- Almost every parent
The applications themselves are not terribly complicated, although some questions are confusing and essay prompts aren’t always clear. However, the deadlines and supplemental requirements usually make people crazy:
“Should I apply early action or regular decision? What is the application deadline if I want to get scholarships or apply to the Honors Program? Do my transcripts need to arrive by the deadline? How do I get letters of recommendation? Is it going to help or hurt my application if I tell them…? ”
Unfortunately, the answer for each question above can differ from one college to the next, and even be different from one student to the next. What is right for you may not be right for the person sitting beside you.
Lots of colleges have Early Action deadlines in October of the senior year. To avoid a last minute rush, they should be completed in September. Essays are the most time consuming activity, so it is ideal to have them written over the summer leading up to the senior year. (It’s not like there will be an abundance of free time once school starts!)
If you decide to attend an essay workshop to get a jump start, factors like family schedule, summer plans & extracurricular activities will come into play. A student planning to spend the summer away should attend an essay workshop before the junior year ends, while those overloaded with AP exams in May might wait until school ends to join a class.
Not by a long shot. In fact, getting the applications out the door is just the half-way point. Students must follow up to make sure test scores, transcripts, and letters of recommendation are received. Acceptance letters for some colleges will arrive fairly quickly, often accompanied by invitations to visit the campus or apply for a scholarship. And we haven’t even gotten to the financial aid forms and official award letters yet!
The average cost of an in-state public college is $24,000 per year. (Private colleges range from $42,000 to $75,000 per year.) Regardless of your circumstances, it is a serious investment of money and time. My goal is to help students get into the right colleges for the right reasons, at a cost that is within the family budget. There are too many pitfalls that could cost you tens of thousands in the process, so yes…the value far outweighs the cost!
Every student is different, but ideally it is good to have a coaching plan in place by the middle of the sophomore year. This allows students to get a head start when exploring careers & college majors of interest, which may influence their junior and senior year course selections. It also provides more time to conduct thorough college research and schedule more college visits for Spring or Summer breaks.
If you have already completed your sophomore year, the time is NOW!
As your College Readiness Coach, I’ll guide you through each phase of the process until your bags are packed and you are ready for your next adventure!