Starting from scratch

"We don't know anything." 

I hear that occasionally from parents and students who have no idea where to start with college planning.  Any family who takes these five steps will be more informed and in control of their student's college destiny.   If you've come to the realization that you should be doing more, but aren't sure what exactly to do, this is where I'd start.

1.  Visit your high school counselor.  

If you have a high school counselor (not everybody does these days), start there.  And don't make excuses that your counselor doesn't know you or has somehow failed you by not providing you with college information.  Yes, part of a counselor's job is to lend college planning assistance to students.  But it is not your counselor's job to take over the responsibility for your college planning.  The most successful students take on this responsibility and then advocate for themselves by seeking out their counselor for advice.

In particular, you want to get answers to the following questions. 

• Am I taking a college prep curriculum?  If I'm not, what do I need to do to get on track to go to college?  Do I have any classes I need to make up, or courses I need to take that I haven't yet taken?
• What standardized tests do I need to take for college and when should I take them?  (In particular, ask about the PSAT, SAT, ACT and SAT Subjects Tests).
• What are some reasonable choices for colleges I could consider?

2. Check out the college planning calendars on the NACAC (National Association for College Admissions Counseling) website. The Princeton Review has lots of helpful college information on their website, too. In particular, pay attention to what they have to say about standardized tests, which ones to take, and when to take them.

3.  Try to attend a college fair in your area. 

4.  Learn about the process of applying for financial aid.  I think the three best sources of information are:

• www.finaid.org
• The latest edition of "Paying for College Without Going Broke" by Kalman Chany. 
• The College Board website

5.  Pick five colleges that interest you, visit the admissions sections of their websites, and research their admissions requirements.  They'll tell you what classes you need to take, what standardized tests are required, and what the deadlines are to apply for admission.  While you're there, read about their process of applying for financial aid, too.

These steps won't complete your college planning, but they'll get you started (and caught up).