Our College Admissions Guru has been keeping busy answering your college questions! When you need free college advice, the My College Guide Admissions Guru is the way to go. Here’s the latest Q&A from our guru and, as always, don’t hesitate to send in your college questions!
Dean Terry / Dean Terry
Early Decision
Question: My friend’s daughter got accepted on the early decision plan. However, one of the colleges that she applied to prior to the early decision acceptance gave her a full scholarship. Her early decision school offered her no money. Her parents are refusing to finance her education in her early decision school. Can she break out of her early decision binding offer?
Answer: I suggest that your friend and her daughter read the contract again carefully to see if there is an “out” for financial reasons. Some early decision contracts require a commitment only if it offers an adequate financial aid package. No matter what the contract says, the daughter should speak with both of the schools and explain the situation and see what can be done. However, she should be prepared…continue reading Early Decision.
Financial Aid
Question: I have a few questions. When is the best time to find financial aid, and where can I find applications for it? Also, when is the best time to tour colleges? Is it required to have an interview?
Answer: You should start investigating financial aid opportunities, particularly merit-based scholarships and grants, in the second semester of your junior year. You’ll probably need to start applying in the first semester of your senior year. Of course, you should follow the specific requirements prescribed for any particular source of aid. With regard to touring colleges, there are basically two approaches to take. One way is to visit schools in the first semester of your senior year and before you apply to find out which schools you might like to attend. Other people prefer to wait to see…continue reading Financial Aid.
Majors in College
Question: What is the difference between priority and regular decision? Also, what are college majors and minors? If I want a bachelor’s degree does that subject have to be my major or can it be my minor? Do colleges generally offer the same minors as majors? Should my minor be a more specific subject within my major or at least related in some way?
Answer: Priority decision is just another name for early action or early decision. In other words, you apply to the school by an early deadline, and you hear back from them earlier than you would if you applied “regular” decision. When you go to college, you will have at least one major—that is, an area that you specialize in (and what your degree is ultimately in). So if you want to be a preschool teacher, you might major in early childhood education. If you want to be a fashion designer, you might major in study fashion design. Whatever your major, that is the area in which most of the classes you take will be…continue reading Majors in College.
Horia Varlan / Horia Varlan
What About Your Grades
Question: I just received my AP exam scores in the mail. I got a 3 in U.S. History but only a 1 in chemistry and physics. I realize that colleges are going to look at all of my scores, but if I did well in the actual class (high A’s to mid B’s), will the scores be a deciding factor for admission? Would I have been better to have just not taken those two exams, or are colleges going to appreciate the risk, even if the outcome was bad? Also, one specific college I am looking at for early decision only accepts 4′s and 5′s. Next year, should I only take the exams that I feel confident I can receive those scores in? I don’t want to take the exam for every AP class I take if it’s actually going to hurt me in the long run!
Answer: Colleges will give greater weight to your actual grades in the classes than to your AP scores, at least for admissions purposes. (Course placement is another matter; most colleges won’t give credit for anything below a 3.) Having said that, I would recommend taking only those AP exams you feel confident about in the future. It looks much better to have…continue reading What About Your Grades.
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It’s true that technically, you don’t need to choose a major until your third year of college. But there are a lot of advantages to selecting your concentration before you even set foot on campus, while you’re still in high school. Choosing early gives you the chance to take relevant AP courses and SAT subject tests that will let you test out of lower-level prerequisites, saving thousands of dollars on course tuition. You can also take the opportunity to find relevant internships early in the game, which will make you look more attractive to employers when you’re ready to find a full-time job.