College Planning

The College Board: More Than The SAT

Many of us remember taking the SATs, perhaps with a nostalgic mixture of pain and pride. That rite of passage is a hallmark of growing into adulthood, but there's lots to know about the College Board and many parents could benefit by a refresher course as their child approaches their own SAT-taking.

The College Board, headquartered in Manhattan, was first launched in 1900 as the College Entrance Examination Board. Today, it is comprised of more than 5,700 schools, colleges, universities and educational organizations and it is best known for the standardized tests that measure aptitude and ability, which it creates, scores and tracks.

Among the tests that the College Board administers are the the Scholastic Aptitude Test or later the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT), the Preliminary SAT (PSAT), College Level Examination Program (CLEP) which provides students of any age the opportunity to demonstrate college-level achievement, and Advanced Placement Program (AP), which offers high school students a chance to gain college credit through advanced classes and test scores. The College Board also offers the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE, a financial aid application service that many private schools use for financial aid screening. 

Perhaps lesser known are the various initiatives the College Board operates to increase achievement in underperforming schools, particularly in New York City public schools, but also in Washington, DC, Jacksonville and Chicago. So these days, it's important to know that this is not your grandfather's SATs.

Photo courtesy of the US Navy via Wikimedia Commons.

How to Ace the College Application Process

Here’s the go-to list that every college applicant should read (and follow). Yes, parents, you can read it, but be sure to pass it along to your prospective college student son or daughter.

1.    Challenge yourself. You may be tempted to slack off in high school, but this is exactly the time when you should be pushing yourself. Don’t shrug off the AP or the honors classes. And, yes, college admissions offices look at all your high school grades.

2.    Get to know your teachers. When it comes to college recommendations, having a strong relationship with a teacher who believes in you goes a long way to convincing a college admissions officer you’re a worthy candidate.

3.    Show your depth. A lot of random extra-curricular activities just show you’re busy; it doesn’t show a depth of commitment. Find your passion and stick with it. This is good advice for life too.

4.    Build your confidence for exams. Whether you boost your self-assurance with SAT prep courses or practice sessions, try to walk into those ACT or SAT exams with poise and aplomb of a winner.

5.    Prepare for interviews.  Interviewing with alumni or admissions officers can feel a little unnerving, unless of course, you go in prepared and with the right attitude. Learn about the school beforehand and anticipate what kinds of questions might be asked. Then relax and be yourself.

6.    Take your time on applications. Don’t rush. Haste makes mistakes. Be thorough, read over your applications and be sure to save a copy.

7.    Start researching colleges early. Beginning the process of finding the right-fitting college can begin in your sophomore or junior year online. That’s a good start before you begin visiting campuses and scheduling admissions office interviews.

8.    Ask early for Letters of Recommendation. Teachers are inundated with requests to write recommendations, so be sure to ask in the spring rather than wait until fall. That gives him or her plenty of time to write a quality recommendation.

9.    Make the best case for yourself. Spend some time to identify your strengths and figure out the best way to showcase them. Maybe consider creating a video college essay to best spotlight your filmmaking, animation or creative skills. Or create a portfolio of your best community service projects.

10.  Ask for help when you need it. Your parents are there to support and guide you, but they’re not the only ones who have your back. Guidance counselors, college coaches and high school teachers all want you to succeed and are willing to share their expertise to help get you there.

Photo by katmere via Flickr.

A, B or C? Giving Your Prospective Colleges a Grade

Okay, so you’ve signed up for a college tour and you’ve set up your GPS to find the school. What more do you need to do to make the most out of your trip as you begin the college search process?

Well, that is a good start, but there are other ways to make sure your visit is really worthwhile. In a five-minute date, you get 300 seconds to meet, greet and evaluate a potential partner. Fortunately, you have more time to mull over a college visit. But in order to maximize your tour, you should take the time in advance to think through what it is you want to evaluate while you’re on campus. In other words, before you started the car and set foot on the road, you should create a report card to grade the school.

It is very important to develop some sort of rating scale for your report card. By this I mean identifying the aspects of a college you think are important to gauge as well as an actual grading system. Perhaps your child is a finicky eater or a vegetarian or has some other dietary considerations. Then be sure to include the dining hall food on your list and make it a priority to sample a breakfast, lunch or dinner there.

Or, is your child a homebody who needs to feel comfortable in his or her surroundings? Then, the layout of a dorm room or the amenities the dorm offers might be really important criteria. Perhaps your kid is athletic and fit? Then you’ll want to be sure to check the college workout facility, the athletic fields, the roster of club sports or the indoor pool.

Whatever your customized list includes, you’ll then need a rating system. Perhaps a simple thumbs up or down is sufficient, or rank each criteria with a one to 5 scale or some other scale of measurement you’ve come up with. Just be sure to be consistent and use the same criteria and scoring system school to school.

That way, when you’ve arrived home after your last college visit, you have a report card on the schools you’ve visited that will mean something because you’ve developed it with your child’s particular needs in mind.

Photo by arvindgrover via Flickr.

Identifying your child's aptitude to prepare for college.

Remember when you were a child and well-meaning adults would ask, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s a common question but one not always easily answered.

Some of us were fortunate. We knew from an early age what drives us, we could easily recognize what fulfills us in life and could identify which career we wanted to pursue. But what about the rest of us? The ones who are completely befuddled and stumped by that question - especially, if the one who’s having trouble coming up with an answer is your college-bound child. How do you help?

The ability to answer that question is particularly important if you’re heading off to college because presumably, that is where you prepare for the career you intend to pursue, so it is a time of transition and a period in your life where identifying your aptitude is pivotal. Fortunately, there is help for parents and their children.

Many guidance departments offer aptitude testing to help students identify the academic areas that are most suited to their skills and interests. But, there are resources beyond those found at your child’s high school guidance office. Consider, for example, the Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation which offers testing at major urban centers across the country and has been involved in aptitude testing and research since 1922 – pretty much since aptitude was a field of study.

Talk to your child, consult with your child’s guidance counselor and identify a plan that makes sense because identifying aptitude — and being able to answer the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” —  is an important foundation for future success.

Photo by puresolitude via Flickr.

Manage the stress of applying to college

In my work with families, I have found that there are two periods when the stress of senior year peaks. The first occurs between November 1 and February 1, which coincides with the college application deadline process. This is when early admission, early action and regular admission applications are due — along with all the essays, transcripts, recommendations, portfolios and application fees.

This first peak period of duress also occurs over the holiday season, which itself can generate its own tension and anxieties. And, it may also coincide with a time when your child's coursework, extracurricular and social activities are reaching a crescendo — all able to overwhelm an already-exhausted senior. To help, be sure to give your child plenty of opportunity to express his frustrations around this, as well as acknowledge and celebrate when the applications are finally done and submitted.

The second most stressful period in the application process is between February and April when seniors are waiting for admission decisions. The good news is that 78 percent of students are accepted at their top choice school, but the bad news is 22 percent are not. So parents can best help their child by preparing them for both outcomes. An acceptance is great, but a rejection is only a bump in the road that will eventually lead to college.

And also, keep in mind that even if your child is accepted to every one of the schools he applied to, there is still the stress of deciding which one to choose. Parents also may feel pressure at this time, since the decision could be based on both the school itself and the financial aid package it is offering.

So get Zen and keep breathing through the deadlines and at some point you'll be on the other side of this decision.

Photo by alancleaver_2000 via Flickr.

Common mistakes made by freshmen

In this week’s blog, I will discuss other mistakes that freshmen can make and how to prevent them. Freshmen year is a big transition year for students with new cultures, expectations and responsibilities. Mistakes will be made but it is helpful to have this information before move in day for freshmen.

Freshmen will experience many new opportunities for socializing. Freshmen are given new freedom, with this must come a new sense of responsibility with academics being the priority. Socializing is a great part of the college experience but it should not be top priority. Freshmen should be socially responsible and abide by the law when they are out with their friends.

 There is such a thing as over socializing as well as under socializing. Colleges will offer many clubs and organizations that students can join. There will be opportunity for travel and for service work. There will be something for everyone. Freshmen should seek out clubs that speak to their extra curricular interests. This is also a good way to make new friends while experiencing new things.

While in the classroom, it is the student’s responsibility to be prepared and to participate. If students are going to miss a class, the student should let the professor know. Students should invest themselves in the course and the work; it is necessary to come to class prepared and ready to learn.

Another mistake that freshmen can make is dropping a class that they do not like or one that seems to be too difficult. Dropping a class can impact financial aid and the intended path toward graduation. Students want to maintain their full course load so that they graduate on time and meet the challenges that a new difficult course can offer.

Freshmen students can be tempted to go home frequently if they live close enough to campus.  Students should try to spend as much time on campus as possible. Going home too frequently can be a mistake and students need to give campus life a fair shot. Campus living should become relaxing and familiar similar to the home that they left behind to come to college. With this sense of familiarity will come new friends, activities and opportunities.

Lastly, freshmen year will be a learning experience. Students should learn from their own mistakes and from mistakes made by their peers. Freshmen should be able to make informed decisions while recognizing their limits. This year is notorious for a time when students make countless errors, students should remember that no one is perfect. The key is to learn, grow and move forward.

 

Being prepared is key when applying early

In this week’s blog, I will discuss ways that can help students decide if applying early is the right thing for them, how to prepare for the process and lastly I will outline the timeline that the student will follow when applying under the early action or the early decision admission plans.

 Families and students first need to decide if applying early is the right for the student. There is good reason to apply under early decision if the student is certain that he will attend upon acceptance as the process is binding.  The student should rate the college as his first choice if he plans to apply early decision.

 Many colleges offer early action admission programs that aren’t binding. These plans allow students to apply early to other colleges and to apply under regular admission as well. If a student identifies a school as a top choice and the school offers early action he should apply.

 If a family is in need of comparing financial aid packages from different schools or a student needs to demonstrate academic work during the senior year, he should not consider applying under early admission plans.

The timeline for early application begins during the junior year.  Students should research and develop a rated list of colleges. Rating a list of preferred colleges will be helpful to the student so that the applications can be prioritized. When rating a school, students should consider the application processes offered, the family budget, the likelihood of acceptance based on requirements and how well the school meets and exceeds their expectations. Guidance counselors can help with this. Students will need to research the admission processes at each school and the specific requirements needed for application. If needed, students can call college admission offices and discuss any questions that arise.

Between January and May of the junior year, the student should register for and take college admission tests such as the SAT and the ACT. College bound students and their families should take advantage of the spring break and visit those colleges that are of interest.

 From May to June students should take the SAT subject tests. These tests work to highlight knowledge in specific subject matter. These subject tests can have a positive influence on the application especially if a student is applying under a certain academic major.  Students should continue to work hard academically.

 The summer is a great time to spend getting organized while revisiting colleges.  The college essay can be worked on, interviews on college campuses can be arranged if offered and a list of back up schools should be generated. The need for back up schools is important. A student does not want to be left without viable options. These schools may not have been the top choices but they are institutions that the student is interested in and could see himself at.

Students can also use the summer to gain more extracurricular experience that can be noted on applications. Students can also seek private scholarship applications, work on their high school resume which highlights accomplishments and if required complete writing samples or portfolios. If the student is an athlete he can use this time to contact the athletic coach at the colleges of interest.

 During the start of the senior year, students should be filing their college applications with respect to early deadlines. They should also be getting their recommendations completed. If a student needs to retake the SAT, October is the last test date that scores can be used from for early action or early decision admission programs. Students will need to register for and file the CSS Financial aid profile as well as any other financial aid forms by November 15^th.

 The month of November is the time when students will file the early action or early decision applications according to the college deadlines and requirements. Students should make certain that they have their completed recommendations. Students should use this time to complete regular decision applications as well. It is smart to do this in case the student isn’t accepted under the early admission programs.

Lastly, students should be notified of admission decisions by December 15^th. It is important for seniors to continue their hard work as colleges have the right to rescind admission offers should they see a decrease in academics.  Seniors should remain focused and open-minded as the applications are made and as they learn of the admission decisions. Students will choose a school that is a good match offering growth and opportunity. College is about the academic, social and human experience and will be what a student makes of it.

 

Is it best to be early?

If a student finds a college that he thinks is the perfect fit for him, he may want to consider applying early. There are more than 400 colleges that offer plans for early admission. Students who apply through early action or early decision will complete their application in early November. Students are notified by December 15th of the decision.  The early decision admission plan is a binding admission plan while the early action plan is not.

 Many students like the early timeframe for application, they are anxious about the process and their needs can be met early on.  A high percentage of students are projected to apply early this fall, approximately 50%.  Some college bound students can’t wait and their friends are also making early applications.

 There are some importance differences to understand between the two options before a student makes his early application. The early decision admission process is binding. If a student applies and is accepted via early decision, he must agree to attend. A student should only apply to one college under this plan and he should withdraw all other applications upon acceptance.  When applying through early decision, students must have their financial aid and CSS Profile Form filed by November 15th.

Early Action plans are not binding. Students who are accepted through early action can commit right away or wait until Spring. Students can apply to multiple schools under the early action plans.

 Single Choice early action is a new admission plan offered by a small number of selective colleges. Students can only apply to one school via this plan and it is not binding.  A student can apply to other schools under the regular admission when making a single choice early action application.

 Colleges can determine which students really want to attend their school by the early commitment timeframe. Research shows that a student has a good chance of acceptance when applying through early decision. Consider Cornell University’s class of 2014, the acceptance rate through regular decision was 8.2% and under early decision it was 19.2%. Brown University reported filling 28% of their class through early acceptances while Penn reported filling 50%.

 Lastly, many students apply early for different reasons, 80% of them should not apply early because they are doing it for the wrong reasons.  Students should use the 1^st half of their senior year to show the colleges their academic progress through AP or Honor’s courses. Some may want to take an SAT prep course to prepare for the November SAT.  Early applications should not solely be done to get the process over with.

 In next week’s blog, I will discuss the timeline needed to make an application through early action and early decision.

 

Transitional Stress Part II

This week’s blog discusses the remaining five stages of transitional stress that the college bound student could encounter. At this time of the year, everyone in the family feels a lot of stress, especially the graduating senior.  Families can stay connected and remember that there are ups and downs that accompany every new experience. The following stages will discuss learning to cope and finally putting all the pieces of the college puzzle together or at least putting you on the right path.

Stage 6 — "The Grass is Always Greener…”: About midway through the first year many freshmen may begin to think that all their problems with their school could be easily solved by transferring to another school. This feeling can be particularly strong among students who were undecided until the last minute about which college to choose. Students who decide to transfer should understand that they might lose priority for course assignments, campus housing and financial aid. Many colleges will not even consider mid-year freshmen transfers. I always encourage new students to stick with their school for at least one full year; what may seem insurmountable problems at the start of the year are often drastically reduced or disappear completely by the end of the year.

 Stage 7 — “You Can’t Go Home Again…”: Students who go away to college and suffer with homesickness often long to return to the familiarity and security of home and they may find themselves counting the days until they can go back. The long awaited trip may, however, turn out to be traumatic or disappointing because things are likely to have changed. The most noticeable changes may be the encroachment of a younger sibling on the student’s position in the family or the conversion of the student’s space into an office, guest room, or other sibling’s room.

 After only a few days at home many freshmen come to realize that it is they who have changed more than things at home. And with that realization often comes a desire to return to campus–the very place they couldn’t wait to leave!

 Stage 8 – Learning to Cope: After six weeks or so on campus, freshmen can find their way to the library, have real conversations with their roommates, and are expanding their circle of friends. New students at first tend to find one or two people with whom they feel comfortable and tend to stick close to them without going out of their way to make additional contacts. But as their confidence builds so does the desire to meet more people. During this stage freshmen begin to enjoy their classes, engage in campus activities and are, in general, willing to participate in a greater number of campus activities. E-mail makes coping much easier for both the student and their family.

 Stage 9 — Fear of Failure: Midterm papers and exams can cause considerable stress as freshmen begin to fully appreciate the amount of work that must be done. Students involved in the sciences and math may experience such stress earlier in the term as those subject areas commonly give frequent quizzes rather than a single midterm exam. The best way to cope with a fear of failure is to make sure course preparation is thorough.

 Stage 10 — Putting It All Together: By the middle of the second term, most freshmen find that facets of their campus life will have meshed into a well-integrated lifestyle. Students begin to see college as ‘whole cloth’ rather than a collection of experience ‘patches.’ Once this happens they are in a better position to make decisions about all areas of college life. They are now working from a position of confidence rather than the tentative posture of the inexperienced new student they once were.

Remember to allow for mistakes, parents and the college bound student must realize that mistakes will be made along the way. These mistakes are called life experiences and they teach us a multitude of things. When we are able to learn from our mistakes, we are better for it. In the case of a college freshman, it will help.

Transition Stress

For those sending a child to college in September 2011, it is now time to turn your attention beyond your child’s acceptance letter to the jitters of preparing for the first year college experience. I have spent the last 26 years working with families, and it has been through this experience that I have come to identify the 10 stages of transitional stress that families encounter between May and December of their college bound year. I call it the “Graduation Leap,” and it takes your child across the chasm from the shores of childhood to the brink of adulthood. Since there is a lot of important information on this topic, it will be continued for the next few weeks. In this blog, I will outline the first five stages. In the following weeks, I will continue to discuss the remaining stages and how to employ good preparation and coping skills when dealing with transitional stress.

Stage 1 — Separation Anxiety: The weeks surrounding your child’s graduation may be filled with a heady blend of satisfaction and nostalgia. Romantic attachments may intensify, particularly if separation is imminent. The air around your child is charged with the electricity of unknown changes to come.

Stage 2 — Special Attention: As the summer winds down your child will become more aware that they are really going to college. Some kids manage to block the reality of their impending departure until they start packing. It is at this point that they begin to acknowledge

The approaching separation from family and friends, as well as the comfort of the support system of the high school environment.  Reassurance from you will help them understand that they have their family’s support and love regardless of the outcome of their college experience. Lessening the pressure for them, or at least recognizing and understanding it, makes their success in college much more likely.

Stage 3 — “Getting to Know You”: The freshman academic program may also generate severe stress. The courses a student takes in this all-important first term have a strong influence on how their first year goes; students should avoid taking too many courses or enrolling in courses that are too advanced, either of which can make a first-term freshman miserable and discouraged.

 Stage 4 — “The Honeymoon”: Freshmen arrive on campus with a myriad of expectations influenced by such films as “Animal House” and “Revenge of the Nerds.” Perhaps the strongest influence comes through carefully choreographed admission recruitment weekends that draw your child into a heightened sense of excitement and euphoria by making them feel as if they are part of campus life while not experiencing actual day-to-day living conditions. They are ready to be enthralled by everything they see, which is good because there are indeed wonderful things to see and experience, although some students may feel they are not happening fast enough.

 The Honeymoon stage is also a time when many students experiment with or extend their

experience with alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and/or sexual activity. Campus life presents them with more opportunities to do so with two additional factors: they are not under the watchful eye of their parents, and they are influenced by older college students and more experienced peers.

 Stage 5 — “The Honeymoon’s Over”: As freshmen settle into campus life the realization dawns that much of college consists of hard work coupled with some frustration and disappointment. Nothing, however, will prepare a freshman for the shock of those first papers and quiz grades because they are almost always respectively tougher and lower than what a student was used to in high school. This can be particularly difficult for students who ‘coasted’ through high school, and some may encounter unexpected hardships during this stage.

 In next week’s blog, I will discuss the final five stages and how to best deal with transitional stress. The moral of this blog is “forewarned is forewarned.”