Since it is back to school season and education/local school rankings are part of the evaluation process people with families consider when they buy a house I thought I would share 5 college admissions tips (I know college is not usually part of the home buying experience) you could share with your clients or anyone else who has a high school student.
1) Make friends with teachers
Your HS student doesn't have to sit with them at lunch, but remember that at least two of their teachers will be writing college recommendations. Remind them to forge good relationships-stay active in class discussions and keep them posted on extracurricular activities and achievements. The better they know your student, the more praise they can bestow.
2) Study the schools
The best college applicants know details about their top choices college including:
- the name of the library
- where students hang out for coffee after class
- a star professor they'd love to take a class with
Go beyond the basics of class size and location and find out what makes their top choice school special. The extra effort will shine through in their applications.
3) Ace those standardized tests
Schedule standardized tests (take them twice, if your student can), and make sure they study up! Now that school's back in session and they got all that sunbathing out of their system, they'll be able to motivate themselves to go through those practice tests and vocab cards.
4) Manage your time
Winning essays weren't written in a weekend: brainstorming, drafting, editing, and sharing their work can take months. Have them leave plenty of time to work on essays, even if it means TIVO-ing a few season premieres. A fat envelope in the spring will be worth it.
5) Challenge yourself
If they love science, encourage them to take the hardest science classes offered at school. If writing is their thing, they might want to freelance for a local newspaper. Have them go above and beyond; show admissions offices their not afraid to be passionate and take risks. That's one life lesson that won't just help them get into college, but get them through life.
What other tips would you share with those seeking college admissions?
yone who advertises their real estate listing online you might want to check out the New Zillow Advertising Network. The network was formed by Zillow.com and a newspaper consortium made up of 282 major newspapers. You can read the full details on mediabuyerplanner.com. Most ad networks give you greater reach without creating more work for you (it is a one stop shopping experience). 
