Our Guru Posts | GuidedPath Edge

Common App Quick Start Tips

GP Edge Guru July 30, 2015

The 2015-16 College Application season officially launches on August 1,2015. This has become an initiation rite for seniors! Don’t get left behind. Take time now commonapp to prepare and get your application launched. Starting the Common Application is like going to a baseball game; you can get it started, and it will roll along for a long time. Give yourself time to work on the Common Application over time by quick starting in August.

GuidedPath Edge has you covered! Each week for the next 4 weeks, we will give you quick start tips. Follow these tips and you will have a stress free quick start to your senior year.

Quick Start Tip 1: Get prepped!

Prep Yourself: Gather all your personal information in one place. You will need it for all applications. Enter into your profile in GuidedPath Edge. Then it becomes easy to cut and paste into the Common App.
Prep Parents: Ask your parents for all their information. Where do they work? What contacts numbers do they want you to use? Gather all this now to save lots of texting to parents later. Invite parents to set up profiles in Edge. Use Additional Information in GP Edge to record their information.
Prep Teachers: Decide which teachers you want to invite to do recommendations for you. Get their email address ready. This will make sending invitations from the Common Application a snap. Create a private note in your Edge account titled “College Recommendations”. List each person
Prep Counselor: Check in with your counselor. Ask for contact information: name, title, phone number, email address to be used on the Common App. Add your counselor as a connection in Edge, and record all this information. This gives you an added bonus of inviting your counselor to use Edge with you!
Prep Others: Include people that know you from the community. Athletic coaches, student body advisors, youth leaders, or anyone at school or in your community that can share good things about you can be a potential recommender. Get their contact information. Add this information to your “College Recommendations” private note in Edge.

Next week: Got Activities? Quick start tips.

General, Seniors

What is college fit?

GP Edge Guru July 22, 2015

Edge Tip:

You have probably heard this term a lot already. Your counselor talks about it, your parents are looking for it. What is it? What is college fit?

Think of fit as a picture of college that brings four elements together to make the best fit for you. Consider Academic, Social, Physical and Financial perspectives. YOUR best fit will not look like your best friend’s or your older sibling’s. Find the right combination that will make your college experience meaningful for you.

Your Edge:

Start a conversation in GP Edge about each school you are interested in. Use the Discussions under each school on your My Colleges or Interested Colleges list to record your thoughts on why a school is a good fit for you. Be sure to mention each of the four areas of fit:

Academic
Social
Physical
Financial

Your parents can join the conversation, adding in their thoughts too.

Go to GP Edge’s Guided Search and look at the My Matches results. You can use these as a starting point to create your own custom search or schools that could be a good fit for YOU!

General, Juniors, Seniors

Do activities matter?

GP Edge Guru July 15, 2015

Edge Tip:

YES, they do. Many colleges use activities to understand you more as a person. Remember this goal when you make your list. Tips for getting an edge in your application with activities:

Make a master list in your GP Edge account of all your activities in high school, starting with 9th grade.
Write down everything – you can prioritize later.
Ask parents and friends for input. They will remember something you forgot.
Be sure to include one time events, like a blood drive or fund-raising event.
List things you are involved in, like babysitting, cooking classes, music, sports, reading. They don’t need to be organized activities.

Your Edge:

Complete your Activity Record under Surveys in GP Edge and keep it updated. Then you can give it to teachers and counselors when they write your recommendations. It will help them write a better recommendation for you. Many college applications will also ask for this list!

General, Juniors, Seniors

Is it too early to sign up for your fall tests now?

GP Edge Guru July 9, 2015

Edge Tip:

It’s not too early to register for SAT or ACT tests if you are going to take them in the fall. Register in the summer to get best choice of locations, as some locations will fill up.

Register to take the ACT as early as September.
Register to take the SAT as early as October.
Check the SAT schedule for dates for Subject tests – some colleges require them.

Your Edge:

Don’t stress! Keep ahead of the game by adding your tests to GP Edge Testing schedule. GP Edge also has all the ACT and SAT test dates, including subject test dates, for you to choose from. Test requirements, such as SAT subject tests, are listed as part of the College Information.

You will receive automatic reminders of registration dates and upcoming tests. Your parents can be included in the automatic reminders too – so they know you are on staying on top of registration dates and test dates.

General, Juniors, Seniors

What are you looking for in a college?

GP Edge Guru June 29, 2015

Edge Tip:

Learn about college

Wondering what to look for and how to find colleges? Kaetlyn, a 2015 graduate, has tips for you about the “Coolest Features of GuidedPath Search”. Using the search in GuidedPath, you can compare

General Information- college size, location, public and/or private…
Academic- acceptance rate, FISKE academic ratings, ACT or SAT scores, GPA….
Financial Aid- average merit award, percent of need met, average financial aid size, cost of attendance….
Social Experience- college style, FISKE social and quality of life ratings, students in housing…..

Your Edge:

Read Kaetlyn’s tips for using GuidedPath Search when comparing different colleges. Learn what she says are the “Coolest Features” of the GuidedPath Search.

General, Juniors, Seniors

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What’s your favorite dance tune?

GP Edge Guru June 19, 2015

It’s all about you!

Congratulations! You are going to be a senior next year! Enjoy this summer and start thinking about what you like, and what is important to you. This next year it’s all about you! Use this summer to do as much preparing for next year as you can.

Your GP Edge:

Take the GETTING TO KNOW YOU survey in GuidedPath. It gives you a chance to think about:

2 things in your room important to you
2 songs you like (think favorite dance tune from the summer?)
2 words your friends would use to describe you

The top menu of GP Edge maps to the overall college process, and Surveys is the first stop. Select the “Getting 2 Know U” survey to have some fun. What will you learn about yourself from this? Will this help you ponder the essays that you will write? Will this help you evaluate colleges to find that good college fit?

General, Juniors, Seniors

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