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View Winners → College Search Guide (2/11/16 Issue)
Opinion Feb 11, 2016
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The Road To College
By May S. Ruiz
Freshman: Your children are well into the second semester of 9th grade and are now fully engaged in the academic and extra-curricular life at their school. They should continue focusing on maintaining good grades, or if their first semester marks need improvement, now is the time to turn things around. Time management is of paramount importance as schedules could prove to be challenging with their course load, sports and extra-curriculars all vying for their attention and time.
Your children should start thinking about their summer community service activity. Your student’s college counselor may have some recommendations on community service and other clubs and organizations to develop his or her interests and abilities.
Sophomore: Your children should stay on top of their grades to ensure the final grades that go on their transcript are the best they could earn. The schools they will be applying to will only get to see the entire marks for their first three years in high school. If their first semester grades were not stellar, they need to improve their grades this semester. They need to meet with their grade class dean to make sure their grades and courses are on the right track for graduation. They should know what tests they need to take and register for them (www.collegeboard.com, www.act.org).
It would be a smart move for them to take the SAT subject test the year they take the course while it is still fresh in their mind. My daughter took her SAT II chemistry test as well as the AP test in May of her sophomore year.
Junior: I cannot emphasize this enough – junior year is the last complete year that college admissions officers will be looking at when your children send their application. They need to maintain their good grades and extra-curricular activities. If they had good study habits back in 9th grade and have established a routine, they should not be stressing out now. They should have more scheduled meetings with their college counselor to make sure their grades and courses are on track for graduation.
They need to be aware of what standardized tests they should be registering for and taking (SAT I in March, ACT in April or June, SAT II exams in May or June. www.collegeboard.com, www.act.org)
Your children’s plans for spring break college visits should be finalized. If they are visiting the colleges on their own (not the high school’s group-arranged tour), they need to call the admissions office to schedule their visit. It would be very ill-advised for parents to be scheduling the college visit for their students. As much as you want to be hands-on, relinquish control and have your children make the appointments. Most universities have a morning and an afternoon tour at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. There is usually an information session for an hour and a walking tour afterwards. If they are thinking of applying through early action or early decision, they might want to make an interview appointment with an admission officer (if it is a requirement for application). They might also want to schedule to meet with a current student to learn more about the school, or ask to see the rooming arrangements.
Senior: Your children should not take for granted that they are all done with schoolwork because they have sent in their college application. Do not let them succumb to “senioritis” as third quarter grades are very important in case they are waitlisted. Also, should they decide or find a need to transfer to another college, senior-year grades will be crucial in the transfer decision.
If your children have received new awards or commendations, or have accomplished something significant since they sent in their college application, they should email this important update to the admissions officer or the area representative of the school they applied to.
The months following the end of the college application process are usually as stressful for seniors as well as parents. While everyone has breathed a sigh of relief that the mad rush is over, the waiting period is just as nerve-racking. In the next few weeks, some college decisions would be trickling in.
Remind your children to be careful how they share their good news as their friends might be getting some bad news at the same time. If they have been accepted to their “safety school” but are not planning on attending it, they should resist the urge to boast about is as others might have it as their “dream school.”
Most of all, your children need to be patient – the answer will eventually arrive and nothing can hurry it up. Colleges notify at different times and in different ways. They should not read into the timing of the decision letters; their friends getting good news early does not necessarily mean a bad outcome for them.
Your children should confirm with the colleges to make sure they have all the documents they require. They should continue applying for scholarships (www.scholarships.com, www.collegexpress.com, www.scholarships360.org, www.fastweb.com,
www.studentaid.ed.gov, www.affordablecollegesonline.org/graduating-debt-free) and getting their FAFSA ready for submission (www.fafsa.ed.gov).
