>> Jennifer: MIGHT SEEM LIKE
SCHOOL JUST STARTED BUT JUNIORS
AND SENIORS NEED FOR START
THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE.
WHAT ELSE SHOULD YOU BE DOING
RIGHT NOW?
JOINING ME IS RYAN RIGS THE
DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE COUNTING
GOOD MORNING TO YOU, THANK YOU
FOR BEING HERE.
WE POSTED QUESTIONS ON FACEBOOK
WHICH WE'RE GOING TO SHARE AND
GET ANSWERS TO IN A MINUTE.
BUT FIRST OF ALL, I KNOW YOU
HEAR FROM NOT JUST STUDENTS BUT
PARENTS AS WELL AS WE ALL ARE
TRYING TO GET OUR KIDS TO START
THINKING ABOUT THIS.
BECAUSE IT REALLY YOU CAN'T
PROCRASTINATE.
LET'S TALK ABOUT SOME, YOU
ACTUALLY SENT ME THE TOP FOUR
QUESTIONS PARENTS ARE USUALLY
ASKING SINCE MOST THE KIDS ARE
IN SCHOOL BY NOW.
PARENTS ARE WATCHING.
HOW MANY COLLEGES SHOULD MY
CHILD APPLY TO.
>>> WE ALWAYS RECOMMEND, DON'T
PUT ALL YOUR EGGS IN ONE BASKET.
SO.
STUDENTS JUST WANT TO APPLY TO
ONE COLLEGE AND HOPE THEY GET
IN.
AND THAT IS A REALLY BAD IDEA.
THEY REALLY SHOULD APPLY TO
FOUR, FIVE, SIX DIFFERENT
SCHOOL, SCHOOLS THEY MAY NOT GET
BOO SOME SCHOOLS IN THE MIDDLE
LIKELY, AND SCHOOLS THAT ARE
SURE THINGS THEN THEY HAVE A
WIDE VARIETY, THEY HAVE OPTIONS
AND CHOICES IS.
>> Jennifer: IT IS
INTERESTING, TOO, THERE MAY BE
THAT ONE SCHOOL LIKE JUST
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA THEY
REALLY WANTP TO ATTEND, THEY CAN
ALWAYS APPLY EARLY DECISION,
CORRECT?
JEERRY SCHOOL HAS DIFFERENT
DECISION PLANNING.
SOME SCHOOLS HAVE A BINDING
EARLY DECISION PLAN.
OTHER SCHOOLS JUST LET YOU APPLY
EARLY SO IT JUST DEPENDS.
EVERY COLLEGE IS DIFFERENT.
THAT IS THE DIFFICULTY IN THE
ADMISSIONS PROCESS IS NO TWO
SCHOOLS HAVE A PLAN THE EXACT
SAME.
>> WHICH MAKES IT DIFFICULT
BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO MAKE THAT
DECISION, THE SECOND BIG
QUESTION YOU GET, SHOULD MY
CHILD TAKE THE SAT AND ACT
AGAIN?
ARE YOU PENALIZED FOR SOME
REASON BY A COLLEGE IF YOUR
STUDENT HAS TAKEN IT MULTIPLE
TIME?
OBVIOUSLY THEY'RE DOING THAT TO
GET THE BETTER SCORE.
>>> THAT IS AN OLD MYTH.
SOME PARENTS STILL THINK FROM
BACK IN THE 1980s MY KID
SHOULDN'T TAKE IT MULTIPLE TIME
BECAUSE THAT IS A PENALTY.
THAT IS TOTALLY INCORRECT TODAY
WE ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO TAKE
THE TEST AS OFTEN THEY CAN.
THREE TIME, FOUR TIMES EVEN
BECAUSE THE SCORES NEVER GO
DOWN, THEY CAN ONLY IMPROVE
THEIR SCORE.
AND THE MORE TIMES THEY TAKE IT
THE MORE CHANCES THEY HAVE TO
IMPROVE THEIR SCORE.
>>> DO YOU HAVE TO SUBMIT THE
LAST TWO OR SOMETHING?
CAN YOU JUST SUBMIT YOUR
HIGHEST?
>>> THAT IS THE BEST PART,
COLLEGES PLEDGE THEY WILL LOOK
AT THE HIGHEST SCORES ONL
A IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
REGULAR ADMISSION, ROLLING
ADMISSION, EARLY ACTION AND
EARLY DECISION.
I'M ALREADY CONFUSED.
>> YOU HAVE TO LEARN THE LINGO A
LITTLE BIT.
WE ENCOURAGE ALL STUDENTS NO
MATTER INDEPENDENT SCHOOL,
PUBLIC SCHOOL, GO AND TALK TO
THEIR COLLEGE COLOR.
THEY'RE GOOD PEOPLE WHO CAN HELP
ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS.
REGULAR ADMISSIONS, THERE IS A
DEADLINE, LET'S SAY
NOVEMBER 1st.
AND THEN THE COLLEGE TELLS THE
STUDENT SOMETIME IN THE SPRING,
THAT IS THE EASY ANSWER RIGHTING
THERE.
EARLY ACTION, THE DEADLINE MAY
BE EARLIER, IT MAY BE
OCTOBER 15th, BUT THEN THE
STUDENT KNOWS EARLY ON.
THE STUDENT MAY KNOW BEFORE
CHRISTMAS IF HE OR SHE HAS BEEN
ADMITTED TO THAT COLLEGE.
EARLY DECISION IS A LITTLE BIT
DIFFERENT, THOUGH, BECAUSE EARLY
DECISION IS A BINDING CONTRACT
THE CHILD ACTUALLY SIGNS IT.
IF I'M ADMITTED TO THE SCHOOL
I'M GOING THE PLEDGE TO GO.
AND SO THE CHILD APPLIES EARLY,
THE SCHOOL LETS HIM OR HER KNOW
EARLY, BUT IF THEY GET IN, THEY
HAVE TO GO.
THAT IS A REALLY IMPORTANT
DECISION TO MAKE.
>>> WE'VE GOT TWO VERY SIMILAR
QUESTIONS FROM OUR FACEBOOK
VIEWERS AND SPECIFICALLY, DO --
ASK IT MORE IMPORTANT THAT A
CHILD TAKE AP CLASSES TO MAKE
THEM APPEALING?
AS OPPOSED TO WORRYING
NECESSARILY ABOUT YOUR GPA.
YOU COULD TAKE REGULAR CLASSES
AND HAVE A HIGHER GPA OR TAKE AP
CLASSES BUT YOUR GPA MAY DROP A
LITTLE BIT.
>>> A GREAT QUESTION TO ASK.
WE ALWAYS RECOMMEND THE STUDENT
TAKE THE MORE CHALLENGING
CLASSES.
THAT IS WHAT COLLEGES CONSIDER
FIRST, GRADES IN CHALLENGING,
COLLEGE PREPORY CLASSES.
THAT IS THE WHAT COUNTS THE MOST
IN A COLLEGE APPLICATION.
>>> WHAT HAVING THAT
WELL-ROUNDED STUDENT.
WHAT KINDS OF OTHER THINGS CAN
YOU DO?
>> THAT IS ALSO A GREAT
QUESTION.
IF STUDENT SHOULD NOT BE THERE 8
TO 3 AND GO THERE AND DO
NOTHING.
WE ENCOURAGE SPORTS, ENCOURAGE
FINE ARTS.
COMMUNITY SERVICE.
WE ENCOURAGE HAVING A JOB.
MAYBE IF A STUDENT DON'T THAT,
LET'S SAY THEY HAVE TO CARE FOR
THEIR 92-YEAR-OLD GRANDFATHER
WHO LIVES WITH THEM.
WELL, THEY CAN WRITE AN ESSAY
ABOUT THAT, ABOUT HOW I DIDN'T
HAVE TIME THE GO PLAY SOCCER
AFTER SCHOOL BECAUSE I WAS THE
MAIN CAREGIVER FOR MY
GRANDFATHER.
STUDENTS HAVE A CHANCE TO
EXPLAIN IN THEIR ESSAYS WHY THEY
PICKED CERTAIN ACTIVITIES OR WHY
THEY DON'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY
TO PICK CERTAIN ACTIVITIES.
>>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
AND IF YOU MISSED ANY OF THIS