Different schools have different resources; private schools often have a college adviser, but many do not. Public schools generally have guidance counselors or career centers, but that small number of people is serving thousands of students, often for issues other than college applications- not optimal for personalized attention.

N.A.P. International has the unique dual experience of both the journalism and college admissions worlds.

This allows us to combine strong communication and research skills with the knowledge and experience of the educational arena.

Most importantly, your child is the number one focus during all sessions, and since N.A.P. International is working with a fraction of the students a guidance counselor at a large high school would (in fact, we limit the number of students we work with), personalization and specialization become key aspects of your family’s application process.

Glad you asked!

Students should think about college starting at the beginning of high school, using this to inform decisions on what classes to take, extra-curriculars to participate in, and service activities to become involved in. We can schedule a planning session for incoming freshman so your family can maximize your student’s time- before you know it, junior year will be upon you and it could be too late.

College counseling is excellent to start in 8th or 9th grade, so the counselor and parents can map out a plan and a timeline for the student to follow to best position themselves for college admissions.

AP tests are generally taken starting sophomore year and can go through senior year, depending on when the student takes particular classes.

Test preparation generally begins at the end of sophomore year, the summer before junior year, or during junior year; students may be on different timelines, and that is OK!

By the middle of junior year, students should have taken at least one standardized test (SAT or ACT); by the middle of senior year, they should have taken their chosen test at least two but no more than four times.

The actual college application process should begin the summer before the student’s senior year; this allows time to compile a list of colleges to apply to as well as their respective admissions requirements, and begin those essays.

N.A.P. International generally works with high school students at various points in their high school careers for all types of advising, and usually begins work with prospective college students anywhere from July to February of their senior years.

Remember, though: the earlier, the better! Removing the pressure of time from the process also removes much of the stress.

Students are certainly busy these days; that isn’t up for debate. However, time must be made for college applications and test prep to see results. No Anxiety Prep will customize a plan to your family’s needs and goals.

Remember, most every other student competing with you for college admission is in the same boat: good grades, participation in outside activities, service work. Your student needs to stand out!

It may mean that certain social or extracurricular activities take a backseat for a few weeks or months, but that time period will be just a tiny blip when you look back on it… as your settling into the dorm at a great college!

N.A.P. specializes in the essay and research portions of the college admissions process; our work will save you time!

A good score is hard to quantify. For some students, attaining a score above the national average is a major achievement. For others, nothing under a 1400 will do.

There is no right or wrong answer; a good score is one that gets your student where he/she wants to be. A benchmark we use is this: A “good” score is one that puts your child in the 75th percentile or above of the accepted pool of students for the school(s) you’re looking at, statistics that can be found on many websites and that we can help you ascertain.

That doesn’t mean a guaranteed admission by any means; students in a lower percentile may be admitted while those in a higher may be denied (as mentioned above, there are numerous factors that go into admission, which we are more than happy to discuss with you.)

Score increases are based on many things: the student’s starting score, the work ethic/homework completion, practice tests taken, how long before the actual test that prep started, and how many sessions of prep there were. However, 90% of our students go up over 150 points on the SAT and 3-4 points on the ACT, with multiple students achieving increases of 400-600 points on the SAT and 7-15 points on the ACT. The sky is truly the limit if the student is willing to work.

Overall, a good score is one that shows your student’s improvement and makes him, her, or them feel good about themselves.

As much as N.A.P. would like to guarantee admission into someone’s dream college, the nature of the college admissions process is unpredictable.

Numerous factors go into the admissions process, such as GPA, strength of class schedule, extra-curriculars, test scores, essays, legacy, race, geography, individual college preferences…the list is endless.

Therefore, no matter someone’s scores or credentials, no guarantees can be made. Students with perfect scores have been turned down from Ivies; students with less than stellar grades have been accepted to their choice colleges.

N.A.P. works closely with college admission officers and uses the most current information on college admissions and essay writing, as well as over a decade of experience helping other students attain admission to their choice schools.

In fact, 90% of our students attain admission to at least one of their top three schools, and 75% are offered some form of merit-based aid!

If only it were that easy!

Scores are a big part, but not the only part, of the admissions process.

While it is tempting to compare your student with other students, such comparisons are not valid because of the aforementioned unpredictable nature of the college admissions process.

Score ranges provided by colleges and college selection books are helpful, but just because a student is in the range of scores or GPA does not mean they are guaranteed acceptance.

N.A.P. strives to give students a competitive edge with essays and applications that stand out to admissions officials.

N.A.P. knows there are many choices in the college counseling arena. However, we are the best choice because our company combines what every student needs: personalized attention with experience and proven results.

As a small company, we aren’t simply signing students up and moving them through our programs like an assembly line. We work with a small number of students to ensure those students are getting the most personalized attention.

Additionally, N.A.P.’s staff has been in the college preparation business full-time for over ten years and draws on that foundational experience, combined with continuous professional development in college admissions news, to ensure each student is listened to and assisted with their final goals in mind.

In the last few years alone, N.A.P. International has helped students procure acceptance letters and/or scholarships from Columbia, Princeton, Harvard, Emory, University of Pennsylvania, NYU, Tufts, Boston University, Xavier, Penn State, University of Maryland, Georgetown, Washington University of St. Louis, Bucknell, and The New School (Manhattan), just to name a few. See our Results page for more!

You can expect the most personalized, expert attention available from N.A.P. for your student.

You can expect experienced college counselors with strong backgrounds in communication and journalism with advanced degrees from schools like Harvard, Yale, and Northwestern.

You can expect timely communication and frequent availability to answer your questions, and someone who genuinely cares about your student’s success.

From you, N.A.P. International expects parental involvement when necessary, consistent communication as to your family’s goals and expectations, and a quiet place to work.

Most importantly, expect N.A.P. to make the college admissions process much less stressful!

Just scroll up, hit the “Work With No Anxiety Prep” button at the top of the page, drop us a line, and we’ll get to work!