Insight Education

Select the right colleges

Take final standardized tests

Essays

Recommendations

Applications

Maintain strong academics

Senior year at Insight is focused on the college application process and preparing for college. During the summer before senior year and the first semester of Senior Year, a student’s entire focus shifts to applying to college and maintaining a strong academic and extracurricular profile.

Select the Right Colleges
Selecting colleges is a process that begins as early as sophomore year. Senior year is the time to define the list of schools where a student will apply and develop a strategy. Based on a student’s profile, counselors will help students define Reach, Target and Safety schools. As college admissions becomes increasingly competitive, it is important that student have a list that is balanced. Students will research and select the right schools for them with the guidance of their counselor.

Take Final Standardized Tests
Insight encourages students to complete all standardized testing by the end of Junior year. Often times, however, a student wants or needs to take these tests again to strengthen their applications. Counselors will work with students to plan the best testing strategy for the colleges of their choice.

Essays
Essays are often the most time consuming element of the college application process. Essays are an opportunity for students to demonstrate who they are outside of academics. Essays should be well-written, creative, and compelling. Counselors will work with students to highlight their unique traits and balance the entire application.

Recommendations
Most private colleges and some public colleges (UC Schools Excluded) will require letters of recommendation. Because counselors and teachers have to write so many recommendations, Insight works with students to develop comprehensive Recommendation packets for their recommenders.

Applications
College applications are the culmination of at least 3 long years of hard work. The applications themselves should be given a great deal of thought and care. Counselors work with students to make sure that students appropriately present themselves. Applications are reviewd by at least 2 different counselors to catch errors. Applications must also be balanced so that students can effectively communicate their goals, accomplishments, and unique attributes. Each college application is different and has different requirements. Counselors are intimately familiar with the different requirements and can help save students time and frustration in the process.

Maintain Strong Academics
Students are often told that Junior year is the hardest year. Unfortunately, that is not the case. First semester of Senior year is often the busiest and most difficult time in a student’s high school career. In addition to completing college applications, students are enrolled in a more challenging academic curriculum and have most likely taken on greater responsibilities in their activities. Counselor help students develop timelines and make sure that they stay on track. Colleges do want to see that students continue to challenge themselves academically and most schools will require a mid-year score report with the student’s first semester grades. These grades can often make a difference for students that are on the fence.

NEWS AND EVENTS

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