<p>I think it might be wise to start some sort of notebook or system for the college search...to include info on school choices, financial aid, visits, etc. I' d like to hear your ideas on how that might be best set up...or maybe even purchased. I saw a book designed to be a college search organizational tool, but it seemed a bit too 'scrapbook'.</p>
<p>There were some discussions about spreadsheets and what to put in them, such as (for each school):</p>
<p>Net price after estimated need-based financial aid
Majors of interest (presence, absence, breadth/depth of offerings, etc.)
Admissions reach/match/safety assessment
Merit scholarship possibilities
Application and scholarship deadlines
Test score deadlines to meet application and scholarship deadlines
etc.</p>
<p>We used a basic box for hanging file folders to keep all the brochures and mailings - a separate folder for each college, one for all test scores, one for admissions letters etc.
For online stuff, mostly spreadsheets and I also like Microsoft OneNote which is just like a notebook for keeping links, articles, notes on campus visits. My son had a gmail account for getting college emails and for a shared calendar.</p>
<p>Yes, we also use the storage box with hanging folders (although one is bursting at the seams!) and Excel spreadsheets. </p>
<p>Setting up a shared email account where you both have the password, and using it for all college related communications, FAFSA, etc. is a really good idea (wish we had done it, but I saw the suggestion from someone else out here when it was too late). That way you never miss an important mailing about financial aid or a deadline that your kid might be blowing off (and that might cost YOU money).</p>
<p>-We got a plastic storage box (they are cheap at Staples or a store like that) and set up hanging folders - one for each school. We kept papers/brochures we got from each school through the mail or by visits as well as copies of any correspondence with the school. We also held on to campus maps and directions because we made a second trip to a couple of the top choices. AND after each college visit I had my child jot down his/her observations about the school - just any things that struck them during the visit. We also stored a copy of the common application, resume, and each supplement in a folder in the box.</p>
<p>-We also set up an excel spreadsheet with information by school about admissions, academic programs, merit aid, and anything else that was important to each child.</p>
<p>I found that it does help to be organized during this process. It is stressful enough without misplacing documents! Good luck.</p>
<p>Make sure you jot down your impressions (good and not so good) right after college visits with pertinent information because after you have seen many over the course of a year, they can blur together. And if there is any chance that you will definitely apply, set up an interview during your visit day if possible. Interviews show interest and are also good practice. We did not do this at first, and we regret we didn’t set up an interview at every school. We used a 3 ring binder with clear sheet protectors and put brochures in its own clear pocket by school. We have a spreadsheet for every college as to cost, size, and deadlines, etc. (use the college comparison tool on this site and then export the data to excel).We also have a separate binder for admission letters and scholarship details.</p>
<p>Thanks for starting this thread. All great ideas. DD and I just had a discussion about putting together some sort of organizational tool to help aid in the college admissions process, seeing that she will begin the process in a little over 6 months or sooner for those schools with rolling admissions. I am feeling like we should have done this months ago and not sure where to begin. I am ashamed to say that I am not that computer savvy when it comes to spread sheets/excel etc. I am sure I will be able to figure it out with an impatient 17 yo over my shoulder rolling her eyes. LOL</p>
<p>I was thinking about getting several 5 subject notebooks. One each for safeties, matches and reaches. Then placing each notebook in a big binder and possibly using plastic page protectors for whatever extra items that need to be kept together. Not sure… too much to decide.</p>
<p>I was administrative assistant for my son last year – we had the plastic file folder holder thing for printed materials, one folder for each school.</p>
<p>Then, I created a chart that I could manipulate for all the schools he was looking at and ultimately applied to. Columns for due dates for apps and fin aid forms, admission stats pulled off of Common Data sets (top quarter for gpa and testing, middle range for same info), what aspects of app are considered very impt, important vs. just considered. Once he started submitting apps, I added dates that he submitted, requested recs, sent scores etc. Easy then to see where he was and what needed to be done. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>I hadn’t heard of Microsoft OneNote. It sounds like something that could really come in handy. Right now we are just in the ‘deciding what schools to even consider’ stage, but I know that ‘get serious’ time will be here soon! I know I need to get organized, even now. I have already spent so much time re-researching info I had already read about some schools.<br>
We have come up with names of schools and mentally crossed them off the list (or put them on the list) but then can’t really remember why!</p>
<p>I believe I saw a website where you can input the information. This was at least a year ago. I wish I could remember it right now. I think I bookmarked it. I will have to do a search in my favorites. I will post at a later date.</p>
<p>Great ideas here! Thanks. Bumping for more suggestions.</p>
<p>Make a mega colored coded spreadsheet</p>
<p>If you have an actual book: have a page for each college and jot down anything you read/here that interests/repels you in any way. After a few months, you will see quite clearly where you can find more positives or more negatives.</p>
<p>When visiting take your own pictures of the campus and things that sparked your eye…
Put those in the folder for each school…
And ASK questions at each school especially if your kid has a specific major in mind…you may also want to look at those facilities…</p>
<p>I used the the spreadsheet option, color coded as previously mentioned. As we found schools that interested them I added them with lots of information from the common data set for each school: (SAT/ACT scores for each subject area, % of males admitted, freshman retention rate, 4 yr graduation rate, tuition, room & board, total cost, total enrollment for each school). I color coded them to indicate if my son’s scores were in the lower 25%, 25-75%, or 75%+. I also put his scores and GPA at the top for fast reference. I also had a large field at the end for any comments that we had for each school from tours, etc.</p>
<p>Brochures I filed in folders that I stored in a reusable grocery back and would only glance at occasionally. I would put in the folder any communication we received after applications were submitted and decisions received.</p>
<p>Both boys were going for business major so if they didn’t have a good business program, they never even made the spreadsheet. </p>
<p>Later when he applied, I would put in a different sheet of the spreadsheet the following information for each school and would check off when items were done or appropriate information received:
date applied, SAT scores sent, ACT scores sent, Dual Enrollment transcripts sent, application submitted, application complete, outcome (denied was red, deferred was blue, accepted was green), total tuition amount, merit $ offered, net cost, website link to whatever portal they had to check application status, login ID for portal, password for portal, and decision date.</p>
<p>I still have one more to go so I’ll be interested in ideas to improve what I’ve done.</p>
<p>Lots of great suggestions. We started out with a very large 3-ring binder, but outgrew even that and ended up with the hanging file folder arrangement and Excel spreadsheets.</p>
<p>I wish that we had done as suggested above, and established an email account just for college stuff, that we <em>both</em> had access to – would have saved a lot of nagging on my part!</p>
<p>Some additional points that I would emphasize: usernames, passwords, IDs, etc. – figure out how you’re going to keep track of all of them. There end up being a ton (and it seems each password requires a different combination of capitals, numbers, can’t-include-name, whatever!)</p>
<p>I also found it very helpful to have a separate chart for checking off application materials (with dates due and dates submitted), and especially for following up on what our HS had or had not submitted. Many HS’s that are geared toward the public state-school schedules need a little extra push to get things in on time for other schools.</p>
<p>And try to get names – when you visit, or if you have email correspondence, note down names whenever possible. Your student may have a question later on, or just want to “show interest” by firing off a quick email.</p>
<p>GoAskDad - responding to your post in the “Parents of HS Class of 2013” thread for input on this thread.</p>
<p>Besides the obvious file folders for each school, most of the organization I have had helping my son is a very comprehensive spreadsheet that has grown as we have moved through each stage of the process. Here’s the fields in our spreadsheet:</p>
<p>Basic Info - School Name, Location, # of Undergrads, Soph. Retention Rate</p>
<p>Chance Info - Category (Reach 0-25%, Maybe 26-50%, Likely 51-75%, High Likely 76 - 99%, Safety 100%), % Admitted</p>
<p>Visit/Admission Info - Date Visited, Common App or App Web Site, Planned App Type (Early Action or Regular Decision), App Deadline, Date App Submitted, Interview Requirements or Date of Interview, Decision Notification Date, Decision (Admit/Reject)</p>
<p>Admission Factors from CDS - Academic Rigor, Class Rank, GPA, Test Scores, Essay, Recs, Interview, Level of Interest</p>
<p>Test Scores - ACT 25/75%, Date ACT Sent, SAT 25/75% (Math/Reading/Writing), Date SAT Sent, Standardized Test Requirements, Date Subject Tests Sent</p>
<p>Fin. Aid Info - CSS Deadline, Date CSS Sent, FAFSA Deadline, Date FAFSA Sent, Tax Return Deadline, Date Tax Return Sent, Scholarship App Deadline, % of Non-Need Students Given Merit Aid, Avg, Amount of Merit Aid, Estimated Net Cost</p>
<p>Engineering Info - # of Eng. Grads, # of Civil Eng. Grads, USNews Engineering and CE Rankings</p>
<p>Submitted App Info - Web Site for Application, Admitted Student Info, AP Credit Info</p>
<p>That’s it! Maybe a little excessive but it’s all info we have needed to look at and will continue to look at and it’s good to have in one place.</p>
<p>Hope that helps - Good luck to all!</p>
<p>I’ve become “notorious” for my spreadsheet on the 2013 thread so I thought I’d drop by & share a few tips:</p>
<p>1) Absolutely get a new, boring email address just for college stuff. And make sure that both the kid & parent have the login info.</p>
<p>2) Type up address labels with student name, address, phone number, year of graduation, and intended major for college fairs, so you can just slap them on the cards they want filled out.</p>
<p>3) For the spreadsheet: with my 2013 kiddo, I used Google Docs (now Google Drive.) It’s a web based version of an Office type software, but multiple people can edit it (if you share it with them) and it’s up to date and available on the web, so no worry about accidentally looking at an out of date spreadsheet. I also have her resume on there, so if she needs to print it out while she’s not home, she can access it. </p>
<p>4) The spreadsheet: D13’s currently has 9 pages:
the original list (37 schools;
the college fair list (from junior year, so she could quickly look at the 18 schools on her list that would be at the fair;
her edited list of schools she ended up applying to;
a Cost of Attendance page with columns broken down into Total COA, tuition, room, board, fees, Net Price Calculator estimated cost, and cost with anticipated merit;
score comparison page where I listed the 25%-75% for ACT & SAT for each school;
AP credit policy page (listed the potential credit for each AP class she’s taken)
Acceptance rate page;
Application checklist page (includes application fee, if school is on the common app, what the login & password is for each app, EA/ED/RD status, #of letters of rec needed, if there was a separate honors or scholarship app needed, deadlines for merit & admission, date of app, date scores were sent, date transcripts were requested, Financial Aid deadlines, date that decisions were accepted.</p>
<p>On the main page (the one listing the schools she applied to) the columns are: College Name; Location; Total # of undergrads; % OOS; Direct Flight?;Driving Time/Distance; Avg. Jan High Temp; Avg. Jan Low Temp; ACT comp score 25-75%; SAT CR 25-75%; SAT Math 25-75%; College Website; English/Creative Writing Dept. Website; Honors Website; Acceptance Rate; Yield; Retention Rate; Cost: tuition + room & board; SATII required?; Ranking; Rugg’s if listed; Association of Writing Program opinion if listed;
D2’s Research Thoughts; Rep local visit date; Date of our visit to campus; National Merit scholarships?; Level of interest important?</p>
<p>D2 kept all the brochures & mailings in a milk crate in folders in her room. As soon as she decided she wasn’t applying to a particular school, she’d pitch all their stuff. She had an individual file folder/2 pocket folder for each school. </p>
<p>Hope this helps!</p>
<p>Learning so much from this thread! Thanks to the OP for starting it - and special thanks to the Parents of HS Class 2013 (the thread I lurk on most) who generously took time to post in such detail.</p>
<p>Ack…I typed up a long response yesterday on my touchscreen and now I see it never posted. I’ll read through and see if there’s anything I can add…</p>