Lesson 4: Preparation, Dreams & Reality
All I Want Is...
The Student Wish List
By sophomore year, your family should begin the selection process. Send for some college catalogues, surf their sites on the web, pick up their videos at the library, talk to present or former students. Find out what area of study interests your child and what schools offer a major in that field. Check out the many guides to college selection available. (See Reference section).
If sports or extracurricular activities are a major focus for your child, find schools which offer his/her sport or hobby. Let your child’s dreams soar – have him/her prepare a list of schools that s/he would like to attend. (If they have done a lot of research, there will probably be about 50 on the list). Then, sit down as a family and narrow the list down. First divide the list into 3 sections, based on entrance requirements:
•Schools the student likes, but admission requirements are above his/her capabilities
•Schools student likes and probably meets the requirements for
•Schools student likes which have an open enrollment policy
The Parent Wish List
Next, go over the family criteria for schools:
•Location
•Class size
•Distance from home
•Financial aid
•Climate
•Rules & regulations
•Gender mix
•Religion
•Athletic opportunities
•Extracurricular activities
•Work possibilities
NOTE: please do not feel that this is an all inclusive list, or that you must rank the criteria as listed above. For example, if gender mix does not enter into your child’s decision, cross it off the list. If the sports program offered is of paramount importance to your child, rank that as the #1 priority. These variations are offered merely as a guideline. Your family must decide what is important for your child’s success and happiness in college.
Narrowing The Selection Down
At this point your child should have the list narrowed down to about 10-12 schools. Take a few days or weeks to think about it. Re-evaluate in the fall or winter of junior year. Let your child contact the schools which are still on the list and ask about the campus tour policies and dates available. When all the information is received, decide how many campuses your family can actually visit, based on time commitments, family obligations and financial constraints. (Most tours last 4-8 hours, so you might need to factor in a hotel for one night, or flight reservations, based on distance.) The average pre-college student visits 3-6 college campuses. If your family can’t visit that many schools (due to distance, other children, time or finances) don’t worry! Many colleges offer virtual tours online, videos or current students who will email, phone or offer to meet with your child. You may also want to consider allowing your child and a friend to visit a college or two without you.
(Personal note: one school that my daughter had on her “wish list” didn’t offer tours when I was available. I let her go with a girlfriend on the train and a bus for an overnight visit. She didn’t select that school. If she had, I would have arranged to re-visit with her. It was a good lesson in travel arrangements and adult responsibility. One word of caution: the school was in a different state and when I tried to book a hotel reservation for her, on my credit card, I was told that anyone under 21 – she was 17 at the time - could not rent a hotel room. We called the school and they found a bed and breakfast that would accept students for an overnight visit.)
