As the school year begins, high school students are all faced with different challenges and opportunities as they navigate the college admissions journey. Seniors spend the fall confirming their college list, perfecting their personal statement, and finishing their supplemental essays, under the guidance and expertise of the Moon Prep counselors. For underclassmen, especially those interested in BS/MD programs, the focus for the fall is starting the year off strong in their classes to work towards a solid GPA and finding meaningful resume experiences, such as the machine learning research winter opportunity, Rising Researchers.
Essays, Essays, and More Essays!
If you have a senior in your household, have they created an Essay Map to make a plan for the supplemental essays ahead of them? Many parents do not realize there are many more essays involved in the college process than the Personal Statement, although we do have a guide to help you craft a remarkable Personal Statement, our College Essay Blueprint. And don’t forget to read our favorite Essays That Worked: Johns Hopkins and Harvard editions!
Right now, the majority of the Moon Prep team is already at capacity for this admissions cycle, however, we do still have openings available with seasoned essay coaches. Moon Prep’s experienced essay coaches are standing by to help seniors stay on track with essays and tackle their personal statement, supplemental essays, activity lists, resumes, and more. Essays are essential to a strong application, as they can make or break their college applications. It’s not all about standardized test scores, GPA, and AP scores! Seniors often find themselves writing 50+ essays. For BS/MD candidates that number is closer to 70+! We even have a guide to cover ideas for the most Common Supplemental Essays for you to review the essays ahead of you. Do not hesitate and risk falling too far behind on these essays!
Each year, the Moon Prep team reaches capacity and sadly we must turn away seniors who waited to the last minute to seek guidance. Contact us today for a free consultation with a counselor or essay coach, while we still have the capacity to help your student.
BS/MD and College Admissions News
BS/MD and Traditional College Updates For The 2022-23 Admissions Cycle:
Brown University’s PLME is a top BS/MD choice for our students year after year, with the program receiving well over 3,500 applications each year. For this admissions cycle, Brown has extended their test-optional policy and will evaluate after this year if they will continue forward as test-optional. Brown offers the unique opportunity to include a video introduction with your application to get to know you in your own voice. Don’t forget to plan out your video alongside your admissions essays!
Miami University in Ohio is waiving application fees for students applying by November 1.
ED or not ED?
Many seniors are putting the final touches to their college list now and making big decisions about the admissions deadlines ahead of them. At Moon Prep, we advise every student to apply to the schools by their early application dates to have the best chance at acceptance. The reasons for this are detailed in our Applying Early guide. Unfortunately, this strategy also accompanies navigating the tricky landscape of binding early decision rounds. We wrote a past blog post on our website to help you understand and break down each early application option, between Early Decision I, Early Decision II, Restrictive Early Action, and Early Action (non-binding). While students can only ED to one school, there are additional “rules” to consider in each category of early application types. Remember, for BS/MD programs, there is no option to apply “early decision” to the BS/MD program. Make sure you are using a Moon Prep college list resource to ensure your college list is well-balanced.
Another New AP Class
Closely on the heels of the news we shared earlier this summer about the College Board announcing a new AP Pre-Calculus class, the organization is making strides to offer a new elective class in a very different field than mathematics. 60 schools were chosen to pilot the new Advanced Placement course in African American studies this fall. This new course offering will focus on literature and history curriculum from an African-centered perspective. Additional schools are being planned for the pilot program’s second year. Students interested in BS/MD programs might want to consider adding this to the course schedule. Read the full story on Education Week.
FAFSA Approaches!
We are a month away from an event in the college admissions cycle that often leaves parents with the most anxiety, filling out the FAFSA. October is the “tax season” of the college world, and just like with tax season, it is best to gather your documents early to be prepared. The FAFSA opens availability for current seniors on October 1. There is a lot of information available on the web about the FAFSA, especially about how aid is calculated, but we highly recommend each of our families apply regardless of their financial situation. In the meantime, we invite you to watch our recent Financial Aid webinar, which includes a breakdown of the types of aid available to students, as well as our guide to Understanding The FAFSA.
College Application Costs
In addition to the substantial work involved with completing the essays required by each college, it is no secret that college application fees can quickly add up. This is just a reminder to our families, if your household qualifies for the ACT/SAT fee waiver, you are eligible for college application fee waivers for the colleges on your list.
For underclassmen, it’s time to be strategic about how you spend time outside the classroom during the school year. Thankfully, we have you covered. Registration is now open for the Winter session of Rising Researchers, Machine Learning for Health Equity Research Intensive Camp. This an 8-week (January 9 – March 23) online research class under a researcher from UMass Amherst. The course is designed to provide you with an introduction to statistical and machine learning techniques for understanding, finding, and explaining health equity gaps in electronic health records data.
The best part? Students receive 2 college credit hours and there are no course prerequisites, 9-11 grades are encouraged to apply. Apply by Nov 1 to get $200 off the total cost!
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Scholarships
September financial aid advice: As you finish your supplemental essays for college this fall, you can simultaneously search for scholarships that match the prompts for your supplemental essays. This is the perfect opportunity to snag extra funds for college tuition with minimal effort.
$500 AES Engineers Scholarship, due October 8
Want to reuse that Why Medicine essay you just finished? This scholarship simply asks for a 500+ word essay answering the prompt, “When you look back on your life in 30 years, what would it take for you to consider your life successful? What relationships or accomplishments will be important on this journey?” Apply here.
Chick-fil-A Community Scholars, due November 2
For our students who have been working hard to add community service and leadership to their resumes during high school, this scholarship is the perfect opportunity to be rewarded for those hours. 12 recipients will receive an award of $25,000. Apply here.
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In The Media
Check out our recent articles and interviews with our counselors:
Forbes: Four Red Flags To Look Out For With Direct Medical Programs
Forbes: Five Of The Most Flexible Direct Medical Programs
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Stay Connected
Want the latest college admissions and BS/MD news?
Text @moonprep to 81010 for updates on news, events, and specials!
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