Planning for College

The college planning process is like a scavenger hunt. There are treasures out there — or so you’ve been told — and you need to find them. You collect exam scores, notable accomplishments, teacher recommendations and the like, checking them off your list as you go along.

BUT, WAIT! THAT’S NOT QUITE RIGHT… LET’S START AGAIN.

The college application process is like a roller coaster. There are ups and downs and terrifying momentum. There are people all around you going through the same thing, and yet your experience is all your own. There are times when you think, “I can’t wait to get off this thing.” And other times when you marvel that you are actually doing it.

NO, THAT’S NOT IT, EITHER.

The college application process is like a corn maze — with all sorts of twisty, confusing paths. Some lead to where you want to go; others end abruptly. While you are busy navigating the maze, the sun is setting on your senior year. This adds a sense of urgency to find the right path and avoid wandering aimlessly in the dark.

BUT SENIOR YEAR IS FUN, RIGHT?

It’s true, you are at the apex of your high school career and others look up to you. But, there’s just so much to do. My advice to you — whether you feel like you are on a scavenger hunt, riding a roller coaster or navigating a corn maze — is to pace yourself. If graduation is the finish line and college is the trophy, you need to plan your race so you don’t burn out in the first mile. And there, I’ve done it: I’ve added yet another metaphor to this essay. Senior year makes you think (and write) that way.

The key is to start early. Go look at colleges any chance you can, beginning in the fall of your junior year, if possible. If you do start early, think: blue sky. Don’t limit your choices right off the bat. Do you want a big school or a small one? Rural or urban? Don’t just ask yourself; go look at one of each.

Do you prefer near or far? Perhaps you can’t drive across country to look at colleges, but you can figure out how far away from home you want to be. Will the comfort of being able to come home frequently make a difference in how that first year goes? Or are you ready to leave home and never look back? Travel is expensive, so you’ll need to factor that into your college costs.

They say that you get a “feeling” when you visit the right college. I scoffed at this until it happened to me. There were some colleges that looked good on paper (or online), but felt wrong when I arrived on campus. Some felt unfriendly, others too competitive. I knew when I saw stressed expressions on students’ faces that I was at a school that wouldn’t work for me. On the other hand, when all I saw were party posters on the bulletin boards, I knew I was on a campus that wasn’t right for me, as well.

Once you’ve seen a few schools, you’ll begin to know what to look for. When you visit them, be sure to take the college tour and listen to the admissions office’s presentation. Most importantly, have a meal in the cafeteria! That’s the only way to tell how good the food is. Visit a dorm room and ask about everything that is important to you. Are the dorms co-ed? Will you be crammed into a triple that should really be a double? Do most students graduate in four years? Does financial aid carry over from year to year?

When you’ve narrowed your choices, see how likely it is that you’ll be accepted. No sense applying to a school you can’t get in to, unless you know it will be a “reach” and can accept the possibility of rejection.

The most useful rule of thumb that I learned was to apply to each of the three types of schools: some that you know you can get into (Safety), some that you can probably get into (Target), and one or two that you hope to get into (Reach).

Choose your schools based on the programs they offer. After all, even the best school won’t be good for you if you can’t succeed there, or if they don’t teach what you want to learn.

But what if you don’t know what you want to learn? Pick a school with lots of options. That way, if you enter college undecided about your future plans, you won’t have to transfer once you figure it out. Remember, there will be opportunities to try things at a larger school that a smaller school might not offer.

Lastly, to find your way through the college corn maze, make yourself a map. It’s easy to be confused by the multitude of deadlines and requirements for each college. Make a list — or better, a chart — of who needs what when. The application process then becomes a checklist instead of a crazy mishmash of too much to do.

Finally: breathe! You’ll find your way through the maze, I promise. When you do, you’ll look back and say, “Whew! I did it!”