If you’re going into your senior year of high school in the fall, you probably have a nagging feeling that you should be doing something about college, but I bet the whole concept feels overwhelming. (If you’re going into your junior year and you’re smart enough to be reading ahead to be well prepared, give yourself a big gold star!)
Where should you start? Is it too early to begin the college process – or are you already behind?
Let’s think this whole application process through, step by step:
– You want to hear back from colleges as early as possible and get as many yeses as possible, so you want to apply to several schools early action. That means applying by October of senior year.
– To apply by October, you have to work on your applications, especially the application essays, over the summer before senior year. (That means NOW!)
– To work on the essays over the summer, you have to know which colleges you’ll be applying to more or less by June of junior year.
– To know which schools you want to apply to by June, you have to have visited several schools in March and April of junior year. (Most schools discourage tours in early May when finals are in session, and most college students leave campus by mid-May.)
– To know which schools you’d like to visit, you need a list of potential schools by FEBRUARY of junior year.
So are you behind? Unless you have a solid list of schools to which you intend to apply, I’m afraid you are!
How should you start building that list? I’m sure your high school guidance counselor has suggested you start with Naviance. Feh! The sample on Naviance is just too small. If someone from your high school got into Big State U, is it because he was a sports star? Did his parents go there? Is he a coveted minority? Was he an expert at the French horn? You’ll never know from Naviance.
Try the College Board college search. (Yes, I used to recommend Princeton Review, but they’ve tinkered with it so much in the past few years that you now need a college degree to work their program.) US News & World Report also has an excellent college search tool. They charge $30 to access it for a year, but it has very specific, very accurate information. Between US News and the College Board, you’ll have all the college information you need to start building a list.
Think of how far away from home you want to be. Think of what majors you want your school to have. Do you care if your school has a big football team? Is on-campus housing important to you? How do you feel about Greek life (fraternities and sororities)?
You want your list to be huge at first, maybe 30 – 40 schools. Include every possibility. Then start narrowing. Are religious schools out? How about urban schools without a campus? Please don’t eliminate a school just because you haven’t heard of it, and don’t include schools that don’t fit your needs just because your friends are talking about them. Build a list on your own.
Once you have a list, group your schools geographically. Can you visit all the New York State schools over a three-day trip? What about Pennsylvania schools or Boston schools? You’ll probably want to take a few weekends to visit schools, so start looking for weekends that work for your parents. They’re much more likely to cooperate if you have a plan. For example, you might say, “Mom, I want to take three trips. I want to see the Pennsylvania/ Delaware/Maryland schools in one trip, the Boston area schools in another trip, and the New York State schools to the west in a third trip.” Mom’s bound to be impressed! Then go online and find out when those schools have available tours and/or information sessions.
Don’t forget to make appointments for school tours and information sessions. The most popular dates fill up quickly.
While you’re online, definitely fill out the “send me more information” page at each school. That’s how they know you’re considering them. Once the schools get specific information from you, they can send you targeted brochures for your interests or major or any scholarships that you might fit.
After you make your list, go to visit schools. You don’t have to see every school to which you might apply. You don’t have to visit your reach schools. Face it, if you get into Harvard, you’re going. Who cares what the dorm rooms look like. Visit the schools that are most likely to admit you. Visit different categories of schools: urban, suburban, rural, large, small, northern, southern – whatever your categories are.
Next, start writing your essay. The new Common Ap won’t be out until August 1, 2013, but you can see the topics here.
Also, you should be making a comprehensive list of everything you’ve done in high school. List:
- academic achievements (pins, awards, honors)
- after school clubs
- sports
- paid jobs (even babysitting)
- volunteer jobs
- community service
You need the name of the activity, the group you did it for or with, the dates, and perhaps a 5-word description.
Once you complete your list, show it to your parents. You’re bound to have forgotten something!
After you really complete your list, make a resume. Look online for samples. The most important thing about a resume is that it is error-free. Have someone else review it. Now you have something to bring with you on interviews, and completing college applications is SO much easier when you already have completed a resume. Trust me!
Since the new Common Ap website won’t be up until August 1st, I won’t give you instructions now on how to complete it. Get started with looking for colleges, making a list, booking tours, visiting, and creating a resume. By the time you’re done, I’ll have more information on the new Common Ap.
Let me know if you need help! 
Wendy Segal
High School 2 College 