Assist high school seniors in determining what colleges/universities are the best fit academically, financially, socially, and best for the student’s desired major/career goals. Rebecca will work with the student to develop a BALANCED COLLEGE LIST of reach, target, & likely schools. Late Spring of junior year and the Summer before senior year is THE BEST time to create this list to be ready for when the Common Application opens up on August 1st and to submit to early deadlines that usually take place in mid-October and November 1st.

• Determine the Best Application Plan Once College List is Developed, including if the student should apply Early Decision, Early Action, Regular Decision, and/or Rolling Admission.
• Application Development, Management, Monitoring, and Review for all Application Platforms used by the student including Common Application, Coalition Application, UCs Application, ApplyTexas, and individual institutional applications via their website.
• Provide one-on-one guidance with all aspects of filling out and reviewing every part of the various tedious and detailed college application(s) WAY BEFORE the posted deadline.
• This includes reviewing all supplemental essays and short answer questions required by some schools. It also consists of ensuring the Activities, Honors, and Self Reported Grades sections are drafted and completed correctly and that every question is filled out in its entirety. Answering one question wrong can affect your application’s outcome when it’s being reviewed by admissions officers. The simplest mistake can result in a decision your student doesn’t want. 

Assist in brainstorming for, developing, and editing the Main College Essay (Personal Statement) and all Supplemental Essays and short answer questions needed for every college application. This is a HUGE and essential component of the college application process. It allows the colleges to see the applicant’s unique qualities beyond the application and stats. It can make your college application stand apart from the rest. Rebecca will make sure their college essays are the best they can be, represent the student’s voice, and demonstrate their values. 

• Assist with developing and drafting the student’s Extracurricular Resume, which is sometimes part of an application’s supplemental items depending on the college.
• It is also a great way to organize the student’s activities, leadership roles, community service achievements, accolades, and any information needed for filling out the Activities Section on the applications.
• Did you know that the Common App only allows 150 characters to describe each of your activities? That’s fewer characters allowed in a Tweet to describe all of your accomplishments.
• Rebecca will assist with making sure those 150 characters are drafted and utilized in the best way possible to highlight the student’s dedication and achievements in their extracurricular activities.

Review and develop a reasonable and realistic Standardized Testing Plan and timeline to accomplish the student’s application goals and deadlines. She will also provide input on whether a student should submit test scores to Test-Optional schools. RK College Admissions does not offer SAT/ACT Prep. If a student needs additional test prep, she can provide the names of test prep centers her students have had great results and experience using.

• There are many pieces to a completed application in addition to what is filled out in the application. Rebecca will ensure all applications are COMPLETE even after submission.
• Assist the student in determining/requesting the best teacher letter of recommendation(s) (based on the application requirements) to showcase better the student’s positive values and reputation in and out of the classroom.
• She will ensure the student has completed any self-reported academic records required by different schools (SSAR, SRAR, Grades and Courses on the Common App) and has requested his/her transcripts in time in a timely manner to ensure all of the colleges received them on time.
• Ensure each student works with their in-school college advisor or school counselor to ensure all letters of recommendation, transcripts, and school reports are submitted on time.
• Ensure that the student completes all Post Application Submission tasks, including creating and managing their application portals, checking emails from the colleges applied to, and submitting anything missing to complete their admissions file.   

Assist the student and parents with filling out the FAFSA form and CSS profile (if applicable) correctly and on time in order for the student to get the best financial aid package possibly available based on the applicant’s financial need.

Assist the student and parents in choosing their Top pick-college/university based on admissions decisions, financial aid packages, and merit awards offered, which school is the best fit personally, financially, and has the best ROI (Return on Investment) after graduation. Provide input on the final decision after the student has visited his/her top three campuses to get a better feel for the school.

In the Spring of the student’s Freshman or Sophomore Year, Rebecca hosts a personalized Freshman and Sophomore College Readiness Consultation Strategy Session .”

In this special consultation, Rebecca will determine & assist younger students on ways to be more marketable college applicants. This is important for Sophomores! This is the best time to review student transcripts, course rigor, PSAT test scores, extracurricular activities, and community involvement and offer advice on ways to improve in those areas if needed before applying for college. Also, this is a great time to develop a manageable and efficient standardized testing plan. This will also help if the student plans to apply for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship and doesn’t have the requirements just yet. An action plan will be developed to achieve the goals set at our meeting. Beginning to work towards college admissions in sophomore year, will allow more time to get things right and augment what the student already has in their educational and extracurricular resume.