Tag Archives: advice

Summer Programs for High School Students

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Jessie
Summer Program

There are thousands of summer programs designed to provide challenging and diverse experiences for high schools students. Whether through a university or through a well-known organization, summer programs can be great resume boosters and valuable experiences that expose students to different interests and independent, college life.  Why Choose A Summer Program? It Allows You To Explore Potential Majors Summer programs cover a wide variety of topics with narrow and broad scopes. Take an architecture program like University of Texas Summer Architecture Academy that allows you to explore the specific culture of architecture studios or Penn Engineering’s Summer Academy in Applied … Continue reading →

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SAT Vocabulary Word of the Week: Cacophony

Posted on April 10, 2012 by Dave G
Cacophony

Each week, College Compass offers a vocabulary word that will help prepare you for the SAT and PSAT. We aim to give you not only the best words to study, but also the most accurate information so that you remember these words. Knowing these words will help lead you to the correct answers on the verbal section, thus adding to your score…which is really the whole point of learning all this vocabulary in the first place, right?   THIS WEEK’S WORD CACOPHONY [kuh-kof-uh-nee] noun Harsh discordance of sound; unharmonious; dissonance EXAMPLE: The baby on the airplane let out a CRYING … Continue reading →

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Life Lesson: Follow Up on Everything!

Posted on March 3, 2012 by Jessie
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As you go through life, you expect people to be responsible and to fulfill their duties just as you do. The harsh reality is that not everybody will meet these expectations – and some of these people may be your high school counselors. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not discrediting all counselors, as most of them are pretty good. But every now and then, they make mistakes too. As part of your college application, your high school transcript will be sent out to all the universities you are applying to. At most high schools, you will place an order … Continue reading →

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College Interview Advice

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Dave G

You may be considering interviewing with the college of your dreams, or maybe you still have time to think about where you want to go. Either way, one thing within the college applications process that tends to be underlooked is the college interview. Read our tips on how to have a successful interview. BE ORGANIZED This is your time to shine! Make sure you have kept up with the correct date and time. Show up at least 15 minutes early. Make sure you have everything together. This includes any documents such as test scores, transcripts, resume, etc. There will be … Continue reading →

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Mid-Semester College Update

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Dave G

Okay guys and gals, as we head into the second half of the school year, we want to remind you of where you should be during this point in your college preparation process. So here is a friendly reminder for every grade level, which means that everybody should read this! FRESHMAN By now you guys should have a firm grasp on how to keep yourself organized amidst all the craziness that your teachers have thrown at you. Organization is crucial to getting those desirable grades, and it better have started now! Did you find an extracurricular activity that interests you? … Continue reading →

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A PSAT Afterthought – What of that “intended major” bubble?

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Jessica

Last year, I decided that the hardest thing about taking the PSAT was filling out the student information sheet. You know, where you put in your name, school, etc. This may seem rather strange if you’ve never taken the PSAT, particularly since my score left a fair bit of room for improvement. However, if you have taken the test, as all sophomores at my school are required to, you might recall that the information sheet is long, exceptionally complex, covered in long columns of bubbles. Additionally, there is an entire sheet of codes for your “intended major.” I found this … Continue reading →

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Finding The Right Simile For College

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Compass
Would Forrest Gump think college is like a box of chocolates?

Trying to boil a 4 year experience down to a single trite simile is a near impossible challenge. But… we’re gonna try! College is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get. This is kind of true. Forrest Gump’s statement was more about the overall arc of his life. College is a bit more structured – you have classes, and activities, and homework, and finals. However, you still have a lot of scope to make different experiences for yourself and blaze a new path. Don’t get boxed in by prior conceptions of yourself. College is a … Continue reading →

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Applying To College: The 7-Eleven Approach

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Compass
Applying to college should be just as convenient as 7-Eleven.

Funny how this post about the 7-Eleven approach to college apps is going up on 7-11. Total coincidence. That aside, we know you’re scratching your head here: what’s the 7-11 approach to applying? Well, scratch a little longer because first… some trivia about 7-Eleven convenience stores. The chain was founded at an icehouse in Dallas, TX back in 1927 when an entrepreneurial dock worker realized that they could increase sales by supplying goods like milk and butter along with their ice block deliveries. Voila! The first convenience store was born. Since then, the 7-Eleven chain has grown to over $10,000,000,000 … Continue reading →

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