Researching a college

With so many choices available, how do students narrow down the list to those schools that are likely to be a better fit for them? The key to that is research.
I know, I know--you're busy with classes and sports and drama productions and work and... I know. But we are talking about a place where you will spend at least 4 years of your life and invest anywhere from $20,000 to $100,000.  That makes it really important to choose carefully, based on a complete picture.
So, how do  you accomplish this?

• Start earlier: September of senior year is way too late. I initiated the Junior project so that juniors would get moving on their research, but even junior year is late for some parts of the process. The search involves knowing more about yourself and developing your interests; this is not to make yourself more attractive to college, though it might. It is to make sure you know in what environment you would be content and productive. If you are passionate about politics, you want a school which fosters involvement and whose students are active in that area. If your faith  is vital to you, you want a school where that faith can be nurtured (and, no, that doesn't necessarily require a Christian school, but it does require an active religious club and a faculty that doesn't delight in smashing their students' beliefs). And so on for whatever your passion is. But in order to know that, you need to develop your passions by trying out things early (junior high and 9-10 grades) and then focusing on those passions throughout high school.
• During your college research, narrow down your list by asking questions. Lots of questions. Here is a link to a list of suggested questions: http://www.examiner.com/article/goode-questions-to-ask-college-admissions-counselors. Call the admissions office and talk to the rep for your area. Be prepared to ask questions important to you and listen carefully to the answers. If all the answers are too good to be true (no college is perfect, believe me), then ask other people. When you visit the campus, ask questions of anyone--talk to strangers on campus at the cafeteria, in the library, wherever you see someone who might have minute to answer a quick question. This is no time to be shy!
• Comparison shop: look at what each school has to offer, and also look at what you have to offer them. Think realistically; if the school's average freshman had a 3.9 GPA and a 2000 SAT combined score, and you have a 3.2 and 1280 SAT, then even if they let you in for other reasons, you would have a tough academic challenge ahead of you. And the same is true if you are a lot higher than their averages--they may love to have you, but you might not receive the kind of academic challenge you need in college. And what about other things you can emphasize? Do they have a jazz band or choir you plan on being part of? Do they have a thriving drama program that you would love the participate in? Sell them your good points, as well.
• Visit, and then, perhaps, visit your final choice once again to make sure. Unless the college is too far away for you to be able to do this, it is really, really important. And going to sports camps or visiting friends or going to those visit weekends do not count. You need to go when you can focus on the school, not your sport, your friends or preplanned sales events.
• Talk to people about their college experience. If they tell  you they loved their school, pin them down to exactly why: ask what the top 3 things they liked about it were.

Only after you do all your research are you really ready to make that enormous decision. Where you spend the 4 years of college can have a tremendous influence on who you become as an adult, and that is something to consider carefully.

Helpful links

There is a lot of helpful information available for those going through the college application process. Here are a few that you might find helpful:

for that dreaded essay writing task: http://hscw-counselorscorner.blogspot.com/

to  prepare for the college entrance tests: http://www.thecollegesolution.com/study-for-the-sat-for-free

for the upcoming FAFSA applications: http://www.examiner.com/article/get-a-jump-on-federal-aid-with-fafsa4caster

If you would like to browse around, this is where I get a lot of my news: www.HSCounselorWeek.com.

Remember, no matter how hectic it gets, there is always help available.

Get Organized!

Have you noticed that Monday is October 1? That means there are only a few months left to complete all those college application tasks. And it's not like you don't have lots of other things on your plate as well--like your senior year classes, homework, work, sports, sleep, etc. So here are some ways to get organized.
1. Create a college email address: have a unique, professional sounding email address (I suggest using your full name) that is only for college related information. You do not want to miss that deadline because the email from the college telling you about it was buried in 1,000 facebook notifications or spam messages.
2. Create a calendar: use your college list (if you don't have a college list yet, that should be the #1 priority for the next week or two!) to make a list of due dates for applications, financial aid information, visits, test dates, and anything else you will need to do in the next few months. Make sure to mark May 1st as final decision day--traditionally the last day to notify schools if you will or won't be attending.
3. Create a checklist: for each school make a list of everything required for their applications. Every school is a little different. Some will want 1 letter of recommendation, some will want 2, some will take extra ones, others will not, some require them sent with the transcript--you need a way to keep track of this. Some will require test results submitted directly from the testing agency, others will take them from the high school transcript. Some require an essay, some do not. Clearly mark any school that will use the Common Application--it will save you a lot of time if you use the Common App wherever you can.
4. Keep a journal: keep track of your visits, contacts with the school, special features etc. for each school, noting special features, reactions, etc. If you are applying to more than one school, you will be amazed at how quickly they begin to blur--was it College X or College Y that had that great biochem lab equipment? You don't want to rely on your memory--believe me.
A little organization now can save you a lot of stressful moments--take a little time now, for your own sake.

New College Search Website

College Board has rolled out their new college search page, and it is pretty impressive. There are a lot of informative articles, a step-by-step walk through the college selection process, and an interesting college search where you can select various criteria, such as size of school, distance from home, types of sports available, type of environment (city, suburbs, rural), and many other possible options. Each time you add another criteria, it will recalculate your list of colleges to consider. Obviously, if you are too specific, you can end up with only one or two, but this is a great way to generate some names to explore, and you might just find the perfect school that you never heard of before.

There is a section on careers, on paying for college, a planning section that starts where you are--whether middle school, 9th grade or up to 12th grade--and lets you know what are the next steps for reaching your goal. There are articles with advice for parents, as well.

Check it out at https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/.

Financial aid pitfalls

This summer I am taking a class in Financial Aid that I hope will help me to help you more. One of the things that is becoming clear is that neither the colleges that distribute nor the government which funds financial aid are doing a good job of informing families about paying for college. Students are increasingly graduating with overwhelming debt, which can place them at a serious disadvantage in establishing themselves independently.
One article I read recently was Degrees of Debt at http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/13/business/student-loans-weighing-down-a-generation-with-heavy-debt.html?pagewanted=1.  I was amazed at the amounts some students borrowed to finance their college education, and surprised also at how few were told or tried to find out what that debt load would mean for their future income. Current graduates and upcoming seniors, as you are getting ready to head out to college, it is important to consider what you can afford and the best way to avoid burdening yourselves with excessive debt. There are some steps you can take to help.

1. Keep a close eye on your debt totals and periodically calculate what a monthly repayment amount would be, compared to what you might possibly earn as a graduate. Be realistic about this. There are places online to calculate loan repayments if you google them.
2. Go after every scholarship you can. Check with your major department, as some scholarships are specific for students studying archaeology or business. The financial aid department at your college will have information on scholarships. Don't forget, Maryland students, to apply for the Delegate and Senatorial scholarships every spring--they are renewable. Check out the scholarship websites for scholarships for college students. Work at it like a part time job.
3. Work as much as you can during the summer and even during the school year. Anything you can contribute to the total will be that much less to repay when you graduate.
4. DON'T get a credit card. Or, if you do, don't use it more than once or twice a month for important purchases. Banks prey on students on campus, making credit easily obtainable, but that credit card debt, added to your school loans, can steal your ability to live on your own after graduation. Credit card interest is tremendously high, and adds up quickly.
5. Create a budget and stick to it. It is amazingly easy to spend a huge amount in a month by going out to eat with friends or heading out to the movies every weekend. Decide how much you can spend and stick to it. Find cheap ways to have fun.
6. Rethink every purchase. Do you really NEED new shoes? Or do you just want something new?
7. If you find yourself at a financial standstill, consider taking a semester off to work and save, then go back being able to pay more of the bill yourself.  

The more careful you are about your finances, the happier you will be when you graduate and find that you can actually afford to live independently and afford such things as food and transportation.

Starting the College Search

Congratulations, class of 2013! You are now rising seniors, with all the perks of being the top of the hill in high school. But along with the perks come the responsibilities; in particular, it's time to start working on college applications. And summer, of course, is the perfect time to get to it.
First step, of course, is to develop your college list--that group of colleges that interest you enough to apply. And this should be harder than you think. There are many, many great colleges out there, and if you rely only on the ones you have heard of, you are severely limiting yourself. The problem is sifting through the numerous possibilities. What are you looking for in a school? What kind of school would you be happy at? Answering these questions requires you to look closely at yourself; what kind of person are you? Are you adventurous enough to go farther away to school or do you prefer to be able to fly back to the nest every weekend? Would you be comfortable in smaller classrooms where you would need to talk and interact with people constantly, or would you be more comfortable in a large lecture hall? Do you want to be involved in hands-on research? Is there a particular sport you would like to play; are you looking for a Division 1 school for your sport? What about majors--if you know your intended major, be careful not to focus exclusively on it, as over half of students who enter college with a declared major change (and often drastically) to another, so considering the other options available is important.  How competitive of an atmosphere are you comfortable with? What are your grades and test scores? How distractable are you--would it be better to go to a place where there aren't quite so many options for avoiding studying? And, very important in the current economic climate, you need to sit down with your parents and discuss what is affordable. All these, and more, are things to think about when getting ready to narrow down your list.
So, now that you know what kind of school you are looking for, how do you determine which ones to apply to? Look at the college's website, but remember they are designed not just to give you information, but to sell the school to you. So you will need to check out other websites, such as collegeboard.com, http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/, and other websites that can give you the statistics you need to evaluate a school. What are the 4 or 6 year graduation rates? What is percentage of students who are accepted that actually go there (yield)? What is the percentage of students who like it enough to come back for a second year (freshman retention)? The percentage of students who go on to graduate school? The percentage of students employed in their field within a year or two of graduation may be harder to find, but if you can, it is helpful.
By now you may be groaning about all this work. Remember, you will be paying a lot of money for your college education and you want to get your money's worth.
One helpful site I found recently is http://diycollegerankings.com/. It is written by a mother who created a way to evaluate various colleges. There is lots of free helpful information, and she also sells a spreadsheet that can allows you to quickly compare the standard information for colleges you are looking at, saving you a lot of time and web searching. I haven't used it myself, so I can't do more than say it's there, if you are interested.

It's Spring! Hit the road.

Juniors: it's time. Time to get started on visiting colleges, that is. You have (hopefully!) developed a list of potential colleges, but just like you wouldn't buy a car without a test drive, you shouldn't attend a college without visiting sometime in the application process.
Spring of your junior year is one of the best times to get on the road and visit those colleges that are on your list. You aren't stressed about applications, you have time to browse around and check out schools that you aren't familiar with, or to take a closer look at schools you know pretty well. So, get on the phone or email a counselor and set up an appointment. Although you may want to plan your schedule with your parents first, YOU should be the one to make the call. Keep in mind that every contact with the admissions office is one more opportunity to impress them, and, believe me, they will not be impressed if you have your mommy call for you.
What should you do while on the campus? Ask your admissions rep to schedule these things:
1. An appointment with the admissions office, for them to meet you and you to ask the questions you may have (and do have some).
2. A tour of the school.
3. Sit in on a class-- in your major, if you know what that might be, or in a general class (English, science, etc) if you aren't sure
4. Find out if the school has overnight visits--many have student volunteers that will host visitors overnight, giving you an opportunity to interact with more students, and see what dorm life is like at the school. Be prepared with a sleeping bag, pillow and small gift for the host--my daughters took boxes of salt water taffy for their hosts, and it was greatly appreciated.
5. Eat in the cafeteria.
6. Pick up publications in the admissions office and around campus.
If you plan carefully, you can fit all of this into less than 24 hours!
Try not to plan too many visits in one trip--it can be exhausting, and can affect your reaction to the later schools negatively. 2 or 3 at a time is plenty.
Remember to keep a logbook of what was you liked or didn't like about a school--believe me, after a while they all start to blend together.
So start your planning and hit the road. Spring break is a great time to get started.
This web site: http://goseecampus.com/college-advice has some great articles and help on planning and conducting college visits--check it out.

Article on admissions

http://www.golocalprov.com/lifestyle/20349/

This was an interesting article explaining some of the statistics that are often thrown around in college admissions. Worth reading if you are in the middle of applying to colleges or just starting to develop a college list.
The comments about wholistic admission fit with my experience: as much as schools, particularly very selective schools, talk about looking at the whole student, they only look at the whole students who meet their minimum criteria for the numbers. This would be unfortunate if their education was truly more effective than other schools with less selective admissions, but that is a topic that is hotly debated, and I tend to come down on the side that thinks Ivy League colleges are highly over-rated.
When looking for a college, it is helpful to look at more specific statistics than just the entry GPA and SAT/ACT scores. If your goal is graduate school, what percentage of students go on to graduate studies from that college? If a certain job is your goal, what percentage of students in that college are in that department(larger programs tend to have better facilities), and what percentage are employed in that career field within a year of graduation? It would surprise you how high some of those statistics are in schools you may never have heard of.
Remember, you will be paying a LOT of money for your college degree, so it pays to do some serious consumer research.