college applications

[BD]

' Tis the season of college applications. As the largest pool ever to apply in US history, stress/ anxiety are in the air, to say the very least. Most kids have their Early Decision applications in, but the steady stream of regular application deadlines is hammering these kids and their families without mercy as the Thanksgiving preparations are underway. Do any words of advice to either the applicants or their parents come to mind ? Everyone sure could use a tip or two. While the parents of juniors in high school keep on eye on their future '09 Thanksgiving, a wise word well placed now might help them avoid the choke-hold the whole application process has on the family unit.

My own tips:
Keep a clear due date chart available as reference in an easy to see spot. Pencil in WHEN the HS deadlines are for the applications. My own kids are looking at the real world job market now, but I do recall the initial heart attack when we assumed the HS would continue the 2 week lead time to process their end of the application...and it suddenly changed to a 4 week lead time for the Jan 1 application deadlines. Thanksgiving was a scramble to get everything in by Dec. 1.

No matter how superior your kid is, make certain you have him/her apply to a realistic safety school. Don't want to get into the horror stories of kids who did not do this......and had to scramble in April when the letters arrived. Try getting your son/daughter to find an opening in any school at that point in time. Talk about panic.

Once the applications are in, do not allow your child to change his/her grading to pass/fail for the HS classes. I have seen many a slick kid think once the applications are sent, they can coast the rest of their senior year. Due to the volume of this group, many universities will send letters asking for second semester senior grades to help them decide if they should accept/ reject applicants.

[Erin]

My daughter is a 9th grader this year, and I'm already obsessing over her college applications... Thanks for the tips, I'll add them to the 100pages of notes I have already collected!

[BD]

Actually, as a parent of a 9th grader, you are in the best position to make the most of the whole application process. Those who start paying attention junior year often find themselves in a very tight spot with many options removed from them. Keep in mind that the GPA your kid lists on the application is composed of grades up to June of junior year. Senior year 1st semester grades are submitted separately. Many kids as well as parents think they have 4 years to hike up that GPA...until the fact hits them smack in the face. Application deadlines begin in Oct of senior year [ Early Decision].

Specific tips for you:
Download the common application now to get a handle on what is expected to be done during the HS years. Many people are truly surprised that there are not a lot of lines for all the activities done in HS. The reason being that colleges are all too aware of the resume stuffers. They are seeking kids who do a select few things over the course of a year, up until 1st semester senior year. They are looking for passion...somethings done in HS which will continue in college and then throughout life. Joining the French Club, as nice as it sounds, is often dismissed by colleges. They are looking for something more. Outside activities initiated by students themselves hold more weight than school/ church run activities. This demonstrates solid thinking, energy, passion, etc to admissions. Working on the town's COMMUNITY paper VS school paper is the way to go....if the student has that particular type of passion.