College Vision Blog

Can I Get a Little Advice Here?

2010-04-21T07:12:00.000-07:00

The survey and an accompanying report, which are by Public Agenda (a research group) and financed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, suggest that high school counselors may be a weak link in the chain needed to get more students into college.

The report -- "Can I Get a Little Advice Here?" -- notes that tight budgets have resulted in student-to-counselor ratios well beyond those recommended by experts. But the overall tone of the study is critical of the counselors.

The findings are based on a national survey of 614 individuals aged 22 through 30 who had attended college (although not necessarily for long or long enough to earn a degree). Among the responses:

Finding 1: Most students give their high school guidance counselors fair or poor ratings.

Finding 2: Students who get perfunctory counseling are more likely to delay college and make more questionable high education choices.

Finding 3: High school counselors are viewed less helpful than teachers.

Finding 4: Advisors at higher education institutions get better ratings, but there's room for improvement.

For the full report, CLICK HERE

What Do Our Parents and Students Think?

2010-03-11T11:11:00.000-08:00

Testimonials

Our College Admission Coaching Program is Top-Notch.
Happy With His Choice of Colleges

“Just wanted to update you: Our son is LOVING JMU!!! He is majoring in physics and keeping our fingers crossed, he is doing very well. Thank you for your support.

“….he did well his first semester. This semester is even more exciting with some truly interesting courses. His political science course is even taught by the President of the college. Guilford is a wonderful school and he is coping well. He has matured amazingly. I am so happy to have High School and all its worries behind us. Thank you for helping to put us on this path.”
Everything You Look for in a College Admissions Mentor

“Jeff (College Vision lead mentor) is awesome. I’ve seen a lot of people, a lot of teachers, a lot of counselors, but he gets it. He possesses all of the attributes that you look for in a mentor. He’s caring but he’s tough, and the adjectives to describe him could go on and on.” (from a College Vision parent)

The Guidance You Need to Navigate the College Search and Application Process

"College Vision has been a big help in guiding our sons through the college search and application process. Their advice on high school course work and extracurricular activities has also been very beneficial. Thanks to them, our oldest son has been accepted at a university he is very excited about attending. Our younger son has just starting the process and is on track to fulfill his goals. We wish we could have had College Vision’s guidance with our older son at an earlier age (since we now realize) the sooner you get started the better..." (from a College Vision parent)

The One-on-One College Admissions Guidance and Support You Want

"I am so relieved to have someone to talk to about all this college stuff. It’s coming fast. The high-school counselors are supportive but not helpful enough... there’s not a lot of one-on-one time (with the high school counselors)." (from a College Vision student)

Help in Finding the “Best-Fit” College
"Having been through this process before with my daughter, having someone monitoring and working with her would have allowed my child to find and apply to colleges that were better suited to her. Now that my son is a sophomore, we want to make sure he applies to colleges that are a good fit for him. That’s why we’re working with College Vision." (from a College Vision parent)

A Competitive Edge in the College Admissions Process
"The reason I chose College Vision is because the high school counselors are serving hundreds of students; I wanted to give my son what I believe is an edge over other students by having a team working with him to help achieve his dream of attending a great university." (from a College Vision parent)

The Early Planning and Self-Motivation Required for Success
“We're extremely happy with the work College Vision has done in raising awareness of the importance of a good head start and early planning for college. Our son’s grades have already jumped up, he has a plan to fill in the gaps, and he’s showing a lot of interest in the overall process of qualifying for a quality school.” (from a College Vision parent)

College Planning Information

2010-01-05T07:48:00.000-08:00

Juniors(Concentration, Consistency and Commitment)
-begin preparing for SAT's/ACT's
-continue to work on your college list
-visit colleges and take tours

Sophomores(Balance, Business Minded and Believe)
-it's important to start researching colleges and potential careers
-spend time carefully selecting courses for your junior year
-plan and take advantage of your summer

Freshman(Acclamation, Application and Acceleration)
-develop a study and time management system
-meet your high school guidance counselor
-visit and tour at least one college

School Counselors Overwhelmed by Huge Caseloads

2009-10-05T09:08:00.000-07:00

A recent article by Diane Rado, with the Dallas Morning News, talks about the struggle of high school guidance counselors to provide personal attention to students.

The Dallas Independent School District board voted last week to pay $2.1 million for outside organizations to help students navigate the college application process. High school guidance counselors want to provide more personalized service, but can't. It's just a numbers game.

The article states that the American School Counselor Association recommends a ratio of 250 students per counselor.

Our experience is Mentoring and Academic Counseling is the first step in the process and takes a lot of time and individualized attention.

The National Association of College Admissions Counseling, State of College Admissions Report, September 2008 reported the following public school student to counselor ratios:
-Virginia: 455:1
-Maryland: 374:1

I applaud the Dallas Independent School District board for addressing the issue.

Personalized College Admissions Assistance

2009-09-26T05:07:00.000-07:00

Your College Admissions Coach offers guidance, mentorship, and planning to achieve your college vision.
An estimated 3.3 million students will graduate from high school this year and over 2.1 million will compete for college admissions.

We have one goal: To help you get accepted into the college or university that’s right for you. We have helped dozens of students get accepted to their best-fit colleges using our college admissions success model -- we’d like to help you do the same.

How does college admissions coaching work?

You may have heard the saying, “where there’s a will there’s a way.” With College Vision, the “will” is your commitment and the “way” is through our college admissions coaching program.

When you become a College Vision student you are paired up with an exceptional college admissions coach who will get to know your individual needs and provide guidance, mentorship, and planning for the college admissions process.
Your College Admissions Coach will:
• Give you an inside understanding of what it REALLY takes to get into the best colleges.
• Motivate you to establish positive routines, study habits, and life behaviors (including exercise and nutrition) that correlate with college admissions and success.
• Push you to get the best grades possible and to make the most of your high school experience.
• Guide you through the college admissions process, from choosing a major, selecting the right school, preparing for the SATs/ACTs, completing your applications, writing essays, requesting letters of recommendation, and more.
• Coordinate schedules, activities, and deadlines for college admissions.

We’re here to make your college vision a reality.
Getting into college is more competitive than ever, which means you need to plan ahead and take the steps TODAY to get into college. And since getting into college doesn’t happen overnight, our coaching program starts as early as 7th grade and evolves with your needs all the way through high school.
Our college admissions coaching model is proven to work. Let us show you how.

College Vision Student Athletes of the Month April 2009

2009-05-20T08:01:00.000-07:00

Back Row (L to R) - Zach Clemens, Austin Behr, Beattie Southerland, Thomas Ewing. Front Row (L to R) - Kevin Koss, Emily Nykorchuk, Judi Chapman, Priscilla Smith, Ashleigh Hammer and Michael Howard.

College Vision Student Athletes of the Month March 2009

2009-04-22T09:58:00.000-07:00

Back Row (L to R) Kenny McAdow, Brendan Shockley, Jonathan Knight, Jonathan Mason, Scott Smigler. Front Row (L to R) Joe Baires, Jenna Abraham, Megan Lindsey, Jamie McGee, Brenton Peters.

College Vision Student Athletes of the Month

2009-03-26T11:35:00.000-07:00

Back Row (L to R) - Matt Robillard, Erica Kiechlin, Kyle Pratt, Lauren Smith, Emily Tatman, Kevin Sandersen, Emily McDaniel. Front Row (L to R) - Carrie Mowrey, Allison Bogel, Sarah Brown, Megan Barnes.

Alex Seely Briar Woods Wrestling
Erica Kiechlin Briar Woods Basketball
Allison Bogel Broad Run Swimming
Angel Collazo Broad Run Swimming
Kevin Sandersen Broad Run Basketball
Steven Smucker Dominion Basketball
Carrie Mowery Freedom Gymnastics
Shaun Owens Heritage Wrestling
Lauren Cassarly Heritage Gymnastics
Ariane Chretien Heritage Gymnastics
Matt Robillard Loudoun County Wrestling
Kyle Pratt Loudoun County Basketball
Melody Akins Loudoun County Gymnastics
Megan Barnes Park View Basketball
Emily Tatman Potomac Falls Gymnastics
Sarah Brown Potomac Falls Gymnastics
Lauren Smith Potomac Falls Gymnastics
Emily McDaniel Stone Bridge Swimming

College Vision Student Athletes of the Month

2008-11-21T09:28:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to this months winners!

Austin-DeMoss-Briar Woods - Football
Bailey Jensen - Briar Woods - Volleyball
Lauren Wong - Dominion - Volleyball
Christine Cote - Freedom - XC
Taylor Guttenberg - Freedom - Football
Matt Holton - Heritage - XC
Jullian Carrigan - Heritage - XC
Tim McLister - Loudoun County - Football
Allison Thompkins - Loudoun County - XC
Mac Kaseman - Loudoun Valley - Golf
Jake Ridings - Park View - Football
Brittney Moore - Park View - Competative Cheer
Shannon Brady - Potomac Falls - XC
Holly Kramer - Stone Bridge - Competative Cheer
Zack Miller - Stone Bridge - Football

Marquette University Info Session - Washington D.C.

2008-11-05T13:03:00.000-08:00

Thinking About Marquette?

With college applications in full swing and senior year picking up steam, we suspect your thoughts are turning to your future. Each passing day, you get closer to the next step of your life’s journey. To help you take that next step, we’d like to invite you and a family member to a special Marquette University information session.

On Thursday, November 13th, spend some time with Molly Thompson from Marquette’s admissions office and learn a little more about Marquette.

Les Aspin Center for Government
Marquette University
502 E. Capitol Street, NEWashington D.C. 20003

Reception: 7 – 7:45 pm
Presentation: 7:45 – 8:45 pm

To RSVP: http://admissions.mu.edu/iv

Space is extremely limited. One guest per student please.

If you have questions please call (800) 222-6544.

College Vision Student Athletes of the Month

2008-10-22T07:01:00.001-07:00

Robbie Mitchell- Briar Woods - Golf
Danielle Deal - Briar Woods - Competative Cheer
Kevin Sandersen - Broad Run - Football
Keri Muse - Dominion - Golf
Kyle Backers - Dominion - Golf
Nick Lee - Freedom - Golf
Morgan Kemp - Freedom - Volleyball
Lauren Stephens - Heritage - XC
Thomas Ewing - Heritage - Football
Miles Wentworth - Loudoun County - XC
Katie Gloe - Loudoun County - Vollyball
Kevin Rinek - Loudoun Valley - Golf
Kristin Oravetz - Park View - Volleyball
Cat Jones - Potomac Falls - Volleyball
Sarah Norton - Stone Bridge - Volleyball

Do You Know Where You Are Going?

2008-10-10T11:10:00.000-07:00

The process of choosing a college should be a positive one, and it can be if students and their parents have a game plan. Students must identify schools that are good fits and then refine their list of schools to a reasonable number. Students and families should discuss some of the basic preferences, such as:

• Location of the college—Does the student want to live far from home or close enough for frequent visits? Does a small town or big city make a difference?
• Size/Type of school---Many students want to investigate both large universities and smaller liberal arts colleges before they narrow their list.
• Majors---Does the student have a special talent in music, art or sports? If so, is this something the student wants to consider as a major or to just enjoy as a recreation in college? It is perfectly fine to be undecided at this time.
• Costs---There is a big difference in costs between public and private universities. Financial aid also varies widely. At this early stage of the process, try not to rule out a college because of the price tag.

Marie Bigham, former associate dean of admissions at Washington University in St. Louis says, “I always encourage my students and families to remember that they are ultimately in control of this process. The students make the most important decisions in this process—where to visit, where to apply and at the end of the day, which college to attend. If we as counselors, parents and students have crafted a well-rounded and appropriate college list, then the students will have plenty of choices.” So, do your research and be true to yourself and before you know it you will know where you are going.

“The Whole World Steps Aside for the Person Who Knows Where He Is Going.”—anonymous

Are you worried that your son or daughter may not get into the college you want?

If so, click here and request a free intial consultation.

Lynn McClain-College Vision

Elon Fall Open House

2008-10-07T07:07:00.000-07:00

Elon is having two open houses this fall. They will be held on October 25th and November 22nd.

Meet the professors.

Tour the campus.

Find out Elon's majors, student activities and campus life.

Hear about Elon's Experiences such as study abroad and internships.

Learn about Elon's academic and scholarship programs.

8am Check-in and Continental Breakfast in the Koury Center Concourse
9am Welcome and Admissions INformation Session
9:45am Campus tours with Elon Students and exploring majors with faculty
11:45am-2:30 pm Lunch and special interest sessions:
-study abroad
-internships
-campus life
-financial planning and scholarships
-fellows and other academic programs

Register at: www.elon.edu/admissions

Penn State Informational Sessions

2008-09-24T12:04:00.000-07:00

The Penn State Undergraduate Admissions Office will be conducting information programs in our area. The program is the perfect way for you to begin discovering all of the opportunities that Penn State has to offer.

Monday, October 20, 2008
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Hampton Inn & Suites
Frederick, MD

Tuesday, October 21, 2008
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Hilton Garden Inn
Fairfax, VA

Manassas Mall 2008 School Spirit Event

2008-09-17T08:59:00.000-07:00

Manassas Mall will be hosting a 2008 School Spirit Event on Saturday, September 27th, 2008 from 10am-6pm.

The event will feature area school booster programs promoting their fundraising effort, a pep-rally, educational activities, store specials and more.

Vendors will be represented to promote school/family related products and services at the event.

Come visit us at entrance #4 next to JC Penny.

See you there!

August is a great time to start the college planning process!

2008-08-04T08:40:00.000-07:00

College Vision is an innovative company designed to assist high school students and their parents navigate the college admissions and selection process. We will work with all high school students from freshmen to seniors and help them on Charting the Way to Exceptional Futures.

Myself and Mark Stavish founded College Vision in 2006, We were both senior executives in Human Resources at AOL We have built a model in which parents and students can have their own personal College Admissions Coaches to help them through all the hurdles. As our own children started going through the college application process, we realized that, with our HR backgrounds, we could pull together a highly-qualified team of College Admissions Coaches who could each work individually with students and their parents who were in desperate need of an experienced ‘partner’ to assist them in the all-important college planning and admissions process.

The college admissions process has become more competitive, complicated and time consuming than ever. Consider these facts:

-The number of high school graduates is expected to peak with a graduation class of 3.3 million in 2008-09.
- This number isn’t expected to drop below current levels again until 2015-16
- More than 17 million students are enrolled in college - an all time high.
- Approximately 75% of four-year colleges reported an increase in the number of applications from last year
-18% of Fall 2006 freshmen had submitted seven or more applications for admission
-Factors in the admissions process in order of importance:
-Grades in College Prep courses
-Strength of curriculum
-Standardized admissions test scores (SAT/ACT)
-Overall high school GPA
-Essay
-Class rank

To schedule an appointment you can either give us a call or send us an e-mail.
-Phone: 703-431-7977
- Email: Randy@MyCollegeVision.com

Sincerely,

Randy Trombly
Cofounder

Congratulations to the April 2008 College Vision Student Athletes of the Month

2008-05-28T09:19:00.000-07:00

Back Row (L to R) Tyler Barton, Matt Sherrill, Jacob Kline, Nathan Case. Middle Row (L to R) Krista McManus, Kaitlyn Tiplady, Krissie Apwisch, Lauren Giusti, Hope Flanagan. Front Row (L to R) Beth Gurney, Logan Harris, Karli Masengale.

Logan Harris Briar Woods Baseball
Karli Masengale Briar Woods Soccer
Kaitlyn Tiplady Broad Run Softball
Matt Sherrill Dominion Baseball
Beth Gurney Heritage Tennis
Tyler Barton Heritage Lacrosse
Hope Flanagan Loudoun County Softball
Nathan Case Loudoun County Lacrosse
Kyle DiRenzo Loudoun Valley Soccer
Krista McManus Park View Tennis
Jacob Kline Potomac Falls Baseball
Krissie Apwisch Potomac Falls Tennis
Lauren Giusti Stone Bridge Lacrosse
Scott Smingler Stone Bridge Lacrosse

Duquesne FEST

2008-05-05T12:06:00.000-07:00

Sunday, June 8, 2008
DuquesneFest 2008 is an ideal time for students and their families to see the campus and meet representatives from admissions, financial aid, academic, administrative and student life departments.
As you tour the campus you’ll be able to ask questions about admission procedures, courses, majors and career plans.
TIME
ACTIVITY
8:00- 9:00 a.m. Registration
8:00- 9:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast
9:00 a.m. "Welcome to Duquesne University"
9:30- 10:30 a.m. School Presentation 1
10:35- 10:55 a.m. Financial Aid Presentation
11:00- 11:25 a.m. Admissions Presentation
11:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. School Presentation 2
11:45 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. Picnic Lunch
8:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m.Walk Our Campus and Meet with Students
8:30 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. Academic Walk Representatives
REGISTER ONLINE

About Duquesne
At Duquesne University, 10,000 students receive a first-rate education, rich in the moral and ethical values that provide a strong foundation for academic and career success. Located in Pittsburgh, Duquesne is grounded in the Catholic tradition as it is lived out in the Spiritan charism, a faith that has been an integral part the Duquesne college experience for 128 years.
With 10 undergraduate and graduate schools and 90 fields of study, our award-winning faculty helps students discover a passion for learning that involves the mind, heart and spirit.

Community service and outreach are an integral part of the college experience at Duquesne, both in the classroom through service-learning and through student organizations. Students learn to play a role in the community and develop a strong ethical foundation for career and academic advancement.
Find Out More
Is Duquesne right for you? Check out Duquesne At-a-Glance and our Class Profile to find out.
Read how Duquesne combines a quiet, secure campus with the excitement of downtown Pittsburgh.
For a look at our students and campus, download
our 2007 Viewbook.
You can also view a video of our students and campus and recent television commercials.

Colleges That Change Lives

2008-04-23T11:29:00.000-07:00

The CTCL program features admissions officials from the college profiles in the third edition of "Colleges That Change Lives" by Loren Pope.

The program begins with a panel discussion designed to encourage students to make the college search process a well informed journey that leads to the best possible outcome.

CTCL events are free of charge.

The May tour includes the following cities: Bethesda, MD., McClean, VA., Philadelphia, PA., New York City, Rye Brook, NY and Boston, MA.

For more information go to: www.CTCL.com

2008 Spring College Fair Schedule

2008-04-02T08:16:00.000-07:00

COLLEGE FAIR DATESCOLLEGE FAIR DATESCOLLEGE FAIR DATESCOLLEGE FAIR DATES

Northern Virginia - Fairfax and Loudon Counties
Sunday, April 6, 2008
1:00pm-4:00pm
Dulles Expo Center
4368 Chantilly Center, Chantilly, VA 20153

Howard County, MD
Monday, April 14, 2008
6:00pm-8:30pm
Ten Oaks Ballroom
5000 Signal Bell Lane, Clarksville, MD 21029

Frederick County, MD
Tuesday April 15, 2008
6:00pm-8:30pm
Lynfield Event Complex
10142 Hansonville Road, Frederick, MD 21702

Elon Open House

2008-03-07T07:40:00.000-08:00

Elon Spring Open House
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Please note that this event is for high school juniors and transfer students. Registration is required for attendance.

Schedule

8 a.m. Check-In and Continental Breakfast Koury Center Concourse

8:45 Welcome and Admissions Information Session
9:30 a.m. Campus Tours with Elon students

11 a.m. Exploring Majors with faculty

12 - 2:30 p.m.
Lunch* and Special Interest Sessions:
•Study Abroad
•Fellows Programs
•Internships
•Campus Life
•Financial Planning and Scholarships

*Free lunch for prospective students ($7.25 for other family members, and $4.50 for children under 12)
Please call 800-334-8448 if you have any questions.

College Vision from a Parents Perspective

2008-02-14T12:13:00.001-08:00

Parent of a Junior
Thanks so much for all your help. I feel that our son speaks to us more when we meet with you. The amount of talking we did in your office was more than any that has gone on at our house during the past few months, as far as school stuff is concerned. It just seems like he opens up more with you there as a mediator. Thanks, I will keep you updated on the meetings with the teachers soon.

Parent of a Junior
First, Lynn is great. She talks to our son (not just us parents) and gives him great advice and great things to be thinking about. She brings up points that we wouldn't think of (like suggesting our son wait to take the SAT in June so that all classes are done - great idea because he can still take practice ones), and she calms ALL of our fears. She breaks tasks down so we don't feel overwhelmed and she really gives Scott confidence in himself (by pointing out what he's done right so far). Her wonderfully encouraging attitude is genuine. She also knows how to talk to teenagers so that they open up. You found a gem.

Parent of a Junior
We are happy with the service and support from you and Lynn. It is an overwhelming process and it helps to have someone who knows what is going on to help guide us. Lynn is very, very good talking to him. She treats him with respect and listens to him. He doesn't complain about the meetings (which is a good sign!).

Parent of a Sophomore
Been thru this process before with my daughter, I think having someone monitoring and working with her would have allowed my child find and apply colleges better suited to her. Now that my son is a sophomore, we want to make sure he applies to colleges that are good fits for him."

Parent of a Sophomore
“We're extremely happy with the work College Vision has done in raising awareness of the importance of a good head-start and early planning for college. Our son’s grades have already jumped up, he has a plan to fill in the gaps, and he’s showing a lot of interest in the overall process of qualifying for a quality school.”

How can College Vision help you?

2008-01-23T12:16:00.000-08:00

Some Key College Admissions Facts:

-Currently, more than 17 million students are enrolled in college, an all-time high.

-Grades in college prep courses, strength of curriculum, SAT/ACT Scores, and overall Grade-Point-Averages are the top
factors in the admissions decision.

-Approximately 75% of 4 year colleges reports an increase in the number of applications they are receiving

-Parents and students are left on their own in developing a college admissions plan, with little assistance from high school
guidance counselors.

-College search can seem overwhelming.

-Getting started early will make senior year much less stressful.

-This time in a high school student’s life means a big change in family life, too.

-Parental involvement is critical to the college admissions and selection process.

…But College Vision can really help!

-The individualized attention of the College Vision process is priceless.

-Parents are fully involved in the process with both the student and the College Coach. This makes the process very collaborative.

-Each student is different. Each parent is different. Each student requires an individualized plan and approach to the process.
There is no one-size-fits-all.

-The SYLVAN Academic Assessment will identify areas, for each student, that need to be addressed. We are identifying these areas early enough to fix them. Students that don't go through our program will most likely find out about these gaps, after they first take the SAT, which is often too late.

-Parents have the comfort in knowing that they have a resource to call at anytime.

Click here to schedule a meeting or phone conversation.

Congratulations to the November 2007 College Vision Student Athletes of the Month

2008-01-02T07:22:00.001-08:00

Mike Girolami Briar Woods Football
Erin Haynal Broad Run Cheer
Andrew Russell Dominion Football
Creigh Richert Freedom Cross Country
Lexie Anderson Heritage Cheer
Jack Lewis Loudoun County Football
Zach Murter Loudoun Valley Football
Emily Garcia Park View Volleyball
Emily Smalling Potomac Falls Volleyball
Kristen Kipps Stone Bridge Volleyball

For more local high school sports information visit www.loudounprepsports.com

Applications to College

2007-12-10T13:04:00.000-08:00

Applications to 4 year college continue to increase. This is fueled by:
-population bulge
-Ease of online applications
-Increase in the number of applications each student submits

Approximately 75% of 4 year colleges reported an increase in the number of applications from last year

18% of fall 2006 Freshman had submitted seven or more applications for admission

Colleges received 58% of all applications online

89% of colleges reported an increase in the number of online applications submitted

*Information from the National Association of College Admissions, State of College Admissions 2007

Do You Know Where You Are Going?

2007-11-26T07:44:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to the September 2007 Student Athletes of the Month

2007-10-23T04:51:00.000-07:00

Brittany Butler Briar Woods Cross Country
Eric Zimmet Broad Run Football
Todd Lancaster Dominion Football
Natalie Liberty Freedom Cheer
Rebecca Presor Heritage Volleyball
James Sullivan Loudoun County Football
Kevin Rinek Loudoun Valley Golf
Will Ward Park View Football
Andrew Mott Potomac Falls Cross Country
Natalie Driskill Stone Bridge Volleyball

National Association for College Admission Counseling annual Conference

2007-10-05T11:39:00.000-07:00

Trends in college admissions were released on Thursday at the National Association for College Admission Counseling's annual conference.

More students are applying to more colleges.

3.2 million students are expected to graduate from American high schools this year. More than ever. The population boom is expected to continue until 2009, when a projected 3.3 million students will earn their high-school diplomas. The number of high-school graduates is expected to stay at that number until 2016.

The report, "The State of College Admission," is based on data collected from 386 colleges and 1,508 high-school counselors.

According to the report, more colleges want to feel wanted by their applicants. The percentage of colleges ranking a student's demonstrated interest in their institution as "considerably important" rose from 7 to 21 % over the past four years.

NACAC's data indicate that students applying to seven or more institutions are still in the minority, at only 18 percent.

Colleges are relying more than before on standardized test scores in making admissions decisions. In 1997, only 50 % of colleges said test scores were "considerably important" in their evaluation of applicants, compared to 60 % in the most recent survey.

Class rank, which was important to about a third of surveyed colleges in 1997, is now considered important by less than a quarter of them (23 percent).

The college-application essay, which has become even more crucial to a growing number of institutions. Only 18% of colleges surveyed considered the essay important in 1997, 28 % do so now.

2007-09-26T11:24:00.000-07:00

College Vision and Loudoun Prep Sports Partner to Offer the Student Athlete of the Month Program

College Vision of Purcellville and Loudoun Prep Sports have partnered to offer a Student Athlete of the Month program which will start with the release of the January 2007 honorees on the www.loudounprepsports.com website.

College Vision is a new business that helps high school students and their parents through the college admissions and selections process.

"We are excited to offer this new program with College Vision which will highlight those athletes that not only play a varsity sport but also excel in the classroom and community as well," said Loudoun Prep Sports editor Dan Sousa.

Like the popular Velocity Sports Performance Athlete of the Month program which has been running on the Loudoun Prep Sports website since March 2006, the College Vision Student Athlete of the Month program will feature a photo shoot of those athletes selected.

Every month one student athlete will be selected from each of the 10 Loudoun high schools from those nominated by coaches, teachers, parents and teammates.

About College Vision

College Vision was established by Randy Trombly and Mark Stavish, two former successful senior executives in Human Resources at AOL, to help parents successfully get their high school students on-track for getting into college.

"As our own children started going through the college application process we realized, that with our HR backgrounds, we could pull together a highly-qualified team of college admissions "coaches" who could each work individually with area students and their parents, who were in desperate need of an experienced ‘partner’ to assist them in the all-important college planning and admissions process," said Trombly.

Trombly said for most families the college admissions process is complicated, time-consuming, and often confusing. Families may sometimes wait too late in the process to get started.

"We will often hear that people didn't get serious about the college admissions planning process until a child's junior year, and then through sad experience, they learn that study habits, grades, and extracurricular activities weren’t good enough to get him into the college of choice," said Trombly. "The truth is that most parents need to get themselves, and their students, serious about it by the eighth or ninth grade."

College Vision has built a model in which parents and students can have there own personal college admissions coaches to help them over all the hurdles.

"College Vision uses the ‘top-of-the-line’ Sylvan Skills Assessment Tool as a first step in charting the path for your son or daughter’s exceptional Future," said Trombly.

Sylvan Learning has been one of the nation’s ‘premier’ Tutoring Companies for more than 25 years their powerful Academic Assessment Tool allows College Vision to get a detailed profile of a child's individual academic strengths and needs. These specific academic needs are captured through this unique combination of standardized tests, diagnostic tools, personal interviews, and even vision and hearing screening.

"This assessment is required for each of our new freshmen, sophomore, or junior student clients and the entire cost of this initial assessment is covered under a contract with College Vision," said Trombly.

The results serve as a blueprint for College Vision to use to determine where a child needs the most help. From this, College Vision will work with the student to develop the most personalized college planning program possible

Parents will also receive a few "coaching suggestions" to reinforce College Vision's efforts including:

Things Mom can do
Things Dad can do
Improving a student's study habits
How much time should be devoted to homework daily
A list of helpful books, website and other resource for parents
College Vision has also developed a comprehensive program to assist student athletes in pursuing their interest in playing sports at the college or university level.

"Students who want to play competitive sports at the college or university level need to factor this into their college search," said Trombly. "While talented student athletes can certainly benefit from having their college tuition, room and board, and other costs covered by athletic scholarships, the reality is that the process is extremely competitive, complicated by strict rules and regulations, and often ‘over-the-heads’ of most parents and their high school students."

College Vision develops a ‘College Marketing Package’ that’s customized for student athletes as well as developing a special ‘Summer Camp Strategy’ that’s designed to enhance a student's athletic skills while also optimizing their credentials for playing at the college level.

"We will even make recommendations for your student’s individualized training and conditioning needs," said Trombly. "Furthermore we will develop a ‘networking strategy’ that will provide direction in regards to: ‘Who to meet?’ ‘Where to visit?’ ‘Which contacts to nurture?’ and ‘Which contacts to get recommendations from?’"

For more information visit the College Vision website at www.mycollegevision.com or contact College Vision at info@mycollegevision.com or call 703-431-7977.

Testimonials

2007-09-18T10:30:00.000-07:00

We're extremely happy with the work College Vision has done in raising awareness of the importance of a good head-start and early planning for college. Our son’s grades have already jumped up, he has a plan to fill in the gaps, and he’s showing a lot of interest in the overall process of qualifying for a quality school.”

Press Release

2007-09-10T07:42:00.000-07:00

--For Immediate Release--

New Northern Virginia Firm to provide area families with personal ‘College Admissions Coaches’

(July 2007)

(Purcellville, Virginia) A new company has just opened its doors, to help area parents and their high school-age children get more organized in planning & preparing to get into their targeted colleges & universities.

After a year of fine-tuning their offerings, building an advanced, interactive website, and identifying & training a stable of experienced College Admissions ‘Coaches,’ College Vision, LLC, is ready to start working with local area students and their parents.

Founders Mark Stavish & Randy Trombly--two former AOL executives--have built a model in which parents & students can have their own personal ‘College Admissions Coaches’ to help them successfully get through the ‘maze’ of preparing, applying, and getting accepted into college.

“The truth is,” says Stavish, “that it’s often hard for teenagers to understand that the choices they make now…are going to have a dramatic effect on them when they’re ready to start applying to colleges. Our coaches provide the customized College Planning Assistance that’s often missing.”

Trombly adds: “Most parents really need to get themselves (and their students) serious about college planning by the 8th or 9th grade! Not only will our coaches help to simplify a very complicated, time-consuming, and often confusing process (and even help fill-out the forms…and meet the deadlines!) …but we’ll do so in a way that’s both convenient & fully-individualized for each family!”

Adds Stavish: “In addition to our primary focus on Academic preparation, we also have a special interest in helping those who have special talents, like Student-Athletes or Student-Musicians, to use those talents to develop opportunities with our students target schools. We want those special talents to open doors and not limit options to only those schools who have expressed and interest.”

Some of the College Admissions Coaching services that College Vision provides to its client families include: conducting comprehensive Academic Assessments; working with parents to develop specific strategies to motivate each student toward better Time-Management, improved Study Skills, and greater Academic Performance; assisting with SAT & ACT Test-Preparation; providing personalized family Financial Planning; helping to secure Scholarships & Financial Aid; and we even providing ‘coaching’ suggestions for Parents.

College Vision has Coaching Programs for 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th graders. And they also have coaching programs for those with other special talents…such as Music.

More information about College Vision can be found by visiting their website at www.MyCollegeVision.com, or by calling them at 703-431-7977.

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For more information, contact:

Randy Trombly
COO
College Vision, LLC
125 Hirst Road, Suite 4C
Purcellville, Virginia 20132
703-431-7977

Summer Colleges Visits:Duquesne

2007-08-16T06:54:00.000-07:00

I visited various colleges this summer. In the upcoming days, I will give you my impressions.

Duquesne is located in Pittsburgh. First, Pittsburgh is a great town. A lot to do and seemed safe. The campus is in downtown and elevated with a river on one side and looking up to Mount Washington on the other.

The campus was very clean and well maintained. The dorm rooms were spacious. Some of the rooms were getting new carpet and paint this summer. It was and easy to walk to all the buildings. This campus reminded me a lot of Loyola in Baltimore.

I think for a student looking for a school in a city environment, I would add this to your list.

Has anyone else visited Duquesne?

Blog coming soon

2007-06-07T08:39:00.001-07:00

Stay tuned for updates.