ICC Blog

Summer Activities for High School Students: Start Planning for Summer Now

Summer Activities for High School Students: Start Planning for Summer Now

It’s only January, yet now is the time to start planning summer activities for high school students. Engaging in summer activities can significantly enhance a student’s college application, showcasing qualities such as curiosity, drive, and initiative. While colleges consider the extracurriculars a student is engaged in during the school year; they also value evidence of…

How to Navigate an Early Action/ Early Decision Deferral

How to Navigate an Early Action/ Early Decision Deferral

Receiving an early action/ early decision deferral after applying for Early Decision (ED) or Early Action (EA) can be an unexpected turn in your college application journey. It’s natural to feel disappointed and uncertain about what steps to take next. However, note that the deferral isn’t a rejection; it simply means the admission committee needs…

The 2024-25 FAFSA is open. Everything you need to know.

The 2024-25 FAFSA is open. Everything you need to know.

We are happy to announce the opening of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the upcoming academic year. The FAFSA is a family’s gateway to accessing federal financial aid to help fund a student’s college education. Fill out the Federal Student Aid Estimator to see if filling out the 2024-25 FAFSA makes sense for your…

Proceed with Caution: Relying on ChatGPT for College Admissions Essays

Proceed with Caution: Relying on ChatGPT for College Admissions Essays

While using AI-powered tools such as ChatGPT is undeniably convenient and efficient, using it to craft college admissions essays is extremely risky. From the hundreds of essays we’ve read over the past year, the use of ChatGPT is not hard to spot. Most student essays that utilized ChatGPT felt extremely cold, were well above the…