Countdown to College: A Pre-College Checklist
Posted on: Monday, 28 January 2008, 06:00 CST
Thinking about college is no longer something that students wait to do until the fall of their senior year. Here's what families and students should be thinking about this winter and into spring.
FRESHMEN AND SOPHOMORES
_ Focus on classwork: Study and then study some more. Get the best grades in the most challenging courses possible. Nothing will do more than a strong academic record.
_ Transcript review: Take a look at the course offerings for next year and the year after. Meet with your school's guidance counselor to confirm that you're fulfilling all of the high school graduation requirements and completing the minimum college prep recommendations.
_ Think summer: Now is the time to be researching summer enrichment opportunities, community service, internships and job-shadowing experiences. Families should talk about the student's areas of interest and brainstorm opportunities.
JUNIORS
_ College search: Juniors should purchase a guidebook (Princeton Review, Fiske, Barrons or US News) and start checking out colleges. Important statistics to consider include: size, location, middle 50 percent verbal and math SAT scores; selectivity rating, quality of life rating, acceptance rate, retention (how many students returned after freshman year), graduation in four years/six years, cost and the "overlap" schools _ other colleges where applicants to this college have applied.
_ College selection assessments: Head to any of the traditional college sites such as www.collegeboard.com or www.princetonreview.com and take their College Matchmaker assessments. Be careful with how your student limits his or her choices because, for example, choosing "on-campus housing for four years" will take your choices from 3,857 to 534. When in doubt, select "no preference" because you can always go back and limit results to a greater degree.
_ Create a long list: After doing some preliminary research, draft a long list of colleges. Contact colleges to obtain a course syllabus and other literature.
_ Campus visits: Plan at least one campus visit this spring, perhaps to a college or university in your general vicinity. Make advance arrangements to take the campus tour and sit in on the information session. Do your homework so you can ask intelligent questions.
_ Plan your summer: Interesting experiences can create a vehicle for powerful college essays.
_ Testing: Based on PSAT scores, determine whether test preparation makes sense. There are a variety of free or inexpensive Web-based programs as well as self-directed books.
SENIORS
You may have thought it was all over, but that's not the case. The good news is that the tough stuff of applications, essay-writing, letters of recommendation, brag sheets, etc., is either done or nearing completion. Things seniors need to be thinking about now include:
_ Financial aid: Complete the FAFSA form as soon as possible (www.fafsa.ed.gov). It's first-come, first-served.
_ Scholarship search: Check out your school's Web site, ask your guidance counselors, check out employers and research www.fastweb.com.
___
Lee Bierer is an independent college adviser based in Charlotte, N.C. For more information, visit www.collegeadmissionsstrategies.com
Source: The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds