We are just beginning the college search process with my D20. Just wondering, do most people set up a separate email account to handle college info, college boards, etc or do most kids just use their school email? My D wants to just use her school email but with so many other things in there, I think information is going to get lost. Any thoughts?
Her HS email is likely to go away as soon as she graduates. I think setting up a separate gmail account, or something like that, for the college emails is a good idea.
Do most? IDK. Should they? Yes.
In addition to keeping all emails in one place, and separted out from the rest of one’s email life, be aware that for many schools, the school email will be shut off the nanosecond one graduates, potentially eliminating receipt of summer emails on placement tests, new student week, etc. Some schools will offer email forwarding or conversion to an alumni.edu account, but why risk it?
YES use an outside one, we learned the hard way this year when my DS’s school email account was down for a couple days right during EA app season!
Also, she’ll get TONS of email from colleges…like hundreds…most recruiting, but some important. Having all of the recruiting stuff coming into the school account inbox probably turns out to be a pain. Having a separate account means she can let all of the recruiting emails go there and just go in and maybe set filters for the schools that become important to her. Just make sure she checks it…I’ve known kids who didn’t get a dorm because they stopped checking their school email after they graduated, and that’s where the college info was going!
Yes, D19’s school made sure both students and parents were aware they needed to do this, as already mentioned they lose school account access on graduation. They suggest something bland like initial.lastname20xx@domain
Yes, my D used a regular gmail account that she had. Def. don’t want to rely on school email.
Also know that she’ll start getting a lot of emails from colleges after taking standardized tests. I think at times she was getting 20/30 a day! She created a folder to put those emails in and would occasionally go through them to click on any of interest. It can really clutter up the email fast so good to stay organized.
[I suppose a way to mitgate the emails is if you don’t select ‘college search’ when signing up for the tests?]
Just make sure she checks the new email, including the spam box. And picks a reasonably mature username. Too many frantic comments in older posts about kids who miss someting imortant because they didn’t check for a few days or check spam. Missed interview requests, etc.
Great, thanks for all the feedback. I will have her make a new account. Didn’t even think about the high school email getting shut down.
Yes, set one up like jsmith@gmail.com and not pinkUnicorn24
The account will be there after they graduate HS
If they agree, you could also have access to it to help monitor for important email
It can also be used for future job applications/etc
Back in the day (2003 or so) S had an account, probably aol (this was pre-gmail days) and an adolescent address. It was a minor Star Wars character, plus his birthday (which I’ll fake here). So his email name was Greedo1128.Except the first school we toured, long before he applied, read the name as Greed01128. I saw that and said–it looks like you called yourself “Greed” – not a good look. Made him make a name-based email before we went any further. Do kids still have the silly emails? I don’t know, but if they do, they should definitely change them.
Yes.
The other practical side (aside from being professional) of having JoanSmith2023@mailhost be the email address is to help aid that the email is entered into the admissions database correctly if they are typing in rather than right-clicking. Errors are less frequent with a straightforward email address than Il0veTayl0rSw!ft@gmail. 
^Exactly, which is what happened to my Stars Wars fan son
I had D16 open a new email account for college applications. ilovepuppies@gmail just didn’t seem mature enough, lol. Shortly thereafter, I signed S23 up for an email account, even though he wasn’t using email yet. Both emails have some version of firstname +middle initials +lastname @xxxx.
S14 had a reasonable first email account with his firstname + lastname, but without the vowels. He’s now switching to an account that includes the vowels because even excluding the vowels seemed too childish for him.
My first email account was a Russian word. Of course, no one could spell it. It was a royal pain to give out.
@MAmom111 We set up a gmail account and had it forward a copy of all emails to one parent. That way nothing got missed during the application process. Your student can simply remove the forwarding option when it’s no longer necessary.
My son set up a gmail account with an appropriate name to be used just for college related things. He also has a school account and a regular personal account. He gave me the necessary info to log in to the gmail account, so I could see what’s going on. I don’t go into it very often, but every once in a while I want to check on something.
My DD used her regular gmail account and forwarded things to us her parents email for which I on my email had 2 separate folders one for important things and one for everything else college. Her dad just had 1 folder.
My d19 set up one to use exclusively for college related info. She (by her request not mine) also put it on my phone so I would have access to it. She likes me to take care of deleting emails that aren’t useful and unsubscribing from colleges that don’t even have her major. Her email address is a simple one with her name. I think lastnamefirstname@gmail.com as opposed to her regular firstnamelastname@gmail.com
She likes not having her regular email clogged up with college marketing information.
My d22 has already set one up to associate with her raise.me account. She hasn’t yet asked for it to go to my phone. I imagine that once she starts taking standardized tests and begins to be flooded with email, she’ll ask for the same favor.