College planners are professionals who help students and families to make the right decisions regarding the college planning process. College planning usually involves finding the right college, preparing for SAT and ACT and finding funds like scholarships or grants. It is a complicated process that requires a bit of experience to accomplish successfully. College planners guide students in preparing for college and also to ensure a good college experience. Hiring the services of a college planner can also significantly reduce the cost of college education
A good college planner will carefully consider a student’s abilities and aspirations before considering other factors. They provide you with online aptitude tests and phone interviews with professional councilors to understand what your capabilities are. This will provide you with an opportunity to clarify your doubts regarding college admissions and what will best work for you. An experienced college planner will provide you with a list of options containing colleges that match you academically, socially and financially.
The SAT or ACT scores are combined with your High school GPA by colleges to get a better idea about your academic success. As scoring well in these tests is an important factor in ensuring good college selection College planners will provide you with preparation classes that will get you familiarized with the format of the tests and enable you to score well. College is one of the most major financial events for many families. College planners will help you find scholarships and grants that will reduce the overall college costs for the family.
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation or NMSC is a non-profit and independent organization that conducts the National Merit Scholarship Program and National Achievement Scholarship Program. Annual competitions are held by both programs for recognition and college scholarships. The National Merit Scholarship Program is open to all students who are eligible while the National Achievement Scholarship Program is only open to black American students. The PSAT/ NMSQT or the Preliminary SAT and National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test is a multiple-choice test which consists of three parts. They are Critical Reading section, Writing section and Mathematics section. All sections are multiple-choice and do not include a student written essay.
The three types of Merit scholarships include the National Merit $2500 scholarships, College-sponsored Merit Scholarship Award and the Corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship Awards. You can check with your local high school to determine the date and time of the PSAT offered. Students who intend to spend four years in high school must take the PSAT in their third year. NMSC scholarships should be used exclusively for undergraduate education at an accredited university or college in the United States.
The author is an experienced college planner. Successful Education Solutions provides various services like SAT prep course, ACT prep course and Help Paying for College.
