Simplifying Your College Application Process

Parents, every time you drive to your grandmother’s house for vacation or see friends in another state, start diverting off the road to see the college that is in town or just off the highway.  If your child is in 9^th or 10^th grade, this is an excellent way to expose your child to what a college town looks like, and to begin to navigate the process.  As you drive through a campus or even get out and do a self-guided tour (often available in the admissions office), talk with (not at) your child about what he or she likes or doesn’t like.

Maybe the school is too urban or the architecture is gloomy.  While those appear to be surface issues, they can be important.  And remember, this is just about exposure!  Nobody is going to college – yet.

The junior year is when it is wise to start to bring in an expert in the field.  While there are a ton of moms who have navigated this process and now call themselves college advisors, I encourage you to find someone who has actually worked in the field.  By this I mean, find someone who works or has worked in a high school.  Those are the experts who have developed relationships with admissions professionals across the country.  They don’t work in isolation but usually have a number of colleagues they interact with on a daily basis to learn about trends.

If your child attends an independent school, they should already have a capable guide.  If your child attends a public school, like the one I graduated from or the ones that I’ve taught at, those guidance counselors usually are overwhelmed with the social-emotional issues and don’t have the bandwidth to help individual students, which is so understandable.

I’d love to offer my services to help mitigate the process and give your child an advocate so that you can go back to being the parents and enjoy the final years together. I’ll keep your child on track so you don’t have to constantly be harassing him/her to get that list together!

Based on trends and what I’ve seen, I can help parents and children create a college list that fits both the parental budget and the child’s best fit.

After we put together a solid list of 4-7 colleges, I will also help your child select courses that will showcase the rigor that colleges seek.  I can advise on whether it’s better to take an AP course or dual enrollment.

Summer before the senior year is the ideal time to write that college essay, which is one of the hardest essays to write. It’s an essay about your child’s characteristics that will set him/her apart from those applying.

For the reality is that colleges are NOT looking for well-rounded students; they are looking for a well-rounded class made up of quirky students, nerdy students, compassionate students, and athletic students. I’d love to work with your child to craft an essay that showcases him or her well.

During that summer, we will also begin working on filling in all the fields on the common application, which has hundreds of fields to fill out.  I know which ones need more attention than others.

Our goal will be to enter the senior year with a good, solid list of colleges that mom, dad, and senior have agreed would be good fits.  We will also have some reach schools on that list. We will also have the essay completed and the common application mostly ready to go (one part gets updated around August 1 yearly, so no point in filling that out yet).

If you’re ready to reduce stress, get clarity, and enjoy these final years of high school with your child, let’s talk. I’d be honored to be your guide in this journey, as one who understands the system given decades my experience in the education field, centers your child’s unique strengths, and helps your family move forward with confidence. Reach out to learn more about how we can work together to simplify the process of finding a college that truly fits!