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Welcome to our monthly newsletter!
Welcome back to our monthly newsletter! Below you will find a link to a page on our website highlighting what students should be working on this month, important news in higher education, new blog posts, and other resources we feel are important to share. Enjoy!
Monthly College Updates!
Welcome to our monthly update on the college search and application process. Each month, we'll be updating the link below to our webpage and including it in our newsletter, so that all of our subscribers can access summaries of what they should be thinking about at this point in the college search process.
These updates will mostly focus on the junior and senior classes. Freshmen and sophomores should focus on maintaining good grades, academically pushing themselves, getting involved in extracurriculars, and making sure their summers incorporate meaningful experiences for growth.
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Haven't joined our mailing list yet?
Virtual College Counselors believes every student and family should have access to expert advice on the college search and application journey, regardless of any financial or time constraints. By signing up for our newsletter, in addition to monthly college search and application updates, you will also receive a Free College Search Starter Kit PDF containing the following starter guides:
- The College Application Timeline
- Discovering College Fit
- College Essay Tips
- Common College Essay Pitfalls
- Introduction to Financial Aid 101
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Application Season in Full Swing!
The Common Application
The Common Application for the 2024-2025 admission cycle is now open! For those unfamiliar, "The Common Application is an undergraduate college admission application that applicants may use to apply to over 1,000 member colleges and universities in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, as well as in Canada, China, Japan, and many European countries." Here are things that you should already be working on:
- Officially create your Common Application account HERE. If they haven't already, this is also a good time for a student to create a "college-appropriate" email. Remember that access to high school emails will eventually be revoked, so start planning for an email that can be used after high school graduation.
- Complete Sections 1-3 + 7 of the Common Application. Even if a student still working on your Personal Statement or Activities List, you can finish the Profile, Family, Education, and Courses & Grades sections. These parts are important and time-consuming, so start early.
- Add relevant colleges to your Common App. Adding colleges shows demonstrated interest and reveals supplemental questions and essays specific to each institution.
- Connect with your high school counselor and recommenders before adding them to the Common App. Every high school and college counseling office is different, so make sure you fully understand the process and deadlines for requesting an official high school transcript, letters of recommendation from teachers, and any additional information your school counselor might need.
Application Components and Deadlines
As seniors continue to prepare their college applications, here is a short list of things to keep in mind:
- Early Action Deadlines: We love Early Action (but not REA/SCEA!) and encourage students to apply by Early Action for any colleges on their list. Applying by Early Action allows students to receive notifications earlier, demonstrate significant interest in a college, and often tie to potential scholarships. Early Action deadlines can range from October 15th - November 30th, so students should be aware of when each college's deadline is.
- Application Forms: To submit a complete application, every student must provide personal and academic information required by college applications. This information is rarely difficult but can be tedious and time-consuming, so we strongly suggest students complete these forms well ahead of deadlines. The most common application forms students will use are The Common Application, The University of California Application, and Cal State Apply.
- Essays: As students near application deadlines, it is important to prioritize all required writing by colleges. In popular culture we often hear about "the college essay," but the truth is that there is no singular "college essay" in this process.
- Common Application Personal Statement: A 650-word personal statement about the students that will be sent to any college receiving The Common Application.
- University of California Personal Insight Questions: Students will select four out of eight specific prompts with 350 maximum word counts.
- Supplemental Essays: Each college can request additional writing responses from students applying to their college. Not every college requires supplemental essays. Required supplemental essays tend to range from 50-350 words and have specific prompts provided by the college.
- Extracurricular Activities Lists: Both The Common Application and the UC Application require students to submit activities lists that highlight their extracurricular engagement during high school. These lists are located within each of the respective application forms.
- High School Documentation: Outside of the application forms, essays, and activities lists, students should also be aware of any documentation that needs to be submitted by their high school. Every high school is different, so students need to be proactive in seeking out academic advisors or counselors at their school to understand the required forms and internal deadlines that might affect them. Some common High School-based forms are:
- Letters of Recommendation: Students will need to request Letters of Recommendation from teachers at their high school. Not every college requires Letters of Recommendation, but a good rule is to have two Letters of Recommendation from high school teachers.
- High School Counselor Letter/School Profile: Colleges will also receive a Counselor Letter and School Profile from a student's high school. These documents help provide details about a high school to provide context for admission readers as they review applications.
- Official High School Transcripts: Lastly, many colleges will require an Official High School Transcript to be submitted by a student's high school. Some high schools require students to request these transcripts while others automatically send them on a student's behalf through online platforms like Naviance.
- Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR): Some colleges have begun allowing/requiring students to complete a self-reported academic transcript (you can find a list of colleges here on SRAR's website). It is VERY IMPORTANT that students submit their applications before deadlines so that they can have enough buffer to provide SRAR details for colleges utilizing this system. You can learn more about SRAR and access an SRAR account through their website.
Common Application - AXS Companion
For students and families struggling to navigate the Common Application, the Independent Education Consultant Association has partnered with Oregon State University to provide an in-depth guide. You can access the guide via the QR code above or this link.
New Blog!
Dos and Don'ts of Personal Statements
Our blog this month was written by essay specialist, and former assistant director of admission, Sam Bergeron! Since leaving college admissions, Sam has been hard a work assisting independent college counselors as an essay specialist (including us here at Virtual College Counselors!). This month we're fortunate enough to have Sam provide insights on how to craft a standout personal statement that showcases a student's unique values, passions, & personality.
"The personal statement: that elusive, often-intimidating component of college applications. It's your chance to tell admissions officers who you truly are, beyond grades and test scores. But how do you convey your values, passions, and experiences in a way that both feels authentic to you and resonates with admissions committees?
Writing a personal statement can feel daunting, especially when facing the pressure of making a lasting impression. But a well-crafted personal statement can elevate your application, demonstrate your readiness for higher education as a whole, and showcase your (quirky) personality.
From avoiding clichés to embracing vulnerability, this guide will walk you through the essential elements of crafting a compelling narrative that highlights both your strengths and your potential."
Higher Education in the News
- The U.S. Department of Education has begun beta testing the 2025–26 FAFSA form to ensure a smooth rollout for all students by Dec. 1. Starting Oct. 1, a small group of students, selected by six community organizations, will test the system and identify any issues. This testing will expand through mid-November, eventually involving thousands of students from 20 community-based organizations, 10 high schools, and 48 colleges across the U.S. By resolving potential system errors early, the Department aims to improve the FAFSA experience for all applicants and ensure accurate processing for colleges and financial aid agencies. Hopefully, a successful beta test will prevent another disastrous rollout and implementation similar to what we saw last year.
- Despite a rocky launch for the FAFSA last year, the new federal aid form has led to a major increase in Pell-eligible students in the Class of 2028. The Education Department reports 560,000 more Pell-eligible students, a 7% rise from last year and double the earlier forecast. Private colleges saw a 14% rise, and institutions like Georgetown, the University of Georgia, and Temple University have reported record-high numbers of Pell recipients. This increase, driven in part by updated Pell Grant eligibility criteria, reflects a positive trend in financial aid access for low-income students.
- Keeping with our financial aid news trend, Washington and Lee University has received a $132 million donation from philanthropist William H. Miller III, allowing it to adopt need-blind admissions while continuing to meet full financial need without loans. In theory, this means W&L can admit students purely on talent, regardless of their financial situation. This shift aligns W&L with a select group of colleges that are both need-blind and committed to fully meeting student need. Recent financial aid expansions have also been announced by institutions like Notre Dame and Centre College, which aim to make higher education more accessible for students from diverse backgrounds.
- Of course, what Higher Education news cycle would be complete without a little bit of controversy? A recent class-action lawsuit accuses 40 elite private colleges and the College Board of "price-fixing" through the financial aid methodology used in the CSS Profile, which collects detailed financial data, including noncustodial parent assets. The suit claims that a 2006 agreement to standardize noncustodial data requests has raised costs for students, worsening student debt and financial stress. This lawsuit follows a history of antitrust issues in higher ed, including the 1990s Overlap Group case and a 2022 suit against the 568 Presidents Group, highlighting ongoing scrutiny over financial aid practices among top institutions.
- Rounding out our curation of news updates this month is a new Los Angeles Times investigation, revealing that the University of Southern California (USC) admitted students from wealthy families as walk-on athletes after substantial donations from their parents (sound familiar? [*cough* Varsity Blues *cough*]). Many of these students never joined team rosters or played at competitive levels. Documents show USC admissions favored applicants from high-net-worth families, often granting them an 85-90% acceptance rate, while the general admission rate remains below 10%. USC stated that the issue involved only a few athletics employees, who have since left, and that safeguards were added in 2020 to prevent further issues.
Financial Aid Season Begins!
We can't believe it's already the end of October! And with the end of October comes college application deadlines, of course. There are many moving pieces with college applications, and while we've shared these in the monthly updates section of our monthly email, we figured it would be helpful to pull the most important pieces to the forefront to ensure smooth sailing.
- The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) typically opens October 1st, but it's been delayed again this year. It will supposedly open December 1st. However, they are beta testing the new form, so some students might receive an email to complete it now. As we've reminded students all year, it's critical to keep a close eye on emails during this process.
- Some schools use the CSS Profile to determine eligibility for institutional aid. It's a doozy of a form! The list linked at the beginning of this bullet point is the most complete one that exists. It's still missing some programs because a few schools have started using the CSS Profile only because of the FAFSA delay--be sure to check the websites of each school to which your student is applying to ensure you don't miss out on the opportunity for financial aid. Every school has its own deadline when the form needs to be received for aid consideration, so this is a friendly reminder to pay close attention to those deadlines.
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We've been strongly encouraging all students to pay close attention to application requirements for each school and to submit their applications at least a week before institutional deadlines for three primary reasons:
- Once the application is received and processed, schools will provide students access to a prospective student portal. This is important because it's where students can track which materials have been received and which are still outstanding. Most schools provide a cushion of a few days for counselors and teachers to submit their materials, but some don't.
- Some schools have additional essay prompts or requirements that can only be accessed through the portal! The most common additional requirement is the Self-Reported Student Record. Information about all requirements can be found on each institution's website, but it never hurts to have another set of eyes double-checking for these important pieces.
- The application systems tend to get overrun and often crash on the days of major college deadlines.
- Our advice: For Nov. 1 deadlines, submit no later than tomorrow afternoon/early evening and keep an eye on your email for portal access. It also doesn't hurt to remind your recommenders and school counselors of this deadline if they haven't already submitted the materials on your behalf.
That finish line is right around the corner, and we are excited to be crossing it with you on this journey! Our wonderful colleagues at Big J Consulting have broken down the important information you need to know when completing these forms for the first time in this helpful blog. We highly recommend using this as a guide as you navigate the forms.
If you'd like more information on the current discourse about the FAFSA delays, we'd suggest looking into the following articles:
Relevant Virtual College Counselor Blogs:
Relevant Outside Blogs/Resources:
We want to once again express our gratitude to all of our students, their families, other professionals, and even strangers who have taken the time to peruse our newsletter. As always, if you have questions OR if you have a topic you'd like to see discussed, please don't hesitate to reach out.
info@virtualcollegecounselors.com
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