|
Just when you thought there was nothing more to read, along come some extra chapters that will make in into the next edition of College is Yours-- but they're only here for now. Enjoy! The Big Fall ConfabYou've been meeting with your parents (Chapter 9) and you met with your counselor last spring (Chapter 10). Cool--now, just like all blockbuster movie adventures, it's time for the final installment of the adult interaction trilogy. This meeting occurs in the fall, and it involves, not your parents, not your counselor, but both.
Sorry--I should have told you to sit down first.
This is a great idea. The people paying for college applications (the folks) get to talk to the person helping with college applications (the counselor) to make sure they understand how to best help the subject of the college applications (you). You talk to admissions reps because face time helps them understand you; your parents talk to your counselor for 15-20 minutes for the same reason.
Great. So what do you talk about?
This isn't a question to blow off. Counselors are caring but busy folks, so you need to help them help you (just like Chapter 10) by focusing the meeting. Your parents went to college a few days before yesterday, so they think they need to know *everything*, even though you're telling them a lot, thanks to Chapter 9.
Enter you, with these questions you give your parents three days before the meeting:
- What should my child focus on as a student this year? The counselor can talk about the strength of your schedule, what teachers have said about you, what they think you should do to grow as a person--it's wide open, showing respect for the counselor and interest in making the end of high school matter as much as the start of college.
- Can we tell you a little about our child that we think would help you with their college plans? Right--this is a forced question few counselors say no to, and they shouldn't. If your parents talk about their concerns and interests for a few minutes (they should practice at home), the counselor can ask questions about you, and knows what your parents are thinking about for your life after high school. Hopefully, your parents already shared these insights with you, thanks to Chapter 9.
- Does my child have a realistic list of colleges? You prepare your list of colleges (Chapter 16) and drop a copy off to your counselor three days before the meeting, saying your parents will ask about the list when you meet. Discuss--and if you have something to say, jump in.
- What are the deadlines for submitting applications to you? This is probably in the school's college handbook or Web site, but parents ask (and write down the answer) just to make sure everyone (including you) knows the deadlines--remember, material is due to the counselor way before it's due to the colleges.
- What's the best way to get in touch with you? Most counselors are either e-mail or phone people, so here's their chance to share their preference, and your chance to further respect their time. Two big no-nos here are asking "quick questions" if your parents see the counselor at a school function, or parents dropping in at counseling for non-emergencies without an appointment. Counselors want the chance to serve your parents well; give them that chance, and have Mom and Dad send the quick questions in via the counselor's preferred way.
If there's time for more, great--if not, everyone says thank you, and your parents send an e-mail or phone call (whatever the counselor prefers) the next day to give the counselor their contact information. Done.
Boy, are you good. Good Computer ( A little more than 600 words)It hasn't been that long since I wrote College is Yours, but I'm pleased to say there's some new advice to give you I simply couldn't have given in the book: If you can apply to college online, do it.
College applications have been available online for several years, but now most of the bugs are out of the applications. In addition to increased efficiency and security, few colleges require your Social Security number anymore--so now I can enthusiastically encourage you to apply online and simplify your life.
How simple? Watch:
- Most online applications have a built-in "application checker" that kicks in when you hit submit. If you leave a question blank, or if there's information that doesn't match up, the checker calls it to your attention--saving weeks of sending an incomplete app back and forth in the mail.
- For this same reason, you can't forget to send in your essays, and you don't have to match different application requirements ("one sheet of paper", "type directly on the form", "write it on a used cafeteria napkin in red pen"). Correcting fluid and erasable pen are gone, too.
- Envelopes and forms for your letter writers are also a thing of the past. Most colleges give you the option of providing the e-mail addresses of the teachers and counselors writing recommendations for you; an online form gets e-mailed to them, they hit submit, and it's done.
- Many colleges can now take your transcripts online, too. Some colleges are still catching up here, but secure portals now exist for your high school to send a secure pdf (pretty darn fine) copy of your transcript, which means you can also say goodbye to the lovely application custom of "didjagetit?" Instead of digging up phone numbers for admissions offices to see if your app was received (and dealing with mail rooms stacked with two weeks of unopened applications), you get an e-mail 24 hours after you submit online, saying it was received, and telling you what other parts of the application may be missing.
- Some online apps require a smaller application fee, or waive the fee completely--a deal! In addition, most online applications give you the option of paying online, or mailing the fee in (but some allow online payment only.)
- You can work on most online apps for a little while, save what you've done, and come back to it later--so no more blocks of hours working on apps.
- In addition, Common Application (the one app used by hundreds of colleges) continues to streamline their online process--so you can fill out an online form once and send it to the colleges of your choice (along with the supplemental information some colleges ask for). Try www.commonapp.org to see if this form can save you even more time!
Three big heads-ups here. When you send your online application, be sure to hit the SUBMIT button. The number one reason online apps don't get to the college is because students don't send them--go figure! Lots of students get in the habit of hitting the "Save" button instead--so if you don't have a "we got it" e-mail in 24 hours, go back to the app and see if you really sent it.
The "We got it!" e-mail should also tell you where to look in about two weeks to make sure your application is complete. Be sure to look, and if pieces are missing, follow up with your counselor or letter writers.
Finally, check your spam filter every other day. A student was waiting to hear from a college via e-mail, and couldn't figure out what was up. His mom decided to scope out the junk e-mail folder-- sure enough, the acceptance had been waiting in there for two days!
Less time with college forms means more quality time to think about college plans while eating Cocoa Doodles--and you don't have to worry about the brown powder sticking to your fingers and smearing the forms! Ya gotta love that!
|
Excerpts/Reviews 
