After acceptance into college, what activities are recommended for a high school senior to participate in?
Each student enrolled in our CPA program will be provided with action items to complete on a monthly basis. The checklist guides the student as well as provides reminders of deadlines to ensure that the student keeps up with important dates to be aware of during the school year.
Is it recommended for a student to take a year off in between high school and college?
It is not advisable for a student to take a year off in between high school and college. The tendency of most students who do take a year off is to procrastinate and eventually, never going to college.
What must a student do if the deadlines to college enrollments are missed?
Once the enrollment deadline to a college is missed, nothing can be done. The student can either apply to a different college/university or sign up to enroll into a community college and apply to transfer to the college of his/her choice the following year.
Does the College Planning of America program assist students with the college selection process?
Yes. A CPA Coach will walk a student through the college selection process step by step to assist the student in finding the best colleges for his/her interests. On average, students working with a CPA Coach, complete 7 to 10 applications in the college admissions process.
Does College Planning of America provide assistance for the college application process?
Yes. A CPA Coach will assist students in the college application process.
What kind of preparation is given to the student in studying for the SATs?
Reference guides for the SATs are given to the student, as well as links for the practice tests online.
What part of the application takes the most time?
Majority of applications will require at least one essay, which most students say takes the most time. The highly selective colleges may require more than one or two essays. It is highly recommended that students begin to practice writing essays prior to their senior year in high school.
Does the CPA Coach assist with the preparation of the college interview?
Our CPA Coach will guide the student in regards to the types of questions that may be asked during the interview. It is important that a student begins to know what his/her strengths and interests are and to practice talking about them.
Are scholarships awarded to only seniors in high school?
Scholarships may be awarded to students beginning in their freshman year. If aid is awarded to a student before the senior year, he/she will not receive the money until they actually go to college. In the meantime, the student must maintain eligibility requirements throughout high school to actually receive the money.
When scholarships are obtained, when are the funds disbursed to the student?
99% of scholarship money is held in escrow until the student is in college and the person or organization who awarded the scholarship will disburse the scholarship money to the school.
When should the FAFSA be submitted?
The student must fill out the FAFSA after January 1st of the year they are going to college in the fall.
Does the CPA Coach review the FAFSA before submission?
The CPA Coach may review the FAFSA before submission to ensure for any errors or corrections needed prior to submission.
Does the CPA Coach help a student get scholarships and grants? How many?
Depending on the grade level of the student and the time of year, a CPA Coach will send the student a list of multiple scholarships he/she can apply for. Scholarships are based on different factors such as interests, ethnicity, academic achievement, sports, etc. It is a good idea for the student to communicate with the CPA Coach so that the right type of scholarship applications are sent to the student. The student just has to keep track of the deadlines set for each scholarship application.
If a high school senior is applying late into the year, will he/she still be able to receive college acceptance and scholarships?
It is never too late to bring a senior into the program. However, if scholarship applications are completed later in the school year for the senior, scholarship offers and college acceptance will be very limited. There will be more funds available for the students who apply earlier.
Is the FAFSA and available aid affected if a student is over the age of 24?
The parents’ income does not count if a student over the age of 24 submits the FAFSA.
Is college acceptance a guarantee through the CPA program?
The success of College Planning of America is predicated on the commitment and effort of the student and parents to engage in the program. Our CPA Coach works diligently with a student through the college selection, application and admission process. Based on the student’s academic and extracurricular achievements, the CPA Coach will let the student know his/her chance of acceptance to each school they are considering to apply to. Ultimately, the responsibility lies on the student in following the guidance of the assigned CPA Coach.