May 1, the National Candidates Reply Date, is fast approaching. This is the non-negotiable deadline for formally notifying one college that you are accepting its offer of admission—and sealing the deal with a deposit check. For those who have a top-choice school, the decision about where to send that check is straightforward. For others, choosing may require further thought, return visits, or the comparison of financial aid packages. Do not be tempted, however, to double-deposit in order to delay decision-making. Double-depositing—sending a deposit to more than one college to keep your options open —is unethical and may result in both colleges rescinding your admission. Keep in mind that you have signed a certification on your application form promising you will send a deposit to only one institution. Your acceptance letter is conditional, and it’s easier than you think for the colleges to find out if you have deposited at more than one institution. You also have an ethical obligation. Double-depositing takes places away from other students. Waitlisted students should take care not to double-deposit as well. Suppose you are accepted at College A and waitlisted at College B, but your first choice is College B. You would enroll at College A and send a deposit. If you are later accepted at College B, you can also enroll and send a deposit there. This is not double-depositing provided you inform College A immediately and in writing that you will not be enrolling.

This month's Counselor of the Month is actually not a high school college counselor. Ernest "Tre" Hadrick, III, is a guidance counselor at Eisenhower Science and Technology Leadership Academy, a middle school in Norristown, Pennsylvania. But one of his priorities is encouraging the students at Eisenhower -- many of whom would be the first in their families to attend college -- to strive for a college education.  Such students have a different timetable for the college application process -- they must be extremely purposeful as early as middle school. And in Tre Hadrick, they have a lot of what is needed to achieve the goal of a college education -- a mentor.

If you're headed to the City on a Hill -- Boston, Massachusetts -- on your college road trip, we've now got you covered when it comes to where to dine -- North End Italian, Pad Thai, frozen yogurt at Fenway, and the oyster house where you can sit in President John F. Kennedy's old booth. Of course, it wouldn't be Boston without some great deli and we've got recommendations for that, too. (Full disclosure: the editor of this blog is a Boston University graduate and misses delicatessen. There is none to be found in northern California.) These recommendations come courtesy of Boston University's Admissions Office and they've been very generous with their inside knowledge. So you'll be good through a road trip that takes you to visiting any combination of the many colleges and universities in the greater Boston area, such as Simmons College, MIT, Boston College, Harvard, Tufts, Brandeis, Suffolk, Pine Manor, or the New England Conservatory.

The College Board, the not-for-profit organization whose programs include the SAT, AP tests, PSAT/NMSQT, and CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE, has launched a new website for high school students that includes a college search function, a scholarship search tool, and an action plan program for the application process. Click on the links to see what the Chronicle of Higher Education and New York Times' The Choice blog are saying about BigFuture. And let us know your thoughts about this new resource...