“I got in!” Who doesn’t like to hear those words when it comes to the college search process?

According to The College Board, “five to eight (college) applications are usually enough to ensure that a student is accepted into a suitable institution.” But how does one go about figuring out which colleges to apply to?

To help with the college search process, the National Honor Societies are debuting college admission and planning tools exclusively for student members and their parents. To kick off this effort, NHS and NJHS launched a three-part college admission and planning webinar series in November focused on college admission applications. Parents and students who were unable to participate can view the webinar on the NHS or NJHS websites. Encourage members and parents to visit these sites and explore the areas under “College Admission & Planning” on www.nhs.us and www.njhs.us websites for additional information.

Following the November webinar, students participated in a Twitter Town Hall using #Prep4College. Visit Twitter and check out the hashtag for insight into conversations students are having related to college applications.

Financing college opens up an entirely new challenge. With more than $185 billion in financial aid available (according to The College Board), the National Honor Societies will help members and parents navigate the financial aid process with a second webinar on February 17. Get the word out to your members and their parents to register and participate. Registration will open soon through the student and parent sections of the NHS and NJHS websites. Like the November event, this webinar will be archived for later viewing and will be accompanied by a Twitter Town Hall discussion.

Members and parents will also have access to an exclusive scholarship search tool, offering prefiltered results aligned to the pillars of NHS—scholarship, service, leadership, and character—through the NHS website in early 2016.

There are more than 3,800 college and university options, so students can easily get overwhelmed when determining which one is right for them. The final webinar for this academic year will take place on March 23, focusing on “college fit.” This webinar should be particularly helpful for high school members who may be in the process of more carefully identifying their ideal choices, as well as for middle level members who are in the beginning stages of identifying college and career goals. Registration will be available through the NHS and NJHS student and parent sections of the website. A Twitter Town Hall will follow.

Be sure you are following the National Honor Societies on social media for posts to alert you with further details about all NHS and NJHS activities, including these webinars. Like us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/nhsandnjhs) and follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/nhs_njhs). —

Sidebar: Adviser Resource Center Makes Your Job Easier

Have you visited the online Adviser Resource Center lately? Find comprehensive support material to streamline your work as a chapter adviser, including sample letters, templates, forms, and videos.

You might find the content and resources under “Selecting Members” and the infographic under “Inducting Members” to be especially helpful at this time of year.

Visit www.nhs.us/advisers or www.njhs.us/advisers and log in to access these helpful assets.