General College Search Philosophy: If your child is interested in attending a college or university there can be a lot of stress and angst around the process. There are so many great options out there that your child will find a good fit, and if for some reason the first college they attend isn’t the best fit for them, they can switch. Also, your child can do everything right, be the best academically, be the captain of their sports team, etc. and still not get into their top college choices. The college acceptance decision is out of their (and our) control and not a reflection of them as a person or of you as a parent. Let your child take the lead, let them drive the process with their college counselors at school, and support them and their decisions.

Test Prep (we are focusing on the SAT)

  • Biggest piece of advice is take as many practice tests as possible. Related advice is don’t use the official SAT or ACT as practice as that can be demoralizing if the student doesn’t receive the score they expected.
  • Khan Academy provides free practice tests https://learn.khanacademy.org/osp-landing-page/?SFMC_cid=EM1061649-&rid=460979024
  • For those students who are good with self-studying there are also test prep books like the SAT Princeton Premium book with practice tests https://www.amazon.com/Princeton-Review-Premium-Prep-2023/dp/0593450582/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3STRTZCILPLZ1&keywords=SAT+princeton+premium&qid=1698508825&s=books&sprefix=sat+princeton+premium%2Cstripbooks%2C133&sr=1-3
  • If your child wants extra support and you have the budget, there are a plethora of tutoring companies that offer both group (cheaper) and individual (more expensive) test prep
  • Check with their High School as they probably have test prep classes and practice test sessions at school
  • If possible and your budget allows, sign up to take the test more than once. IMPORTANT: Test slots and locations can fill up fast so make sure to schedule tests a few months out.
  • Super Scoring: This was a new concept for me, but some schools will accept the highest scores from individual testing sections from tests taken at different times. Hence, the combined super score can be higher than an individual test score. This could be another reason to take the SAT or ACT more than once.
  • Also, not all Colleges are requiring standardized tests. My child is opting to take the SAT as some of the schools they are interested in the tests are either required or optional. UPDATE: Some colleges that were test optional are moving to test preferred or required. Make sure to check current requirements.

College Timeline

  • Freshman & Sophomore Years:
    • Focus on schoolwork, start thinking about the type of college that you are interested in (small, medium, large, urban, rural, living on or off campus, club sports, etc.)
    • If you are on vacation and there is a college campus nearby, go check it out
    • Consider signing up for summer activities that could help round out your application (extra course work, volunteering, etc.)
    • Note: I have heard that if your child is interested in playing sports at a college, that your student athlete should start connecting with that college before their junior year (there may be practices or summer sports programs they will ask your child to participate in). Make sure to ask their high school counselors for guidance.
  • Junior Year:
    • Focus on school work
    • Secure summer jobs, internships, extra courses that can support their college application (ask High School for resources)
    • Test prep
    • Take standardized test(s)
    • Attend college fairs
    • Schedule college visits over mid-winter and/or spring break (or even early summer if your child’s school year ends while colleges are still in session).
    • Have your child think about who to ask for teacher recommendations, then have them make the ask in person a few months before the end of the year.
    • Begin thinking about how college will be paid for and start applying for scholarships as appropriate
  • Senior Year:
    • Your child should start working on their essays the summer before their senior year
    • Follow-up with teachers writing the letters of recommendation (make sure your child sends a thank you note afterwards)
    • Continue making college visits
    • Determine your college budget (which could impact the schools your child applies to) and apply for scholarships as appropriate.
    • Apply!
    • Important Note: Pay attention to deadlines. Different schools have different application deadlines. if your child is doing an Early Decision application those are usually do earlier.
    • Application decision notifications (tend to be sent in spring of Senior year)
    • Select your college! (looks like May 1st is the national reply date but check with the high school college counselor to make sure)

College Visits

  • College Fairs
  • Tip: If at all possible, schedule college visits while school is in session. Otherwise your child won’t get a feel for the school and will just be looking at buildings.
  • College Visits Note: Admission presentations and tours fill up quickly so make sure to check the websites of the schools you’d like to visit early (at least 2 months prior to the visit) to check when admission presentations and tours will be posted for registration then register as soon as they open.
  • Tours: If at all possible, sign up for a student led tour. First of all, they will be able to connect directly with your child (as a student to potential student) and answer their questions, they also provide a unique student perspective on the school which can provide valuable insights into student life both academically and socially, and you can learn a lot more about the campus and environs than you can with a self-guided tour.
  • Tip: You don’t have to visit all of the schools on your child’s list before they apply. Visit the ones you can before they apply, and then you can visit the ones that they have been accepted into and have to chose from later (if you haven’t visited them already of course).

College Selection (in progress)