All Posts by Afshan

Many of you will be applying to colleges this fall. Not all of the colleges you apply to require interviews. But for those that offer, I recommend scheduling one. No matter how compelling of a candidate you are on paper, having a face-to-face interview – whether it is with an alumni or an admissions officer – does play into your candidacy. Being able to put a face with your name… Read More

Are you a middle or high school student? Do you ever think about what you want to do when you finish school? Some career exploration will help you figure out what you might enjoy doing and what best suits your personality. For starters, it is important to think about your likes and dislikes and interests. This will help you narrow down your options. For instance, if you do not like… Read More

Summer is a great time to start preparing for the college process. Once September rolls around, you will find yourself with a list of too many things to do. Save yourself the headache by getting some things out of the way. For starters, most seniors will be taking the SATs and/or the ACTs this fall for the first or second time. Many students will also be taking the SAT IIs, also… Read More

Heading off to college this fall? This summer is the time to start shopping for all of the things you need for your dorm. College Board has a very comprehensive “Off-to-College Checklist” that can be useful when you start thinking about things to bring with you. Some of you will need to bring more and some of you will need to bring less, depending on what your school already provides… Read More

…and I don’t have a plan. Are your friends going off to college in the fall? Have you just started to think about what you are going to do with your life after high school? Don’t get lost or overwhelmed. Talk to your college advisor and your guidance counselor. They will be able to help you figure out what to do next. If you feel like four-year college is not… Read More

Are you a freshman, sophomore or even a junior in high school? It is never too late to pick up an activity or hobby. I have known seniors who decided to join a sport or club during their senior year and absolutely loved it. But, it is always more fulfilling to be part of something consistently throughout your high school career, so I recommend finding something that you really like… Read More

Fill in that blank, juniors. That is how much time is left before you are officially seniors! The thought of being a senior can be exciting and intimidating at the same time. Most of my juniors are waiting for their Senior Picnic, the Prom, the Pep Rally and the opportunity to rule the school. With the millions of senior year activities comes the responsibility to start planning for life after… Read More

A lot of my students have started to receive their financial aid award letters from schools. It’s really nice to see colleges award large amounts of grants and scholarships, both in the form of need- and merit-based aid. BUT there are some financial aid awards that are very loan-heavy. It is especially disheartening when they come from students’ dream schools. So, what do we do in a situation like this?… Read More

Do you remember making this statement when you were younger? I know I did all the time, but what I wanted to be changed several times. I think I went from doctor to astronaut to diplomat to psychologist to lawyer. I am not sure if people change their minds as often as I did, but as I got older, I became more aware of my interests and options. In short,… Read More

Taking the ACT is not a very common practice on the East Coast. My brother took it this past year when he was applying to colleges, but I never heard of the test when I was in high school. I became familiar with the ACT after I started working as a College Guide. Only recently, my school has been encouraging students to take the ACT. It’s a useful standardized test… Read More