Collegewise

A Tip for Juniors- The Search for College Continues

Next to testing, the most important thing a junior can do is browse through as many colleges as possible. That means, your student’s college list should be their best friend right now, and they should focus on researching (and re-researching) every college they're interested in… and maybe a few more they discover along the way.

By doing their research now, it will ensure that they arrive at their final college list early this summer. And that will mean that they can start working on things like essays, letters of rec, and even applications!

Rejecting colleges?

March is the official month of compulsive-mailbox-checking for high school seniors across the country. (Maybe not actually official, but any day now...)

Students finished submitting applications they spent weeks and sometimes months crafting, and left their fate in the hands of the "all-powerful" admissions officers at colleges across the country. While admissions officers have been trudging through piles and piles of applications, students and their families have been waiting patiently (or maybe a little impatiently) to hear the news.

For many students, they'll get get both good and bad news from their schools. Some will be surprised, and some will get exactly what they expected. Celebrating the good news is always easy, but keeping your chin up when the bad news comes is a lot harder. This Boston Globe article gives students a great reality check (and boost of energy!) to get through the weeks of comparing letters with friends and eventually strutting around campus in the sweatshirt of their future alma mater.

Angels and Sun Devils- That's An Odd Combo

Not if you've just returned from Tempe, Arizona like I did. I traveled out there with my dad this past weekend to watch the Angels dominate at Spring Training. And while we were there, we cruised over to Arizona State University (ASU) to look around. We were right there, after all.

Keep this in mind when you're on your own family trips, wherever they may be. If there's a college nearby-- even if you're not planning to apply there (I've been a college grad for years now, and my dad...well, I'll just leave it at that)-- make some time to stop and visit the campus. You just might learn a thing or two.

Not only did my dad and I learn all about the ASU campus, but we also learned that the Angels are going to be a force to be reckoned with this baseball season. Move aside Bosox.

To learn more about ASU in photo format, click here.

ASU Photo Tour

Enjoy the Journey

“Would all the adults in the room please stand up if they are in a career that they specifically received a degree for?”

That’s how I used to start my information sessions at the colleges I previously worked for as an admission counselor.  Maybe they were just being lazy, but very few ever stood up.  Why? Because they too changed their minds.  At some point they decided that they might not want to be the lawyer or doctor they always anticipated becoming.  Or because they suddenly realized their love of the outdoors could become a career, so they stopped being a biology major and instead earned a degree in Outdoor Recreational Therapy.

Senior Parents- Give Senioritis a Thumb’s Down!

Now is the time to encourage your seniors to keep their grades up. Seniors have a tendency to “check-out” during second semester, particularly after they’ve been accepted to colleges.

A word of caution: colleges have the right to renege on their admissions decisions if a student doesn’t uphold their end of the academic bargain. It’s rare, but it can happen.

So, encourage your student to study hard and finish out his high school career with an impressive report card. Everyone will be glad he did!