<p>What advice would you give to parents who are just starting the college process and haven't done it before?</p>
<p>What tips and recommendations would you give?</p>
<p>Thank you very much, parents!</p>
<p>The application process turned out to be much more involved than we originally thought. Initially we thought the common app would make the process easy; however, many schools required supplements and additional essays. The best advice I can give is to start the process early. First assemble a detailed resume. For each app you may need to modify this or use it to fill out specific forms, but having all the information assembled will be a help. Writing the many essays turned out to be the most difficult part of the process. My D had trouble finding a good time for this. Trying to do this in the evening after a full day of school and activities did not work well. The other problem with essays was the editing. My D's english teacher "helped." He may have helped from a technical point of view, but when my D was done most of the essays became boring. The essays should be reflect the student's passions and character and this takes a lot of time and several attempts at different topics.</p>
<p>Finally, and I believe most important, establish some contact with the school. This is easiest for students who have a definite interest and intended major. Call the department and arrange for a "tour". Everytime we did this we had a lot of cooperation and my D usually was interviewed by the dept chair or a senior faculty member. The student should followup. Email thanks. Call or email with some follow up questions or ask advice on the application/selection requirements. Make sure this contact is on the app. For example, if the app asks how your student became interested, mention the tour and interview and the individual contact's name. If the this process goes well and there really appears to be a good fit, the faculty member may contact admissions. That is worth more than a whole bunch of SAT points or impressive essays.</p>
<p>Start keeping clear records from the time your child is a high school freshman. It's hard to recreate the history of involvement in e.c.s and awards from memory. Keep accounts of everything - part time jobs, hours worked, responsibilities, etc. Keep a portfolio of school work - it might not come up on college applications, but there are many programs kids can apply to during their h.s. years that require an example of "graded expository prose", for example. </p>
<p>During the college search, continue keeping clear records of visits, what was sent where, etc. and any financial aid info. If you'll be applying for finaid, use one of the calculators (think there's one on this web site) to get an idea of your EFC so it doesn't come as a total shock when it's the real thing. Depending on your h.s. and g.c., you might need to be very pro-active in ensuring things are sent on a timely basis - it would be helpful to find out what you're dealing with locally now, if you don't already know, rather than finding out what the weak spots are with your g.c. when you're in a crisis.</p>
<p>Work with your child so that he/she doesn't get too set on one particular college. We all know that, at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter where someone goes to school - it's their drive, motivation, and character that will determine their success in life.</p>
<p>See thread entitiled "If you knew then what you know now" started on May 1th or 19th" (don't know how to link it to here)...it has much valuable info, I think.</p>
<p>Junior Year:
Do some prep for PSAT. Good score may lead to scholarship money.
Take SAT and SAT-IIs in Spring. Prep using Xiggi method. Retake if necessary in late Spring of Junior year and/or fall of senior year.
Talk to GC about list of Reach/math/safety schools.
Refine characteristics of desirable schools urban/suburban; LAC/mid-sized/large, etc...)
Draw up a tentative list of colleges to visit;
Visit during vacation times when colleges are in session. Tract contacts with adcoms and profs.
Refine list of colleges.
Ask favorite teachers for recs before end of the year.</p>
<p>Summer:
Visit more colleges as necessary.
Begin drafting application essays.
Sort out financial aid requirements (see posts above)
Put together portfolio for arts, make tapes for music, etc...</p>
<p>Senior Year:
Decide whether to apply ED/EA/SCEA/Rolling admission/RD
Retake SAT as needed.
Check high school transcript, school profile
Write essays
Make sure recs are written. Write thank you notes to teachers.
Keep record of everything that is needed to be sent. Make copies of important documents.
If student took college courses, print out copy of catalog description of courses. Make sure college transcript is sent.</p>
<p>edit to my previous post: see that thread by clicking on "Featured Discussions" on Parents forum main page.</p>
<p>Link for if you knew then what you know now</p>
<p>Be more specific about college finances, that is what we'd pay versus what we expect our S to pay net of scholarships, etc. Our thinking evolved considerably and the next child will know more specific parameters up front.</p>
<p>I don't know it would have changed anything, but it would have saved a lot of anquish.</p>
<p>I second Strick11's comments on finances. You need to figure out how much you can really afford to pay for college early on--because that affects everything. I made the mistake of raising my D with the "aim high for college and you can go anywhere you get in" approach. Midway through senior year, after she had already applied, I had to say, "No, you can't go to these colleges even if you get in, because we can't afford it." Luckily, she didn't get in to the ones we couldn't afford, but that would have been a real problem if she had.</p>
<p>In addition to the above responses, my advice is to use College Confidential when you need it (it is a great source) but don't get over involved with it or you risk taking over a process which truly belongs to your kid.</p>
<p>"but don't get over involved with it or you risk taking over a process which truly belongs to your kid"</p>
<p>Whoa, I'm not quite ready to admit how much more space I should have given our S during the process. My wife and I are still debating what might have happened if we hadn't herded our normal teenage procrastinator through the process. :lol</p>
<p>That will change with each kid, too. You have to love them and pay attention to them, not just the process.</p>
<p>The app process is so complicated that considerable help is needed. This is not just apps with essays, but a whole bunch of data which needs to get to the schools. This includes fafsa and other financial data, SAT scores, recommendations, grades, etc. In addition scheduling and time for the interviews, tours. A lot of things go wrong. We had one college lose the same piece of paper 3 times, in addition to all the other things that went wrong. Followup is needed as the colleges begin the reviews. This often means phone calls and faxing during business hours when kids are in school.</p>
<p>Make sure this contact is on the app. For example, if the app asks how your student became interested, mention the tour and interview and the individual contact's name.>></p>
<p>Excellent suggestion Edad! I'm going to pass this along to my daughter, as there are two schools where she has spent a great deal of time on campus and had some very individual interactions.</p>