College Admissions with Calm, Clarity & Confidence

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Display at Vanderbilt Navy ROTC unit, including the unit crest, a photo of current midshipmen, and a mannequin wearing a summer white uniform with two star admiral insignia, aviator wings, and a nametag for "YOU"

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The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) is a program to educate and train future US military officers at civilian colleges and universities. Students are both full-time college students and ROTC cadets or midshipmen. They take courses in military, air, or naval science in addition to their other college classes. They do regular military training during […]

ROTC Scholarships for College

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The Common App essay prompts aren’t a list of questions to answer. They are designed to help you think about what’s important to you, who you are as a person, and what you would bring to campus as a college student. The Common App opens August 1 for students applying as freshmen for Fall 2025. […]

Common App Essay Prompts 2024-25

College Admissions
Girl with brown hair and a white shirt writing. Text reads: Common App Essay Prompts 24-25

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What Are Military Academy Nominations? When students apply to military service academies, the nomination requirement often causes confusion. This guide will help you better understand which military academy nominations you are eligible for and how to get started with the nomination request process. Nominations are required for appointment to the three Department of Defense Service […]

Guide to Military Academy Nominations

Military
Graphic explaining military academy nomination requirements

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If you have a high school student, maybe you’ve noticed articles about FAFSA. Maybe you’re worried about completing it so you can get a financial aid offer. Maybe you are just wondering, “What is FAFSA?” This guide explains what FAFSA is, why it matters, and where to get help completing it. As of January 2024, […]

Admissions Decrypted Guide to FAFSA

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Usually the first question families have after their kid learns they were admitted to a college is: How much will this cost? Unfortunately, there is no uniform format for delivering financial aid offers. And some colleges have confusing ways of labeling grants, scholarships, and loans. So understanding college financial aid offers takes time and attention […]

College Financial Aid Offers

College Affordability
Bursar Services sign in college admin building.

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These are the biggest college admissions trends I noticed during the 2022-23 admissions cycle. Families of this year’s seniors and younger high school students should be aware of these trends, so they can make wise decisions as they apply to college. Note, I wrote this in April 2023, before the SCOTUS decision on the use […]

College Admissions Trends 2023

College Admissions
University of Tennessee campus under a bright blue sky.

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When public and private high school students apply to college, their school counselors submit documents to support their application. Homeschool students also need to give admissions an academic history to base their admissions decision on. In addition to the applications the student fills out, there are several supporting documents for homeschool college applications that are […]

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What most high school students know about military life tends to come from movies or books. Even those who grew up in military families may wonder what it would be like to personally serve under military restrictions and responsibilities. Military academy summer programs offer rising seniors a taste of life as a cadet or midshipman. […]

Military Academy Summer Programs

Uncategorized
The US Naval Academy Chapel copper dome gleams against a blue sky.

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Extracurricular activities are anything a student does outside the classroom. These might include school clubs, work, volunteering, or hobbies. Activities give students a chance to explore interests, demonstrate leadership, and be a force for positive change. History related activities can help students show they have experience with research, analysis, and presentation that they might use […]

7 History Extracurricular Activities for High School Students

College Admissions
USS Constitution in Boston Harbor.