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. View Monthly College Updates!

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 Send Me The Starter Kit!

New Blog Post:
​What Colleges Really Want to Hear in Your Interview

In the past, we've written blogs on the college interview: advice for nailing the interview and standout questions to ask admission counselors. In this month's blog post, essay specialist and former assistant director of admission Sam Bergeron provides thoughts and suggestions for students preparing for college interviews.

"Firstly, this is a two-way conversation, not an interrogation: while admissions committees first and foremost care about your grades, test scores, and essays, the interview can be a great space for both parties to see whether there’s a good fit between you and this institution. These interviews are often not as intense as you expect them to be; your interviewer just wants to get a sense of who you are and what your passions are, and they’re not there to nitpick your responses or try to trip you up."

Higher Education in the News

• ​The Trump Administration Takes Aim at Ivys: Princeton University, Harvard University, and Columbia University are the latest colleges under scrutiny by the Trump Administration. "Princeton is the latest Ivy League school to face funding halts or cuts since President Donald Trump took office. Last month, his administration first canceled $400 million to Columbia University over antisemitism on campus, paused $175 million in federal funding to the University of Pennsylvania and placed more than $9 billion in contracts and grants under review at Harvard University as part of its investigation into antisemitism on campus." As we continue to see more of these stories, educators find themselves raising questions about academic freedoms, campus safety, and how federal funding could become a level to shape university practices.
• ​Higher Ed Institutions See Hiring Freezes & Budget Cuts: Harvard University, the University of Washington, and the University of Pittsburgh are among several institutions that have recently announced hiring freezes amid growing uncertainty about federal funding. As President Trump’s administration pushes for significant cuts, universities nationwide are taking measures to cut costs and preserve financial flexibility. Administrators are scrutinizing discretionary spending, postponing new hires, and reexamining capital commitments while experts warn that reduced funding could shrink research opportunities, diminish job prospects for emerging scholars, and ultimately harm the local economies and global competitiveness of U.S. higher education.
• ​Cuts and Executive Orders for the Education Dept.: The White House issued an executive order calling for the closure of the U.S. Department of Education, promising to shift power over education from federal bureaucracies to families and state and local officials. While the order criticizes the department for imposing burdensome regulations, promoting diversity, and allegedly enforcing partisan policies, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon stressed that core functions like student financial aid and civil rights protections will continue despite massive staff cuts that have reduced the workforce by nearly 50%. Critics, including education leaders and advocacy groups, warn that these measures could harm students, faculty, and local economies while undermining the nation’s long-standing investment in higher education.
• ​Sweet Briar Defies the Odds: Ten years ago, Sweet Briar College announced it would close due to severe financial challenges, declining enrollment, rising tuition discounts, and doubts about the future of single-sex education in rural Virginia. In response, alumnae and supporters mobilized, organizing a legal battle and launching a coordinated fundraising campaign to challenge the closure, arguing that the decision violated the college's founding charitable gift. A Virginia Supreme Court ruling and a subsequent settlement led to new leadership, restructured academics, reduced costs, and reinvigorated enrollment. Today, thanks to dedicated alumnae and innovative strategies, Sweet Briar College remains open, continuing to adapt and thrive despite ongoing financial pressures.
• ​Kermit the Frog at the University of Maryland: Kermit the Frog, who previously spoke as part of the College of Arts and Humanities Dean’s Lecture Series in fall 2024, is set to make history as the first amphibian to deliver a commencement speech at the University of Maryland's May graduation. Announced in a celebratory video, the iconic Muppet will join a legacy tied to Jim Henson, the UMD alumnus whose statue, along with Kermit's, graces the campus.

2024-2025 FAFSA Officially Opened!

Don't forget to keep tabs on financial aid application deadlines (for FAFSA, the CSS Profile, state-specific, and institution-specific forms, whichever are applicable for your specific schools of interest), in addition to general admission application deadlines.
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It is also critical that students check their email inboxes daily for any correspondence from schools to which they've applied or intend to apply. Lastly, students should be sure to set up their prospective student portals for each school as soon as the login information is sent to them to ensure all application materials are received by the appropriate deadlines.

• The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is officially open!
• ​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. 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.
• 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.

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:

• ​How to Understand Your Financial Aid Letter
• ​Applying for Financial Aid: A Step-by-Step Guide​
• ​What is a Financial Aid Appeal?​
• ​Can You Stack Scholarships?​

Relevant Outside Blogs/Resources:

• ​Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)​
• ​College Scholarship Service Profile (CSS Profile)​​​
• ​Big J Educational Consulting's blog page (this is a helpful resource to have all of your questions answered about the changes to FAFSA for this year, and what to expect in subsequent years.
• ​A helpful infographic from studentaid.gov​​
• ​How to determine if the parent is a contributor on the FAFSA​
• ​Information about Taxable Scholarship Reporting​

Academic Coaching Highlight:

Calibrate Academic Coaching

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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