Getting to Know You: 15 Ways to Learn About a College

October 14, 2019May 19, 2014 by Vicki Nelson

College admission. It looms over students — often from an early age. There’s so much anticipation, excitement — and pressure – around college admissions that sometimes parents and their students may not know where to begin. How to you find just the right college? How do you know whether the match is a perfect one?

The first thing that students and their parents need to recognize is that there probably is no perfect match. Current research is suggesting that success in college, as well as after college, may have less to do with where a student attends and more to do with the student’s experiences and attitude while in school. This is important information and may help to relieve pressure on some students around finding the ”perfect” school.

As your student begins to explore colleges, a good place to begin is by thinking about what matters to them. If they have an interest in a particular major, does that school have a good program in that area? If they are an athlete, will they have an opportunity to play? What extracurricular activities matter? How important is location? The hundreds of options will begin to narrow as your student begins to focus on the things that are important to them.

But how will your student get a real sense of each school? There are many things that you and your student can do as part of the ”getting acquainted” process of exploring a particular school. Here are 15 possibilities. Some are obvious and others may be approaches you haven’t considered. Use any or all of them to get a true picture of a school.

Your Student Is Going to College! What Do You Do Now?

February 16, 2020April 24, 2014 by Vicki Nelson

Your student has been accepted to college. Check.

Final decision made. Check.

Deposit paid. Check

Chances are that both you and your student have been consumed with the college application, admission and decision process for the past several months or years — maybe even longer. Now that the decision and deposit are done, what do you do next?

A new kind of work begins now for your student — saying ”no, thank you” to other colleges, placement tests, roommate/housing surveys, registering for classes, checking in with other incoming freshmen on Facebook, and probably filling out endless forms of one kind or another.

The College Decision — Taking Action – Making the Leap

February 1, 2020April 21, 2014 by Vicki Nelson

As the May 1 National Reply By deadline approaches, high school seniors all around the country wrestle with making that final decision. It feels overwhelming. It feels so final. It feels so very important. And it is.

Some parents pressure students — thinking that they know best or just wanting to help their student make that decision. Some parents stand back and let the student wrestle with the decision on their own. Some parents guide and ask questions to help the student think through options. No matter what your parenting style, if your student hasn’t yet made a final decision, this is a very stressful time.

Research suggests that in most families in this country, parents will be involved in helping students make this final decision — and students welcome some parental input. We’ve suggested in earlier posts some approaches to help your student face this decision dilemma and some things to do once the decision is made. We’d like to suggest here that you not only support your student in making this decision, but also that you encourage them to take the leap and make that final decision.

The Final Decision: Why Your High School Senior May Be Stuck

February 1, 2020March 24, 2014 by Vicki Nelson

It’s all good. Your high school student applied to multiple colleges — and they’ve been accepted to all of them. You’ve made it through the harrowing admissions process.

But wait, the process isn’t quite over yet. You and your student have survived the agonizing wait, but now the ball is back in your student’s court. They need to make a decision — in just a few short weeks they will need to decide which college to attend. This sounds like an ideal dilemma, but put the emphasis on dilemma.

For some soon-to-be college students the decision is easy. They have had a clear favorite from the beginning and there is no hesitation. For many more students, however, the decision may not be as clear. There are many factors to weigh, options to consider. For many high school students, this is not only a big decision; this may be the first major life decision that they have had to make. To many students, this decision may be overwhelming and paralyzing.

Why Your High School Senior Is So Stressed Right Now

June 22, 2022March 17, 2014 by Vicki Nelson

There may be times for many of us throughout this college admissions process when we don’t think we’ll all survive. Parents are anxious, students are stressed and sometimes downright sullen, and admissions personnel are overwhelmed. It seems as though the stress has increased in recent years — especially for high school students. We’ve created an achievement culture where students begin earlier and earlier to plan for, and work toward, college admission. Is it any wonder that everyone is feeling out of control by the second half of senior year?

For high school students especially, the tension and stress at this time of year may often feel overwhelming. But, although the stress of waiting to hear about getting in to college is very real, it is not the only factor creating the anxiety at this time of year. Here are six factors that may be affecting your student’s feelings.

Arrive, Apply . . . Accepted! Consider Instant Decision Days

February 6, 2014 by Vicki Nelson

The waiting game for high school seniors can be excruciating. All of the deadlines have been met, the applications sent, and now your student is waiting for the verdict. In or out?

For an increasing number of students and colleges, the waiting game has been eliminated. More and more colleges are now conducting Instant Decision or Immediate Decision Days. Students usually submit their online application ahead of time, sign up for the IDD, arrive on campus with SAT scores, essay, recommendation and transcript, meet with admissions personnel, and leave at the end of the day knowing whether or not they’ve been admitted. It doesn’t get much faster than that.

Instant Decision Days are not new, but they are expanding. Ramapo College of New Jersey was one of the first schools to offer this program over twenty years ago. Today, many schools offer the program. It is more common for transfer students, but has rapidly expanded to include students directly from high school as well. Several colleges not only offer the opportunity to attend Instant Decision Days on campus, but take the program to local high schools as well. Some high schools host several colleges for Instant Decision. Students can apply to and be accepted to several schools without ever leaving their high school.

What Your Student Should Know About Beginning College Mid-Year

December 30, 2018January 20, 2014 by Vicki Nelson

Obviously, most college students begin their college careers in the fall. But for a growing number of college students and their families, January marks not only the beginning of a new calendar year, but also the beginning of their college experience.

Some students receive admissions decisions that admit them to college not for fall semester, but for spring admission. This relatively new trend in college admission helps colleges fill openings that may occur for second term, and may provide a welcome break for students between high school and college. Other students opt out of fall admission after being accepted and choose to defer their enrollment until second semester. Still other students may have life experiences that intervene and force them to delay beginning their college career a semester, or they may have applied late.

Whatever your student’s reason for beginning college at mid-year, it is important that he think about both the advantages and potential challenges of stepping into college at the midpoint of the year.

New Year’s Resolutions 2014: For Soon-to-Be College Parents and Their Students

March 17, 2017January 2, 2014 by Vicki Nelson

This year we are focusing our New Year’s Resolutions on high school parents and their students. If your student will be heading off to college in the fall, this is a big year for you, with significant changes ahead. In one sense, you’ll have two opportunities for a New Year this year. January, of course, brings the beginning of the calendar year, but September will mark a new beginning as well.

Now is the time to make some resolutions to help both you and your student through the next few months leading up to the ”big send-off” in August or September. Perhaps you’ll make some new resolutions to get you through the final few months of the year then.

We shared some of these resolutions several years ago. They haven’t changed, and in some ways their importance has increased, so we’re sharing them again. We’ve included some resolutions for students as well. Parents, consider sharing this list with your student. Perhaps together you’ll be able to make the final few months of senior year not only more comfortable for everyone, but also more productive.

Why College?

August 6, 2023July 1, 2013 by Vicki Nelson

Why is your student going to college?

Does that question take you by surprise? Have you asked your student this question? The question may take both parents and students by surprise because we don’t ask it often enough. Many students head to college because it is what students do after high school. It is what all of their friends are doing. It is what everyone has expected of them for as long as they can remember.

We are not suggesting that your student should not be headed to college. However, if you haven’t asked your student the question, it might be a good thing to do. It is important to know where we are headed, but also important to know why we are headed there.

Saying “No Thank You” to a College Acceptance

January 19, 2018March 18, 2013 by Vicki Nelson

That long college application process is over. Your student finished the applications, the essays, the SAT months ago. You and your student have survived the weeks or months of waiting. The acceptances have come in and your student has finally, agonizingly, made a decision. She knows where she will be going to college. You’ve even submitted the deposit. You and your student are ready for a breather.

There’s one more task which your student needs to do. She needs to let the other colleges which accepted her know that she won’t be attending. This isn’t a big job, but it sometimes feels like an awkward job. It’s not easy to say, ”No thank you” to a college after you’ve fought to get in. It feels as though you are rejecting the college. But this is an important part of the college admission process.

Once your student has made the final decision and notified his college of choice, remind him to let the others know that he won’t be attending. Students should notify the college in writing. Some colleges even include a postcard in their admissions packet. If there isn’t an easy form, a simple note, letter, or e-mail is fine.