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/.