Helpful Web Sites:
Collegeboard.com The folks who bring you the SAT also offer financial aid information and updated statistics on higher education costs.
FastWeb.com Frequently updated, this site matches students’ personalized profiles with scholarship opportunities across the nation.
Finaid.org This nonprofit site is one of the best, most informative, and most comprehensive guides to financial aid out there today.
Insidehighered.com An online magazine offering up-to-date articles on all aspects of higher education.
Projectonstudentdebt.org A nonprofit site that provides news and resources to increase public understanding of the impact of borrowing on students and families.
Upromise.com One way to open a Section 529 college savings plan for your child is by using this site.
Survival Guide
Applying to colleges can seem daunting—to students and parents alike. With so many colleges to consider and important deadlines to meet, it helps to have a plan. These steps from a parent (Barbara) and her daughter (Kelly) can help you navigate the process with a little structure. Maybe even confidence.
Getting Organized
Barbara: Most students appreciate a second set of eyes on the deadlines, even if they’re managing most of the process themselves. Debbie Mincher is a college applications coach in Austin who has guided more than fifty students through the process. “The first time I meet with a student there is often a lot of apprehension,” says Mincher. “I tell them what the process entails, what they need to do, and give them a timeline of when everything needs to be completed.” You and your student may want to construct a similar timeline during the spring of his or her junior year. Most colleges provide detailed information on their websites and www.collegeboard.com is a useful resource too.
Kelly: Get a big folder or box that has all of your college stuff and nothing else! You’ll want to create an e-mail address only for college stuff, too, otherwise your collection of information will get cluttered and you may miss something important. Make it web-based and keep it simple and professional, no “iloveponies” or any of that.
Managing Deadlines
Barbara: Some families schedule a couple of hours weekly for a progress check, as opposed to, say, repeated and nervous questioning throughout the week. Your student will need to request transcripts from the high school, and allow enough time to meet the college’s deadline. Likewise, teachers need sufficient time to draft letters of recommendation.
Kelly: Make a checklist of all of the schools you want to apply to and all of the scholarships that might be available for you. Keep this chart up-to-date as you apply; it will really help you track your progress and keep you organized during the whole process. Everyone is always telling you to get started on all of this as soon as possible. You’ll hear this so much that you will get tired of it. But take it from me: Listen to them. Then when crunch-time rolls around and everyone is super busy trying to get everything all finished up and stressing about it all, you’ll be done. You will have taken the time to get things exactly the way you want them.
You may not know . . .
Many colleges accept applications as early as August 1, more than a full year before your fall classes would start. The junior year transcript is what you’ll send to colleges.
Watch that GPA!
Keep track of all extracurricular activities, awards, and events starting the summer before your freshman year.
Colleges look for volunteer activities, especially a continued commitment to an organization or cause.
Campus visits, college fairs you attend, and e-mail inquiries get your name into a school’s database.
Don’t let your application be the first time college admissions officers see your name.
The Devil Is In the Details
Barbara: Applications will ask about extracurricular and community service activities. If you haven’t been keeping track, you might start by checking old calendars or yearbooks and scrapbooks. They’ll also ask for details about employment and internships, leadership positions, summer activities, and any awards, honors, or talents. “Encourage your student to get involved in school activities,” says Mincher, the applications coach. “They don’t have to be class president; even being a card-carrying Parent-Teacher-Student Association member is helpful.” Ethan Logan, director of undergraduate admissions at Texas Tech University, in Lubbock, says, “We have academic requirements, but we want a well-rounded population, too, with experience in service and leadership.”
Kelly: Just make a long list of all those things you’ve been involved with in school or church and over summer or holiday breaks, and include the number of hours you spent doing them. It’s a time-consuming process, but once it’s done and it starts saving you crazy amounts of time on your applications you’ll be oh, so glad you took the time to put it together. If you helped out at Vacation Bible School once or worked two hours at a soup kitchen, put those things on your application. This is no time to be modest, put it all out there!
Those Dreaded Essays
Barbara: Many students find it difficult to get started, especially writing about themselves. Parents might want to put together a brag sheet, highlighting some of the student’s greatest strengths to help get them thinking and help the student pick the right theme for each essay. “A student has to stand out from everyone else,” says Texas Tech’s Logan. “All things being equal, the next consideration is a student’s ability to communicate. The content is important, and we want to see that they can succinctly present ideas in written form.”
Kelly: Get started on your essays! If you work best at a coffee shop, then go. These essays are some of the most important pieces of writing you will ever do and you want time to get them as close to perfect as you possibly can. Make every sentence count. Start from the end and read one sentence at a time. Out loud. Break the mold and do something to stand out. Be creative. Essays are where you can truly be yourself and show the college why they should choose you over all of the other people with identical academic offerings.
Figuring the Finances
Barbara: It’s no secret that college is expensive. Besides just writing the checks, there are student loans and work-study programs, as well as various grants and scholarships that may be available. “Try! If you think you are not eligible financially, still try,” says Stacie Lathern, a senior counselor with Midway Independent School District in the Waco area. “Check with the college of choice. Sometimes they have scholarships from within the department you are considering.” Many high schools offer financial aid planning meetings. Start here and ask questions!
Kelly: There are scholarships for just about anything, from having red hair to wearing duct tape to prom. So do your research. Nobody likes sitting around and writing essay after essay about ridiculous things like how concrete benefits society. But it’s the people who are willing to take the time to write those essays who may get that money. Those two or three hours you spent writing that essay won’t seem too bad if you get $1,000 for it. That’s WAY above minimum wage.
College Consultants in Texas
Here are a few names to get you started. An Internet search for “college consultant” will produce more ideas. Spend enough time asking questions to know if the person is a good fit for you and your family, and be sure to ask about services, costs, and a list of references that you can check out.
Debbie Mincher
I Am Not Your Mom, Austin
512-587-6633
i.mnotmom@gmail.com
Alison Cotton, M.Ed.
The College Scout, Cypress
713-922-4920
alison@thecollegescout.com
thecollegescout.com
Tamara Warner Minton
College Adventures, LLC, Dallas
972-387-1407
t.warnerminton@sbcglobal.net
collegeadventures.net
Lindy Kahn, M.A., CEP
Kahn Educational Group, LLC, Houston
713-668-2609
lkahn@educationalconsulting.com
educationalconsulting.com
Barbara Wray is a freelance writer. Her daughter, Kelly, is a high school senior who, at press time, has applied to six colleges. She has been accepted to two so far and is working her way through the college applications process.
The LineUp
EACH YEAR, RIGHT AROUND THIS TIME, the same question hits students over and over again: Where am I going to college? If you don’t have an answer for the clamoring throngs of grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers, neighbors, and friends, we can help. The college application process can be completely overwhelming. As we speak, high school students all over Texas are being inundated with information about schools both near and far from home. The secret to a student’s success is narrowing the field. The 2011 Texas College Guide profiles more than 75 of the top schools across the state and walks you through the often daunting application process. We’ll show you the new trends in higher education and share facts about each school’s enrollment, academic strengths, and popular organizations. And for the odd night when you won't be sleeping in the library (we kid!), the Guide gives you the inside scoop on campus hangouts, clubs, and after-homework fun. As you sort through all of those brochures, applications, and course catalogues, just remember that everything you need to know is right here at your fingertips. The College Guide was created with you in mind, to help you get in to a school that’s right for you, and thrive once you get there.
This is one of the biggest decisions you will ever make, but with our guide, you won’t have to do it alone. >>>
