<p>I took the PSAT three times and it made me hate the format so I got the Big Red ACT book and took the ACT once and that was it.</p>
<p>While many of our children are still in the throes of completing applications, it’s not too soon to consider what to do once the Final List of actual acceptances is in hand. By April 1, all the dreams of what could be will have either evaporated or become real choices. </p>
<p>The reality of being an accepted student put everything in a completely different light from previous visits, so make a plan to see all the campuses where your child has been accepted. Most schools offer a few choices for “accepted student” visits. If not, set up a visit. We accompanied my son to all of the universities to which he had been accepted to look with fresh eyes. (Yes, we schlepped across the country. Logic was, if he’s gonna be in Boston or New York, we might as well get used to the airfare now.) You should have a lot of questions that need answers. Practical things. Are you from Southern CA and can you endure Boston winters? Do you mind that you have to take the subway to your dorm on the other side of the city? Can you change your major or take classes in one of the specialty schools if you get there and decide you need to broaden your horizons? (This one comes as a huge shock to many students when they discover that universities vary greatly in their policies regarding taking courses outside of your prescribed program or major.) How do retention rates after first year compare among the universities? Four-year graduation rates? If it’s going to take 6 years to graduate, is that really going to be cheaper than the slightly more expensive university where nearly everyone graduates in 4? (These questions and more vary in the answers you will get and the reactions you will have to them now!) Basically, get all of your questions answered so that your child and you make an informed decision. </p>
<p>Regarding Financial Aid, I could write a book on this now. Make sure you understand the difference between merit and need-based aid. Make sure you understand whether the offer is good for all four years (or five, which is not likely) or if there will be reviews each year. Aid can change each year depending on the institution’s policies for both merit and need. We were able to work on the best FA package once every offer was in hand. Although I did it nicely, I did ask them on what basis they made need-based aid, for example. Turned out with one institution, they were assuming value of property that was completely wrong. This resulted in a higher offer of need-based aid. We actually had another university make an 11th hour volley over the transom with 100% tuition once they saw comparable offers, which at 40K per year, was amazing. Also be aware that need-based aid, in my experience, is not what YOU think you need, but what the institution decides you need. Yes, there is EFC, etc., but the bottom line is that they will offer what they choose. This is important to understand because the following year, aid may be reduced. Your child could then be SOL for the next three years. </p>
<p>Finally, be careful with universities that place you on wait lists. One, famous and highly regarded East Coast school did this to my son, but placed him in the awful situation of having to phone in to an admissions person, state why he wanted off the wait list, and forcing him to commit then and there if they opened the spot for him. It was an outrage. (Needless to say, he did not fall for that.) While this horrible situation may be an exception to the rule with wait lists, if your child gets on one, make sure you understand all the particulars and the implications. I believe if your child is committed elsewhere by May 1 and then gets an offer, he will forfeit the massive deposit from the first institution.</p>
<p>Question – I’m assuming that the STUDENT should place the calls to Financial Aid and to Admissions about any chances of additional aid, correct? If the 17-yr-old student does not feel comfortable doing this, is it completely wrong for the parent to do this?
(I meant to quote a post on page 2 where Disneydad talked about calling both financial aid and admissions re: additional funds before making a final decision between 2 or 3 top choices.)</p>
<p>I called as the father and frankly the one who will be paying.</p>
<p>I have let my daughters handle the calls about whether one needs to take another French class in high school or if there is a format for a scholarship application, but when it comes to THOUSANDS of dollars, my dollars, I take over. </p>
<p>I think this is one area parents have a right to be involved without being considered hoverers.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot for your thoughts on that issue, Disneydad and twoinanddone. Good to know that! I didn’t want a college to think I was a “hoverer”, if I ended up making a call or two at some point…</p>
<p>Read the college catalog for any school your child is seriously considering to see what the requirements are for their major and/or minor. We were shocked to find out that some had so many General Ed requirements (sometimes requiring more than 30% of total credits, from 6 or more humanities disciplines) that it would not be possible to complete both a Computer Science major and a Finance minor. This helped us narrow the list considerably and pick schools we felt would be a good value.</p>
<p>Keep the information flowing, as the CA goes live for the Class of 2015 in roughly 6 months!</p>
<p>Two things: set up a separate gmail account that she used exclusively for college stuff. That way, none of the important emails from colleges got lost in her Inbox populated by Twitter notifications AND I could access it occasionally to double check that we are on track with everything that is needed. Secondly, definitely apply to a few Early Action schools, particularly those that might be safeties or matches. Many kids don’t realize when they are rushing to turn in those applications by November 1st how very glad they will be to have heard back from SOMEONE… ANYONE when all the other kids are getting those winter acceptances. My daughter got an acceptance from one school in mid-December and another mid-January and the level of stress reduction was palpable. Both great schools that she would be happy to attend, so waiting now on a couple of reach schools to respond by April 1 feels much less stressful. </p>
<p>Agree with KellyLJ1 above, but I went a step further and had my son add his college email account to my inbox. His college emails all come into his email account on his computer and on my computer. I would review and delete the garbage to keep him from getting bogged down in reading every email. Once I deleted from my computer, they disappeared from this computer. He could have set it up so that my deletes would not affect his inbox but he was just as happy not to read an extra 20 emails/day.</p>
<p>In addition to the benefit offered by early notification, I think it was also useful to get some of those applications out of the way. My son applied ED and EA to schools, and while he should have been working on RD apps while he waited for the ED response, he wasn’t, but at least he had submitted a few EA apps so the process did not seem so overwhelming, and there would be fewer apps to complete, if needed, after Dec 15th.</p>
Trusted my son’s judgement.
Visit the number one choice first - its either it or not.
For us it was hiring a private college counselor. The main reason we hired her was simple: it kept us entirely out of the application process. There was no way my kids wouldn’t meet a deadline set by an adult who wasn’t me. Thus no nagging, no worrying about them getting everything done on time.
We hired one known for helping kids find good safeties ( and she did) and who was eschewed by kids who wanted the counselor to do the work of applying for them. Her main purpose was to plan and strategize timing and to do proof reading help. And this counselor wanted ALL applications done by November 1 which was a blessing.
^^ “Do you really want to be submitting college applications around midnight on Halloween?!”
D agreed to submit her applications mid-October.
Halloween is my daughters least favorite holiday so that was not a big factor.
Imagine my surprise when I logged back onto CC after a long hiatus to find that a thread I started had 64,000 views and is flagged as “hot!” I am so happy people carried on what I started and I’m now going to be spending the next several days reading everyone’s great advice. S1 is getting ready to hit “submit” on his Common App soon. Hoping it goes as well for him as it did for my D!
- Sent DD on a college tour offered by a private college counselor during spring break of her sophomore year. She wasn't quite ready to focus on specific schools, but it disabused her of the notion that huge universities were a match for her learning style.
- Looked at Midwest LACs because room & board in the Midwest and South is so much lower than on the coasts.
- We focused on the best matches for the entire person she is, and I didn't make her apply to a place that we felt might throw so much $$$ at her that it would be hard to refuse since we concluded that its rural isolation would make this city girl very unhappy. BUT we also made it clear that finaid/merit $ would factor in to where she could go.
DD is now a senior at the best LAC for HER, and she has thrived. I am fortunate that she has pretty good insight and knowledge about herself.
We’ve done some things common on CC, some less common.
1)Did a vacation college tour AND sent D on an independent college tour so that she could see as many colleges as possible of the very specific type she’s looking at (HBCU’s).
2)Insisted she pick at least one guaranteed acceptance safety that we could also afford even without merit money (2 in-state publics).
3)Are NOT insisting on her applying to a school of our choosing, but we ARE insisting that she only apply to places that she will be willing to go. And no dream schools allowed-have options A,B,C, D & E in place.
4)Learned to look beyond the rankings and the numbers and talked to real people, who we actually know, about the colleges in question, if at all possible. If “Aunt Jane” has a kid at College A or the Pastor’s D got into College B, we want to know what they thought of it and why.
5)Trusted D when she says she got things under control-and she has.
6)An idea I got on CC-made a spreadsheet with deadlines, dates, and check boxes so that everyone knows what was done when and on time.
7)D set up a dedicated email long ago for summer programs, colleges, etc. and monitors that herself. They all have computers at school are allowed to check things like this during their senior meetings and any free time. She even set it up so that unsolicited emails go right to junk mail.
She ahs sent out 2 apps, will finish 3 more this weekend, then we wait for the first round. One special one goes in by Dec. 1, then we wait to see if we need those in-states.
TWD2 applied to schools where her ACT was above the average. The schools had no essays or recommendations. She applied to 6 the first week of September. Had 4 acceptance by the end of the September.
Set up a binder with sections for testing, common application, GPA, each school on “the list” etc.
Plan ahead so that there is room in junior year for at least two attempts at standardized tests. You will be amazed how many test dates conflict with other things.
Try to finish testing junior year. Keep fall of senior year as the “one last attempt” option but hope not to use it.
Focus on your process not everyone else’s. You do not need to do all tests and all visits and all ECs. Do those that contribute to your path.
Spread visits out so that your DC has time to digest what they have seen. Stop by colleges that are on the way to a vacation, trip to family gathering, sports tournament, etc. if you leave it all for one big trip it will all run together.
Be the administrative assistant. Keep your DC aware of the next deadline but do not meet it for them. They are juggling a lot senior year but they can do it.
Be realistic about likelies, matches and reaches. Consider both admissions criteria and cost.
Savor their senior year with them. Do it all once more and enjoy all those moments.