SAT optional colleges are getting a lot of publicity these days from reporters and bloggers who are either excited by the prospect of test free college applications or appalled at the very idea.

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When many moms and dads imagine the future for their junior and senior high school students, they see them leaving the nest and gaining their independence as they set off for college. But wait, not so fast!

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Here in Boston, where there are so many colleges, it's not uncommon to see groups of young students being herded around campuses on the college visits that will ultimately help them decide where they go to school. They're there to learn whether that particular school is a good enough college, the college of their dreams, or a school that doesn't have much to offer them.

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First choice college placement means big business these days, because so many students and their parents are focused on getting into top universities. The college search is in some cases no longer much of a search and more of a push. Parents and students focus on one college or at most, a small selection of colleges and pointedly ignore other options.

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A student's senior year may be his or her busiest period in high school. There's so much to do and to think about and to experience. Many students have already taken the SAT and ACT exams, and some have even completed their college applications in full quite early on. Even so, just thinking about the huge changes up ahead and gradually letting go of childhood can take a lot of mental and emotional energy. Is it any wonder that quite a few senior high school students are prone to senior slacking, a.k.a. senioritis?

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The pre-college standardized tests strike fear in the hearts of many students and their parents… and for good reason. The SAT and ACT are still a big factor in college admissions. Not the biggest, by any means – most schools give more weight to academic experiences in high school and the college essay – but still highly relevant to any student's college admissions process.

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Your college application? Is complicated. It's also the primary way that college admissions offices determine whether you'll be a good fit for their schools. In short, it's the first and often the only opportunity you'll have to show your top college picks that you are an ideal candidate for acceptance. In a way, a college application is like a test… a test of your ability to follow instructions.

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When a letter with a return address from colleges arrives, thick is good and thin is bad. Or not, depending on how you look at it. College rejections are stressful for students, but it's often parents who find themselves overburdened with anxiety during the acceptance and rejection months. Moms and dads look at the college admissions process as a battle that must be won at all costs, when the reality is that it's a process and one that can lead to both self-growth on the part of a child and evolution within the family unit.

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Whether you're applying for college as an undecided major or you're hoping to enter a specific prestigious pre-professional program, you may find yourself dealing with the frustrating world of college waitlists. Waitlists are used by colleges to save students seats when they meet the requirements for admissions but the college has already accepted the maximum number of applicants for a session. This is good news for students who are absolutely dedicated to the idea of attending certain colleges, but can make decision-making more complicated for those students who want to keep their options open.

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You may have noticed that we offer college advising services in addition to test prep, editing, and learning disability support. If you visit our college advising page - go ahead, we can wait - you probably also noticed the conspicuous absence of the phrase "choosing a major". That's because there are more than a few students who begin the application process and even begin taking college courses without ditching their undecided major status in favor of a specific discipline.

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Picture this: A lone figure suffering silently under the crushing weight of pre-test stress. Now answer the following question: Who is it? Most people guess that this individual is a scholarly student, taking yet another SAT practice test or reading through an ACT prep book. In many cases, it probably is.

But in this case? It's not a student; it's a parent.

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Hopefully you've started to receive some of your acceptance letters by now! Schools with rolling admission started mailing out acceptances weeks ago, but schools with January and February deadlines should be sending them out soon. If you have applied to a school and not received any communication from them you should call the admissions office to check on your application status. Schools wait until they receive all required materials before they send out admissions decisions, so if you haven't heard anything yet there may be required materials missing (references, fees, etc.). Most colleges and universities automatically send out letters every 2-3 weeks updating you on your admissions status, so even though you're getting lots of mail these days it is really important to open and read everything carefully.

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Hopefully at this point in the year you have submitted all your college applications (or are almost done submitting them) so that you can move on to completing your FAFSA. FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid and it is an online form that you fill out with your guardian(s) and send to the institutions you are applying to. Visit http://www.fafsa.ed.gov for more information, and beware of scams! If you type "FAFSA" into a search engine you will get several different websites, and some charge you a fee. Make sure the website you use has the .ed.gov at the end.

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As you know, colleges ask for a lot more then just high school transcripts when you apply for admission. For the most part, they will all tell you that they look at each student as a whole rather then make decisions based on just one aspect of a high school career- and that's true. While your GPA will usually weigh most heavily in the admissions decision you receive things like test scores, essays, references, and involvement help to balance you out or fill in any gaps that may show in your transcripts.

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Each school you apply to will consider your GPA (grade point average) a different way, so it is important to ask all of them what their method is. Some schools will accept your GPA as it is, but most will recalculate it to their own scale. The reason schools recalculate GPA's is so that they are evaluating every student on an even plane.

High schools throughout the country have different methods of calculating grade point averages for their students. Some use a 0-100 scale, some use a 4.0 scale, some even use a 7.0 scale. Colleges recalculate GPA's as a way of making sure each student they consider is being considered on the playing field. Admissions counselors review thousands of applications, so the more mainstream they can be the better.

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There are three main ways to apply to a college: the common application, an institution specific online application, and a paper application. Always ask the schools you are applying to if they accept the common application and if they have a preference for which application type you choose. Many schools upload applications to their own application system, so the method doesn’t matter, but it’s best to check just in case.

The common application is used by over 400 schools throughout the country. It requires users to create a log in name and password and is free to use. The application is divided in to sections and you have the ability to save and go back and fill it out in whatever order you prefer. This application also permits your guidance office to upload transcripts, test scores, and recommendations so that everything is stored in one place. Some schools require you to submit a supplement if you choose to use the common application instead of their institution specific app, so make sure to double check on whether or not you will need to do this.

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How to review college recruitment materials:

Colleges recruit students in a variety of ways with an abundance of different materials. At college fairs you’ll pick up booklets from their tables, if you fill out a car or an online form you’ll receive packages in the mail, and emails are sent weekly with updates and information. But how do you sort through it all and figure out what you really need to know?

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Colleges and universities offer several different types of admission: rolling, early decision, and early action. Once you’ve narrowed down your college search it is important to contact each school to find out what their admission deadlines are, if there are any majors that tend to cap early, and the earliest acceptable time to apply. Being mindful of these deadlines is important so you do not miss the opportunity to attend a school you’re interested in, so it may be helpful to put together a calendar of dates and deadlines for applications, financial aid, and additional paperwork.

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Right now, colleges and universities are in the middle of what they call “travel season,” which means there are dozens of representatives in and about your town attending mini fairs, college nights, and information sessions. Colleges and universities travel to high schools from mid-September until Thanksgiving recruiting seniors for their fall semester and Juniors for the following year. This is a great chance to see what types of schools are out there, and what types of schools are best suited for you. Some schools send admission counselors to college events and others send alumni, but no matter what the case the person you speak with will be able to provide valuable information and advice on the institution they represent.

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