The Best U College Admissions Consulting

This is a tough question to answer because it all depends on the type of schools you want to apply to. A strong score for one school may be a noncompetitive score for another school. Instead of getting fixated on a particular test score being a “good score”, I recommend two things. Take practice tests so you can start to determine your testing abilities, strengths/weakness, and you can start to see what range you are testing within. Or work with a testing expert to help you to determine your testing goals, the scores you will most likely achieve, and determine testing abilities and limitations. Start identifying schools you are interested in and check out the average test scores. Typically colleges will either post the middle 50th percentile test score of their accepted or enrolled freshmen students. A great resource to use to check the average ACT and SAT scores for accepted students is by going to  Collegedata.com . Collegedata has wonderful admissions information, so you...

Too many strong applicants this year got their hearts broken by not getting into their top choices to US colleges and universities. This is a phenomenon impacting high school students from all around the USA and the world. If you are one of these students, it is important for you to know that you are not alone and that this is not a reflection of your awesomeness! Not getting admitted to certain colleges demonstrates the competitiveness of the applicant pool and your admissions profile not matching the specific unpredictable institutional priorities. The schools that you got into can provide wonderful opportunities for your future. Acceptance Rates April 1st was the final day that colleges released admission decisions. Now colleges are starting to show their acceptance rates. The main admissions trends remain the same with lower acceptance rates and an increase in the number of applications. Here are some examples of some of the acceptance rate shifts… Emory University went...

Current College Counselor – The Best U Current Director of College Advising – Kingswood-Oxford School, CT Former College Counselor – Achievement First Hartford High School, CT Former Associate Director of College Guidance – The Loomis Chaffee School, CT Former Associate Dean – Wesleyan University, CT Former Assistant Director – Connecticut College, CT I am text block. Click edit button to change this text. Jami Silver   received her Masters in Counseling with a specialization in Higher Education from Central Connecticut State University and a B.A. from Oberlin College. Since 2000, Jami Silver has worked in education and college counseling. Jami spent many years in the field of college admission and college access, working on “both sides of the desk” as an Admission Dean at Connecticut College and Wesleyan University and later worked as a college counselor at multiple independent day and boarding secondary schools and a public charter school. Jami regularly pre...

Watch this free video to learn more about the admissions process for students applying to colleges and majors in creative careers in the visual arts. If you are wanting to apply to fine arts majors, then check this video out to get admission tips and practical suggestions on how to make the college admission process smoother and more successful. Experienced professionals in the fields of arts education, art portfolio development, and college admissions counseling, Virginia Schick the owner of Art College Prep and  Stacy Hernandez from The Best U College Admissions Consulting , important tips in the college admissions process for visual arts applicants. Virginia is a key resource to help students develop their art portfolios, manage the art admissions process, and get the top art scholarships. These suggestions can also be applied to high school and college students wanting to apply to art programs along with parents and high school counselors. Learn more at ...

Getting into college in the United States is does not have to be hard according to the November 2018 Inside Higher Ed article called “New Data on Admissions: Criteria That Matter, Early Decision and More”. The article mentions that “the average four-year college admits nearly two-thirds of those who apply, and this is true from year to year in the study.” However, we are hearing a different story from the media and from many high school students that have recently gone through the college application process. Walking down the hallway at most high schools in the US and you will hear stories of high-achieving students not getting into their top choices. The truth is that overall it is still not hard to get into most colleges in the United States. However, for the students that apply to highly selective colleges (colleges with an acceptance rate lower than 20%), many of them experience unfavorable decisions rather than countless acceptances. Despite there being fewer students ap...

When visiting colleges, it can be a whirlwind of tours, admissions statistics, and classrooms. The information you learn during your college admissions visit can feel the same at every school. To learn more about the school during your college visits, check out these important reminders. Visit  The Best U  to learn more

The college admissions process in the United States has changed so much over the years that many high school students and parents are confused and not sure where to start. Watch this video to gain information on how to navigate and manage the admissions process in a stress free and empowered way. Visit  The Best U  to learn more

Check out a list of some of the colleges The Best U clients have been accepted to, and hear what they are saying about working with The Best U University of Alabama American University University of Arizona Arizona State University Auburn University Babson College Bard College Barnard College Bates College Baylor University Belmont University Bentley University Berry College Boston College Boston University Bowdoin College Brandeis University Brown University Bryn Mawr College Bucknell University University of California Campuses California College of the Arts California Institute of Technology California Lutheran University California Polytechnic State University Carleton College Carnegie Mellon University Chapman University University of Chicago The Citadel Claremont McKenna College Clark University Clemson University Colby College Colgate University College of Charleston College of Wooster University of Colorado – Boulder Colorado Colleg...

The Best U College Counseling team  would be happy to meet with you to discuss your specific high school course selection process. We like to start with a free introductory call to learn more about your admissions needs and then we dive into a counseling meeting to discuss course selection in detail. Feel free to book a free call by going to  The Best U

Watch this free video to learn more about the admissions process for students applying to colleges and majors in creative careers in the visual arts. If you are wanting to apply to fine arts majors, then check this video out to get admission tips and practical suggestions on how to make the college admission process smoother and more successful. Experienced professionals in the fields of arts education, art portfolio development, and college admissions counseling, Virginia Schick the owner of Art College Prep, and  Stacy Hernandez from The Best U College Admissions Consulting ,  important tips in the college admissions process for visual arts applicants. Virginia is a key resource to help students develop their art portfolios, manage the art admissions process, and get the top art scholarships. These suggestions can also be applied to high school and college students wanting to apply to art programs along with parents and high school counselors. Learn more at  A...

When I look at the photo included on this blog post, I think of me as a mother and my deep desire to be with my kids every step of the way. As I write this blog, I am coming at it from two ways: 1) as an almost twenty-year veteran in college admissions sharing my experiences of what seems to work, and 2) as a mother of a teenager and pre-teen trying to practice what I preach with my own children. Parents often ask me what their role should be in their student’s college admissions process. There is definitely a healthy way to be involved and a not-so-healthy way. Your whole goal of the college admissions process is to support your student through the transition to adulthood. Being mindful of this goal can help bring this process into perspective and make for a more amicable experience with your student. After dedicating almost two decades of my professional life to the college admissions process, I have discovered the more parents can allow for students to be self-reflective and...

Current College Counselor – The Best U Current Director of College Advising – Kingswood-Oxford School, CT Former College Counselor – Achievement First Hartford High School, CT Former Associate Director of College Guidance – The Loomis Chaffee School, CT Former Associate Dean – Wesleyan University, CT Former Assistant Director – Connecticut College, CT I am text block. Click edit button to change this text. Jami Silver   received her Masters in Counseling with a specialization in Higher Education from Central Connecticut State University and a B.A. from Oberlin College. Since 2000, Jami Silver has worked in education and college counseling. Jami spent many years in the field of college admission and college access, working on “both sides of the desk” as an Admission Dean at Connecticut College and Wesleyan University and later worked as a college counselor at multiple independent day and boarding secondary schools and a public charter school. Jami regularly pre...

The Best U College Admissions Consulting  is a team of college admissions experts that use their experiences as university admissions counselors and high school counselors to take the guesswork out of the college admissions process. At the cornerstone of The Best U’s services is the importance placed on determining each student’s college admissions needs and empowering students to find their right next steps. Our goal is to provide families with as much information as we can in order to help them navigate and manage their admissions process in a stress free and empowered way. The Best U college counseling team members are considered college admissions experts, and their advice/professional perspective is through the college admissions lens. In meetings, the team can focus on any of the following aspects of the process. MIDDLE SCHOOL Discussion around high school choices Course selection for 9th-grade classes Planning for high school activities Overview of the colle...