This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 31st, 2007 at 1:49 pm and is filed under College Planning For Students. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
October 31, 2007
College planning and admissions tips for high school seniors
OK you seniors in high school, this is especially for you and your parents!
You need to investigate and APPLY TO at least six colleges during the next few months of your search process. Many schools will waive or reduce the admission fee if you apply on-line or apply the day you visit the campus. Applying early can often double or triple your chances of being accepted. (Just remember, the goal is not to just be accepted, but to get the best possible college fit at the best possible price.)
When applying early, just don’t fall into the “early decision” trap. Early decision is an agreement between the student and the college where the college will grant admission and the student agrees not to apply at any other school. If you have applied at other colleges already, you will agree to withdraw those applications. The problem is, you then become a “slam dunk” for the financial aid office and will lose any leverage to negotiate a better financial aid package. So…..keep your enrollment options open, but don’t be afraid to apply early!
By now most of you seniors should have taken your ACT’s or SAT’s a couple of times. Hopefully, your grades are where you need them to gain entrance to the school of your choice. Even better, they are high enough to catch the eye of the college so they REALLY WANT you on their campus. All the steps you have taken the last couple of years are going to pay off as you get your financial aid offers and evaluate them to see if they meet your expectations.
Believe it or not, you do have some influence on what kind of scholarship offers you get from colleges! My “College Funding Solutions” service puts students in the best possible position to select the best college to fit their values and strengths and to receive the best possible financial aid package. Let’s face it, even if you get a full-ride scholarship, if the college doesn’t “fit”, you won’t be there long.
Now, lets assume you have done all the things my program suggests, your grades are more than adequate, and you are ready to have those colleges fight over you for your signature on the dotted line. How do you let them know you are looking at other colleges? Well…I’ll tell you… in my next posting.
Also in the next posting: a brief timeline on the financial aid process, filing of the FAFSA, etc.
December 5th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
[...] my last posting, we discussed the admission process and how you should apply to at least 6 colleges and not get [...]