If you have a close relative who’s planning on applying to college at some point in the next 10 years, you’ve probably already heard about the announced changes to the SAT. I tweeted last week that the fervor surrounding this announcement is one more reminder that the three biggest letters in college admissions are S-A-T. Here on our blog, we’ve discussed the potential effect of these changes on companies that offer test prep. And if you keep an eye on our Facebook page, you’ll see a handful of other comments and articles related to the new SAT roll-out. There’s a lot to take in.

With so much out there, it’s hard to know the specific ways in which these changes will affect you when it comes time to apply to college. Should you be nervous? Excited? Cautious? Here are a few important points to keep in mind as you assess what the new SAT means for you:

How to make Picking a College Less Stressful for High School Juniors

As the calendar turned from 2013 to 2014, a new wave of juniors around the country began to feel the college application process accelerate. In addition to looming deadlines, many high school juniors are stressing about how to pick a college that suits their needs. This year, your junior will write all of his essays and all the drafts that go with it. He’ll sit for an SAT or two, or three. He will build his college list from scratch, narrow down his choices, add a handful of new schools at the last minute, eliminate some old favorites, and finally settle on his ideal list. You’ll find yourself on school campuses here and there, taking notes on tour guides, critiquing their grace as they introduce you to their school while gesturing wildly at campus monuments and walking backwards. In one year, the majority of the application process will be over, whether it’s handled flawlessly or imperfectly. But there are a few things you can do to help save some stress around your household.

In part one of our two-part series, we discussed three significant factors on which schools are graded by the US News and World Report in their annual college rankings. Today, we pick up where we left off, covering each of the three categories that have the least impact on USNWR rankings before tackling the biggest and most problematic factor in their methodology.

Financial Resources: 10 Percent

In this category, USNWR looks at, “average spending per student on instruction, research, student services and related educational expenditures.” With such a broad definition of money spent, it’s hard to figure out how much of that will actually make a direct impact on a given student’s education. Instead of looking at an institution’s research expenditures, ask about opportunities to engage in original research with faculty. Rather than being dazzled by the latest technology, ask deeper questions about the instructor wielding it.

The annual college rankings from US News and World Report (USNWR) were released this week in the wake of an announcement about subtle new changes to the magazine’s methodology. For better or worse, these rankings inspire a great deal of conversation about the quality of American higher education, and influence big choices made by students and their families. We’re here to break down that methodology in order to help students and families determine what to tune out, and what to turn up.

In part one of this two-part series, we take on three of the four biggest factors in USNWR’s college rankings. But before we get down to specifics, it’s important for you to begin to think broadly about what matters to you in the college selection process. Do you value inputs like faculty quality, the admitted student profile, and endowment? Or do you place a higher emphasis on outputs like graduation rate, starting salary, and graduate school admissions? And what role should the education process play in your decision?

How to Write the Common App Essay Prompt About Failure

Today we continue our series of posts on common application essay topics. The second prompt asks students to, “Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you and what lessons did you learn?”

While most essay topics offer an open door for you to relate an accomplishment, moment of triumph, or positive personal attribute, this one asks instead that you to begin with failure. This isn’t some trap that the Common App has laid for unsuspecting students, nor is it an opportunity for you to score extra humility points with an admission office. It is, however, a prompt that requires care and thoughtfulness in its execution. A well-written “failure” essay can demonstrate remarkable growth and maturity, while a flippant or shallow version will cause you to lose ground with application readers.