For families who have high school age STUDENTS, Spring Break often means more college visits. 

For those families who feel lost in planning a college tour for Spring Break, here are some essential tips for visiting colleges this time of year.

1. Make sure the college is in session.

Just as this is a popular time for high school spring breaks, the same goes for colleges. It's always better to VISIT A COLLEGE when students are going to class and bustling around campus.

2. Reservations may be needed.

Sign up for a campus tour and information session at the very least. Online registration can be found on the admissions office's website.

3. Be prepared for large crowds.

The admissions offices will be even busier for families like yours.

4. Don't just visit "reach" colleges!

Many of these College track demonstrated interest and absolutely "count" if you visit. 

6. Take notes on every college you visit.

They start to run together after a few days on the road. The notes will help students as they narrow down their college list and WRITE SUPPLEMENTAL ESSAYS in the future.

7. Don't worry about interviews this early in the process.

Even if a college offers on-campus interviews (and many don't), students need a little more time to figure out what they want and how to present themselves in AN INTERVIEW SETTING..

8. Try to do one extra thing on campus before you leave.

Visiting the bookstore is a popular destination. But eating a meal, sitting in the middle of campus when classes are switching, or meeting up with a student you know who attends the school will give you more insight into whether the college will remain on the list.

9. Go as a family!

If mom, dad, or even younger siblings can come along, do it. You won't regret this time together. 

10. Just take it all in.

No need to ask a million questions during the information session or tour or plan out every last class you would take. This is usually the first of MANY VISITS TO A COLLEGE, especially if the student ends up applying. 

The spring semester presents a wonderful opportunity to take an inventory of your academic experiences thus far, especially the positive ones. While underclassmen with fewer experiences may have a tough time determining interests or passions, there are simple questions to help identify them.

For example, start with a list of your classes and review them one by one. Were there any units or topics you particularly enjoyed? Were there any topics or concepts you found surprising, challenging, or unsettling? Were there questions left unanswered that you would like to explore? Were there any experiences you would like to repeat or build on? Answering these questions should help create overall themes or ideas to pursue this summer.

Don’t forget to explore your other passions, too! Have you invested in Bitcoin or want to mint an NFT? Consider pursuing an independent project about cryptocurrency. Do you love scrolling through Instagram or TikTok in your free time? Why not use social media for an independent project?

Now that you have a couple of ideas in mind, it is time to consult trusted resources for leads on specific programs, suggestions, or opportunities. If you have established a relationship with your school counselor, consider connecting with them soon to get their advice. As a counselor, my email inbox is full of summer opportunities for my students. Similarly, your school counselor will likely have several suggestions to help you narrow your search. Community leaders, school administrators, teachers, club sponsors, religious leaders, coaches, or mentors could also help you discover relevant summer opportunities, especially if your interests fall in their areas of expertise. Don’t be afraid to reach out!

Additionally, many college websites are excellent sources for summer suggestions. For example, universities such as MIT, Stanford, and Tulane offer general advice ranging from how to prepare for their specific applications to specific advice and links to summer programs for high school students.

Lastly, don’t forget to consider yourself to be a trusted source as well! If there are books, hobbies, inventions, etc., that you have stumbled upon naturally, it could be valuable to explore them further this summer.

Do Not Delay  

Now that you have identified the “what” (your theme or general idea) and the “how” (specific opportunities or programs), it is also important to pay attention to the “when” in order to successfully plan your summer. The steps noted above may take some time to achieve, so starting sooner will allow you to keep more opportunities open.

I wish summer opportunities had a definitive planning period, but unfortunately, it can span the entire spring semester. Some of the most selective research opportunities for high school students have already closed their applications, while other programs have yet to even list their summer courses! Local opportunities may become more readily available as the year progresses, with a flurry of activity in April and May. Regardless, having an idea of the experiences you would like your summer to include can help you prepare for when these opportunities open up.

It’s June, which means that school is over for the summer! If it’s not yet, it will be very soon. Your FINAL YEAR of high school is closer than ever before. This is a big deal; it's time to get serious about college planning! As a soon-to-be senior, the rest of the summer is going to be an exciting time. It will also affect how hectic your fall is going to be. The more you prepare now, the better off you’ll be later.

College Planning Checklist for High School Juniors

While you’re enjoying the sunshine, make sure to keep college planning in mind with this June checklist for soon-to-be high school seniors:

1. Get Involved in Summer Activities, Volunteer

By now you know that, in addition to academic grades and test scores, college admissions officers also look at your extracurricular activities. Summer break is a great time to get involved in clubs, the community and local sports, to help show colleges you are active both inside and outside of the classroom. Volunteering is a great way to spend your free time and give back to the community. Not only will you feel great doing so, but it also looks impressive on your college applications, too. You chose to use your time wisely. If you're looking for a place to start volunteering, get in touch with local organizations in your area. You could also ask your school counselor for ideas. Finally, if you're still coming up short on ways to make an impact in your local community, use CollegeVine's suggestions for charities to get involved with.

2. Summer Savings

If you’re planning on working this summer, set up a summer savings plan, which allows you to start saving for college now. Many food providers and retailers are desperate for employees right now, and they're paying the highest wages we've ever seen. The earlier you start saving, the less you’ll need to borrow to cover college expenses later. It’s always best to avoid borrowing if you’re able, so determine the portion of your summer income you can save for the future and stick to it!

You could also really get ahead on your college planning by choosing to work (and continue to work) for an employer that provides tuition assistance. This college benefit is available to many part-time employees, and you can easily transfer between the franchise near your home and your eventual college campus.

3. Explore Potential Career Paths

If you’re unsure of what you’d like to study in college (as most students are), summertime is perfect for exploration! It’s not too early to start thinking about what you want to be when you grow up and to be sure the major you pick pays well too. Contact business professionals in fields you’re interested in to talk to them about their careers and volunteer with organizations or at events which share common interests as your potential career paths. This summer is all about discovering who you are and where your passions and career path may potentially meet.

4. Keep Up Your College Search

Your college search will only continue to ramp up as senior year begins, so any legwork you do now will give you an added advantage. Look at the summer as an opportunity to schedule in-person college visits and research schools online. Check sites like You Visit and Campus Tours to see if the college you're interested in offers a virtual tour. Finally, if you and your family haven't made a plan to pay for college, the time is now. Have conversations about what type of school you can afford before you start reviewing your final college choices.

5. Build Your a Brag Sheet

A student resume, or brag sheet, will detail your life outside of school, since any school you’ll be applying to will already be aware of what your grades and test scores are from your transcript. You can include items like your extracurricular activities, community or volunteer service, work experience as well as any honors, awards or recognition you’ve received. Showcase your unique ability to adapt—consider using your social media on your resume to highlight all the good you’re doing. Remember to be smart about it though!

6. Apply for Scholarships

As a general rule, applying for scholarships should always be on your to-do list! Check out this list of 10+ College Scholarships You Can Apply for Today. Summer is a great time to apply for scholarships. For many students, applying to scholarships is not first and foremost on their minds, and they let their applications slip. That means that there is less competition than during the school year. We recommend updating your Fastweb profile now so that you are maximizing your matching eligibility. Check your Scholarship Matches multiple times each week; we add new awards to our database daily. Finally, make a commitment to apply to 1-2 scholarships per week. You can start with our summer scholarship sweepstakes: the $1K Scholarship Success Sweepstakes. Enter daily to increase your chances of winning!

A college counselor explains test-optional, test-blind and test-flexible policies and why you might have fewer reasons to stress as you prepare for college.

The college admissions experience involves different levels of stress. In my years as a higher education professional, I’ve observed that preparing for and taking the SAT or ACT is one of the biggest stressors for my students.

This isn’t surprising; even if it’s never actually been said, students often think the SAT or ACT will determine how successful they will be in life. When discussing a testing plan with clients each year, one of my first priorities is to ensure students are aware this isn’t a life-or-death situation. Their SAT or ACT score is not a reflection of their future success, or an indicator of their self-worth. It’s just one test, and it’s just one data point in an application evaluation.

Many colleges view test scores as important factors in admission. However, the most important aspects of any college application, for most colleges, are the classes you take and the grades you earn. You’re applying to be a student on campus, so one of the best ways for colleges to find out if you’re a good fit is to see what kind of student you’ve been over the last three-plus years. That doesn’t mean students shouldn’t still put thoughtful effort into preparing to do their best on an SAT or ACT, though.

Like it has with so many aspects of life, COVID-19 has turned the college admissions standardized testing landscape upside down. This has led to students and families hearing a lot of unfamiliar admissions jargon, so I’d like to break it down and explain the differences.

WHAT DOES TEST OPTIONAL MEAN?

Simply put, test-optional colleges let students decide whether or not they want to submit test scores with their application. Most test-optional schools will consider SAT and ACT scores if they are submitted but focus on other factors they believe are stronger predictors of a student’s potential.

The pandemic forced many colleges to adopt test-optional policies for at least the high school graduating Class of 2021. Some colleges announced multi-year test-optional pilots; others implemented temporary test-optional policies or were test-optional for only some groups of students or academic programs. Penn State University recently announced it will remain test optional through 2023. Hopefully, other colleges will follow suit sooner rather than later so that students have ample time to plan and study for tests.

The idea of being test optional became mainstream once COVID-19 began wreaking havoc on the world, but it’s actually been around for a while — since 1969, to be exact. Before the pandemic took hold, more than 1,000 colleges and universities were already evaluating students’ applications without the presence of test scores. 

So, how will you know whether a college you’re researching is test optional or not? You can search for the standardized testing policy on official websites, but all the accurate information is at your fingertips with CollegeData. Let’s use Wake Forest University’s college profile as an example. Upon navigating to the school’s dashboard, clicking on “Admissions” and scrolling down a smidge to the “Examinations” section, you’ll see that for the SAT and ACT, Wake Forest will “consider if submitted,” meaning they’re test optional. 

WHAT DOES TEST BLIND MEAN?

Test-blind admissions is exactly what it sounds like: whether or not a student decides to send their test scores, they won’t be considered as part of the application evaluation.

Test blind schools are not nearly as common as test optional ones, but COVID-19 has led to more colleges and universities to adopt test blind policies. Prior to the pandemic, only a handful of schools were test blind. Now, there are more than 50 that have decided to not consider test scores throughout the admissions process. This is happening because admissions offices are seeing how difficult it is for certain students to test. Instead of leaving it optional – and letting those who can’t test feel like they’re at a disadvantage (even though they wouldn’t be) -- they’ve taken testing completely off the table. 

Here is a list from FairTest detailing the colleges that are currently test blind, and if they’re not adopting that policy permanently, the details of how long it’ll be in place are included. 

WHAT DOES TEST FLEXIBLE MEAN?

If you’re not a good standardized test-taker but don’t want to simply not submit a test score, there are test flexible schools. Test flexible colleges or universities allow students to choose which type of test (or tests) they’d like to submit with their application. If students want to submit the SAT or ACT, they’re welcome to do so. Other options include an International Baccalaureate exam or an Advanced Placement test. SAT Subject Tests were previously an option before the CollegeBoard discontinued them on January 19, 2021.

New York University adopted a test flexible policy long before COVID-19, and its policy is reflected on their CollegeData college profile page. Each college or university will likely have its own range of tests it is willing to consider, so after getting initial information from CollegeData, it’d be helpful to read the complete policy on a school’s official website. As you can see with NYU, there’s a lot more detail and nuance that goes into their policy, which they explain here. 

WHAT TO DO FROM HERE

The high school graduating Class of 2022 are still dealing with uncertainty regarding standardized testing for college admissions. While this uncertainty adds another layer of stress on top to the admissions experience, it’s important to control what is controllable. 

As you uncover schools you love, there are three main things to find out when it comes to testing:

• The school’s testing policy and required tests (if any).
• The average scores for admitted students (which you can see in the “Admissions” tab of the college profile by scrolling down to the bottom).
• How multiple scores are used, and if the schools superscore the SAT, ACT, or both.

Once you find out this information, put together a testing plan and prepare to sit for the test, if you can. Once the time comes to actually take the test, do the best you can, and don’t get too hung up on what your highest score is. This is not to say that SAT and ACT scores aren’t important or will have no impact on your application. Top-tier or highly competitive schools still place weight on test scores. However, an individual test score is simply not a complete determination of your worth or how successful you’ll be. After you’ve completed your test (s), move on to the other important parts of your application. If the hard shift to test optional, test blind, and text flexible policies have shown us anything, it’s that colleges are evaluating the effectiveness of the ACT and SAT, and for now, it’s not worth stressing too much over. By Matt Musico

The latest news about changes in standardized-testing policies tends to pique people’s interest. But the latest news about changes in standardized-testing policies at Harvard University? That sends folks into breathless fits of joy or despair, depending on their view of the universe and the rightful place of the ACT and SAT within it. Because, you know, Harvard.

On Thursday The Washington Post first reported that the nation’s oldest university, which temporarily suspended its ACT and SAT requirement due to Covid-19, would extend its test-optional policy for four years, through 2026. Why? Harvard cited just one reason: concerns about how the pandemic might continue to limit high-school students’ access to testing centers. The bottom line is significant: The granddaddy of the Ivy League, which played a huge role in popularizing the SAT, just told the world it would forgo its testing requirements until today’s eighth graders finish high school.

The news caused a social-media tizzy. Some observers rejoiced on Twitter: “A tremendous step”; “This should be permanent. SAT/ACT were used to exclude Black and Brown students from colleges.” Others, such as Andrew Sullivan, the political commentator, saw a falling sky: “Abolishing objective standards to enable more aggressive race discrimination. … American higher education is committing suicide.”

The strong reactions reflected the fact that, whether you like it or not, Harvard casts an extra-long shadow. What the university does has long influenced other institutions, as well as the public’s thinking about admissions. And what Harvard seems to be doing now is slow-marching the ACT and SAT into decline and diminished relevance. It’s hard to imagine the university would end up rolling back its test-optional policy after so many years on the books.

Jon Boeckenstedt, vice provost for enrollment at Oregon State University, which adopted a permanent test-optional policy in 2020, said on Thursday that Harvard’s announcement “does fire a shot across the bow of everyone down the food chain — which is everyone.”

Though most colleges have at least temporarily stopped requiring the ACT and SAT, many big-name institutions haven’t yet announced that such policies will be permanent. Harvard’s announcement probably just made it more likely that they will do so. The university, Boeckenstedt said, had made “a bold ‘We’re going to end this now’ move. I give them credit for using their power. They can do what they want, and they did the right thing.”

Angel B. Pérez, chief executive of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, had a similar reaction. “The reality of the matter is that Harvard doesn’t actually have to make any changes to its admissions process to admit a strong class,” he said. “Staying test-optional sends a really strong statement, a strong message about the lack of value that they see in the tests.”

Pérez, a former vice president for enrollment and student success at Trinity College, in Connecticut, expects that the announcement will accelerate discussions of testing policies at many other institutions, not just superselective ones: “When Harvard speaks, your alumni ask ‘What are we going to do?’ There’s a pressure to respond. If this ends up trickling down and influencing more and more institutions to make this change permanent, I think that’s a win.”

Perhaps it’s tempting to view the recent rise in test-optional policies as a high-minded revolution in which college officials searched their souls and decided that, by gosh, requiring tests that disproportionately disadvantage low-income and underrepresented-minority students really was a harmful and inequitable thing to do. Sure, on some campuses over the last few decades, that’s kind of what happened.

But the truth is, colleges are businesses. The pandemic disrupted the admissions business model that relied heavily on testing. And after the admissions process didn’t grind to a halt, and application totals soared far and wide, many colleges made the business decision — for competitive reasons, if nothing else — that tests are no longer necessary. That leaves more applicants to decide whether submitting a score might help or hurt them, a business decision in its own right — and often a difficult one.

So, yes, Harvard’s announcement is significant. But it’s important to keep this news in perspective. For one thing, changing a testing policy doesn’t guarantee that a given institution’s admissions process will deliver more-equitable outcomes. Harvard didn’t announce on Thursday that it would, for instance, stop considering applicants’ legacy status in admissions. In the classes of 2014 to 2019, children of the university’s alumni were accepted at a rate of 33.6 percent, compared with 5.9 percent for nonlegacies, according to a prominent economist’s analysis of Harvard data that came to light during an anti-affirmative-action lawsuit filed by Students for Fair Admissions. Generally, legacy applicants tend to be white and come from affluent families.

One can get carried away with Ivy fever. So let’s keep in mind that the biggest testing news this week arguably came from the Golden State. On Wednesday, Joseph I. Castro, California State University’s chancellor, announced that the system’s Admissions Advisory Council had recommended eliminating its ACT/SAT requirement. The Board of Trustees will vote on the recommendation in March, but the nation’s largest university system — which enrolls nearly half a million students — appears poised to join the ranks of colleges allowing applicants to decide whether to submit test scores.

ADVERTISEMENT

Recently, the University of California decided to go test-free, removing the ACT and SAT from the admissions process altogether. In other words, the history of standardized testing is being rewritten, and the lead authors are large, diverse institutions out West.

Finally, let’s not forget that while testing requirements have fallen at hundreds of colleges since 2020, many applicants will, for one reason or another, continue to take the ACT, the SAT, or both — and submit their scores. Those tests might die out one day, but they’re certainly not dead yet.

Beverly Low, director of guidance and college counseling at Manchester Essex Regional Middle High School, in Massachusetts, told The Chronicle last summer that many of her school’s high-achieving students would continue taking the ACT and SAT, “no matter what,” because they wanted a top score: “They live for the challenge.”

On Friday, though, Low said that Harvard’s move could help ease the skepticism of students and parents who don’t believe that test-optional really means test-optional. The toughest audience to convince that a college won’t penalize an applicant without scores?

College-educated parents, for whom testing was a rite of passage, Low said: “I’ve been trying to convince them that a student’s teachers, who instruct, challenge, mentor, and evaluate their children over time have a much better sense of a student’s academic ability and potential for success in college than a score obtained from a four-hour multiple-choice test. But, heck. If it’s happening at Harvard, then it must be real. Right?” By Eric Hoover

There’s a pattern to the way the media, as a whole, covers college admissions. A typical year of coverage for most—that’s most—media outlets goes something like this:

Mid-September—The US News rankings come out, and everyone clamors over the top-ranked college. It’s typically the same top-ranked college from last year; if isn’t, one of the top five from last year climbed the pile, which is seen as a real shocker. Like we’d never heard of that college until now, and this suddenly makes it a better school.

Late September/Early October—Coverage turns to the upheaval of applying to college, with every article featuring seniors discussing the anxiety of applying to Brown, Yale, Smith, or one of the only 25 colleges mainstream media acknowledges as existing.

Late March—Admissions decisions are out, and in a paean to the principles of mathematics, every media article cites increased application numbers at The Big 25, and—wait for it—decreased admission rates at all of them as well. Not a single one of these articles points out that the former is the cause of the latter—but that involves math, so there we are.

What’s wrong with this picture?

College Lists The media spotlight on the Top 25 launches many parents into action, for all the wrong reasons. If these are the best colleges, why isn’t my child applying to them? This upends a wealth of work done by the student and (one hopes) their school counselor; it also upends the self-esteem of more than one student who knows these schools are bad fits. But arguing with Mom and Dad’s “let’s see what happens” is a tough hill to climb, so off they go to apply, much like Faramir’s efforts to recapture Osgiliath in Return of the King.

Unnecessary Panic More than a few seniors are indeed intimidated by the college application process in mid-September. That’s normal, since they’re just getting started. If I handed a student a plumber’s wrench on September 15 and said “show me how it works”, that too would be stressful. Now, if I came back in a week and asked, “How’s it going?”, they would have mastered the thing with ease, because they had time to understand what they were doing. Huh.

Those “Other” Schools The media myopia pays a big price on the other 2000 colleges that serve all kinds of students in personalized and appropriate ways, but now appear to be second rate. This keeps students from looking at some schools just right for them, because—well, you know…

To be fair, not all media outlets treat college admissions like a celebrity sighting, although Varsity Blues hasn’t helped. Eric Hoover writes moving human stories about the real challenges some students face in this process, stories so good they have led to admissions policy changes. Inside HigherEd isn’t a household name, but their coverage of the entire range of colleges is nothing short of inspiring.

Still, the best-selling papers run up the same limited coverage of college admissions every year, and their effect is palpably bad on the college plans and psyches of far too many students. A modest step in the right direction would be running an October story that returns to the freaked out students of September, revealing they’ve largely got the hang of things right now. Even better, interviews with students applying to a great school like Northern Michigan, where the application takes a whopping 25 minutes to complete and the admit rate is 65%—a reminder that the current media lens on college admissions is clear, but too tightly focused.