International students, just like their domestic counterparts, should strive for a college list that encompasses a range of admission selectivity. While it’s fine to aim high and dream big, it’s smart to have a safety net and multiple options. To better understand how to build a balanced list and why rankings aren’t everything when it comes to the college search, see Emily Toffelmire’s recent article on www.wes.org, home of World Education Services, a non-profit organization advocating for international education since 1974.

On the latest episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, host Sally Ganga talks about the connection between major and career and tackles a number of our listeners’ questions.

What is a good SAT score?  It’s a simple question, right? The answer, however, is anything but simple, and depends, according to former Reed College admissions officer Abigail Anderson, on the colleges to which you’re applying. An off-the-charts test score at one school may be only middle-of-the-road at another. In this installment of the College Coach video series, Ask the College Admissions Expert, Abigail explains how to determine what a good SAT score is at the colleges on your list.

All too often, we hear students rave about the moment they first set foot on campus for that gorgeous fall tour. Students were clustered in small groups dotting the quad, enjoying the brisk autumn air, discussing Kant or Boaz. A softball game had broken out on the diamond in front of one of the dorms, and these college kids felt effortlessly casual in the way they interacted with one another. In the dining hall, it was lasagna night—with a side of garlic bread, of course—and the conversations drifted from pop culture to the big game to politics. Wow. “From that moment on, I was in love.”

Not so fast, kiddo.

College Coach is thrilled to announce that we will be participating in a Facebook Live event sponsored by U.S. News and World Report on February 15th at 2:00pm ET, discussing what parents need to know about borrowing college loans.

We are often asked about what happens to a GPA when a student transfers high schools. In Texas, many high schools convert grades to an unweighted GPA, which can be very confusing—and perhaps even frustrating, especially when it’s on top of adjusting to a new home and new high school. However, it’s an expected process and not something to worry too deeply about. I hope I can offer some clarification on what is going on when a GPA is converted.

In the latest episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, host Ian Fisher helped listeners brave the cold, with an hour packed with resources and information—for parents looking to help their students better manage their finances, for high school students looking for summer opportunities in STEM fields, and for seniors finishing up their college applications.

The college application process is fraught with stressful decisions to make: what colleges to apply to, whether to apply early, what essay topic to choose, and, of course, which standardized test to take. While any college that requires standardized testing will accept either SAT or ACT scores, the two tests have a number of differences that students and parents should consider when deciding which test to pursue.

On the latest episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, host Beth Heaton covered how gap years might play into your college application strategy, as well as tackling a number of our listeners’ questions.

Community colleges were once considered a place to go if you couldn’t get in to a “better” college. How times have changed! More students and their families are giving serious consideration to community colleges as a great place to start their education. Why?