Ep. 64 // How Does A GPA Work?

How do I find a college for me? Is there a right college for my student? How many colleges should be on my list? If you have asked one of these questions or similar questions, this episode is for you! Today we are going to talk about the key considerations in your student’s college search. 

Links from the Episode:

• https://www.nacacnet.org/nacac-college-fairs/
• https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-search/filters
• https://www.collegefairguide.com/
• https://www.collegexpress.com/

This show is for the confused college applicant and family to learn simple and effective strategies to help you find the BEST college for your student while having positive conversations. This will turn you into the College Ready applicant and family so you can be confident with your next steps and your choice of college!

You can also download our free guide on How to Start or Expand Your College Search here.  You can also follow me on social media at Confused to College Ready.

Schedule your free 15-minute college search consultation meeting here! 

I’m Courtney Kountz and I’m looking forward to serving you and your student!

Conversations with admission offices are a large part of the college search, whether you are talking with admissions representatives about questions you have in your first interactions with the college, or if you are getting ready for an alumni interview. This is your student’s chance to make a great first impression! This interview tip guide will make sure your student is confident as they approach this exciting time of their lives!

This show is for the confused college applicant and family to learn simple and effective strategies to help you find the BEST college for your student while having positive conversations. This will turn you into the College Ready applicant and family so you can be confident with your next steps and your choice of college!

You can also download our free guide on How to Start or Expand Your College Search here.  You can also follow me on social media at Confused to College Ready.

Schedule your free 15-minute college search consultation meeting here! 

I’m Courtney Kountz and I’m looking forward to serving you and your student!

Knowing about your options for college can seem daunting at first! If you're like many of the families I work with you may have asked yourself one of these questions. How do I choose a college? What are the right schools? How do I get started with the search? When should I start visiting colleges? Where can I find the best college search tools? 

Even if you aren’t sure what to do, take a deep breath, and know that these steps will help you kickstart your college search and make some choices about your college selection.
 
This show is for the confused college applicant and family to learn simple and effective strategies to help you find the BEST college for your student while having positive conversations. This will turn you into the College Ready applicant and family so you can be confident with your next steps and your choice of college!

You can also download our free guide on How to Start or Expand Your College Search here.  You can also follow me on social media at Confused to College Ready.

Schedule your free 15-minute college search consultation meeting here! 

I’m Courtney Kountz and I’m looking forward to serving you and your student!

The winter break is over and a new semester is starting! This is the time of year when semesters already ended or they will be. Whether you are starting new classes, or a new marking period, the way we think, and encourage our children to think, about the new beginning can make a huge difference in how the semester goes.

This show is for the confused college applicant and family to learn simple and effective strategies to help you find the BEST college for your student while having positive conversations. This will turn you into the College Ready applicant and family so you can be confident with your next steps and your choice of college!

You can also download our free guide on How to Start or Expand Your College Search here.  You can also follow me on social media at Confused to College Ready.

Schedule your free 15-minute college search consultation meeting here! 

I’m Courtney Kountz and I’m looking forward to serving you and your student!

Your student worked SO hard on their college applications! From The effort they put in over the last four years with their coursework and extracurricular activities, to completing college applications, spending hours on making sure the essay is JUST RIGHT and that it has the right college name on it, and then you have to wait….and wait….and wait! Have you ever heard the saying “Hurry up and Wait?” It isn’t easy, but today I want to talk about some steps you can take and how to survive the waiting game for your admissions decisions!

This show is for the confused college applicant and family to learn simple and effective strategies to help you find the BEST college for your student while having positive conversations. This will turn you into the College Ready applicant and family so you can be confident with your next steps and your choice of college!

You can also download our free guide on How to Start or Expand Your College Search here.  You can also follow me on social media at Confused to College Ready.

Schedule your free 15-minute college search consultation meeting here! 

I’m Courtney Kountz and I’m looking forward to serving you and your student!

Several career assessment quizzes can help your students consider possible careers that may be a fit for them. There are multiple aptitude tests and career interest inventories that can provide helpful information as your student begins their career and college search. Today we are going to talk through 6 different tools to help your student start their exploration! 

Links Mentioned in the Episode

16 Personalities: https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test 

MAPP Career Assessment https://www.assessment.com/ 

MyNextMove Interest Profiler: https://www.mynextmove.org/explore/ip 

Holland Code Career Quiz: https://www.truity.com/test/holland-code-career-test 

Career Personality Profiler: https://www.truity.com/view/tests/personality-career 

Career Explorer: https://www.careerexplorer.com/ 

Roadtrip Nation: https://roadtripnation.com/

This show is for the confused college applicant and family to learn simple and effective strategies to help you find the BEST college for your student while having positive conversations. This will turn you into the College Ready applicant and family so you can be confident with your next steps and your choice of college!

You can also download our free guide on How to Start or Expand Your College Search here.  You can also follow me on social media at Confused to College Ready.

Schedule your free 15-minute college search consultation meeting here! 

I’m Courtney Kountz and I’m looking forward to serving you and your student!

December is here and more and more conversations will circle around how people plan to spend the winter break. If you’re like most of the families I work with, and my family, you are looking forward to the winter break from school! We have a lot that is still coming in the next few weeks, but having time away from routines, busy schedules, and having family time is something so many are looking forward to! I’m going to share 7 ways you can spend your winter break!



This show is for the confused college applicant and family to learn simple and effective strategies to help you find the BEST college for your student while having positive conversations. This will turn you into the College Ready applicant and family so you can be confident with your next steps and your choice of college!

You can also download our free guide on How to Start or Expand Your College Search here.  You can also follow me on social media at Confused to College Ready.

I’m Courtney Kountz and I’m looking forward to serving you and your student!

Do you know how to search for scholarships? ’ll never forget the day I got an email from a parent in a state of shock over college price tags. I could sense the panic in her words. She had no idea how much college cost, and more importantly how they were going to pay for it! Today we are going to talk about when and how you can start searching for scholarships and navigate college expenses and how to pay for them.

You can find links referenced in the podcast below.

Fastweb: https://www.fastweb.com/
College Board Opportunity Scholarship: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/bigfuture-scholarships
Cappex: https://www.appily.com/scholarships
FAFSA: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa
CSS Profile: https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org/

This show is for the confused college applicant and family to learn simple and effective strategies to help you find the BEST college for your student while having positive conversations. This will turn you into the College Ready applicant and family so you can be confident with your next steps and your choice of college!

You can also download our free guide on How to Start or Expand Your College Search here.  You can also follow me on social media at Confused to College Ready.

I’m Courtney Kountz and I’m looking forward to serving you and your student!

As we get closer to December 1, parents may be wondering what to do if their student still hasn’t applied to any colleges. Don’t stress! There are still options and we are going to look at the steps you need to take with the college application process. Maybe your senior already submitted applications but is considering applying to another school or they are interested in applying to an honors college. If you have underclassmen at home, this is still something you can benefit from in learning about what you should expect in the college application process. The sooner you start thinking about everything, the more time you have to not feel stressed For those of you with seniors, let’s get this party started!

You can find links referenced in the podcast below.

College Board Big Future: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/
CollegeXpress: https://www.collegexpress.com/
Common Application: https://www.commonapp.org/
Coalition Application: https://www.coalitionforcollegeaccess.org/
Common Black College Application: https://commonblackcollegeapp.com/


This show is for the confused college applicant and family to learn simple and effective strategies to help you find the BEST college for your student while having positive conversations. This will turn you into the College Ready applicant and family so you can be confident with your next steps and your choice of college!

You can also download our free guide on How to Start or Expand Your College Search here.  You can also follow me on social media at Confused to College Ready.

I’m Courtney Kountz and I’m looking forward to serving you and your student!

Today we are going to talk about the upcoming FAFSA New Changes for the 2024-2025 school year. The FAFSA is the official federal aid tool to determine if students qualify for federal aid to pay for college. Even if you won’t qualify for need-based aid, your college may require you to complete the FAFSA. Learn about the newest updates today! 

You can find links referenced in the podcast below. 

• Federal Student Aid Estimator: https://studentaid.gov/aid-estimator/ 
• FAFSA Prototype: https://financialaidtoolkit.ed.gov/tk/announcement-detail.jsp?id=fafsa-prototype 
• Federal Student Aid: https://studentaid.gov/ 
• FAFSA: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa 

This show is for the confused college applicant and family to learn simple and effective strategies to help you find the BEST college for your student while having positive conversations. This will turn you into the College Ready applicant and family so you can be confident with your next steps and your choice of college!

You can also download our free guide on How to Start or Expand Your College Search here.  You can also follow me on social media at Confused to College Ready.

I’m Courtney Kountz and I’m looking forward to serving you and your student!