The College Board hosted a webinar to share information with parents about searching for and applying to college. The webinar was hosted by Steve Colon at the College Board and featured John Chavez from Columbia University, Nicole Hurd from College Advising Corps, and Marcia Hunt from Pine Crest School. Learn more at collegeboard.org/parents.

1. satpractice.org
College Applications 101
for Parents

2. Presenters
Steve Colón, Vice President , Access to Opportunity™,
The College Board
Nicole Hurd, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, College
Advising Corps
Marcia Hunt, Director of College and Academic Advising,
Pine Crest School
John Chavez, Senior Assistant Director of Undergraduate
Admissions, Columbia University

3. ► Search for and compare
colleges
► Find scholarships
► Understand financial aid
► Navigate the college
application process
► Parent action plans
► Sign up for personalized
emails with guidance and
deadline reminders
Tools and Resources:
BigFuture™

4. Tools and Resources:
Free CollegeGo App
► Created to help all students,
particularly first-gen, underresourced
students
► Guides students step by step on
how to prepare for, apply to, and get
into college
► Connects student’s College Board
account for a seamless transition
between mobile device and desktop
computer
► Powered by BigFuture™
► Free on Apple and Android phones

5. ► Access scores online
► Send scores to colleges
► Get tips and reminders
► Keep track of your college list
Tools and Resources:
College Board Account

6. ► All income-eligible students
can take the SAT® for free
► They also can apply to up to
four colleges for free
► Accepted by over 2,000
colleges
Tools and Resources:
College Application Fee Waivers

7. ► What should students do to prepare for their first conversation
with their school counselor?
► How many colleges do you typically recommend that students
apply to and what types of schools should they consider?
► Should a student apply to a college they think they can’t afford?
► Should my child apply to a school early action or early decision?
► How can a parent help their student determine if a school is a
good fit for them academically, financially, and socially?
What types of schools should my child
apply to?

8. Early Admission Plans
Single Choice Early Action
• The only early program offered by
Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Yale
• Can only pick one of these four – and
can only cross-apply “early” to non-ED
publics, international colleges, and
privates with fall scholarship deadlines
Early Action
• Fall deadline with a notification prior to
April 1. Notification often by mid-
December, but sometimes as late as
January
• If admitted via any kind of early action
there is no obligation to enroll prior to
May 1
Restrictive Early Action
• Cannot cross-apply to an Early Decision
school, only to other eligible EA’s
• Offered at Boston College, Georgetown
University, University of Notre Dame
Early Decision
• Obligation to enroll if admitted
• Often a big advantage compared to
regular decision
• ED versus ED 1 & ED 2
• Families must investigate need-based
aid prior to signing ED contract

9. Varying Admission Plans
ED1 and ED2
American, Boston University,
Bowdoin, Brandeis, Davidson,
Emory, George Washington,
Kenyon, Lehigh, Middlebury, New
York University, Swarthmore, Tufts,
Vanderbilt
Schools with ED (one round)
Amherst, Barnard, Brown, Carnegie
Mellon, Columbia, Cornell University,
Dartmouth, Duke, Haverford, Johns
Hopkins, Miami of Ohio, Northwestern,
University of Pennsylvania, Rice,
Washington University, William & Mary
Priority
Maryland/College Park, FSU, UF,
USC
Rolling ED
Wake Forest (“after junior year”
to November 15 – decision in 8
weeks or less)
Colgate
EA and ED
Babson, Elon, Fordham,
Furman, Northeastern,
Spelman, TCU, Tulane
EA, ED1, and ED2
Case Western Reserve,
Dickinson, University of
Chicago, University of Miami,
SMU

10. ► What features should students and parents keep in mind when
considering a college?
► What are some of the best ways for students and parents to
learn about schools they’re interested in?
► What questions should students and parents ask when they’re
on a campus visit or at a college fair?
► What kinds of on-campus support services should they ask
about?
► How can students connect with a College Advising Corps team
member?
How can you help your child finalize
their college list?

11. ► What happens when an application is submitted at Columbia?
► What’s the most important thing you look for in a college application?
► What are admission officers looking for in an SAT® score?
► What should parents know about the value of taking AP® courses for
college?
► What’s the “right” number of extracurricular activities on a college
application?
► What advice do you have for parents who are helping their students
with college application essays?
► What’s your recommendation for families planning to complete the
FAFSA? When is the best time to submit it?
What are colleges looking for on an
application?

12. Please submit your
questions in the Q&A
module on the bottom
right-hand corner of
your screen.
Q&A

13. ► bigfuture.org
► CollegeGo app
► collegeboard.org
► @MyBigFuture
More Resources:
Contact:
communications@collegeboard.org