So much good advice here. I hope that you are encouraged by knowing that there is a big community rooting for you and your niece during this process.
As a parent of a current HS senior who had to be dragged into the college process late junior year and then had all her applications completed by Dec 1 of senior year, I second the advice not to worry if she is not interested yet. And my very smart and talented senior has no idea of what she wants to do and is applying as “undecided” to all her colleges. So no need for you to stress over that.
Tasks for you in the college process:
- Do your homework about the legal status of your guardianship and how it will affect financial aid applications and state residency (if your niece needed to change states when she moved in with you)
- Have a low-key conversation about what she may be looking for in a college–things like:
geographic location (does she want to be close enough to you for weekend visits if you will continue to be her home base after HS? does weather/politics/transportation issues affect her choices?)
setting–city/town/rural (sounds like she already has a view on that)
size of school–large, medium, small
big sports team as a campus focus or avoiding that
any particular interest she would want to have access to (sports/arts/clubs/outdoorsy activities/science/tech) - You can take the info from the above conversation and make a list of possible colleges for her to check out. This is what I did when my child told me that the search was too overwhelming. It gave her a starting point, and she applied to many of the schools I suggested, dismissed others and added a few schools of her own. Stress that she is in charge, but that this is a way for her to start the process.
- Research gap year options AND whether colleges on your list include the option for deferred enrollment. Just so you will have that info when the time comes. Put it away until needed.
- She has a good GPA and will get in somewhere. Don’t stress about top schools–there are plenty of other choices out there and lots of resources to help you find them, including here on CC. Your state college system might be a good place to start.
Tasks for her in the college search right now:
Figure out when she will take SAT or ACT.
Keep doing well in school.
Settle into her new home.
Best of luck to all of you. Things will turn out fine.