The answer, as with most questions families ask counselors, is "It depends."

Some colleges give merit-based aid and some do not.

This webinar gives a fairly broad overview of how college financial aid works, and touches on the topic of merit based aid.

Hope this helps!

Evelyn

Hi there!  Great question.  Some colleges have already decided to push the enrollment deadline (which had traditionally been May 1) to a later date, and many are now considering that change.  Colleges share your concern about forcing you and your child to make a decision without ever visiting campus.

I've seen some colleges push back that May 1 date to June 1, and I've seen others considering dates even later into the summer.  I would anticipate that you'll see widespread announcements coming.  At this point, because we are where we are in the timing cycle (decisions still coming over the next 2 weeks), your child may receive this information with his/her admission decision.

I would also start to use college online virtual tours to learn more about the campuses to which your child has been admitted.  Many colleges have them!  You can also research colleges' YouTube accounts, to see videos of the students who attend, the physical grounds, etc.  And finally, our team has visited hundreds of colleges, and we've posted writeups and photo galleries of our visits.  California colleges here; colleges outside California here.  We'd love for you to use our website as one of your resources!

Hope this info helps!

Best of luck.

Evelyn

Hi junior!

The most important thing you can be doing right now is keeping those grades up!  Keep in mind that your second semester of this year will be the last semester of grades that colleges will see when you apply.  So if you've had any dips, work hard now to make it an upward trend.

The next thing you should do is research colleges - and NOT just "reach" schools - research colleges whose average test scores are a bit below yours.  I promise you they aren't "dumber" just because their scores are lower than yours!  These are the schools that will REALLY WANT you and are most likely to give you a scholarship.

Here's more info on researching and building a balanced college list:

https://magellancounseling.com/what-is-a-balanced-college-list/

https://magellancounseling.com/how-many-colleges/

Best of luck!

Evelyn

Hi there - thanks for your message.  

I can help but I'm probably not the best person to help.  I would get in touch with someone who specializes in placing students after a break in their education.  I'm assuming you mean he didn't complete his sophomore year in high school, not college - correct?

You can e-mail me directly at evelyn@magellancounseling.com.

I would actually recommend, though, that you get in touch with Loren Grossman.  You can reach her at lrg@ix.netcom.com.

Best of luck!

Evelyn

I would almost never cancel an AP score, and here's why.

AP scores are literally NEVER required for college admission.  Students who excel on their AP exams can send them, but admission offices won't wonder where they are if they are not part of a student's application, and students will not be penalized for not sending or reporting AP scores.

AP scores ARE used to earn college credit after you enroll at the college you choose in the end.  Most colleges will award some credit for scores of 4 or 5; some colleges will award some credit for scores of 3.  No colleges reward credit for scores of 1 or 2, but there is no downside to having these scores show up on the AP report when you send your AP scores to the college at which you enroll.

If you cancel an AP score, you will never know what score you receive!  So I really can't think of a situation in which I would cancel an AP score.  

This is a very good question, and a major source of stress for students and parents!
The answer, as with many questions that you could ask me and other independent educational consultants, is that it depends on your list of colleges.  The vast majority of colleges today do not require Subject Tests (SAT II).  I refer to this frequently-updated list for information on which colleges require Subject Tests - you can see that there are only nine that require them, and some of them will accept the ACT as an alternative.

AP scores are a different story, and people are often confused by how they are treated.  Let's make sure we're all starting on the same page.  There's a difference between using AP scores in the admission process, and getting college credit for your passing AP scores once you enroll at a college.  Even if you send your AP scores to an admission office, you will most likely need to send them again after you enroll, to the registrar's office, or whichever office on campus determines how many credits they will award you for your scores.

I very rarely encourage students to send AP scores during the admission process.  There are several reasons for this:

• First, it's very difficult to send just some of your AP scores, and not all of them.  College Board makes this process difficult; it's not the same "score choice" as they utilize for Subject Tests.
• Second, unless you have all 5s, you are not showing the admissions office at a highly selective college that you stand out from the crowd.  I understand that 4 is a great score and 3 is passing, but those scores do not help you shine.  

I made a video that gives you a more extensive explanation of how to determine if you should send your AP or Subject Test scores or not. Feel free to have a look!

I hope this response, and the resources I have provided, are helpful!
Best of luck in your college search!

Evelyn