educational Consultant for help. Lee Academia's expert consultants are affordable and are certified in College counseling with over 10 years of experience and a successful track record of getting their students into their top choice matching colleges. So get guidance and help early.

Contributed by Douglas Lee, Case Western Reserve (Class of 2016)

• Get a job

This piece of advice may sound tired and you’ve probably heard it too many times, but there is really no better way of learning financial independence than through this experience. It helps keep you accountable for your spending and also helps you develop professional skills.


Finding a job is easier than you may think. Across the campus, there are many departments, labs, and other outlets looking for students for work. Try to find a job that suits you and one you can work up to 10-12 hours a week. It is awfully grueling to work 20+ hours a week while also handling a full course load.

Also, remember to be a good employee. Work hard in your position, and especially in internships/research jobs. These first experiences may lead to full time jobs after graduation. Later on, it’s often who you know, not what you know.

• Open a banking account

Now, with all your hard earned money from your campus job, what are you going to do with it? You should open a banking account with a debit card to store all that money so you don’t have those Benjamins just lying around! Having a debit card may help curb your temptations and impulses because you can only spend what’s in your account.

Try opening a bank that is local to your college town. You may have already opened a bank account back home, but if there aren’t many branches or ATMs around your campus, that account won’t do you much good. 

• Learn to work with a budget

Great, with a well-paying campus job and a bank account to store those $9.50/hour wages, the next step is to set up a monthly budget for yourself. Set up a monthly and weekly budget and keep track of your spending. It is very easy to lose track of your spending, with weekend outings with friends, local concerts, and great restaurants tempting you to empty your wallet.

You don’t necessarily have to spend money to have fun in college. Be on the lookout for campus activities / economical outings that your school provides.

• Make sure your financial aid is in check

Remember to keep track of deadlines and paperwork to hand in. Your financial aid may decrease substantially if you miss those important due dates. You don’t want to lose your chance at those tens of thousands of dollars that you have already been awarded just because you forgot about a deadline. Also, you may not get to register for classes in time, which only leads to disaster.

You never want to be in a rush for these financial aid matters because mistakes can be made in these situations, so make sure to be prepared.

• Apply for scholarships

This last tip may seem the most intimidating for students who have never applied for scholarships before. There are thousands of scholarships out there and they can range from a couple hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars. Don’t disregard the scholarships with smaller awards, as those will be easier to attain since they have a smaller applicant pool.

Hey, getting $500 for writing an essay about a random topic, or spending a little time to fill out an application and including a resume to earn a thousand big ones sounds

*For any Financial Aid Assistance, contact [email protected].

Here are some things incoming college freshmen should know about college.

You Have Control Over Your Courses
You do not have to confine yourself to the standard program. As you select your courses, be sure that each one is on the right level for you. Once you have picked your program, you should attend each of the classes and decide whether the professor is someone from whom you can really learn.  By using the drop/add process, you may be able to get a much better teacher. Every class counts, so devote yourself to them.

You Are Expected to Do a Lot of the Work on Your Own
You need to be your own boss. Figure out when things need to be done and do them, week by week. No one will contact you when you have missed the test or have not handed in the paper.

You will also need to get yourself to study — even when there is no graded work that week.

You Don’t Have to Pick a Major in Your First Year
Many colleges now encourage students to declare a major at orientation. This actually forces students to get started on some directed course of study, and it helps colleges manage course offerings. In some cases it may be a good idea to declare your major right away, especially if yours is a four-year program like pre-med, or music, however, it is better to wait until you’ve taken a few courses — especially upper-division or advanced courses in a given field — before you commit to a major.

And keep in mind that even if you do declare a major at the outset, it is very easy to change your major if you find you don’t like the courses or you aren’t doing well in them. It is much better to get out of something you don’t like than to go through 10 or 12 required courses.

So for all the art students, art school admissions is a competitive business, one that requires not just an academic application but an art portfolio as well.

It's important to get an outside assessment of a student's work, so be sure to check out National Portfolio Day, a free public event that invites would-be art school applicants to meet with college representatives and have their portfolios evaluated. This event is specifically for visual artists and designers.

To get your art portfolio together, contact us at Lee Academia and our art school specialist will prepare you for National Portfolio Day.