Preparing to Apply to College
Until a student and his or her parents start looking closely at the college application process, it’s pretty easy to assume that it’s going to be a cake walk Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. The difficulty of the process depends a great deal on the student. If the student is very organized, likes to write, and tends to get things done before deadlines, the process is probably going to be pretty smooth. However, if the student is a procrastinator who doesn’t particularly like to write, you could be in for a bumpy ride.
Another factor you need to consider is the availability of the student’s high school counselor. Because of budget cuts, many public school counselors are responsible for hundreds of students, not to mention scheduling and a multitude of other duties they have to juggle. While many of them do an incredible job of helping college bound students, it’s not reasonable – or fair – to expect them to give every student extensive one-on-one help choosing and/or applying to colleges.
So, what do you need to do?
1. Get organized and stay on top of things. This a necessity if you’re doing this on your own. You need to know exactly what supporting documents (i.e. transcripts, recommendations, test results) each school requires and when their deadlines are. Set up a calendar for yourself using this info and stick to it. Be sure to include getting your essays written during the summer.
2. Consider attending a summer application workshop. These are offered in many communities to help students get organized and get started on their applications during their summer break. They are often offered at private schools and by a variety of organizations. They are rarely free, but the expert help you get is usually well worth the price.
3. Spend time preparing for the SAT/ACT. You don’t necessarily need to spend a fortune on prep classes, but you do need to do something. Test prep is so common now that doing nothing can put you at a disadvantage. Whether it is using a book you can check out from the library or making use of websites like number2.com, anything extra you do may help improve your scores.
4. Meet with your school counselor in September. School counselors can be very busy, so it’s important that you make the effort to see them as soon as you get back to school. Let them know which schools you will be applying to, what you were able to get done over the summer, and ask them any questions you may have. You may also want to ask them if they will read over your essay or if they can recommend someone else who could do that for you.
5. Finish everything well before the deadline. Waiting till the last minute can be a costly mistake. Make sure you get essays proofread early, so you have time to correct mistakes. Have someone look over your applications too – just in case you missed something.
6. Monitor your application account. Most colleges give you a way to monitor your application to make sure all your supporting documents like transcripts and recommendations have arrived. Things can get lost in the mail, so keeping an eye on this is very important.
If this all seems like too much or you know you will have trouble staying on task, you may want to consider working with an independent college counselor. Parents sometimes even engage the services of an independent counselor in order to minimize conflict within the family. But above all that, an independent counselor can help you with everything mentioned above, as well as give you very personalized guidance based on your needs. You can find an independent counselor in your area by clicking here. Most will be willing to work with you to find a package to meet your needs and budget. Not able to find a local independent counselor? Some, like me, are willing to work with students by using Skype.
