This article was originally written for and published at TeenLife.com
The first semester of senior year is filled with anticipation. It’s your last year of high school and you have so much to look forward to, such as graduation and college. But in order for seniors to reach those goals, you have some high-priority things in the area of college admissions and creating the best college application that you can.
1. Get recommendation letters.
There’s no time to waste. Teachers and administrators and other mentors are busy people. With multiple students asking for recommendation letters, you want to be first in line. If you’ve done your homework, you have built relationships and now it’s time to ask for that college recommendation. Choose people who know you well and will be able to make the recommendations more personal.
2. Complete the college essays.
It’s time to put the finishing touches on that college essay you began working on over the summer. Remember the essay is your chance to demonstrate who you are. Be yourself and don’t try to write what you think admissions officers want to hear. Once your essay is completed, have someone proofread it before submitting with the application.
3. Finalize your college list.
It’s time to nail down your college choices. Review your notes and anything you learned during college interviews. Look at the entire picture for each college: Is it a fit academically, socially and financially? Are you at the top of the applicant pool and in the best position to receive merit aid? Make sure you have some colleges on your final list that are reach schools, some that are perfect fit schools, and some that are schools where you are pretty much ensured acceptance.
4. Visit the colleges on your list.
Fall is the perfect time for college visits. Not only will those visits help you finalize your list, but visiting a college demonstrates interest. Once the colleges receive your application, they will check to see how interested you are in attending and that will influence admissions officers. While you are on campus, schedule an interview and an appointment with the financial aid office. Ask questions that will help you finalize your college list.
5. Complete the FAFSA.
The FAFSA – the Free Application for Federal Student Aid – is available online. You should make filing it out a priority and the sooner the better. Colleges will be awarding financial aid this year along with their admissions decisions. You want to be first in line for this merit aid, so file now. Students who complete the FAFSA are not only eligible for federal aid, but for college-based aid such as grants and scholarships.
6. One last task: Submit your college application ASAP.
Consider submitting your application early. Applying early decision or early action means you will hear from the colleges sooner and also get information on your financial aid award. If you apply EA (early action) you’re not bound to any one college and you can apply to more than one. If you know the college you want to attend and it’s your absolute first choice, you can apply ED (early decision). You are bound to accept the school’s offer of admission, however, and you cannot apply to other colleges.
The college search
is easily stressful for both parents and students. The amount of knowledge a
parent needs to help their student navigate through college prep can be overwhelming.
From choosing the college, to deciding how to pay for it, to making the final
decision, it’s hard not to become stressed and frustrated.
Both my children
attended college but took different paths. One entered college straight out of
high school and the other after four years of military service. Even though the
college search for each of them was different, during their individual searches
I learned some valuable lessons.
Expand your search
beyond the usual perimeters
When you begin the
college search, you should cast a wide net. Many students limit themselves to
state colleges, colleges with prestigious names and even nearby schools. There
are over 4000 institutions of higher learning in the United States and even
more if you expand your search beyond our borders—Canada and even
internationally. Canadian colleges offer excellent educations and are often a
better financial fit than many U.S. colleges.
Moving outside your
comfort zone might help you and your student find a better fit. My daughter had
her heart set on a large university and while doing a college search, we
unearthed a small private college in the same city that was a better academic,
social and financial fit for her. Keep an open mind and don’t discount a
college simply because of name, location, or lack of notoriety.
Do the leg work
Do your research
before narrowing down the final college list. Look at statistics. They will
tell you so much about a college. You should compare graduation rates,
financial aid award percentages, freshman retention rates, admissions
acceptance rates and more. Make your choices based on your research statistics
and whether or not the college fits your student’s academic and social needs.
College visits for
you are fact-finding missions. College visits for your teen are highly
emotional. You can expect to hear words like “I’m just not feeling it”, “I won’t
get out of the car”, “I don’t like the look for the campus/buildings”, and
other irrational comments. Just remember that feelings are a part of the final
college choice. You can’t expect your student to make their new home at a
college they don’t like, for whatever reason.
I experienced this
with my daughter. She received an offer of admission and a full-ride
scholarship from a college we applied to but never visited. Based on the website,
location and academic offerings she felt it would be a good fit. When we
arrived on campus in early April for our first visit, she refused to get out of
the car. She didn’t like the look or the size of the campus. Of course, I was
completely frustrated with her, but she just instinctively knew it was not the
college for her. Looking back, even though it seemed emotional, she knew what
she wanted and ultimately chose the perfect college she felt was a good fit.
Organization is critical
You will be bombarded
with information during your college search. The key to keeping track of it all
and staying on top of all the deadlines is to stay organized. Your teen should
set up an email purely for college information and correspondence. Make it
official by using firstname_lastname @gmail.com. All college correspondence will
come to this address and your teen can set up folders to help organize it.
You should also
maintain a filing system for organizing paper. This might be anything from
college brochures to scholarship materials and applications, to keeping track
of accomplishments for the resume. Keep all college-related materials in one
place—a college landing zone.
Ask for help if
necessary
Some parents like me choose to work alone and guide their student through the college process, while others choose to hire a professional college consultant. Choose what is best for your family and its own financial resources. If you choose to work alone, there is a wealth of information online from blogs and social media. If you have a question, leave a post on a Facebook page, comment on a blog or DM someone on Twitter. Most professionals are happy to help with anything that might stump you.
You can also seek advice from your high school counselor, teachers or even college admissions staff. You don’t have to flounder around hoping you have the right information. Approach the college search with knowledge and determination and your student will succeed!
The summer is half over, but if you’re lucky, you can steal some reading time. With a teenager in the house and college (or something else) on the horizon, a prepared parent is a less stressful parent. When school starts, you want every tool in your arsenal and these summer reading suggestions can help arm you for the task ahead.
Nancy takes the
everyday aspects of the college admissions process and puts them into terms
that parents can easily understand and relate to by using humor. And if that’s
not enough, she sprinkles some of the best college admissions advice along the
way by tapping into her own personal experiences and her network of college
experts that she utilizes throughout the book.
When Zac Bissonnette
headed off to college, he had the funds to cover the tab. Bissonnette has seen
the currently flawed system first hand. He’s a contrarian, and his book is
packed with studies and statistics to back up his analysis. It’s a magical
combination that college-bound students and their parents should read, even if
there’s plenty of money set aside to pay the tuition tab. There’s no harm in
learning ways to get the biggest bang for your buck and the best education
available at the same time.
The best part about
Monica’s e-book is that it’s simple and easy to understand. If you follow her
easy 10 step program, the scholarship process becomes doable for any parent and
their student. You can sit back and hope that your student does all the work,
or you can offer help and support by grabbing a copy of Monica’s book,
reading it, and rolling up your sleeves.
This is a book to help
parents of middle and high school students. This book prods parents to ask if
their teenager will be ready, willing, and able to handle self-management,
personal safety, roommate conflicts, personal finances, interactions with
teachers, academic responsibility, and much more. Included in this book are
numerous interviews with parents, college students, school counselors and
advisors, law enforcement per- sonnel, teachers, medical personnel, and school
administrators. At the end of each chapter are examples of how parents can
prepare their teenagers for a successful college experience and turn their
students into confident, reponsible young adults.
For college admissions help, give your child that “unfair” advantage in applying to college, without cheating, offering bribes, using legacy, or giving donations. Here’s the kind of insider information that’s made the author’s own clients refer him to their friends for the past 17 years. It’s a free, fast and entertaining read that’s designed for the hard-bitten realist who takes nothing at face value, especially in light of the college admissions scandal of 2019. This ebook comes with an option to take advantage of the author’s free videos that are designed to expand and update the book’s content when necessary.
The second edition of
The College Solution, which contains approximately 90% new material, is aimed
at helping parents and teenagers become empowered consumers as they navigate
through the college process. Billions of dollars are available to pay for
college, but not everybody gets their share. It’s not always the families with
the brightest students or the parents who are struggling financially who
receive the most money. The College Solution shares the secrets of how you can
capture some of this money for your own family. The book provides advice on
such topics as financial aid, merit scholarships, athletic scholarships,
admission hooks, the important differences between colleges and universities,
college rankings, the best student loans and the latest online tools to
evaluate the generosity of schools. O’Shaughnessy presents an easy-to-use,
proven road map for getting past the ratings, and finding the right schools at
the right price.
I’ve read plenty of
books on college admissions. Some are so scholarly heavy that you need a degree
to figure them out. Others are so shallow you can find most of the material in
your teen’s high school handouts. Zinch’s book is neither of the above. It’s
geared toward the student, but is also extremely valuable from a parent’s
perspective. Zinch reminds the student that while the college process
often involves the entire family, the final choice must be their own. I
agree with this whole heartedly. Every parent should grasp this truth.
The authors observe how conventional universities are coming
to resemble for-profit diploma mills through inexpensive, Orwellian-titled
“distance learning.” At Florida Gulf Coast University on the outskirts of Fort
Myers, students in Humanities 2510 sit in dormitories or at home studying
painting, sculpture, and architecture via online lectures. Adjunct professors
with modest credentials answer questions by e-mail; telephone calls are not
allowed. Multiple-choice tests emphasize dry facts and figures. Short papers
are required, but students don’t have to attend performances or see art in
person. In lieu of customized grading, instructors draw on “sample stock
comments” they slap on student papers. “Humanities 2510 seems close to cramming
for a quiz show,” the authors write. To readers, it might just seem like a rip-off.
Jodi Okun’s book launched today and the presales put it on the
Amazon #1 Best Seller list. This book is more than help for financial aid
questions. In it you can find out how to give your student the financial skills
they’ll need for life, with talking points and scripts to help you with
important conversations you need to have before college. Jodi provides parents
with expert advice and in this book shares her experiences of helping parents
pay for college.
In this
book, Julie Lythcott-Haims draws on research, on conversations with admissions
officers, educators, and employers, and on her own insights as a mother and as
a student dean to highlight the ways in which overparenting harms children,
their stressed-out parents, and society at large. While empathizing with the
parental hopes and, especially, fears that lead to overhelping, Lythcott-Haims
offers practical alternative strategies that underline the importance of
allowing children to make their own mistakes and develop the resilience,
resourcefulness, and inner determination necessary for success.
College is the biggest expense for many families, larger even than the cost of the family home, and one that can bankrupt students and their parents if it works out poorly. Peter Cappelli offers vital insight for parents and students to make decisions that both make sense financially and provide the foundation that will help students make their way in the world. Adding to the confusion, the same degree can cost dramatically different amounts for different people. A barrage of advertising offers new degrees designed to lead to specific jobs, but we see no information on whether graduates ever get those jobs. Mix in a frenzied applications process, and pressure from politicians for “relevant” programs, and there is an urgent need to separate myth from reality.
Using the
world-renowned Meyers-Briggs personality testing system, the author leads the
reader through a self-assessment to uncover their specific personality type. The
results of this personality assessment suggest appropriate careers that are
most suitable for the unique characteristics of each of the 16 personality
types. By better understanding your strengths, you can be more open-minded and
self-empowered in determining the focus of your career and your own needs when
it comes to feeling satisfied.
If you have a high school student, especially one who is
focused on the goal of attending college, your summers aren’t just vacations.
Gone are the days when you took the kids to the pool, the library and the park.
Gone are the days when your time was consumed with planning the summer family
vacation and creating a chore chart for the kids to complete chores before play
time.
You (and your teen) have other goals in mind. You’re thinking about using the summer to take care of some college prep tasks to get ahead of the game. Searching for scholarships, doing some test prep, visiting colleges, and having some serious talks about money will consume your summer days. How do you survive?
Share the tasks
It’s unthinkable in this competitive college market to
expect a young teen to handle it on their own. Times have changed since we
applied to college and there is much more to do than simply apply. You can help
them make decisions, help with scheduling, even do some detective work
searching for scholarships they are eligible for. This will ease the burden on
them and alleviate the overwhelming stress that most teens feel about college.
Schedule and plan
We all know that we don’t ever have the time for a task if
we don’t make the time and schedule it. Use any planning tool that works best
for your family: an online calendar, an app for your smartphones, a huge wall
calendar or a Google doc. Everyone knows—without a plan, you plan to fail!
Stay organized
I’m a huge fan of a college landing zone—everything in one
place. Colleges still send information through the mail, registration forms and
receipts need to be printed and saved, and flyers about scholarships need to be
catalogued and filed. With everything in one place, it’s easy to find anything
related to your student’s college preparation.
Make time to talk…and listen
Conversations are crucial to staying on the same page with
your teenager. Make the time to talk, even if it’s driving to sports practice
or shopping together at the mall. These small conversations are key moments for
you to gauge their temperature and share some encouragement. If stress is
present, you can help relieve it. If they feel overwhelmed and need help, you’re
there for them. Talking about their future and truly listening prepares you
both for senior year when things will proceed at the speed of light.
Of course, you want to have fun this summer; but a little work and some focused preparation will make the next school year seem doable. Use the summer time wisely.
When you have children, you know that you always have to play the right kind of role in their lives. And that can feel quite overwhelming. You need to keep them safe, you need to ensure that they’re healthy, and until their old enough to make the best decisions for themselves, you also need to guide their futures too.
This is why we’re often so interested and invested in the college process. When it comes to college prep, you’ll often know that you need to be actively involved. But sometimes, you won’t know what that looks like, or what you should be doing in order to help them prepare. So let’s take a look at some of the things that will help.
Grades
To start with, you’re going to want to make sure that the basics are covered – grades. Because your kids will need to have good grades to get into the best colleges. Or, at the very least, you need to know what the grade requirements are, and ensure they can keep up. This needs to be seen as the base.
Extracurriculars
But you do have to remember that college is about more than just grades. So many kids have fantastic grades, so it’s important to standout in other ways. This is where extracurriculars come in. There are lots of impressive extracurriculars that your kid could try. Think about their interests and where their strengths lie, and then sign them up as early as you can to see where they flourish.
Tutoring
Now, it’s also a good idea to think about tutoring. When it comes to getting in, a college prep tutor could be great. Your child many not necessary need tutoring academically, but it can often help to work with someone that knows the process, and can help you get in!
Summer Camp Prep
From here, you’ve then also got camp to be thinking about. Summer camp can be so rewarding for your kids, alongside tutoring. So why not think about enrolling them in a camp that can help? You could look into something specialist, such as CT STEM classes, or just a general camp that covers off a wealth of different areas. Either way, this experience can help them develop for the future.
That Je Ne Sais Quoi
Finally, you may also want to think about the little things that will help your child get into their dream college too. Now, not everyone will want to go Ivy League – but even other top schools can be competitive to get into. And it’s nice for you to think about ways for them to stand out. Do they have special interests? Any experiences that they can press? Having that little special something, or je ne sais quoi, can really help when it comes to applications. So pinpoint their special qualities and run with it.
When my daughter applied to college, she knew she wanted to make
the move from Texas to an eastern college. She wanted to live in or near a
large city and she applied and was accepted to colleges in New York City and
Boston. Coming from a small city, I feared New York might be overwhelming since
she was traveling thousands of miles from home and was barely 18. But Boston
offered the next best things—a suburban college near an urban environment.
Bentley College (now Bentley University) was the perfect option. It was nestled in a small community, Waltham, Massachusetts; but it was close enough to Boston to make it feel like she was attending an urban college. The mass transportation available made it easy for her to take advantage of all the culture and entertainment available without feeling swallowed up by the big city.
Suburban colleges offer some qualities of both urban and
rural schools, and might be the best choice for your student.
What is a suburban college environment?
Suburban colleges give students more options for activities
off campus in the surrounding rural and urban areas. They often give students
the freedom to choose between outdoor activities similar to those at rural
colleges and urban offerings such as museums, concerts, plays and other
cultural events.
Colleges often provide local transportation to and from the local
community and the urban areas surrounding the college. Local venues surrounding
the college often offer student discounts for access to eating, shopping and
entertainment in the area.
What are the benefits of attending a suburban college?
If your student is looking, as mine was, for the benefits of
an urban college in a suburban environment, this would be an excellent choice.
In a suburban college you can enjoy the benefits of an urban college experience
but escape to the comfort of a college that feels more like home, usually
surrounded by nature and part of a local community. Essentially, you get the
best of both experiences.
For my daughter, her small college in a suburban area was
the perfect fit. Coming from a small high school in a midsize city, the large population
in New York City and the overwhelming size of the colleges she applied to would
have swallowed her up. When homesickness set in, as it always does, her tight knit
community rallied around her and helped her through.
If your student needs more support or feels a smaller,
suburban environment would suit them better, this type of college might be the
perfect fit.
Your student will spend the best part of the college application process trying to impress. Impress teachers. Impress college admissions. Impress scholarship judges. It’s part of the process and it’s something they will do as they enter the job market after graduation.
There is a lesson that we
as parents must teach them about self-confidence and being able to present
themselves well. There is a point where their approach to their wild streak has
to mean something as they must understand not everyone is like them. There is
sometimes a convention that we must follow because it gives us a solid and
meaningful foundation from which to stand on. So why don’t we teach our kids
how to impress others in certain situations in life? They will need to at some
point and yet we don’t often take the time to sit them down and show them when
and how they could possibly do this. Here are some scenarios and techniques you
can show them to getting people on their side and get their admiration.
The starting point
Your children will first need to impress someone for real in their lives when they go for a job interview. Hopefully this will be when they are young and in their mid teens. Working as a newspaper boy or in a grocery store is good life experience for them. But they must get the job first and this is when we need to give them life advice on what the employer is going to be looking out for. First off the simple things, they need to stand and sit up straight and not hunch their shoulders. They need to work on maintaining eye contact and speaking in a steady and clear tone. They should also dress the part, take the extra mile. Even if they are applying for a job in their local cafe, dress as if they are applying for an office role with formal clothes. Ask them to put themselves in the employer’s shoes and hopefully these things will begin to make sense to them.
A stand out essay
When they go off to college they will want to be noticed by their lecturers and other teachers. The common things they will get asked to produce are essays and reports. Aside from proper writing form and style they should also make their work stand out. This can be done by making a cover for their work. This is also helpful when compiling the scholarship application essay. They can use embossing folders which can imprint their own name, title of their work and even logo or slogan. This will create a 3D design on their work, which will also be unique to the touch as the gel used will remain semi-hard. This will no doubt make their work stand out from the piles and piles of other students’ work. It will impress the lecturer and make a good first impression. It’s not just words either, you can imprint shapes and sequins as well to give the cover a little more flare and character.
There are times in our lives when we need to impress
someone. But the college application process is a perfect time to help your
student put their best foot forward.
I just returned from a visit to New York City and am always
amazed by the college
opportunities available in such a small space. Manhattan is a mere 23
square miles and there are hundreds of colleges for any interest beckoning for
the adventurous student. From focused studies in film, acting, music and
fashion, to the traditional four-year college, Manhattan offers a wide variety
of secondary education choices.
Is your student craving for an urban experience at college?
If so, there are a few things to consider.
What is an urban
college environment like?
In New York City, the colleges have become part of the city
itself. They are mingled within the skyscrapers and citywide neighborhoods. In
other cities, the college is more self-contained in in their own little
neighborhoods. Since this type of environment can be overwhelming, especially
for students who come from small towns or rural areas. Don’t fool yourself into
thinking just because you want to escape the small-town mentality, that an
urban environment will be easy to navigate.
It takes some tenacity and fortitude to navigate the subway
system in New York, along with the millions of people who live on Manhattan.
The same is true for colleges in Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago and other large
metropolitan areas.
What are the benefits
of attending an urban college?
Urban colleges, like those in New York, offer a wide range of cultural off-campus experiences and a variety of entertainment like museums, concerts, plays and more. In addition, urban colleges offer students a larger pool of possible internship opportunities since many companies operate within these large cities. For instance, if your student is studying film, acting, fashion or music, a college on Manhattan will put them in close proximity to many opportunities to hon their craft and get advice from those currently working in these areas.
For example, in New York City, there is a restaurant called
Ellen’s Stardust Diner
that offers budding Broadway hopefuls the opportunity to perform each day live
in front of an audience of diners while earning wages as servers. In addition,
the establishment pays for additional acting, singing and dancing classes for
its employees. This year alone, 17 of its employees have joined Broadway
productions.
Is an urban college the right choice for your student?
Urban colleges are good environments for outgoing students
who have a spirit of adventure and who like to interact with people of
different cultures and backgrounds. There will always be something going on in
the city and it will be easy to access any activity that interests you.
It’s easy to get around an urban college because you will
have access to a large public transportation system. It likely won’t be
necessary to have a car while attending college because of the easy accessibility
of transportation.
If a certain city is a hot sport for your student’s chosen
career field, like Broadway theater is in New York, they might consider
attending a college within the city. It will be easier to do networking and
make connections while attending school.
Tomorrow, I will explore the advantages of attending a
suburban college. Stay tuned!
Have you ever heard someone say, “College is a waste of time and money”? Or, “There’s no way I could afford to go to college”? These are some common college myths that many people believe to be true. But the reality is that neither of these statements is true.
Following are some common myths about college, examining the
reality of each of them:
Myth #1: College is a waste of time and money.
College is only a waste of time and money if you waste your time
and your money. Choose the right college at the right price and you will recoup
your investment ten-fold. Choose the wrong college and incur a tremendous
amount of debt and the myth could become a reality. Waste your time drinking
and partying without devoting time to academics and that tuition money could
fly out the window.
Myth #2: There’s no way I could afford to go to college.
Many students and parents believe that financial aid is only for the extremely poor or highly gifted students. That’s simply not true. Everyone qualifies for some form of financial aid and there is an affordable college solution for everyone. Community college is an affordable option. Winning scholarships can decrease your college costs as well. Working during college can also help defer some of the costs. If college is your dream, there is a way to finance it.
Myth #3: The college with the lowest price is the most affordable.
This is not necessarily true. Colleges with high sticker prices
often give the most financial aid based on alumni contributions and generous
donors. After taking financial aid into consideration, a seemingly more
expensive college may be more affordable than one with a lower sticker price.
Myth #4: The only good degree comes from a 4-year college.
Nothing could be further from the truth. There are many satisfying
and good paying jobs that require 2-year or technical degrees. If those type of
careers interest you, then you should not discount that type of education.
Getting the degree you need for the career you want is more important than
graduating from a 4-year college.
Myth #5: Small colleges offer limited opportunities.
The size of a college isn’t enough to make a complete judgment. Small colleges and large universities all offer unique opportunities for the students who are looking for that perfect fit. The philosophy and vision of the college and its leadership is much more important that the size of the student body or campus.
Don’t believe everything people say about college. Do your own
research and evaluate using the information you gather. Separate the myths from
the realities.
The increase in college costs and fears about the inability to secure employment after graduation causes many students to consider delaying college or even skipping college altogether.
While college costs can be high, consider that the majority who delay college regret not going and a high percentage continue within the workforce without a college degree. In this competitive job market, a college degree is necessary to compete with other degreed applicants and increase your lifetime earning potential.
If you take AP classes during high school, you can take AP tests
and many colleges will give you college credit based on your test score. Dual
credit classes allow you to attend college while attending high school, giving
you college credit when you graduate. Securing credit before starting to
college can reduce your costs dramatically and many times allow you to complete
your degree in three years.
Begin your college career at a community college
According to the study, 41 percent of adults and 35 percent of
teens said schools like Harvard or Princeton are important, but not necessary
to get ahead. Only 17 percent of teens though going to a top tier school would
give them a better chance of finding a job. Start your college career at the
local community college and save some big bucks. Just make sure that those
credits will transfer to a 4-year college after completion.
Pay as you go
The most effective way to offset high college costs is to adopt
the “pay-as-you-go” method. Many colleges allow you to break the tuition
payments up into affordable monthly installments. If you choose this method,
you can work during college and pay the tuition while you attend. Of course,
you will need to choose an affordable college option, such as a state
university.
Live at home and work during college
While living at home and working might not be your optimum choice,
it’s a viable option. It’s possible to arrange your classes around your work schedule.
Your income from your job can offset tuition costs. Living at home will save
you money on room and board, reducing your college costs significantly and
allowing you to apply that money toward tuition.
Take some classes online
Taking classes online can be less expensive and also cost effective. But before you drop some of your hard earned money check with your college and verify that they will accept those courses as credit. Many students take some courses over the summer and/or winter breaks, saving higher credit costs for those classes that are only offered at their respective colleges.
Delaying college might seem like the best choice when faced with
the high cost; but if you think creatively and work hard, you should be able to
attend college and pursue the degree of your choice.
