More Than a Test Score

Hey guys, we are always looking for ways to get more information on how we can better serve you and make your college application and decision processes a little easier. College admission officers are always eager for your feedback in the process as well. So this week we came up with a quick survey so we can get some of your feedback. The survey will not take long and it will ask you questions of your college application and decision process so far.

It is 37 questions in total and takes just a couple of minutes to fill out.

Congratulations to Stefania Pinto, the Weekly “Three Sentence Essay” Scholarship winner for this week! Our prompt on leaving behind a legacy generated a lot of unique perspectives, but Stefania showed us it’s not just about what you do, but what you can overcome as well!

Here is her winning essay:
After being diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 16, the legacy I hope to leave for the next generation is one of a survivor. A survivor of not only the cancer that was literally extinguished from my body, but of all the petty negativity that can so easily affect people.

Here is a little more about our winner:
I am a senior at Miami Palmetto Senior High and I was born in Italy. My family is Venezuelan and Italian and I speak both languages fluently, aside from English. I am a survivor of breast cancer; being diagnosed has actually inspired me to study psychology to become a counselor for kids battling with terminal diseases, such as cancer.

Here are a few runner-ups:

Nicholas Mugge: My grandfather was one of the first successful entrepreneurs in Tampa, Florida. My grandfather earned a PhD and taught English at Maryland. I want to have my descendants be inspired by my accomplishments as a lawyer and include me in that list.

Sumaya Bouadi: I would leave a literary legacy, of perfect prose, of brilliant ideas wrapped up in occasionally lovable, deeply human characters. I would like to leave a legacy of not only intelligence, but of beauty and empathy – a legacy wrapped up in paper and printed in ink.

Martha Ortega: I don’t need to win a dozen awards to be widely recognized. The only “legacy” I feel the need to leave behind is to make a difference in at least one person’s life. And when that person seeks out their dreams my legacy can live forever.

Find this week’s essay prompt and submit your essay for the opportunity to be one step closer to paying for your college education here.

Congratulations to the Weekly “Three Sentence Essay” Scholarship winner, Christian Keeve! Well put, Christian, you deserve this scholarship!

Here is his winning essay:
Atlas Shrugged put the world on my shoulders. I will be a giant in my lifetime, striding through the tick-tocking universe.  My mind will shape reality.

Here is a little more about our winner:
Always thinking thinking thinking. I’m really a scientific dreamer, but I have a very varied mind. I’m interested in botany, electrical engineering, geophysics, mechanical engineering, environmental science, history, political science, aerospace engineering and architecture, what have you. Really big nerd. I would love to go somewhere small and cozy, yet lively and intellectually stimulating–for some reason I’m really drawn to the Pacific Northwest.

Here are some runner-ups:

Dakota Brambletter: If I were to choose a book that changed my life, it would be “The House of the Scorpion”. The book was discovered when I was in the fifth grade; I had, for the first time, read a book on my own. The exhilaration and magic that flowed through those pages made me love books forever.

Denita Benson: As odd as it sounds, the “Actionscript Bible” completely changed my life. I’d been flipping through it one day at school and became completely absorbed. That book sparked my interest to become a game programmer, and I’ve been programming ever since. How’s THAT for life changing?

Alessia Pizzorni: The only life changing book I have ever read is “Cime Tempestose” or “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Bronte. Not because of the book’s plot or characters, but because it was the first book I ever read in Italian. Emily Bronte gave me courage to discover literature in a new language.

Submit your essay this week and you could be next week’s winner and be one step closer to paying for you college education!

Early decision truly does improve your chances of getting into your dream school. But early decision applications are a serious deal–a legal and binding contract.

As you head into the early application season it is important that you are informed of your options. To help, Zinch’s very own Steve Cohen, author of the best-selling book ever written on college admissions, recently wrote a Forbes blog post with the must-knows on early admissions.

Steve’s first matter of business: make sure you know your options.

- Early Decision is the most popular admission option offered by colleges.  High school seniors get to choose one – and only one – “early decision” college to apply to.  Kids must submit their application to the college by November 1st (or Nov. 15 for smaller liberal arts schools).   And in turn, the college lets the applicant know the committee’s decision by December 15th.  Now here’s the key:  that admission is binding. When you apply, the parent, student and counselor all sign a contract committing the student to attend that college if admitted.  The student must attend.  It is a valid contract, and schools almost never let the student – or the parent who is paying – off the hook.  Renege on that commitment and you will owe the college a full year’s tuition.

- Early Action – you may apply to more than one of these schools; and you are not legally bound to attend.

- Rolling Admission – The earlier you apply, the earlier you hear.  Admissions under rolling programs are not binding.

The two biggest upsides of early decisions are, “First, the odds of getting into a highly selective school are noticeably better,” say Steve, “And second, the admissions frenzy and pressure is relieved early in the student’s senior year.”

For the stats on your how advantageous early decisions are go to the Forbes article. For even more of Steve’s college admissions advice visit his writings at the ZinchParents.com blog.

More students took the ACT than the SAT for the first time ever in 2010. Which test are you taking?