Hi Reader,

Fall is in the air. That means apple picking, apple cider donuts, football, and the beginning ‒ or ending ‒ of the college admissions process for our juniors and seniors.

Parents of freshmen and sophomores: You can breathe; your children still have time to dive into their "official" search and other parts of the admissions process.

Yet, one piece of advice we will share is that engagement is the key. Have your child start thinking about who they are, how they want to show up in the world, and what activities they are involved in to help them get there.

Do they need help deciding what activities to engage in? Sign them up for our Activities Audit, and we will explore their likes, dislikes, curiosities, and interests and point them in the direction of activities they may want to try out.

If they are looking to engage in community service, we would love to have them participate in Working Towards Change, our student volunteer program. Please reach out to Rebecca at rebecca@collegeboundadvising.org for more information.

Parents of juniors: Your child might enter and move through this process differently than your friends' children or their peers. And that is ok -

Every student moves through the phases of the college admissions process at their own speed. Remember the story about the tortoise and the hare?

While that might have been a race, the college process isn't, and both the hare and the tortoise reached the finish line—just at different times.

The best thing you can do for your child is to understand their pace.

Have regular conversations—not about particular colleges (unless your child is ready for that)—but about how they are feeling about the process. More importantly, ask how they think they want you to help them through it.

Perhaps start by talking about when you can schedule times to look at schools; you don't need to decide where to visit just yet, but having time planned for when you will visit will be helpful for future trips.

As we have mentioned, Open Houses are a great way to see schools up close. We have been working away at our list of current open houses and wanted to give you a sneak peek before it goes live. Check out our list here. You can sort it by school or by date. We will update this list every Friday, so bookmark it and check back regularly.

Parents of seniors: take a deep breath. October is a long month for your children, but you and they will get through it.

Do you want a second set of eyes on your child's application? We are happy to read through it and offer suggestions. Contact me at eydie@collegeboundavising.org to discuss how we can help.

Until next time,
Eydie

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Did you know that your child can be a Boston College Eagle for the Day? Hosted by members of their Student Admission Program (SAP), the Eagle for a Day experience is an opportunity to learn more about the typical day in the life of a Boston College student. These three-hour visits provide an opportunity to attend class, accompany your host to lunch, meet their friends, and gain an in-depth look into what happens on campus. You can inquire about classes and professors, campus clubs and organizations, residential life, and more.

College application fees add up! Make sure your child is checking to see if any of the colleges they are applying to are offering fee waivers. For instance, your child may have received an email from the University of Tampa with a note saying, "Apply now - No Application Fee* - Use the fee waiver code: SPARTAN SELECT." Or, perhaps you heard that the SUNY schools recently announced their Free Application Weeks . So, if your child is applying to any of the state schools in NY, they may want to hold off until October 21st.

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Did your child get an email from Northeastern? They probably received one last week with the subject line: "Fee Waiver for Your Northeastern University Application." Northeastern's email instructs applicants to look for the fee waiver prompt on Northeastern's section of Common Application, where they should select "Northeastern Fee Waiver Mailing."

Is your child trying to decide what they want to study? Do they have an interest in pursuing a major in more than one area? Many schools offer dual enrollment options. Check out these at Syracuse University, where students can combine studies in areas like Esports and Communications with dual degrees through the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics. They also offer a dual enrollment program between the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and the College of Arts and Sciences. This program prepares students to succeed in business — and adapt and apply their skills to growing fields.