COLLEGE ADMISSIONS ASSISTANCE
17 Modules
Bonus Material!
Get Ready!
Admissions Timeline
Create Resume
Build College List
Maximize Summer Plans
Standardized Tests
College Fairs & College Tours
Get Busy!
Explore a Major
Common App Essay Supplemental Essays Application Strategy
Request Transcripts Financial Aid
Submit Apps
Finish Strong!
Letter of Continued Interest
Seek Scholarships
Summer Opportunities
College Decision
TM
$595
Build College-Ready Skills
with a college professor
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Navigating Independence
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Self Advocacy
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Utilizing College Resources
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Getting to Know your Profs
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Processing Success/Failure
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Maximizing Your College Experience
Quick Take Videos
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Validity of School rankings
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What Leadership Looks Like
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Special Populations (BS/MD, Military Academies, First Generation)
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And many more!
“What I Wish I Knew”
Peer Perspectives
with current college students
GET READY!
This first section shepherds students through all the prep they need to accomplish before actually beginning their college applications.
Detailed & customize-able timelines & checklists & email templates ensure that our guidance can be easily applied to your student's exact needs.
GET BUSY!
This section walks students through the most important elements of their college application from setting up their Common App account through application submission.
Prompts unpacked, strategies discussed, strengths assessment, explanation of various majors, & application strategy advising ensures that your student is equipped with all they need to submit a stand-out application.
FINISH STRONG!
This section guides students through the final stages of their senior year, from how & where to find scholarships to making their college decision.
Email templates, scholarship sites & recommendations, & in-depth discussions on how to choose the right school ensure that students are confident they'll finishing this chapter strong.
BONUS GOODIES!
This section is chock-full of resources to ensure that students are prepared not only to step into their freshman year of college, but also to thrive while they're there.
College professor talks and office hours, advice from current college students, and countless resources to help students locate their allies on campus ensure that students are fully equipped to enter and excel in college.
MODULE OVERVIEW
Admissions Timeline:
Worried about missing a deadline? With AppsGenius, you don't have to be!
Your admissions timeline contains the sequence of events and deadlines, which keeps you on track for each milestone, including building your resume, researching schools, preparing for and taking standardized tests, etc. It carries you all the way through application submission, so you don't have to worry about missing a step.
Create your Resume:
Our AppsGenius module has you covered!
We break down each of the sections required, explain the importance of format and structure, and discuss how to highlight experiences that demonstrate your passion and commitment. Your resume is your first impression for college admissions committees.
Our template and other resources in this module ensure that you’re showcasing your interests and achievements in a clear and compelling manner. You can even book time with an expert who will provide feedback on your resume!
Build your College List:
This streamlines your entire application process, as it helps clarify your priorities. As you research, you must consider myriad factors including, but not limited to: academic fit, location, campus culture, opportunities within your desired program, and networking potential.
AppsGenius resources—including a fillable PDF—ensure that you’ve considered all of the key elements to building a balanced and intentional college list, so you’re making well-informed decisions on where to apply.
Our number one tip: you should be excited to attend every school on your college list!
You can even book time with an expert who will provide feedback on your list!
Maximize your Summer:
Unsure of where to look for opportunities? Look no further!
Maximizing your summer is crucial, not only because volunteering, internships, part-time jobs, etc. will set a foundation for success and offer life experience, but also because they'll allow you to explore different academic fields, career paths, or extracurricular interests. This can help clarify your interedsts and make informed decisions about your college major/career.
Our AppsGenius module includes strategies for where to look & how to take initiative for such opportunities, links for free online courses, as well as guidance on what specific opportunities you could look into based on your particular interests!
Our number one tip: choose something that aligns with your passion or curiosity!
Standardized Tests:
How much do they matter? Which test should you take? We can help!
This module explains the ins & outs of the SAT and ACT, discusses when to submit your score vs when you should not, & explains how your score factors into college decisions. Hint: it's a piece of the puzzle, not the end-all-be-all it once was.
Among the resources in this module are a suggested preparation timeline, recommendations on which type of test prep would work best for you, & a sheet that compares & contrasts the two tests (did you know they measure different skills?) so you can decide which is a better fit for you.
College Fairs & College Tours:
Two of the best ways to get informed on where you will thrive: college fairs & tours.
What you get out of a college fair is in direct proportion to what you put into it. Wandering around, swiping a brochure from each table isn’t going to benefit you the way engaging with the representatives & doing a bit of research beforehand will.
Every college tour is a data point. Setting foot on campus makes all the difference in helping you figure out if you can see yourself there. And if you can’t, that’s helpful, too—cross that school off your list!
Our module gets into the nitty gritty of how to make college fairs & tours work for you, the best kinds of questions to ask at college fairs, what to pay attention to while on college tours, as well as how to take notes (which will help you on your essays later!).
Explore a Major:
Unsure about what to study? Unclear on your strengths? AppsGenius to the rescue!
Selecting a college major can feel daunting and permanent, but it doesn't have to.
Our AppsGenius module contains individual codes for a strengths assessment and access to your results, instructions on how to engage with the results, and advises on how to choose a major that aligns with your natural abilities.
Common App Essay:
Terrified about writing a creative story about yourself? This is our favorite part!
This is one of the most important pieces of your college application. It is the only place you can show your personality and voice—in other words, it is how to show admissions committees who you are.
Our module breaks down each of the 7 prompts, contains numerous resources to help you brainstorm, advising on which topics to avoid and why, guidance on what to highlight and how, and suggestions on how to format and structure your story.
You can even book time with an expert to edit your essay!
Supplemental Essays:
Hang on, there are MORE essays? Yep!
These are shorter essays that individual schools may require from you. They typically ask about one or more of the following topics: why you want to attend that school, what you want to major in and why, a leadership experience, what role you play in your community, and/or an extracurricular activity.
Our module contains dos and don'ts, explanations of how these are different from the Common App essay, as well as suggestions on how to approach these to best set yourself apart from your competition.
You can even book time with an expert to edit your supplemental essays!
Application Strategy:
This is a vital component of college applications that will help you determine if you'd like to apply Early Decision, Early Action, Regular Admission, or Rolling Admissions.
In this AppsGenius module, we delineate the details of each college application type, provide in-depth information on the expectations and restrictions of each, as well as offer guidance on which strategy will makes the most sense for you, based on your college list.
Request your High School Transcripts:
Each college you apply to will require a transcript. The person you will speak with about this is your guidance counselor, as they have access to your academic record.
Our AppsGenius module provides email templates for how to communicate with your counselor, as well as a timeline for when the best time is to make the request.
Financial Aid
There are couple types of financial aid that you can apply for, and each has its own platform/method.
FAFSA: needs-based government aid
CSS Profile: merit and needs-based aid offered by some private institutions
AppsGenius resources include links for the FAFSA and CSS Profile, deadlines for the FAFSA and CSS Profile, comparison and contrast between the two, and guidance on why it's important to apply for FAFSA, even if you think you may not qualify.
Submit your Applications:
Here it is! The moment of finality.
Once you've double checked that your applications are correctly and clearly filled out, hit that button!
Letter of Continued Interest:
What is this for? Is it worth the effort? AppsGenius has all the info you need!
This particular item is relevant to those who were deferred from their Early Decision school.
We discuss instances in which this letter would help your case versus when it would not be worth your time and energy. We detail the required components for a compelling letter and provide a template for your letter, which ensures thoroughness and clarity.
Seeking Scholarships:
Overwhelmed by the cost of college and already filled out the FAFSA? You aren't alone.
The good news is that more and more colleges in the Common App have a box you can check as part of your application to indicate that you'd like to be considered for scholarships. Other schools will ask you to write an additional essay.
AppsGenius resources for this module include curated links for seeking various scholarships, recommendations for which scholarships are most worth your time, as well as a discussion on whether it might be a better, more lucrative idea for you to get a part-time job and save up that money instead of depending on scholarships.
Summer Opportunities:
In your final summer before college, you'll of course want to soak up time with family and friends in between packing up for your dorm room. That's completely fair.
AND! This is a great time to consider building upon your foundation of critical thinking and time management skills by acquiring a part-time job (everyone needs money in college!) or taking advantage of an opportunity that will build your practical abilities in your preferred area of study.
College Decision:
Early Decision candidates receive their college decision around mid-Dec.
Early Action candidates receive their college decisions in early to mid-January
Rolling admissions candidates will hear back at all kinds of different dates, as these schools make decisions as the applications come in (rather than waiting on a certain date to begin reviewing apps)
Regular admissions candidates typically hear back between mid-March and early April.
Most schools want you to give them an answer no later than May 1. In this module, we offer advice on how to make the best decision for your particular circumstance.
Build College-Ready Skills:
Our resident college professor provides must-have information for any incoming college freshman.
Professor Bailey provides detailed webinars on vital college skills, from navigating independence to how to advocate for yourself with professors to budgeting to processing success and failure (and more!). Also included in these modules are resources like a college campus scavenger hunt to office hours so that you can bring any questions or worries you may have before day 1 of college.
Quick Take Videos:
These are exactly what they sound like: short and informative videos on topics that students often wonder about, and can be answered in less than 10 minutes.
The topics covered here are wide in scope and deep in substance, taking into account special populations and also digging into the answers to frequently asked questions.
"What I Wish I Knew" Videos:
These are exactly what they sound like, too!
We asked former students of ours to provide a 2-5 minute video of advice they wish they'd listened to when they were applying for their undergraduate degrees.
While we have spoken on these topics in great detail, we know that sometimes it's just better to hear it directly from the source :)
The topics covered here range from college list building to essay writing to advocating for yourself on campus to so much more!