Clinton Township Newsletter

9 o c t o b e r 2 0 2 0 w e l C o m e T o o C T o B e r ! f r o m n e x t S t e p C o l l e g e a D V i S i n g Welcome to October! The month most of my clients are hitting 'send' on their college applications - such a relief after all the planning and writing and soul searching! For those of you without a dedicated college counselor, here are some thoughts for you regarding the Early Decision (ED) process. Let's imagine you got a YES from every school on your list. Is there a school 'without doubt' you would attend? If the answer is 'OF COURSE!", then applying ED might be right for you and your family. There are many benefits, including knowing if you gained acceptance by mid-December. You are also more likely to get into the school applying ED rather than Regular Decision. Some quick facts from the college class of 2023: If you applied ED to schools such as Northeastern U, Dartmouth, Cornell, Hamilton College, Lehigh, NYU, Skidmore or Tulane, to name a few, you would have at least doubled your chances of getting in than if you had applied Regular Decision. Myth: Schools won't give you as much money because they know you are coming. Wrong. The same offers are given from the same school regardless of whether a student applies ED or RD. Some schools give MORE money when a student applies ED in the form of an honors incentive. You may not ever know what your B school was going to offer you (or if you would've even gained acceptance), but is this even necessary? Calculate your Estimated Family Contribution to figure out if you can truly afford the school. If you can (and by the way, I have met very few parents over the 20 years in the business who have said to me, 'Oh wow, the college was so generous, paying x dollars is so easy for us!'), ED may be right for you. Bottom line, the college selection process is a long one and there are so many decisions along the way. If you just began a couple months ago, finding an ED school is probably not the 'right' move for you. If you started the process during Sophomore or early Junior year, you may be ready to take the leap. Good luck! Sophomores and Juniors - I am taking new clients - please see my website for details (www.NextStepAdvising. com) or call me (owner: Nicole Smith): 908.642.8509. Seniors! I am still offering assistance if you have questions – 1 hour consults to review applications, answer questions, etc… are still available with a 30 minute follow up. This year is a very different year with most top schools going test-optional due to COVID-19. Good Luck! Please schedule a consult or call me to learn more: Next Step Advising, LLC. Zoom appointments available. 908.642.8509. References are available. More than half of my former clients stated I not only met, but exceeded their expectations in their exit survey. – Nicole Smith, Next Step College Advising T e n g r e a T r e a S o n S T o S h o p l o C a l l y : • Shopping locally creates jobs. Shops in our town create local employment and self-employment. These people,in turn, spend in the local community. • Local independent shops invest more in our communities. Local businesses are proportionately more generous in their support of local charities, schools and community events. Supporting local shops means a financial impact on our community. • Local shops sell a wide range of great products at affordable prices. Many people fall out of the habit of shopping locally and are then surprised by the range of products and gifts available. • Shopping locally saves you money. Out-of-county shops have done a good job of convincing us that local business equals expensive. However, if you add travel, fees to transfer items and your time, the overall cost is often much higher. • Shopping locally retains our communities. People don't like losing shops and services in small towns, but don't equate this to how they spend their money. • Shopping locally retains our distinctiveness. Independent shops create distinctive shopping experiences and stock different products. Local businesses respond quickly to the needs of local customers, stocking products to meet the changing population needs. • Shopping locally saves the environment. Local shops often stock a high percentage of local sourced goods which do not require long car and bus journeys, helping to reduce our global footprint. • Local shops are for everyone. Most people can get to their local shops easily and this is especially important for the elderly and young generations and those without transportation. • Local shops value you more. People receive better customer care and service locally. These businesses survive by their reputation and repeat business, which means you get a higher standard of service. • Shopping locally saves services. Private and public sector services tend to cluster around shops. As shops disappear so do hairdressers, banks, restaurants, etc. S o S h o p S m a r T . S h o p l o C a l l y ! Look for the Guild of Clinton stickers in windows throughout downtown Clinton and support these merchants and professionals who make Clinton the amazing downtown that it is! "Do not quench your inspiration and your imagination; do not become the slave of your model." ~ Vincent Van Gogh T h e f l e m i n g T o n f o o D p a n T r y – h e l p u S h e l p o T h e r S The Flemington Area Food Pantry, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, needs your help! How? Donate – click on the "Donate" button on our website or mail a check to: Flemington Area Food Pantry, PO Box 783, Flemington, NJ 08822. Food and personal care products can be donated at one of our convenient dropoff boxes in the Flemington ShopRite and the Flemington Stop & Shop. A list of our current needs can be found in the "Help Us" section of our website. Volunteers are always needed! Run a Food Drive: Any group, religious congregation, company, or social organization is encouraged to organize a food drive in support of the Pantry or to set up a collection box. For more info, call: 908.788.5568 or visit: www.FlemingtonFoodPantry.org.

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