Applicants are typically reviewed holistically. However, admissions officers put a tremendous amount of emphasis on the curriculum choices and on the grades earned in those classes. Standardized tests are important, but the effort that has been put into academic performance is much more valued. Students can always review what individual colleges value by looking at the Common Data Set located on their website.

This was the hardest year — ever — to get into college. Why is it getting so competitive? We'll have admissions experts on hand to answer your questions. How much does the college essay matter? Is there such a thing as too many extracurricular activities. Kiersten Murphy is an independent college counselor based on the Eastside with Murphy College Consultants. Follow link to listen online.

NBC's Evening Magazine featured Kiersten Murphy in this segment about educational consultants who assist students with elementary school placement.

Before you spend your entire year searching, you should know that if you have been awarded financial aid by a college, outside scholarships, such as those that come from Rotary or Kiwanis, can actually reduce your aid package.  According to federal guidelines, outside scholarships are considered resources, and colleges must consider these numbers when putting together an aid package. And if you were wondering, yes, you do have to report these outside scholarships. To learn more about outside scholarships and how they impact your aid package, be sure to review websites such as finaid.org and of course, review each college’s financial aid website to review their outside scholarship policy.

It is crucial that you contact each financial aid office individually and politely ask if they are willing to reconsider and what they require to help them understand your profile better. Do not negotiate, or even use that word, as this could potentially be offensive. Calmly bring to their attention any new information that could assist the staff in reevaluating your package, which could include a change in personal circumstances since filing the FAFSA. Be prepared to supply written documentation which supports your case and thank the counselor for their assistance. Above all else, be patient.

Perhaps a summer campus visit will knock a college off the list. But if your student likes the college or remains undecided about it, another visit is in order come fall. Teens need a sense of how they will fit in with other students.

A summer visit can be a huge help toward making a decision, but students shouldn’t rely on them completely. “It is the starting place,” Murphy says. “It shouldn’t be the end.”

Visiting college campuses can really help you to identify if it is the right place for you. In order to maximize your time while there, here are a few simple tips to keep in mind:
 

Right about now, high school students around the nation are debating the merits of visiting college campuses. Although the cost can be quite high for families to make a big trip, I do think there is great value to the experience. Spring break is the optimum time to visit as college is in session and you get to interact with current students. If you are on the fence, think of this: you wouldn’t buy your first car without test driving it, so how can you decide on a college without giving it a test run?  

Hey seniors, with application deadlines behind you, it is that time of year to give thanks. I think that many seniors are so relieved that “all of that” is behind them that they neglect to consider all those that gave support to them along the way. Now is the time to pull out a note card and write a little note to those that made it happen.

Did you know that over 70% of students get into their first choice college?  And colleges typically admit more than two thirds of their applicants. So, why all the hype about extremely low acceptance rates and rankings at “elite colleges”?  The reports fuel frenzy and students feel like their chances of admission are very low, overall

I don’t think there are many of you out there that would buy an expensive pair of jeans or a new car without trying it out. You can read about it, look at pictures, but you really don’t know how it fits you. The same would be true of one of your biggest investments – your college education. College brochures are attractive, websites offer details relating to statistics, but what you really need to do is to see it, to know if you can ultimately see yourself there.

College admissions experts agree that a high school senior's work doesn't end when he or she gets the fat envelope.

For families with a high-school sophomore or junior, college may seem like a long way off -- but making financial preparations, two, three, or even four years in advance can ensure that the money aspect is a lot less stressful when the time comes.

Eighteen-year-old Zachary Cobb spent his senior year at Asheville (N.C.) High School perusing college guidebooks, touring campuses and filling out applications. But with graduation today and classmates already picking dorm rooms, he still isn't sure where he's going to school in the fall.

As May 1 approaches, parents and prospective students will be sitting down to make one of the biggest decisions of their lives: where to go to college.

For many, the key factor in that decision will be the family's finances and the financial aid packages offered to the student. In other words, if college is in your family's immediate future, this weekend is a big deal.

When calculating college costs, remember to include your most valuable asset — your child.

Daughter Katelyn "Kate" Rohan, was a "B" student at Mount Si High School in North Bend.

It's college admissions time. And more and more U.S. high school seniors are turning to private counselors to get into college. Why? Some top schools reject more than 90% of applicants. Is it more difficult to get into college than it was 20 or 30 years ago? Do private counselors really give kids an edge? We also want to hear your stories. Do you remember a big packet arriving in the mail from the college of your choice? Or maybe it was--gulp--a thin white envelope?