Get Juniors and Seniors College Ready with The College Bound Organizer by Anna Costaras and Gail Liss

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book from Skyhorse Publishing ,free of charge, for blog review purposes on this blog. No compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it, all opinions are my own

Dubbed "The Ultimate Guide to Successful College Applications", this new book is JUST what college bound Juniors and Seniors need NOW, to make their path a success!

Synopsis:

College admissions is tougher than ever: 

Between now and 2020, about 90 million high schoolers in the U.S. will try to get into college. Each of these students will apply to many schools—5, 10, perhaps as many as 20—and each of those applications has a daunting number of T’s to cross and I’s to dot. 

With standardized test taking and school visits, the college application essay to write and forms to fill out, there is so much to do. Applying to college is intimidating and overwhelming for both teenagers and parents.

If you intend to be college bound: 

The challenge is to be well informed, prepared, focused and organized throughout the multi-step college search and admission process. 

Your solution is The College Bound Organizer, the ultimate guide to help students effectively navigate this very complicated and stressful process. The College Bound Organizer is your step-by-step comprehensive guide to organize every step of the college application process from college search through college admission.

Review:

This is not your traditional 'how to get into college' book, rather it's a step by step PLANNER and NOTEBOOK, all in one. It helps teens, and their parents, to keep all needed info in ONE place, so that kids can easily use it for applications, (as you can see above) and then keep track of when those apps are sent in, when received, and their results (see below). Plus it helps n the preplanning stages- checking out colleges and seeing what tests might be needed for each school, etc. It DOES offer some advice and info on basics, like which tests to take, what financial aid is common and how to apply, and help for interviews and admission requirements.

The ONLY thing that I saw missing is info on accommodations for those with special needs, and space to log that info on on testing and college sheets. That is a section that parents may want to notate in on applicable sections, and be aware, via discussions with your child, of what is needed for colleges generally to approve them, and what questions your child needs to ask on college visits. 

I would suggest buying the book during the time between Sophomore and Junior year, so your child can start using it, AS test scores come in, and more importantly, logging all the extras, before they forget what they did! Then, as they start checking out colleges Junior year, they can start logging them,and be ready to enter everything as it comes up Senior year. It really is the Ultimate Guide to keeping your SANITY during the college app process!  I knww WE WILL be using it for Miss Grace, to keep us more sane!

About the Authors:

As co-founders of Bound to Organize LLC, their mission is to empower students to successfully navigate the complicated and stressful college application process. "Our efforts are focused on providing guidance and support for all college bound students, regardless of where they apply." Costaras and Gill have conducted college application workshops at public libraries, participated in university-sponsored events on college admissions and provides support to non-profit organizations focused on college bound teens. Through the website, Bound to Organize and on Facebook, readers are updated on all the latest relevant news from the world of higher education and provided with all the resources necessary to get from college search to move-in day.

Anna Costaras holds a BS and MBA from New York University Stern School of Business. She is the founder of a college-bound mentoring program for underserved students and is actively involved in an educational enrichment program for children in need of after-school support as a volunteer, college mentor, and as a member of the board of directors.

Anna is a veteran of the college application process, having guided her three children on their paths to both undergraduate and graduate university programs. She lives in New York with her husband.

Gail Liss earned a MBA from New York University Stern School of Business, studied at The London School of Economics, and holds a BA from the University of Rochester. She is actively involved in a non-profit providing college bound support for inner city students and works with students in teen arts programs.

Gail counseled her three children through the application process, both undergraduate and graduate, and survived to write about it. She lives in New York with her husband.