Selecting the best college to meet your needs and fulfill your ambitions has always been a challenging and arduous process. There is a lot at stake and thousands of colleges to choose from in the United States alone. In this video, AdmissionsConsultants founder and president, David Petersam, advises students on their families on the financial aspects involved in school selection.

there are lots of schools who offer scholarships for transfer students with a 3.5 or above but not ivy league or hard schools

First off, there’s no need to freak out if you’re not the valedictorian or salutatorian.

Did you know that the majority of students admitted to Harvard and Stanford aren’t valedictorian, either?

Here’s what you need to know about your GPA and class rank to go to an Ivy League school:

1) It’s ok to have a poor freshman year GPA. What’s important is to show an UPWARD TREND – improvement over time

2) As important as your GPA is your transcript and the classes you take. Be sure to take the HARDEST CLASSES AVAILABLE – APs, IB, etc  Read more... (278 words, estimated 1:07 mins reading time)

Take care of your high school GPA from freshman year

This is obvious but should be said regardless. Some students like to slack-off after middle school – it’s a new school, you may not have a solid group of friends, you’re still getting use to the teachers and lockers. But a poor freshman year GPA can kill you.

You think that a few C’s or 70′s can be made up by strong AP and Honors inflated grades, but Harvard pays attention to your COMPLETE 4 YEAR TRANSCRIPT. A few C’s and 70′s in easy courses like Biology I will make Ivy League schools think that you can’t handle basic academic material. Your high school class grades matter – all 4 years.  Read more... (612 words, estimated 2:27 mins reading time)

First, there’s absolutely no need to freak out if you’re not the valedictorian or salutatorian of your high school.

I bet you didn’t know that the great majority of student admits to Harvard and Stanford aren’t valedictorians, either.

Here’s what you need to know about your high school GPA and class rank to get into any Ivy League school:

1) It’s ok to have a mediocre freshman year GPA and class rank. What’s important is that you SHOW IMPROVEMENT and an UPWARD TREND over time  Read more... (322 words, estimated 1:17 mins reading time)

First, there’s absolutely no need to freak out if you’re not the valedictorian or salutatorian of your high school.

Did you know that the vast majority of admits to Harvard and Stanford aren’t?

Here’s what you need to know about your high school GPA and class rank to get into any Ivy League school:

1) It’s ok to have a bad freshman year GPA. What’s important is that you GET BETTER – show improvement over time

2) Probably more important than your GPA are your transcript and the classes you take. Be sure to take the MOST DIFFICULT COURSES your high school offers – Advanced Placement, IB, etc  Read more... (329 words, estimated 1:19 mins reading time)

Extracurricular accomplishments are tough to judge, because they vary widely by school, by region, and by state.

There are obvious organizations and competitions – for instance, Key Club and Science Olympiad.

For everything else, it comes down to a qualitative judgment. That’s why you need to do everything you can to be the best, regardless of what activity you’re involved with.

Having worked in the Admissions Office of a Top 20 college (as well as being a former Ivy Leaguer), I’ve developed a clear perspective on exactly what you need to accomplish in your extracurriculars to stand out.  Read more... (337 words, estimated 1:21 mins reading time)

Extracurricular accomplishments are difficult to score properly, since they’re so diverse and varied by school.

There are nationally recognized organizations and competitions – for instance, Science Olympiad and National Honor Society.

For everything else, it comes down to a qualitative judgment. That’s why you need to do everything you can to be the best, regardless of what activity you’re involved with.

Having worked in College Admissions for 3 years (as well as being a former Ivy Leaguer), I’ve developed some rules on what high school students need to accomplish in their clubs and commitments to win the college admissions game.  Read more... (330 words, estimated 1:19 mins reading time)