CMH College Consulting

The PSAT is just around the corner - October 14th to be exact. So, what is the PSAT, who should take it and why? "The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) is a program cosponsored by the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). It's a standardized test that provides firsthand practice for the SAT®. It also gives you a chance to enter NMSC scholarship programs and gain access to college and career planning tools (CollegeBoard, http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/about.html)." While 9th and 10th grade students are encouraged to take the test for practice, the only year that "counts" is the 11th grade. The test is given once nationally and students must register for it. Although the test's most commonly known purpose is for the awarding of National Merit Scholarship's, it really has several benefits for all students. The biggest advantage of taking the test is to provide a baseline i

It's hard to believe that college deadlines are already approaching. When determining when to submit your applications there are a few things to remember: First, check to see whether a college has Early Action or Early Decision. Make sure you understand whether the school's policy is binding or has restrictions. Most Early Decision's require you to commit to the school if you are admitted. This means you must also withdraw all other applications. Early Action means that you are in an early round, however, depending on the school, you may be restricted to how many Early Action school's you can apply to. Second, make sure that you have completed all the required testing and acquired all the appropriate paperwork necessary to meet each decision deadline. If you still need to take the SAT in Nov or Jan, an Early Action or Decision is probably not the best plan. The same logic applies if you are counting on your senior year grades to boost your GPA. Finally, don't