College Admissions 101: the get-in guide for parents of high school students

February 19, 11:08 AMCollege Admissions ExaminerLauren Starkey

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the College Admissions Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

 

As parents, we remember the stress of the college admissions process: visiting schools, taking standardized tests, filling out applications and financial aid forms, and waiting, and waiting, and waiting for those acceptance letters to arrive. Now that we’ve got kids who are going through the process, we want to help them. But how?

You can help your child get into college without becoming a helicopter parent, without losing your sanity, and without straining your relationship with your son or daughter.

Here are my 10 best tips for getting through the admissions process unscathed:

1. Determine how much help and guidance your child wants. Don’t assume. Ask him or her directly about how they envision the process, what they expect from themselves, and what they expect from you.

2. Get educated. The college admissions process has changed since we went through it, and is affected by many factors, including today’s economic hard times. A great place to start is with the book The New Rules of College Admission (Fireside Books), and my columns on examiner.com

3.  Provide access to information about colleges. Don’t rely solely on school websites—they’re primarily marketing tools. Sites such as collegeboard.com and petersons.com offer basic information plus unbiased views.

4. Help plan trips to visit schools. What you can do: set an itinerary, book the hotel, gas up the car, pack your suitcase. What you can’t do: choose all the schools, call to arrange interviews, or call to make a reservation on a tour or at an information session.

5. Fill out the FAFSA. This form is needed for any kind of financial aid, and requires a tax return and other information your student doesn’t have. Go to fafsa.ed.gov to learn more.

6. Don’t nag, belittle, or otherwise engage in negative interactions. There’s enough stress in junior and senior year—be the refuge from it, not an addition to it.

7. Be realistic. Your son or daughter should be applying to at least one safety (high probability of acceptance), one match (reasonable probability), and one reach (medium to low probability—but who knows?) school. You can suggest or guide him or her to choices that meet that mix.

8. Keep track of deadlines if your student needs help. Creating a calendar with important dates (deadlines for applications, teacher recommendations, transcript requests, financial aid requests, etc.) at the beginning of the application process is useful.

9. Do some homework. Most applications require students to exhibit knowledge of the school , much as you are expected to know about a company when on a job interview. If requested, you can help in this area by researching on the Internet, and finding out if there are alumni in your area who conduct informational interviews. Do not contact schools directly, though.

10. Maintain perspective. The college admissions process is not a reward for or indictment of anyone’s character. Getting into the college of one’s dreams doesn’t assure future success any more than getting rejected sets one up for failure. Remind your son or daughter of this as often as necessary.