Chegg Presents Zinch Prep - Free College Counseling and Admissions Help for High School Students

Free test preparation, critical deadline reminders and tips from admissions and college counselors

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Chegg, the student hub, today announced Zinch Prep, a college counseling program for the 1.5 million high school seniors going through the college admissions process.   Through Chegg Presents Zinch Prep, students will be given free step-by-step instructions, reminders, access to online test preparation and original content from experts to guide them along the college admissions process, lasting from September through January.

With the counselor to student ratio in U.S. high schools averaging almost 500 to 1, most students don't get enough support in the college admissions process.  College access and completion remain a problem in the U.S.   There are great counselors out there but many don't have the time or resources to provide high levels of support.  The average high school student spends 20 minutes per year talking with their counselor, which includes disciplinary issues and class scheduling - the subject of college may not even be discussed.  With the huge strain on today's counselors, Chegg created Zinch Prep to help all high school students apply for college. 

"High income families will pay thousands of dollars for individual college admissions counselors, creating an advantage, while many students from families of more modest means may not be aware of the opportunities they have," said Bob Patterson Director of College Outreach at Zinch.  "Zinch wants to help those students by offering Chegg Presents Zinch Prep and providing college admissions support to the 99 percent."  

Chegg has gathered a panel of experts including:

• Bob Patterson, Director of College Outreach at Zinch and former Director of Admission at Stanford University
• Gil Rogers, Director of Marketing and Outreach at Zinch and Former Associate Director of Admissions Recruitment and Enrollment Technology at the University of New Haven
• Steve Cohen author of Getting In! and Forbes contributor
• Advisers from the National College Advising Corps, whose primary goal is raising the rates of college enrollment and completion among low-income, first-generation-college students and underrepresented high school students

Chegg Presents Zinch Prep launches today with the first installation of the web series – "Episode 1:  Building Your College List", Bob Patterson's list of "10 College Admissions Tips You Might Not Learn in High School" and additional articles on this key stage of the application process.  The program continues through January and will touch on admissions topics such as writing your personal statement, how to ask for a recommendation and common application mistakes to avoid.  Chegg Presents Zinch Prep can be found at www.zinch.com/zinchprep.  

About Zinch
Zinch is the social network connecting students with opportunities: colleges, scholarships, study abroad programs, and graduate schools. At Zinch, over 4 million students have created professional profiles to showcase themselves as more than test scores. Zinch profiles 5,000 American undergraduate and graduate programs, and lists almost $2 billion in scholarships. Admissions Officers trust Zinch.com to help them recruit students who would fit well at their institutions. Zinch is owned by Chegg, the student hub that connects students to peers, educators, content and services to help them save time, save money and get smarter. Visit the company at www.Zinch.com.

About Chegg
Chegg, the student hub, is transforming the way millions of students learn by connecting them to the people and tools needed to succeed in college through homework help, course selection, eTextbook and textbook options as well as school and scholarship connections.  Students nationwide use Chegg 365 days a year to make learning easier, more accessible and more productive.  As a part of the company's philanthropic efforts, Chegg is dedicated to its Chegg For Good program, which empowers students to be a catalyst for change on their campus, in their communities and around the world. From starting as a textbook rental company to evolving into the student hub, Chegg is enhancing education for millions of students by saving them time, saving them money and helping them get smarter.  For more information, visit www.chegg.com.

SOURCE Chegg