The end of the high school finish line is within sight. Miles of clarinet lessons, tutors, parent-teacher conferences, class elections, late practices and doubleheaders are winding down, but what lies ahead are college visits, SAT prep, interviews, applications and essay drafts.
These last few miles are hard, but the key to finishing this race strong is to be specific and deliberate every step of the way. Every student is different, with unique needs, talents and goals. There’s no point in the process where you can use a one-size-fits-all approach.
An Individualized Plan
College counselor Susan Isler, founder of Isler College Consulting, knows a highly individualized approach is the best way to ensure success. Through her work, she’s found that this is the first time many teens experience this sort of decision-making.
“If you’re working with kids individually, there’s not a lot that’s scripted. You have to start where kids are.” she says. “They are used to the automatic — you move from one grade to another, it’s something that just happens. But this is so deliberate and not automatic.”
Some of these details are straightforward, like checking each school’s requirements and deadlines. Others are more nuanced: a student may want a school in a city, but what if a rural school has a better program, more scholarships and shuttles into town? One school may have an excellent reputation for a particular area of study, but is a 200-person lecture hall the best place for your student?
Tiesha McEwen, guidance counselor at Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District, knows that simply taking the first steps is daunting — knowing how and where to begin stymies many families. “Getting started is overwhelming,” she says. “Parents and students should start the process during their junior year. As a junior, you are able to start on your college essays. Junior year is also the perfect time to do college visits.” She also points out that starting junior year allows students time to round out their academic resume, add in AP courses, or take more classes related to their intended field of study.
Even parents who have helped shepherd one kid through the process don’t necessarily get a shortcut the second time around — something the Slanina family from Akron knows all too well.
Elizabeth and Joseph Slanina have already helped their son Paul to select John Carroll University and are currently planning visits for their daughter Clare, who is beginning her senior year at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, while their seventh grader, Jude, waits in the wings.
“Clare and Paul have much different interests and priorities, so I don’t see them taking similar paths. We are exploring many more schools for Clare,” Elizabeth Slanina says.
Like the Slaninas, Isler digs deep into a student’s particular goals, needs and preferences and works to find the best fit. She encourages clients to not only pay attention to requirements for acceptance like test scores and GPA, but to research campus life, criteria for graduation, class sizes and career training.
“One of the first things I have kids do is pick one or two majors and dig into the academics of that college. What courses would you take for this major? Let’s compare that to another college. Sometimes kids look at the courses and say, ‘Oh, I don’t really want to do that.’ I don’t mind that at all [if they change their mind about their major], all the more reason to do this work now. There’s so much kids aren’t aware of — you don’t have to be a biology major to be pre-med. Everything depends on the student individually.”
Go on a Campus Visit
Isler also knows the undisputed value of the college visit, even if they can be difficult to make happen.
“One of the hardest things is how busy they are when they are in high school sports and activities,” Slanina says. “It is so hard to get away during the school year and so we are stuck with summer visits of colleges.”
While timing is difficult and every student is different, Isler recommends beginning college visits in 11th grade, though some find it beneficial to start in 10th grade.
Before they begin visiting schools, Isler encourages parents to set some parameters, especially when it comes to the limitations of distance, cost and life after college.
The Slaninas know Clare would like to stay in state, and as a family they have open conversations about tuition and earning potential post-graduation.
“Getting into a tremendous amount of debt for a major you are not sure about is scary,” Slanina says. “And sadly, you do have to look at return on investment. Gone are the days of majoring in what you just love to study.”
The Slaninas also know how important it is to expose Clare to a variety of types of schools so she better understands what life on campus would be like.
“We start with at least one small school and one large school, so that she can get a sense of which type of campus she likes better,” Slanina says.
This willingness to challenge what a student is looking for is something Isler takes very seriously.
“Kids have a list of what they think they want in a college — they want urban or a certain size,” Isler says. “I want them to consider all these factors and many others, so the process is more complete. If a kid tells me they want a big or a small school, I might load their list with what they tell me they want in the beginning, but I will offer schools outside that list. There are some bigger schools that play small. And there are small schools that are very appealing. There are so many factors, and you don’t know until you see it.”
Application Process
Once students know where they want to apply, it’s important to truly understand their own strengths and experiences. Involvement or achievements don’t need to come with accolades and titles to play a significant role in applications and essays.
“Kids sell themselves so short,” Isler says. “They might not have a title in an organization, but they know who the actual doers and leaders are. You need to give yourself credit even if you don’t carry the title. Through this, they can show initiative, leadership, collaboration and creativity. Experience matters.”
McEwen sees this play out with the students she works with as well.
“If students feel like they are not going to be accepted, try anyway,” she advises. “The admissions team looks at the whole student. You may be surprised.”
She also points out that while factors like SATs and ACTs come into play, it’s highly specific. “Depending on the school, of course ACT/SAT can be very important. Some schools have the ACT/SAT test optional choice. But if you are looking for merit-based scholarships or getting into your major early, then those scores count.”
This tendency for teens to downplay their own experiences and qualifications can have a negative impact on a student’s application, especially when it comes to the common application essay where students may be tempted to write what they think an admissions officer wants to hear.
Isler works with clients to understand they don’t need to write about a traumatic or world-changing event. Instead, they should look to their own experiences, showcase some vulnerability, and write in their own voice.
“They don’t need to impress, they need to be authentic,” she says. “Kids don’t write in self-reflective ways very often in school. They turn in reports and compare characters, but there aren’t many writing assignments that have to do with self-reflection. For many kids, it’s very uncomfortable to be self-reflective and show some vulnerability. Sometimes, I’ll type out literally what they tell me and then show them and say, ‘This is what you just said, why not write this down?’”
The more specific a high schooler is, the better chance they have of finding and being accepted into the right school. Challenging their assumptions about where they want to go and how they want to get there, the best academic setting, and what job training or extracurriculars are important are all vital to finding the best fit.
Checklist
Applying to college is highly specific — the timeline and requirements for one student can vary greatly from one school to another. Generally, most students should check off all of the following tasks:
Junior Year:
SAT/ACT prep and testing
Create a list of prospective schools
Begin school visits
Meet with guidance counselor
Senior Year:
Finalize school list
Gather list of awards and distinctions
Prepare high school transcripts
Common application opens
Write common application essay
Request needed teacher recommendations
Begin FAFSA application
Submit scholarship applications
