Upcoming senior ... books you would recommend for figuring out the college process?

[Mary•Poppins]

There are so many great moms and dads on here that have been through this process (and I have read many of your threads, thank you!). My oldest is a senior this year and we are starting the process of narrowing down colleges and the application process.

On this note, what books would you recommend that helped you through this process? (even websites)

Thank you so much for all of you recommendations and advice in advance!

 

[bballmom56]

website - collegeconfidential.com

 

[clh2]

there is a lot of info in the "college search" section of collegeboard.com. It includes the 25th-75th percentile ACT and SAT ranges,as well as some info on financial aid.

They have a search section where you can select info (i.e. public/private; size, major, part of country etc) and it can help to narrow down choices.

Good luck - we also have a DD who will be a senior. This process is just intimidating for me. DH and DD can't even have a decent conversation where one will listen to the other. Not to mention college tours. DH has been VERY insistent that DD wasn't working enough hours this summer. Now she has too many shifts to do campus tours, as she picked up extra shifts. She is not able to get subs for most shifts due to the requirements involved, and DD has used up most of the flexibility she does have with a week-long conflict.

 

[Rora]

There are so many great moms and dads on here that have been through this process (and I have read many of your threads, thank you!). My oldest is a senior this year and we are starting the process of narrowing down colleges and the application process.

On this note, what books would you recommend that helped you through this process? (even websites)

Thank you so much for all of you recommendations and advice in advance!

I used collegeboard but IMO, the best way to get a feel for the school (after researching, etc) is to go and see the school.

Best of luck to your senior!

 

[golfgal]

I think people make the whole college thing a LOT more complicated than it has to be. Go visit a campus or two if you haven't already-in the next week or two if you can. Get a feel for what kind of campus your child likes-big, small, in a city, more rural, etc. Once you get that down, narrow down choices by location. I am NOT a fan of picking a college based on a potential major. Most kids change majors at least once during their college years so it is best to find a place where they fit in.

Do NOT shop colleges on price either. All colleges cost the same until the financial aid packages come and you may find the "most expensive" school at the outset ends up being the least expensive in the long run.

Your child should be looking at local/private scholarships by now too. There are a lot of websites out there that have scholarship information. The high school guidance office is also a great resource and summer is a good time to meet with the counselors (if they are year round employees like our school is).

I agree that the above websites are very helpful.

Oh, and your child should have taken the ACT and/or SAT once by now if not, get her/him signed up for the first one in the fall.

Doesn't the high school have meetings through out the years to get you started on this process?? Our's has meetings each year with grade appropriate information to keep kids on track for college.

 

[castmember19]

Collegeboard.com is everything you need to know. It's almost all I used during the college application process, since it keeps track of your SAT/ACT scores, keeps track of what colleges you are considering, lets you narrow down schools by different options (lets say he absolutely wants to go to a college with a newspaper, or he wants a private school, etc, etc)

 

[geffric]

Book and website for smaller, private school is Colleges that change lives..

 

[tvguy]

My kids high school website has a great section on this.

http://cbhs.ca.campusgrid.net/home/People+&+Places/Guidance+&+College+Counseling/Narrowing+Options

 

[tvguy]

.

Do NOT shop colleges on price either. All colleges cost the same until the financial aid packages come and you may find the "most expensive" school at the outset ends up being the least expensive in the long run.

And remember, in the financial aid world, financial aid will most likely be in the form of loans, not grants or scholarships

Your child should be looking at local/private scholarships by now too. There are a lot of websites out there that have scholarship information. The high school guidance office is also a great resource and summer is a good time to meet with the counselors (if they are year round employees like our school is).

I agree that the above websites are very helpful.

Oh, and your child should have taken the ACT and/or SAT once by now if not, get her/him signed up for the first one in the fall.

Yes. But don't be surprised if you run into a few colleges that no longer require the SAT or ACT. Some college have found these tests useless, and have shifted admission decisions to other factors such as your letter's of recommendation, and what activities you did in high school. Their goal is to build a more diverse entering freshman class.

Doesn't the high school have meetings through out the years to get you started on this process?? Our's has meetings each year with grade appropriate information to keep kids on track for college.
My kids high school did this too, but they went to private high school. Some of their friends in public high school got no support on campus. One literally had to camp in the counselors office to get his transcripts sent to his college choices by the deadlines.

 

[golfgal]

Well, TV guy, I guess it depends on your definition of "most". Fed financial aid loans top out at $5500/year--sure you can get private loans but if you are looking at a school that is $50K+ and getting a hefty financial aid package, most WON"T be in the form of loans. Looking at most people I know, very little of their aid package was loans and most was grants and scholarships.


I have yet to see a college that doesn't require one or the other ACT or SAT.

Our kids go to a public high school and we have an amazing amount of help through the college process.

 

[daisyx3]

Ummm, that limit is not correct. I was offered a loan up to $7500 for my oldest last year. I only used $5000 and will need $4000 this year since she has decided to live at home (or she will have to pay for housing herself--we live 15 minutes away and on-campus housing is a big rip-off).
Our public high school has parent meetings, but they take place at 8AM in the morning....since I teach in a high school in another district, it doesn't really work for me.
Now that I've been through it once, it's not that big a deal. We have two good state colleges within 20 miles, so even though we are tight financially they can commute if they have to, and they can get money because of their grades. I don't feel like paying off college until I'M 65.
My middle child is a junior this next year and they said not to take the ACT until February...but she wants to take it in September so I'll go ahead and sign her up.
Daisyx3

 

[allison443]

there is a lot of info in the "college search" section of collegeboard.com. It includes the 25th-75th percentile ACT and SAT ranges,as well as some info on financial aid.

They have a search section where you can select info (i.e. public/private; size, major, part of country etc) and it can help to narrow down choices.

Good luck - we also have a DD who will be a senior. This process is just intimidating for me. DH and DD can't even have a decent conversation where one will listen to the other. Not to mention college tours. DH has been VERY insistent that DD wasn't working enough hours this summer. Now she has too many shifts to do campus tours, as she picked up extra shifts. She is not able to get subs for most shifts due to the requirements involved, and DD has used up most of the flexibility she does have with a week-long conflict.

We have been through the process twice so far...personally we never found summertime college visits as helpful as visiting while the college was in session. I mean, you can see the campus and the buildings in the summer, but we liked to see the campus with the full student body there. We always made a point of eating a meal in the dining hall, checking out the flyers/posters for upcoming events, reading the student newspaper (most are online), etc.
Also we found that my high schoolers were off from school on days that most colleges were in session, so we'd visit on those days (like Columbus Day, Election Day, Presidents' Day, etc.)

OP I agree with collegeconfidential.com. Some of the posters are intense but there's a lot of good info there.

Good luck to everyone going through the process!

 

[golfgal]

We have been through the process twice so far...personally we never found summertime college visits as helpful as visiting while the college was in session. I mean, you can see the campus and the buildings in the summer, but we liked to see the campus with the full student body there. We always made a point of eating a meal in the dining hall, checking out the flyers/posters for upcoming events, reading the student newspaper (most are online), etc.
Also we found that my high schoolers were off from school on days that most colleges were in session, so we'd visit on those days (like Columbus Day, Election Day, Presidents' Day, etc.)

OP I agree with collegeconfidential.com. Some of the posters are intense but there's a lot of good info there.

Good luck to everyone going through the process!

Summertime visits are great early on in the process. It gives you a feel for what the campus is like, etc. They are good for figuring out what kind of campus you want, big, small, etc. Once you have narrowed that down and have come up with a handful of potential schools, doing a visit during the school year is good.

 

[sharbear]

In addition to the other very excellent advice you have received, we really liked the Fiske Guide to Colleges (I think that was what it was called). It was a great book that had a lot of information about different colleges in it.

I guess it matters what you are looking for. Does your child have a certain major they want to look at. Do they want to be close to home or doesn't matter.

 

[Aliceacc]

If your son or daughter will be taking (or, in the case of upcoming seniors, hopefully "retaking") the SATs, here's decent book on strategy:
http://www.amazon.com/Up-Your-Score...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1309177832&sr=1-1

It's a little too full of cutesy pop references for my taste, but does a decent job on teaching how to approach the different problem types, as well as answering common questions about the actual exam.


Here's an article I give my Math SAT Prep classes. It originally appeared in NY Newsday:

"The Top 10 websites for college-bound students Originally published in Newsday May 7, 2010 9:23 AM

1. College Board (collegeboard.com): You’ll need to create an account here so you can register for the SATs-and check your scores the minute they’re posted. But this nonprofit organization of more than 5,700 member schools provides a wealth of other information as well. Its website is a great starting point to gather-and compare- basic data on colleges, including admission requirements, program offerings and costs.

2. College Confidential (collegeconfidential.com): This site bills itself as the “leading college-bound community on the web,” and it’s easy to see why. In addition to helpful articles on admissions and financial aid, it features lively discussion boards where parents, students and admissions officers answer one another’s questions, share tips and offer support throughout the college process. All you need to do is register and give yourself a “screen name” so you can join the conversation.

3. College Prowler (collegeprowler.com): You’ll get the lowdown on schools directly from students and recent grads. For each of 1,476 colleges listed, you can learn about everything from acceptance rates to assessments of the campus drinking and dating scenes. You’ll also find colorful quotes from co-eds that give you a real-deal sense of the college environment. In addition, the site offers a tool to help you assess your chances of admission at the schools you’re considering.

4. Common Application (commonap.org): Pretty much every high school senior is familiar with the so-called “common ap.” This is the go-to resource when the time comes to actually apply to college: It provides online and print versions of application materials for almost 400 schools. Students complete one main application and essay that can be submitted to multiple colleges with the click of a mouse. You can also link to any supplementary application materials a school requires. New this year: Online forms for teachers and guidance counselors to submit recommendations electronically.

5. FAFSA (fafsa.org): If you think you’ll need help paying for college, get comfortable with the website of the Free Application for Financial Student Aid. Administered by the U.S. Department of Education, it’s a user-friendly resource that’s loaded with publications, brochures and fact-sheets on financing college. And, most importantly, it’s where you set up an account to apply for federal aid, including Pell grants and Stafford, Perkins and Plus loans.

6. FastWeb (fastweb.com): If you’re hoping for a scholarship, this is the place to hunt it down. After registering, you can custom-search a database of 1.3 million awards based on your individual qualifications and needs. FastWeb also supplies info on job and internship programs and has an active discussion board as well.

7. FinAid (finaid.com): This award-winning website, sponsored by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, may well be the most comprehensive resource on paying for higher education. You’ll find nitty-gritty details about different types of loans, scholarships, grants and even military programs. The site’s “FAQs” cover anything you can think oft: There’s even a category called “miscellaneous and unusual” questions. In addition, it has calculators to help you project college costs, estimate your expected family contribution and decide how much to borrow.

8. NCAA (ncaa.org): Any student athlete who dreams of playing at a Division I, II or III school should log onto this site and download the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s guide. It contains the rules and regulations that spell out everything, from the way college coaches can recruit to what high school courses a student needs to take and what SAT scores he must attain. This is also where athlete applicants submit a “clearinghouse form” that is used by college coaches for recruitment purposes.

9. Peterson’s (petersons.com): If you’re looking to find a wealth of material in a single place, this site is a good bet. Originally a well-respected college guidebook, Peterson’s has migrated online with enough material info to fill volumes. You’ll find basic data about hundreds of colleges and universities, including criteria for admissions, courses of study and total costs. In addition, there are helpful articles on virtually every aspect of the admissions process.

10. Princeton Review (princetonreview.com): Though primarily aimed at encouraging students to sign up for the company’s test-prep programs, this site contains tons of free content, including articles on applying to schools, choosing a major and finding a study abroad program. One fun feature is the “counselor-o-matic,” a tool that asks questions about grades, test scores, interests and activities then spits out a list of “good-fit” colleges. You’ll also find light-hearted rankings, which name the top colleges in such categories as “Most Politically Active” and “Major Frat and Sorority Scene.” "

 

[golfgal]

Ummm, that limit is not correct. I was offered a loan up to $7500 for my oldest last year. I only used $5000 and will need $4000 this year since she has decided to live at home (or she will have to pay for housing herself--we live 15 minutes away and on-campus housing is a big rip-off).
Our public high school has parent meetings, but they take place at 8AM in the morning....since I teach in a high school in another district, it doesn't really work for me.
Now that I've been through it once, it's not that big a deal. We have two good state colleges within 20 miles, so even though we are tight financially they can commute if they have to, and they can get money because of their grades. I don't feel like paying off college until I'M 65.
My middle child is a junior this next year and they said not to take the ACT until February...but she wants to take it in September so I'll go ahead and sign her up.
Daisyx3

http://www.finaid.org/loans/studentloan.phtml

Um, it is correct...for a freshman. You were not offered any federal loans, your child was. If you were offered loans those are PLUS loans and that is an entirely different beast.

 

[minniebeth]

Great suggestions! My DS is a junior and is also liking The Book of Majors~

 

[MrsPete]

Spend some time talking about what your student wants /where she would be most successful:

How far from home?
Big school /small school?
Urban location /rural area?
How competative are your student's grades?
Close to the beach? In the mountains?
Are there specific things your student wants? For example, does she see herself attending football games in the fall or joining a sorority? Does she imagine herself living in a dorm or having an apartment off-campus?

Spend some time on the internet making a list of good possibilities, and then VISIT. You need to do this now. Then, once school's started, have her go back to second-visit her favorites (you'd be surprised how many of my high school students fall in love with the first school they visit, but then when they go back with more experienced eyes . . . things look different).

After each visit, sit down and make notes immediately so you'll remember what you saw. Taking pictures is good too. Talk to your student about exactly what she liked -- teenagers aren't always so realistic about what draws them to a certain school. For example, one of my daugther's good friends was initially drawn to a certain school because the suites have wonderful kitchenettes with granite countertops, and because you can check out ipads and X-boxes from the dorm offices. As she's looked at other schools, she's come to realize that the goal isn't to have granite countertops in your dorm -- it's to earn a degree so you can buy whatever you want in a kitchen you'll own, and she's realized that she could buy an ipad and an X-box for the price difference between that school and other schools. To give another example, my own daughter's #1 school choice is in the mountains, and she isn't much of a cold-weather person. So she's thinking about whether she'd make it in a place where it'd snow about 1/2 the school year. I think that's a realistic concern, and it's a choice she herself has to make.

When you begin filling out applications, which should be soon, I'd suggest that she apply to no more than 5-6 schools. First, application fees run $50-60 per school. Second, applying to too many schools may well mean that you haven't been selective enough. Definitely get your applications in by the first deadline.

I always tell my students to apply to schools in three categories:

First, apply to your dream school. Even though you think it's not going to come together for you, apply. For someone, the planets will align and the unlikely admission will mesh with the unforseen scholarship. Try. Just try.

Second, apply to several schools that are realistic for you. Several schools where you feel fairly sure of being admitted, schools that you can afford to attend, schools where you're likely to be successful. Put the bulk of your efforts into this category because this is where you'll probably be attending.

Finally, consider what you could do IF everything in the whole world went wrong. None of those admissions come through, your parents suddenly are unable to provide the help they'd previously promised -- what could you do entirely on your own -- to at least start your college education? Maybe it's community college, maybe it's half-time at a school to which you can drive. In all likelihood , you won't attend your safety school, but IF you do, having considered it ahead of time will make it easier on you.

Last topic: Money.

You should be up-front with your student about what financial help you can provide. Go ahead and look at financial aid predictors online. It's all well and good to say that college is a worthwhile expense and that loans are "good debt", but the reality is that most of us have to set some limits. How important is it that the student attend THE SCHOOL? Apply for scholarships, but also keep your feet on the ground: Most students do not get big scholarships. TRY for scholarships, but don't assume that anyone'll help with the cost.

Last of all, your student's high school counselor is a good source of information. Make an appointment early in the year, and even if your student insists that NO ONE'S PARENTS go to these things, go. It's important that you choose the right college. You don't want to go through the whole process again next year -- and lose credits in the process.

 

[Robinrs]

I have yet to see a college that doesn't require one or the other ACT or SAT.

I know of several. They want the scores but don't consider them as highly as other criteria.

 

[golfgal]

I know of several. They want the scores but don't consider them as highly as other criteria.

But they still require the scores. He was saying they don't want them at all. Colleges won't go away from using these standard tests-they are the only thing they have to compare one student to the next from across the country. Most schools don't use this as their #1 evaluation tool but they won't let you apply without them. For more competitive schools they want to see a rigorous class schedule and the GPA that goes along with that for their #1 important thing, some schools all you need is a 20 or better on an ACT to get in. Every school has their own "thing" but they all want to see either an SAT or an ACT score.