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 duing 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.
The BIG question that’s on seniors’ minds this time of year: Could I possibly get a rejection letter from every college that I applied to? I just completed an interview for an online news service that will post next week-> I wanted to give you the information now!
While it’s unlikely-particularly if you did your homework and found the colleges that are the right match for you, and didn’t listen to your mom, dad, grandparents, or best friend… about where to go to school-because they
- went there
- heard it was impressive/great/fun
- they are going there
- want you close to home…
It is possible to receive a rejection letter from every college that you applied to… Do not despair!
What should you do?
First, focus on these facts:
- Success in life is more than attending a specific college/univeristy
- College is more about the experience than going to a particular school
- Admissions trends vary-you were not a fit for the incoming classes where you applied this year-> perhaps you will be next year, if the schools were truly the right fit
- Call the admission office to ensure that they had all your materials and your most recent test scores (if you did not take that step prior to the admissions deadline)
- Check out the appeals process: It’s possible to appeal the determination at some schools, but not at others
Second, read through all the information of the mindmap, click All is not lost!, as there are details about
- realities of admissions
- actions to take about the admissions package
- options for next fall and the future
- emotionally-where to focus
And, if I can help, send me an email, jill@majorinyou.com, or give me a call!
This week on my radio show, College Bound & Determined, we talk about choosing a major as a way into the college search adventure. I have a cautionary tale to tell…
I chose a college based on my desires to work with children with autism, (and therefore to major in psychology), and remain in the northeast. I found a school that appeared to have just what I wanted… and then discovered that psych was a good, but not a great, fit for me. So I explored other options, discovered the field of education and immediately, I felt at home. My happy ending was a double-major, in both psych and education with the result of a solid foundation in my future field of special education. I chose a school with lots of choices-and it’s fortunate I did!
I want to take this conversation one step further: to recognize that being curious, open minded, flexible, and dedicated to a vision can lead to amazing results.
Check out the timeline of my life since college… It shows how many paths I have taken-professionally and personally, stemming from a double major, further education and, I might say, an adventurous spirit. There is so much possibility!
Long and Winding Road
I’ll update this in June at the conclusion of some more amazing adventures!
Let’s dig deeper into the question of who will work on which tasks over the next year so that the journey to find the colleges that are the best fit becomes and remains an exciting adventure.
When you assess at all steps of the process…
What might you do together?
Brainstorm about areas of interest, strengths, essay topics
Imagine life at college-where, how large, what type of setting
Talk about finances
Visit colleges
Create a timeline and milestones
Practice interviews
Talk through final choices
What will you do alone?
Financial aid forms
What will your teen do independently?
Test prep and testing
Complete applications
Write essays
Do interviews
Secure letters of recommendation
Yikes! I have just listed over a dozen areas that require planning, preparation, completion… and those are just the highlights!
Perhaps the first question is… Where do you, as a family, begin? I think it’s by taking stock of
- what you know
- what you need to know/learn
- what questions and concerns you have
- your planning and completion skills
I hope that focusing on the first steps of the journey for the next year provides the foundation for starting the conversation with your teen.
* If you love to see things…Here’s a mindmap with ideas of “What to do When.” It’s a draft (no need to tell you that!), I’ll post a clean copy in a few days… check back!
It’s the winter of your teen’s junior year, and families who want to enjoy the college search and selection process-as opposed to experiencing it as an affliction-need to start now!
In less than 12 months your teen will have completed the college application process – hard to believe yet true! It can be done faster, but that’s often under pressure-and you and I know that’s not the best way to make decisions.
So where do you, as a family, begin this process?
As a parent you have a good deal of thinking to do about your role in this process…
How do you see your role?
How do you see your teen’s role?
√ What are you teen’s capabilities-currently?
- Is she self reflective and aware of what she wants in a college?
- Is he great at planning?
- Is she good at research and then organizing info?
- Is he dedicated to meeting deadlines?
√ What will s/he grow into in this process which includes self awareness, preparation, planning, research, writing, interviewing, testing, making choices?
These are important questions… and it may take some time to look differently at your teen-to think through what your teen can already manage and also what needs to be learned.
We’ll talk about all this and more in the next post… If you want some ideas before I post, listen into my radio show, College Bound & Determined on www.webtalkradio.net
