JUNIORS

• Remember to make and keep appointments with your school college counselor and complete any college forms that your school requires.

• Choose which email you are going to use for your college applications and make sure to use that same email when signing up for college events. This will allow colleges that track demonstrated interest to see how much you've interacted with them.

SENIORS

• Keep your second semester grades up while you wait to hear from colleges.

• Many colleges are starting to release their admissions decisions. Decide how you want to open yours - with family, friends, or by yourself. It's totally up to you!

Common App Personal Essay Prompts for the 2026-27 Application Cycle

The Common App has announced that they will continue to use the same 7 essay prompts for the personal statement in next year’s application cycle. Click here for a list of the specific prompts and to see which prompts are p0pular in this year’s cycle.

How to Make the Most of College Visits

Attend an information session and official tour. It can be a good idea to do a virtual information session beforehand to have an idea of what to expect. Register for in-person events early. Students should use the email they will use for their applications so the colleges can track demonstrated interest.

• Take a photo of the tour guide in front of a major building (it will help you remember the tour).

• Before you go, reach out to anyone you know on campus and ask if you can meet up for coffee or lunch. It is helpful to hear about students’ experiences.

• Ask the admissions office if it is possible to sit in on a class in a subject that interests you.

• Grab a snack or lunch at the dining hall or campus center. Look around at how the students are interacting.

• Check out the library.

• Pick up a copy of school publications like the newspaper or magazines. It will help you find out the important issues on campus.

• Explore the neighborhood around the campus. Are there places you would like to spend time? Do you feel safe?

• If you have learning differences or physical disabilities, stop by the office of disabilities to get a feel for how much support they will be able to offer.

• Take your time. It is tempting to try to fit in several college tours in a day, but it’s important to give yourself time to get to know a school.

• Write down notes during or after the visit. Include any anecdotes or specifics that you learned. They will be very helpful when it comes time to write your applications!

Virtual Volunteer Opportunities for High Schoolers

Here are some suggestions for volunteer opportunities that high school students can do remotely. Click the organization name for more information.

Politically-Focused

• Turn Up: Geared for teens, the remote Youth Activism Internship teaches volunteers how to amplify youth civic engagement on issues like climate change, criminal justice, reproductive rights, ending gun violence, and combating voter suppression in the United States.

Service

• Be My Eyes: Connects volunteers with blind and low-vision individuals through a video app to provide visual assistance on a variety of things (expiration dates, reading instructions, etc.) Students must download the app, sign up as a sighted volunteer, and select the language.

• Operation Gratitude: Students can write cards and thank you letters to individuals who have served our country.

Elders

• Love For Our Elders: Write letters to senior citizens, host a letter drive, or start a chapter at your high school.

• Adopt a Nursing Home: Students can volunteer to write messages (online or physical letters) to nursing home residents to keep their spirits high.

Tech

• TED Translators: Volunteer to add subtitles to TED talks.

• Mozilla: Students can volunteer to help Mozilla (the organization behind Firefox) with programming, designing, and testing content.

Education

• Learn to Be: Tutor elementary, middle or high school students with a variety of subjects.

• UPchieve: Students can volunteer to tutor low-income students.

Science

• NASA’s Citizen Science Project: Students can participate in projects and research.

• Science Buddies: Available to 10-12th-grade students. The volunteers help increase science literacy and foster enthusiasm for K-12 science and science fair projects. The volunteer opportunities are flexible, virtual, and often take less than an hour per week.

• STEM-E: Provides virtual volunteering opportunities for all high school grades in various STEM fields. They help students gain experience, connect with mentors, and prepare them for professional environments.

News About Colleges

• USC is introducing Early Decision admissions for most of its undergraduate programs, starting with applicants for the 2027-2028 academic year. Students interested in applying Early Decision must submit their application by November 1st, 2026. Read the full article here. 

• Preliminary data from this year’s Common App shows an increase in students submitting test scores and a decrease in international applicants. Read the article here.

• What’s Driving the Spike in College Students with Disabilities. Diagnoses for ADHD, autism and anxiety in college students have increased over the last decade. Read the article here.

About Karen Handler Ryan

At Excelsior Admissions Consulting, Karen uses her expertise to take the stress out of the college application process for students and their families.

Born and raised in New York City, Karen is an alumna of Trinity School in Manhattan and received her B.A. in Psychology with Honors from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. She received her J.D. from Columbia University Law School and went on to practice law at a major international firm. She has completed the University of California Irvine Independent Educational Consultant Certificate Program and Columbia University Teachers College Advising Program.

As a volunteer college consultant for ScholarMatch and a member of the Yonkers Partners in Education, Karen is a staunch advocate for equity in education. Believing that first-hand knowledge of colleges and universities facilitates the ability to create a successful match between a student and a school, she travels across the country visiting different colleges.