When Should I Send My A.P. Test Scores to College?

If you are a high school junior and you will be applying early action to the college of your dreams this fall, you may wonder if you should send in your AP (advanced placement ) exam scores.  What if you received scores, a 4 and a 5 on the two exams you took, should you send them in May of your junior year? Are they part of the college  application process?  Will they help in the decision process?

AP or Advanced Placement courses are college level classes with exams given each May for students who complete the AP coursework. The fact that you took rigorous courses will indicate to a college that you are college ready. You’ll improve your writing skills, sharpen your problem-solving abilities, and develop time management skills, discipline, and study habits. These characteristics may be helpful in the in the admissions process. Read more about the AP scores and the college application.

Want an early preview of the new SAT? Take the ACT

Posted by Jed Applerouth on March 5, 2014 in Featured, Jed Said iStock_000019071498Small v6

If imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, the ACT must be blushing.

This afternoon, The College Board announced that in 2016, it will strip away the main differences between the SAT and the ACT.

Here’s a quick taste of the impending changes. Like the ACT, the new SAT will have:

– No guessing penalty for incorrect answers
– No advanced vocabulary or sentence completions
– An optional, rather than required, essay that won’t leave room for students to make up their own “facts”
– Science content incorporating tables, charts, and graphs
– Close alignment to the Common Core standards

The test will also return to a 1600-point scale and will last about 3 hours without the essay, which, coincidentally, is the length of the ACT. The College Board also announced a partnership with Khan Academy to provide free online practice questions.

On April 16th, The College Board will reveal the full structure of the new test along with example practice problems on their website www.deliveringopportunity.com.

Stay tuned for updates.

Essential Guides Make Great Holiday Gifts for the College Bound Student

Essential Guides Make Great Holiday Gifts for the College Bound Student

Just in time for holiday giving, the 2013-14 edition of “College Bound: Proven Ways to Plan and Prepare for Getting into the College of Your Dreams” is available in paperback.

Avail­able in paper­back and eBook for­mats on Ama­zon and Barnes and Noble  websites includes:

● Over 1,200 links to grants, loans, schol­ar­ships, and pre-college pro­gramsCB-2014-front-cover-sm (2)10.8.13
● How to pick a major, what col­leges look for in appli­cants, where to find  finan­cial aidand more
● Spe­cial admis­sions infor­ma­tion for the artist, the ath­lete, the military-minded, the dis­abled, and the home schooled along with over 100 minor­ity schol­ar­ship web­sites
● In-depth infor­ma­tion on  women’s col­leges, diverse pop­u­la­tions, alter­na­tive lifestyles
● A plan­ning time line
● Sam­ple forms and check­lists
● Career explo­ration, sam­ple resumes and inter­view ques­tions
● Step-by-step instruc­tions through the col­lege appli­ca­tion process
● Inside infor­ma­tion on stan­dard­ized tests, the ACT, PSAT, and SAT
● A com­pre­hen­sive list of must-read books and pub­li­ca­tions
● How to make a smooth tran­si­tion from home to col­lege
● A chap­ter just for parents

My Col­lege Bound Plan, the com­pan­ion work­book to Col­lege Bound,MCBP-2013-front-cover-sm (2) gives stu­dents the actual forms, check­lists, and step-by-step guid­ance they need for self-evaluation, col­lege com­par­isons, finan­cial con­sid­er­a­tions, teacher rec­om­men­da­tions, activ­i­ties resumes, and much more.

About The Author: Chris­tine Hand Gon­za­les, Ed.D, has spent the last 20 years as a pro­fes­sional col­lege plan­ning con­sul­tant, professor, presenter, high school col­lege coun­selor, and reg­is­tered ther­a­pist. Her work with high school juniors and seniors focuses on career explo­ration and col­lege coun­sel­ing. She also writes a blog for the col­lege bound stu­dent and their par­ents at www.college–path.com/.

Also avail­able from Col­lege Path Pub­lish­ing at College-Path.com Bookstore, Pay­ing for Col­lege With­out Break­ing the Bank; Your Col­lege Plan­ning Sur­vival Guide, and How to Impress Your Instruc­tor Online: Quick Tips to Suc­cess for the Vir­tual Stu­dent.

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Interested in Architecture and Design Schools? Start Your Research Online!

AmericaScreenHunter_161 Dec. 05 15.47’s Best Architecture & Design Schools, 2014, published by “Design Intelligence,” recently released  articles about architectural programs including the article, “The College Search for the Artist, the Architect, and the Designer- A Primer on Finding the Perfect Educational Path,” by Dr. Christine Hand Gonzales. Dr. Chris of College-Path.com also share a list of internet resources she finds most helpful in the college search from your computer – http://www.di.net/articles/links-to-great-school-architecture-design-school-search-resources/

How to Keep Your Mind Sharp For Fall Semester

When you’brain drainre heading into your first semester at college, you’re most likely thinking about how far your dorm is from the dining hall, whether to go with the hot pink or more neutral bed comforter, and if you’ll get along with your randomly assigned roommate. What you’re not thinking of is how the score on your first exam is going to affect your GPA that first semester.

The excitement of going to college can sometimes cloud the reason why you’re actually going – to get an education so you can land a great job. And getting ready for class doesn’t start when you step foot on campus: It starts during the summer.

Summertime is a tricky time for students. You want to relax, but you also need to make sure you keep your mind sharp for the upcoming school year. Here are a few things you can do to combat summer brain drain and make sure you walk into class ready to go.

YouTube EDU. During the summer, viral videos get special amounts of attention because we’re online more than usual – so why not stay on YouTube, but use it in a way that’s going to get you ready for those first weeks of class? Read more tips – click here!

New Release – Author of “Paying For College Without Breaking the Bank” Raises Money For Red Cross and Moore, OK Tornado Victims

“Paying For College Without Breaking the Bank” Interactive Paying For College Covere-Book Available for iPad, Kindle, Nook eReaders, and Mac OS, PCs, and now in Paperback!

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

“Paying for College Without Breaking the Bank – The Ultimate Student, Parent and Educator Guide to Over 500 Verified Links to Financial Aid and Scholarship Resources,” is now available from Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

All proceeds for the month of May will go to the Red Cross to help victims of the tornado in Moore, Oklahoma. Please share this with your friends.

In  “Paying For College Without Breaking the Bank,” professional college counselor Christine M. Hand-Gonzales, Ed.D, provides expert advice on  planning for college costs.  As the price of college tuition continues to rise, paying for college will require a strategy to capitalize on financial aid while curtailing costs. “Paying for College Without Breaking the Bank” takes the stress and confusion out of applying for financial aid while increasing your chances of earning a scholarship.

Learn how to navigate the aid process; find ways to plan and save for college costs and tuition; and equip yourself with a tool chest of tips from professionals in the financial aid field, parents who survived the process, and students who found creative ways to pay for college. Avoid common mistakes; understand terms the financial aid officer uses, such as cost of attendance (COA), Expected Family Cost (EFC), grants, loans, scholarships, and much more. Within these pages, you will find over 500 reliable Internet links to help you target scholarships as well as all the budgets and checklists you will need!

This comprehensive and insightful guide is written so it will be like having a professional financial aid and college planner beside you every step of the way.

ü  Follow the college planning timeline.

ü  Review the financial aid application process.

ü  Calculate the actual costs of attending college.

ü  Increase your chances of receiving aid and scholarships.

ü  Compare aid offers and learn how to appeal if needed.

ü  Avoid costly mistakes when applying for aid.

ü  Tips for completing the required federal form, the FAFSA.

ü  Learn where to find scholarships

ü  Budget checklists and more!

ü  Looking for an extensive list of publications and internet resources that is beyond compare? This book is for you – giving you all these resources and more.

About The Author: Christine M. Hand-Gonzales, Ed.D, has spent the last 25 years as a consultant, instructor, high school college counselor, and registered therapist. Her work with high school juniors and seniors focuses on career exploration and college counseling. Dr. Gonzales is a graduate of St. Lawrence University where she received a B.A. in Art Education and Economics. She earned a Masters in Counseling Education from the University of Bridgeport, and a Doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Argosy University. Find out more about the college search and admissions advice on her website, www.College-Path.com.

“Paying for College Without Breaking the Bank” by Christine M. Hand-Gonzales, Ed.D. –  eBook version $4.99 and in paperback for $9.99 on Amazon and at Barnes and Noble.

Free Kindle eReader App downloads – http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

Spring Means New Hope, Angel’s Hope! College Path Supports Worthy Cause!

two new dogsSpring means new hope for Angel’s Hope!  For the next month College Path LLC will donate a dollar for several books sold from the bookstore. If you know anyone interested in the college planning process, share these guides and help us assist Angel’s Hope with their mission to save our furry friends. The guides include “Your College Planning Guide: Smart Tips from Student’s Parents and Professionals Who Made It Through” and “How to Impress Your Online Instructor: Quick Tips to Success for the Virtual Student.” How can you resist helping those faces?  Find them at www.college-path.com/college-path-store or Amazon.com.

Your College Planning Survival Guide

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