Step Two Of The College Process - Executing Your College Plan

(The second of a two-part series on the college process.)

High school students and parents: are you feeling stressed? This is a time of year when seniors who aren’t done with the process are in an anxious waiting game and the anxiety can become infectious for everyone, especially juniors. Linda Ortwein, Director of College Counseling for Greenwich Education Group, advises everyone to “stay calm, but get proactive about planning. Remember, at this stage, you are still the buyer and have control over the steps in the process. Use this time to plan, do your research and make informed choices.” 

Building a College List

Spring of Junior year is the time to get more serious about college steps including test prep and testing, creating a college list and planning visits. By summertime or at the latest, early in the fall of senior year, students should have done their research, visited schools and formulated views regarding where they intend to apply.

The list should be balanced with approximately 9-10 schools:

·      3-4 “reach” schools – dream schools where a student’s profile may not be quite as strong or where the overall admission rates are low;

·      3-4 “match” schools - where a student’s profile is right in the “sweet spot” for what the college is seeking;

·      2 “likely” schools - where a student’s profile is strong and the college is likely to be excited to admit the student.

According to Ortwein, each student should have a unique list reflecting their tastes in size, location and type of schools. Strategic decisions about whether to apply under the varied early admission programs will also be important to consider. These include Rolling, Early Action, Early Decision and Early Action Single Choice/Restricted Early Action.

Start with a preliminary list of schools and don’t worry too much in the early stages as to whether a student is “admissible.” Later, narrow the list with realistic parameters by comparing test scores and GPA to the schools’ admission statistics, utilizing college guides and websites like Naviance and the Collegeboard. While schools publicize how many students attend versus how many applied, the “yield,” or the % of students who choose to attend among those admitted, is an important factor in the admissions numbers game. Schools may accept 2 to 3 times as many students as the number they expect will matriculate.

Recommendations – Who & When To Ask

Junior year teachers in the 5 main academic subjects are usually the best choices to write letters of recommendation for colleges. They know the student well by the end of the year and can offer insight about a student both academically and personally. Students should be thinking about the relationships they're building with these teachers and consider asking for those letters in the spring of junior year. It is important to ask teachers who really know the student and not simply the ones that gave them a good grade. Giving teachers ample lead-time is both a helpful and respectful approach as they may be able to write their letters in a more thoughtful way over the summer.

The Common Application

The Common Application is the most widely used of the application processes with over 500 colleges and universities as users. Although there have been serious issues with the roll-out of the new version of the Common App this year, most of those problems have been resolved and the process should work more smoothly next year.  However, the Common App woes have led some schools to switch or add a less well-known alternative, called the Universal College Application, which currently has 43 members.

The Common App generally releases the questions for the all-important Personal Statement in February, so juniors can take a look at the essay prompts early to give themselves ample prep time. Juniors:  Do NOT wait until fall of senior year to complete the Common App and Personal Statement.

Summer

Summer is an important time to do something productive which can also enhance your profile, whether by pursuing a paid summer job, obtaining an internship or undertaking unique travel or community service. Ortwein believes that “summer is a time to explore interests that have been established during the school year and it is especially helpful if summer experiences relate in some way to demonstrated areas of focus for a student."

For rising seniors, summer is a CRITICAL time to get ahead of the application process. Students will find that the fall of senior year feels like a whirlwind, with challenging courses, extracurricular activities, leadership roles and completing the rest of the application steps.  Much can be done over the summer to get ahead of the game. Ortwein strongly recommends that students finish their Common App during the summer before senior year begins. Additional supplements can also be written if a student knows where he or she intends to apply. 

Stay active in extracurricular activities

While your grades in high school are important, colleges also look at what you do outside the classroom. Get and stay involved in sports, student government and community activities. Additionally, take on leadership roles when possible.  It isn’t the quantity of your activities that matters, but the quality and continuity that you display with of your commitments.

Financial Aid

Parents, this is an important process where you should generally take the lead. Most of the steps involved in financial aid will happen during senior year.  All schools will require completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) after January 1, so it is worth getting to know the format. Some schools also require the College Scholarship Service (CSS) Profile, which can be filled out in the fall as well as additional institution-specific forms.  You will need to look at the websites for each school for details and deadlines. 

It is not too early to start researching scholarships. Two popular resources are Scholarships.com and Fastweb.com. Also, local organizations such as churches, community organizations, rotary clubs, and boys and girls clubs are good sources of potential scholarships.

Feeling overwhelmed?

The selection and application process can be daunting, which is why good planning and professional support can be helpful. Ortwein offers important advice: “Remember that this is the student’s process: they need to own it and parents should be the anchors to their support team.  We are here to help!”

In addition to offering prep in all testing areas, Greenwich Education Group (GEG) offers college counseling services to help with every step of the process, including advice on course selection, summer experiences, testing plans, building a balanced college list, completing applications, writing essays, deciding on early application strategies, interview preparation, financial aid and more. These services are offered on either a full-service or a la carte basis. For more information, contact Linda Ortwein at Lortwein@greenwichedgroup.com or 203-661-1609 ext. 110.