<p>Hi - my nextdoor neighbor is nearing her senior year in high school and is starting to take her college/university search very seriously now. She is an "average" student right now - 3.4 GPA and needs some help figuring out the whole "college admissions/application" world...</p>
<p>Are universities/colleges actively recruiting/reaching out to high school students? If so, how are they reaching/marketing to high school students (should she be looking for communication from her college counsellor at school, facebook, linkedin, other sites, emails, physical Viewbooks, etc.)?<br>
Any suggestions on how she can get in contact with colleges and universities or how she can make herself stand out to colleges/universities? i.e. are there any sites (other than CC) where she should post her information for a good chance at having a lot of colleges see her "profile"?
Since her grades aren't outstanding, are there any suggestions (outside of goverment loans) for her in terms of financial aid, loans, scholarships, etc. - any good websites to check out?</p>
<p>Thanks for your insight - it's been a while since I was in high school, so having some of your feedback is much appreciated :-)</p>
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<li><p>Yes, especially if she’s already taken any standardized tests (PSAT, SAT, ACT) and given contact information and said they can contact her. Colleges often send hard copy view books to your address, but increasingly they are sending a single palm card (a glossy one-page summary) with their web address on it encouraging students to look at them. They also may email students directly. Depending on what kind of school she goes to, her college counselor may communicate with her directly. I went to a public Magnet school with decent counseling but my counselor never directly contacted us through email; we had a required meeting with them once a semester. At some smaller schools or more highly-ranked/competitive public and private schools that may be the norm.</p></li>
<li><p>Honestly, she should simply be herself. Some schools value students who show interest by visiting ahead of their application, but not all students can afford to do that and many students get in without visiting. She shouldn’t necessarily post her information anywhere for schools to see her “profile” - they will see it when she applies. There’s also little reason to get in contact with universities ahead of time unless she has specific questions or wants to request information.</p></li>
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<p>The best thing she can do to stand out is get good grades and pursue her interests and passions through extracurricular activities. I guess one strategy which will work is looking at the values of certain colleges and tailoring your application to that. For example, the college I eventually ended up attending valued community service and involvement, so my community service was featured prominently on my application. However, I’m not talking about joining things just for the sake of “looking good” - I’m talking about finding places with missions and values your neighbor already holds dear, and making sure her application emphasizes her proof in the pudding of valuing those things.</p>
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<li>The biggest merit aid is usually through institutional scholarships, and the best way to get that is apply to schools in which she is in the top 10-15% of applicants. Especially if she has high test scores. Outside scholarships are typically small and only last for one year, which is why I find sites like Fastweb.com pretty useless. If she’s at all athletic and has interests in a technical major, she may also be interested in ROTC scholarships, but those can be relatively competitive depending on the service (Air Force is the most; Army is the least) and would require her to serve in the Armed Forces as an officer for 4 years.</li>
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