Here’s a list of questions I have been answering for the past few days…Those very questions you don’t know to ask when you are beginning you college search…
About the college search
- How can I get my college search and selection done faster and better – and have some fun?
- Does my guidance counselor really know me and have the time to work with me effectively?
- When should I start really looking at colleges?
- What are the parts of the search and selection process?
- How important is it to plan? Do I really need to treat this like a long term project, can’t I just complete the paperwork (that the guidance counselor gives me)?
About the right matches for you
- What do I need to know best?
- How do I learn best?
- What type of programming/curriculum do different colleges offer?
- Which scholarships are a good match for me?
About using resources during your search (people, websites, books)
- Who should I be connecting with throughout this journey?
- How much should I listen to others?
- Should I listen to the media?
- What’s the difference between a guidance counselor, a college advisor, and a coach?
About the admissions process
- How can I guard against making bad choices?
- Why can’t I wait until I am accepted to visit colleges?
- I was wondering if interviewing really makes a difference to my application
- What do I do if I’m rejected from everywhere I’ve applied?
- If I’m a good writer, won’t just one draft and a revision be sufficient for a great essay?
- Do I need to prepare any information for the teachers that I am going to ask for letters of recommendation?
About your last year at home and thinking ahead to college
- How do I want to spend my senior year in high school? What can I do to make sure that happens?
- How do I manage myself/time at college – workload, time management, social life, etc.?
It’s an exciting-and anxiety provoking-time for many seniors. Making that final choice about where to go to college is often exhilarating and torturous… It’s so much fun to imagine the future and yet making that final decision is often fraught with nerves and second guesses.
Take heart! Between your work to discover the colleges that are the right fit for you, and the admissions office staffs’ work to do exactly the same-find students who are the right match for what they have to offer-you’re on solid ground! I would venture to say that if you are choosing between two or three finalists-in the contest of which lucky school gets to be your home for the next four years-you are probably a match for all of them!
My advice: Choose with your head and your heart. Pick the place that feels both comfortable and a stretch-you can see yourself there and you know that you will be challenged.
Good luck!
Here’s a resource to share with your parents!
In the flurry of writing about making the choice about which college to attend, I forgot to attach a short article I wrote and distributed to parents at one of the workshops I presented last Saturday at Clark University’s Admitted Student Open House day.
You can click and share 
Make the best choice
If you’re a senior and still undecided, take heart! My guess is that you applied to colleges that were good matches, so the final few that you are choosing between are probably all a good fit! I know, you still have to select just one… so here are a few suggestions to help you feel more confident:
When you visited the campus, how did you feel while you were there?
Perhaps you were thinking: I really see myself here, I like the energy, it feels comfortable, I like the campus/environment, I can relate to many of the students and professors I met here, it’s the right distance from home…
What did you think of your future there?
The college offers just what I want-and if I change my mind or haven’t decided on an area of interest yet there are so many choices-I will be able to take advantage of those options, I will be challenged to do my best work here and if I need support with a class or a skill I will be able to get it, I might want to study abroad, do an internship or work with a professor and I have those opportunities…
I believe that the decision needs to be made with both your head and your heart. Finding someone who can be a soundingboard for you-listening and reflecting back your ideas-may be just the support you need; that person might be one of your parents, a friend, guidance counselor or another trusted adult.
Good luck!
WOW! I am knee deep in a project for teens…helping them to navigatie a blended learning program… The work is inspiring me to convert my coaching program into a vook or an emag… gotta practice my ability to created hyperlinks… Let’s see if this…
Your College Search: How to Tame Your Fears and Find the Colleges That Fit!
will take you and me to the place to get questions answered – whether you are a teen or a parent, lots of questions arise during the admissions process. Check out the mp3 files my colleague, Jane Massengill, and I developed!
In my radio show this week, College Bound & Determined, I do a quick recap of where you need to be in your college search process->if you want to have the time and energy to enjoy (!) the process. Take a good look at this mindmap, figure out where you are… and your next steps.
If you want support in the process, shoot me an email or, even better, sign up for a complimentary strategy session, jill {at} majorinyou,com
You’ve heard about FAQ’s… I think SAQ’s-Should Ask Questions-are even more important!
1. What are my values and how will they influence my college search?
2. How do I learn best?
3. What type of programming/curriculum do the different colleges offer?
4. How well do I handle money?
(cash, bank accounts, credit card, debit card, debt)
5. How do I take care of myself?
(eating, sleeping, boundaries, refusal skills, time, responsibilities, advocating for what I need and want…)
6. What’s my current knowledge and skill level in handling long terms project and work with peers?
7. What are admissions office personnel really looking for?
8. How can I best show who I am to colleges?
9. Which scholarships are a good match for me?
10. How are my relationship than my parents changing? What do I want it to be? How can I create that?
11. How do I want to spend my senior year in high school? What can I do to make sure that happens?
So quick and to the point, here are the problems… Next post: Solutions!
1. Not knowing the parts of the search and selection process In my experience, too many teens and their parents believe that the information provided by the high school guidance department is all they need to know about choosing the colleges that are the best matches-not by a long shot! You need to find out the big picture by reading books, visiting websites, talking with professionals… advisors, coaches.
2. Too tight a timeframe for process Start their college search in fall of your junior year. While it doesn’t need to take a year or longer to complete the process, it sure is nice to know that there’s plenty of time to get it all done! ANd, if you haven’t started yet, don’t fret, start now!
3. Not knowing self To show your best self you need to explore and be able to speak clearly and concisely about your strengths, challenges, learning and social needs and preferences. I use the strengths test on www.authentichappiness.com with the teens I coach… and they LOVE it! Not only do they learn to see themselves in a different light, they can use the new knowledge to tackle some of the challenges they will face. Understanding your academic and social needs, preferences and challenges will also help you make the right choices in seeking and choosing colleges
4. Not enough talking with trusted adults Communication needs to be open and often between you and your parents… about what matters-goals, interests, worries, money, timelines, milestones, testing, and moving from home, to name some of the key areas.
5. Falling prey to media hype There’s such a swirl of information and hysteria about the college admissions process… Be careful what’s listened to, look closely at what’s being said, and consider the sources.
6. Listening to others (not to be confused with not enough talking with trusted adults) Some teens (or sometimes the people in their lives) think they should go where their mom, dad, best friend or favorite teachers went to college… I’d say think again! While the suggestion may be a good fit… be sure that your are looking through your own eyes and not someone else’s.
7. Lack of planning To feel comfortable you need to start the process in the fall of their junior year-and if you are in the arts or sports then you must be thinking about the process even earlier…My interview with Kathleen Suss, executive director of Concordia Conservatory of Music and Art, which aired the week of June June 6 , 2011 (listen here) explains these special circumstances. And, if you have any special learning needs, starting the college search and selection process early is critical. Susan Howarth, in another interview with me on College Bound and Determined, (check the archives), shares great information about supporting teens with learning differences.
8. Lack of organization Taking on any new task requires a re-thinking of how to organize: this is a project of enormous proportions. You might want and need some support. I work with teens to discover their way of organizing and build on their skills rather than imposing mine.
9. Not enough research – “unthoughtful choices ” This particular mistakes is related to several others
- Not knowing all the steps on the path of this marathon
- Listening to others who offer suggestions about where to go – and thereby avoiding research Feeling nervous and so avoiding any tasks when increase worry and concern
- Lack of experience with such a large task so that it feels like it’s just to big to get their arms around
10. Not visiting colleges If you have the opportunity to visit a college or all the colleges on your list, should do it!How many time have you heard me say, “should”? My question is, “How can you apply to a college that you haven’t visited? How do you know what it feels like?” To me, and I may be biased, because I love going places, but visiting schools is one of the most fun parts of the process-or at least it can be! It’s an opportunity for you to check out the possiblities-campuses, students, classes, the food, student activities, the surrounding areas.
11. Submitting less than stellar essays This is your opportunity to really share who you are, and so the essays require a lot of brainstorming, planning, writing and revising. One essay expert I know suggests eight to ten drafts of the essays.
12. Getting lackluster letters of recommendation from teachers Teens often think that teachers that like them will give them great letters of recommendation and while that might be true it’s not the criteria to use when choosing a writer. Teachers, coaches, counselors that write letters need solid information from you: Why did you choose those particular colleges, what are your areas of strength, and your growth over the course of high school career in the writer’s area of knowledge. The letters need to be customized and writer’s can’t do that if they don’t have the specifics about the school. I’ve devoted a section of a show, which is now in the archives, to getting great letters of recommendation.
13. Not interviewing What a lost opportunity! It’s another way in which to shine – show the admissions office personnel that you are so much more than the paperwork. In my coaching work, I always suggest that teens prepare, practice and partake of interviews!
Next post: The Flip Side to the Dirty Dozen Mistakes… Finding and Following the Easier Path to College
The Long & Winding Road… Professional & Personal Paths Since College
Here’s a graphic, to give a sense of where I have been since attaining my bachelor’s degree… For me, it was all about following my interests and passions, both in and out of school… I’ll be updating this within the week – to account for life since 2009 (when I created this).
If you would like the backstory to this post, listen to this week’s radio show, College Bound & Determined, here.
A year in the life… of a high school junior/senior
As promised, on my radio show, College Bound & Determined, here are the highlights of that last crucial year in the the journey to find the colleges that are the best matches.
Every week on my show, I create the space to step back and think about the college search and selection process. Check out my savvy guests, thoughtful questions, and fresh ideas. Parents learn ways to help their teens move away from the frenzy and teens can hear new techniques for making the shift from feeling anxious, confused, and overwhelmed to confident, organized, and successful in finding the colleges that are the right fit! Listen in, here.
