I've been teaching high school for years, so I did have something of a leg-up when it came to helping my own children prepare for college; however, it's not as nerve-wracking as it may seem:
- Right now, talk with your daughter in general terms about what kind of school she'd like to attend: Big school, little school. Rural school, urban school. How far from home? Any particular climate? What would she likely study? Does she see herself at a school where Greek life is big? Where football (or other sports) is big? Once you have a feel for what she prefers, search online to see what schools in your area fit that criteria.
- Right now, talk with her about what you can /can't afford, will /won't pay. Most of us cannot offer our kids a blank check, and it's better to let her know up front what the limits are. Talk about debt and what it could mean to her life after college. Talk about your thoughts on whether she'll have a car on campus, whether you'll give her spending money, etc. There's no downside to being perfectly clear on all things financial.
- VISIT. Have your daughter go online and sign up for Open Houses. Typical Open Houses offer tours of the campus, a chance to see the dorms, and information fairs where you can pick up all sorts of information about various parts of college life. To give an example: One of the nation's best universities is very close to our house, and MANY of the kids at our high school would do anything to attend (it's very competative); my own daughter was ga-ga for that school . . . 'til she and I visited, and we both came away with a mildly negative opinion. The "it school" didn't meet our expectations. In contrast, she fell in love with the school she now attends before we were even out of the car -- and it wasn't even on our radar before that Open House. You can't take other people's word for anything; you must visit for yourself!
- Together, nail down the 2-3 schools that're most likely to suit her needs (meaning, she's likely to be accepted, likely to be successful, and likely to be able to afford). Ideally you'd have 2-3 candidates when she returns to school next fall as a senior. Applications cost $50-60 each, and there's no reason to apply to loads of schools; it only makes the selection process harder later. Go ahead and put the effort into making the choice now.
- She should take the SAT for the last time no later than June. At that point, she'll have completed Algebra 2 (the highest level of math tested on the SAT), and it'll give her time to get her scores back in time for applications. When she takes the SAT, she'll choose 4 schools who'll recieve her scores. If you choose another school later, you just go online and have the scores sent (and pay another $10).
- Applications will be available around September 1st. It's critical to make the first application deadline, which tends to be around November 1st. The chances of admittance are better in the first deadline (because at that point, more freshman spots are still available). Also, the applications aren't fun, and the sooner that task is done, the better. Her guidance counselor will help her with the applications, but your daughter must keep up with deadlines herself.
- If she needs teacher recommendations for her applications, push her to ask her teachers early. If it needs to be mailed, provide a stamped, addressed envelope. So many kids bring us forms and say, "I'm sorry, but this is due in two days." You aren't going to get a good recommendation if the teacher has so little time to do it. Also, point out to your daughter that the teachers are doing her a favor by filling out recommendations -- she should write a thank you note or bring them a brownie or something. Appreciation goes a long way, and it's a good life habit.
- Likewise, senior English teachers are always willing to proofread essays; in the fall, we have one day a week set aside after school just to help with anything application-related. The biggest hints: They're looking for the quality of your writing -- grammar mistakes, spelling mistakes, poorly worded sentences are the kiss of death. Also, write something unusual and gripping -- do not write the same old, same old that everyone's going to write. For example, in one of her essays my daughter talked about lemonade. She won 22K in scholarship money, so it was a good choice.
- Big scholarship deadlines tend to be around December 1st. Smaller scholarship deadlines tend to be later, perhaps February-March. Search your school/county's website for scholarship opportunities. Some scholarships will be awarded early, others won't come in 'til after graduation.
- Do not waste your time on left-handed, red haired scholarships. I have been teaching high school seniors for 21 years and don't know anyone who's won such a thing. Also, the thing about all the scholarships for which no one applies is a myth. Real scholarships are out there, but LOTS of people apply for them, and LOTS of them don't fit your situation (i.e., this scholarship is available for a student from ___ county who is going to major in Business). Expect to dig to find those that are applicable to you. Look for scholarships, but be realistic.
- The FAFSA should be completed as soon as possible after recieving your W2s. Both our school and our credit union offered workshops on how to maximize your financial aid. It didn't end up helping us, but we know that we gave it our best shot. You'll get an "estimated family contribution", which tells you whether you're likely to get any grant money. You'll almost certainly be offered loans.
- School acceptance letters will start to arrive just before Christmas. My daughter's arrived on Christmas Eve -- how perfect! Most students who applied early have an answer by the end of January. May 1st is the usual gotta-accept-by-this-date choice.
- Once she accepts her school, she'll need to sign up for a mandatory overnight orientation. You can go to a parents' orientation too, but we chose to send our girl on her own -- we're not going to college, she is. At this orientation, she'll register for her first set of classes. She may be able to register ahead of orientation; if she can, she should -- while the good classes are still available. If she chooses poorly, she can always change them later.
- I was very pleasantly pleased with all the orienation activities offered for freshmen students the first week of school. The students were assigned to small groups, led by an older student. The older students took them to the bookstore to get their books, took them to the cafeteria to be sure they understood how to use their meal plans, etc. THey kept them running that first week, which was a good thing.
The most stressful part about making the college choice is that you're balancing so many possibilities in your mind, and you can't really make plans 'til it all comes together. This is just the way it is -- no consultant can make this different. You're simultaneously planning, "If she gets the big scholarship, we have to do these things . . . , but if NO money comes through, she's going to stay at home and attend Local U, and she really wants that school but it's just so expensive, and if the money is somewhere in between, oh, we don't know what we'll do." The hard thing is that you're making decisions without having all the facts, and nothing you can do can speed up the process.
Talk to her about every possibility. Make lists together, discuss the pros and cons of each option. But once the two of you make the decision, do not allow any second-guessing. NONE, NONE, NONE. That way madness lies.
Once the decision is made, read everything you can about your particular school. When will bills arrive, when should she apply for housing, etc., etc., etc. All schools have specific quirks. For example, my daughter's school is very environmentally friendly, and they NEVER send out anything on paper -- our bills MUST be paid over the internet via credit card. Pay close attention to bill deadlines; if you don't pay on time, her schedule will be dropped.
To your original question, should you hire a consultant? I say no. The vast majority of our students find that the high school and their parents are able to provide all they need to navigate the college search waters. And even if they find it stressful, most of my students seem happy with the decisions they've made by graduation.
I personally know only one person who's hired a college consultant. She's a substitute teacher at our school, and she hired someone to work with each of her three children. She claims it was money well-spent because the consultant "found" schools that they wouldn't have known about otherwise, and she claims the consultant found them money. I don't know. In all honesty, her children weren't top students, so their options might've been somewhat limited. My college daughter is highly motivated (because she knew that we would spend whatever money she "earned" through scholarships we'd spend on a car for her), and she found them on her own. Could someone else have found more? I kind of doubt it.
There are so many websites to help you with anything you need. CollegeConfidential is a chat board much like the DIS format where they have forums for everything you could think of. Your guidance office should be able to answer any of your questions as well.
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