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View Winners → October College Search Guide: The Road to College
Arcadia Weekly Oct 07, 2015
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By May S. Ruiz
As we settle into cooler temperatures and look forward to fall holidays, so should your children be getting into the rhythm of school life and activities. After they have put behind the excitement of the new school year, they should now concentrate on the job at hand.
Freshman: Encourage your children to keep their focus on their schoolwork. By this time, they should have figured out what extra-curricular activities they are interested in pursuing and what sports they want to participate in. Give them guidance as they navigate this new phase in their school life, and support the choices they make.
Sophomore: Depending on your children’s course choices and load, there could be standardized testing required of them. Your children should be taking AP and SAT II exams following completion of the course so they need to retain the knowledge they gained in class. The best preparation for both AP and SAT II exams is for your children to make sure they understand the subject matter and do well in all tests the teachers give in class. If there is something they didn’t understand, they should right away speak to the teacher to ask for clarification or, possibly, find a tutor for additional help. The results of these standardized exams are required for college applications.
Juniors: Your children should be aware that junior year is the last complete year of high school performance that college admissions officers will see. They have to put more effort at doing well and getting good marks.
They should register for and take the PSAT, which is also the qualifying exam for the National Merit Scholarship. It is also a good time for your children to meet with their school counselor to make sure they are taking all the courses they need to graduate and apply to college.
Your children should also be keeping up with their extra-curricular and sports activities. College admissions officers look at several components as they try to assemble an incoming class made up of the best candidates to add to their student body.
Several area high schools hold College Fairs on campus. This is an excellent opportunity for you to see what the different colleges and universities are offering. Your children will get to meet and speak to admissions officers – they are usually the same people who will be reviewing your children’s application, reading your children’s essay, and sitting around the table, making their case for your children during the all-important decision-making rounds. They have a say on whether your children get accepted or denied admission to the school of their choice.
Seniors: Your children should now be in the process of completing the common application, and finalizing their essay topic or personal statement. They should have provided the teachers writing their letters of recommendation with stamped envelopes.
If your children are sending supplementary material (auditions or portfolios) with their application, they need to be getting these ready soon. Audition tapes for arts performances, for instance, can be uploaded on YouTube for easy access; some schools no longer accept CDs or DVDs. Your children should check the website of the college or university to which they are applying about supplemental material requirements. Your children’s school counselors are also a great resource as they are always in contact with college admissions officers.
If your children’s high school offers interview advice and guidance, they should take advantage of it. Basic things like what clothes and shoes to wear in addition to how to answer questions all helps towards giving your children confidence. While this is not an expert advice, I am going to say that in most cases, interviewers are not as concerned about what answer they give, but how they answer. Also, if your children are visiting a campus and an interview with an admissions officer is a requirement for application, they should take the opportunity to schedule the interview at that time. Admissions officers like to see demonstrated interest – a campus visit and interview will be remembered and noted.
Be on top of application deadlines; most schools offering Early Action or early Decision have to receive your children’s application in November.
You and your children should be researching scholarships. A website called Affordable Colleges Online is a good resource to look into (http://www.affordablecollegesonline.org/graduating-debt-free). Other websites include: CollegeXpress (www.collegexpress.com); Fastweb (www.fastweb.com); Free Application for Federal Student Aid (www.fafasa.ed.gov); National Merit Scholarship Corporation (www.nationalmerit.org); Scholarships.com (www.scholarships.com); Scholarships360 (www.scholaships360.org); Student Aid on the Web (www.studentaid.ed.gov). You should also attend the financial workshops being offered at your children’s high school.
Your responsibilities as parents are limited to offering encouragement, guidance, and moral support as your children go through this stressful time. But while you need to let your children manage this process, you should also express your concerns and expectations. Communicate with your child, school counselors, and teachers when you have questions.
Be there for your children but learn when to get out of their way. Never try to communicate with the college admission officers as it is the surest way to sabotage your children’s chances for admission. Do not be overzealous about getting your children accepted to their dream university; there is a school out there that’s the right place for them. While this may sound hollow now, the counselors at your children’s school and the admissions officers at the colleges or universities to which your children are applying are actually the experts at finding the best fits.
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