I could really use your guidance here. I did not go to college and don't know how this works. Well, technically I went to my local state college but I never toured schools or anything. I'd like to show my son some options. How do you/your kids choose schools to tour? (My son has no idea where he wants to go so I figure we will just start with ones around us that he has a decent shot at and branch out?
I would order some pamphlets from a few schools to give him to look through. And start talking about things you see. I was a bit lost junior year. My mom talked to my guidance counselor who mentioned co-op schools. Something about that stuck. I LOVED the idea. There are two big universities with this co-op program and from that moment on I was obsessed with the idea. We went and toured both and I fell in love with one. OBSESSED. So--I'd just start getting the convo going. Even if he doesn't seem to be listening, he just might be.
My mom still says the university I went to was the best money she ever spent. It changed me.
TLDR: Just start touring/looking at brochures/talking.
I worked in higher Ed for 20+ years and my DS is the same age as yours. My admissions colleagues always suggest first thinking about interests in areas of study. From there, make a list of schools that sound like they might be a fit. Fit would include having a program in the subject he wants to study, financial fit for your family, freshman class with grades similar to your son. Then go to their admissions site and schedule a tour. Start local. That way, as you go to more schools and realize you forgot to ask certain questions on your first few tours, you can always easily go back.
If he has not idea what he wants to study, pick a few schools that are very different within driving distance and go visit those to see what kind of campus he likes. Here in LA, as an example, we might go visit Cal State Long Beach, UCLA, Loyola Marymount.
If you don’t want to post your general area, but want some ideas of good tours to try in your area, shoot me a PM and I can make some suggestions.
Also remember brochures are great, but they are like the social media of college admissions - they highlight the college’s best life. When you go to campus, you can talk with actual students. My bff and I did all our college tours together some 30 years ago. We’d always go into the student Union, walk up to some friendly looking students and say we were thinking of applying and were wondering what they liked and didn’t like about the school. You learn a lot from the students.
Post by InBetweenDays on Jun 23, 2022 8:22:06 GMT -5
Does your district use Naviance? They have a college search tool that DD (rising junior) has used. You can input your preferred geographic region, college size, acceptance rate, tuition, sports interest, etc. and it will filter schools for you.
She has some lacrosse tournaments in various parts of the country this summer so we're going to tag a college tour on to a few of those just you start the process.
Thank you. Its very scary and overwhelming because I honestly feel intimidated by the whole college experience. I did not do well but I think it was from lack of support and I don't want that for my son.
formerlyak, We are in northeast CT so there are a LOT of options.
InBetweenDays, I'm not sure. Pretty sure he has a college board in Khan that was created after he took his PSATs but I haven't been in it yet. I just told my son I want to have him log in there next week and poke around together.
Post by outnumbered on Jun 23, 2022 8:30:45 GMT -5
Our high school uses a program called Scoir (like Naviance). It helps students narrow down what colleges or universities might interest them.
My daughter has no idea what she wants to do. She is entering senior year. We have decided to visit schools that are within a 4 hour drive. We are visiting small, medium, and large campuses. We are visiting rural, suburban, and city campuses. It has been great to get a feel of what kind of school she would like to attend. She thought she wanted a rural school, but has been drawn to the city.
Scheduling a visit is easy. The scheduling tool can be found on the admissions pages.
Post by purplepenguin7 on Jun 23, 2022 8:34:17 GMT -5
Does your son's school have a guidance counselor? My mom didn't go to college so my guidance counselor was instrumental in helping me nail down a potetential major/area of study, identifying schools I could likely get into with my grades/test scores/etc. I think that all juniors were required to meet with their guidcance counselor if I remember correctly but obvisouly things might have changed since 1998. Once we did that my mom did help me set up tours and request applications but it was super helpful to narrow down based on those criteria first instead of just seeing anything in the surrounding area.
Another vote for making sure to visit a variety. I thought I might want a large school, but after about 10 minutes on the UCSB campus knew it wasn’t for me.
Also, a good reminder that any decision isn’t permanent. I had a lot of friends transfer after freshman year. And even now, the parents I know with kids that age have seen their kids move in and out of community college, etc.
Another vote for making sure to visit a variety. I thought I might want a large school, but after about 10 minutes on the UCSB campus knew it wasn’t for me.
Also, a good reminder that any decision isn’t permanent. I had a lot of friends transfer after freshman year. And even now, the parents I know with kids that age have seen their kids move in and out of community college, etc.
Same experience here--great advice.
Fun anecdote - in the 90s I visited Ohio State and had a self-guiding walking tour with a cassette walkman*. I got lost and was all "nope, not for me..."
purplepenguin7, He does and he is very nice but not the most responsive. I emailed a question Monday and haven't heard back. Wednesday was last day of school so I know he was there. I just send B in there to get info mostly which he needs to do anyway but his recall is terrible.
Post by mrsukyankee on Jun 23, 2022 9:08:41 GMT -5
I worked in an international school and a lot of students used this: Peterson's Guide, to start off their journey to figuring it all out. We looked at size of student body (and composition), campus type (do they want to live in a dorm or rental, do they want a campus that has lots to offer or just be the place where they go to classes), what they wanted to study, social life, extracurriculars, city/suburban/rural.
Post by W.T.Faulkner on Jun 23, 2022 9:16:34 GMT -5
There's some great advice here!
Like other posters have said, make sure you visit a variety of schools so he can get a feel for different-sized campuses.
I would make sure that the schools are decently-matched to his GPA, though. For instance, I wouldn't visit NYU if he has a 2.0, you know? But if he's an honor student with a bunch of activities, keep NYU on your visit list.
Another higher ed person here--- Don't be afraid to mention that your kid is first gen (assuming they are -- meaning they don't have another parent who finished a bachelor's degree). Some schools have special programs or extra support to help for the very reasons you've outlined here -- this is all new to you!
Agreed on variety is key. I thought I wanted to go to a Big 10 school or a large Catholic university. Ultimately, I chose the tiny liberal arts school in the middle of nowhere and it was a great fit. We only toured it because my mom wanted me to get a full perspective of options and it was a couple hours from home and we got a brochure in the mail.
Some schools have tours that are a couple of hours, some have all day tours where you're buddied with a student, and some even have overnight stays. I really appreciated the opportunity to sit in on a class, to get a feel for the student engagement, professors, etc.
When I compared U of Michigan with a lecture hall that could fit more than my entire high school with the tiny school with a 12:1 student to prof ratio, it felt better for me.
I also wouldn't rule out schools based on cost. HEAR ME OUT. Some of the schools that seem really expensive have huge endowment and scholarship programs. Ask a lot of questions from financial aid to understand opportunities for merit and income-based scholarships. The private school I went to was equal if not more affordable than the Big 10 schools in my state.
cjcouple, I work in highered in CT and while I'm not in an enrollment role now, I used to be. If you want to shoot me a PM, I'm happy to help in any way I can.
I did all of the research myself. I hated my guidance counselor and didn't want to talk to her about anything.
I feel like I used a website, and you could put in your criteria. It helped narrow down colleges and universities that might be a good fit. I knew I wanted a small school and wanted to be at least a certain distance away, but not too far.
We then toured 4 colleges after my parents got over the shock of tuition/boarding.
Good luck! It is so hard to figure out what to do about college.
Another higher ed person here--- Don't be afraid to mention that your kid is first gen (assuming they are -- meaning they don't have another parent who finished a bachelor's degree). Some schools have special programs or extra support to help for the very reasons you've outlined here -- this is all new to you!
Oh this is good to know. I definitely feel like we could use a bit of support with the actual college lifestyle after he is in somewhere. Especially since this is my son who had selective mutism until high school.
Also, don't discount your local community colleges and technical colleges.
Since he's a junior I also heavily promote Dual Enrollment, or Early College, depending on what it's called in your area. If nothing else get some gen ed's out of the way while you're doing them in HS. A community college is a wonderful place to do them, and save money.
As far as visits, most if not every college should have a "Visit us!" (ish) option on their main homepage. You can submit an inquiry form, but be careful as you'll get a LOT of calls, emails etc.
ETA: regarding first generation, the national program is called "Trio", at least it is in my area. We of course then have 2 branches not called Trio. Again wonderful programs, who may have a branch for your high schooler. They offer a lot of support, and sometimes scholarship money.
You have great advice here. I recommend hitting small and big colleges. Local and far. Visit a community college and a big name etc.
I also wouldn't rule out schools based on cost. HEAR ME OUT. Some of the schools that seem really expensive have huge endowment and scholarship programs. Ask a lot of questions from financial aid to understand opportunities for merit and income-based scholarships. The private school I went to was equal if not more affordable than the Big 10 schools in my state.
I was actually talking to someone at work about this who has 2 boys in college. He said the same thing, just apply because schools all cost him the same amount OOP. He said regardless of college a tuition he was responsible for 30K of it. So if it is a 50K school he got 20K in aide, if it was a 30K school he didn't get much at all. I found this interesting. No idea if this is true, just what he mentioned.
Also, don't discount your local community colleges and technical colleges.
I won't. Actually CT has free community college for graduating seniors. Some even get money back for living expenses through PACT program. I don't know exact details but its in the mix.
He is not interested in Tech at all. I actually pushed hard for him to go to a tech high school (all his close friends went to 1 of 2 available) but he wouldn't even consider it. We toured and he was miserable
cjcouple , I work in highered in CT and while I'm not in an enrollment role now, I used to be. If you want to shoot me a PM, I'm happy to help in any way I can.
thank you so much!!! I will reach out shortly. Just plowing through work quickly.
Also, don't discount your local community colleges and technical colleges.
Completely agree, especially here in CT where they've been working for a number of years to put all the state schools and CCs under the same umbrella.
I work for 2 of the state universities in CT (one very, very popular one maybe mentioned here) currently, and also previously at a private university in state and would be happy to discuss my experiences both as students at 2 of them, differences in programs and interests, etc. Feel free to PM me!
I also wouldn't rule out schools based on cost. HEAR ME OUT. Some of the schools that seem really expensive have huge endowment and scholarship programs. Ask a lot of questions from financial aid to understand opportunities for merit and income-based scholarships. The private school I went to was equal if not more affordable than the Big 10 schools in my state.
I was actually talking to someone at work about this who has 2 boys in college. He said the same thing, just apply because schools all cost him the same amount OOP. He said regardless of college a tuition he was responsible for 30K of it. So if it is a 50K school he got 20K in aide, if it was a 30K school he didn't get much at all. I found this interesting. No idea if this is true, just what he mentioned.
In my experience (I'm a college counselor) this has been true enough. It sounds like his estimated family contribution on his FAFSA was calculated to be $30k. The type of aid a college gives you matters a lot, though -- some schools will "meet" the need through Parent-Plus loans, which require you to have a good credit score; others with larger endowments will meet the need through gift aid, which is, to say the least, desirable. lol
The general sentiment stands, though. The sticker price of a college is extremely rarely what you actually end up paying.
You've gotten some great advice already. My DD attends public school in Hartford and I assumed that all districts in CT worked generally the same way regarding continuing education/college prep.
Her school has used Naviance since 6th grade with required classes and meetings with the guidance counsellors every year. This year in 9th grade they had multiple district-wide in-person and virtual college fairs for all high school students and families to attend. The virtual college fairs were really informative with representatives from many schools holding Zoom meetings for interested students and families to ask questions and learn about the school.
Most adults in DD's life have attended college, but DH and I graduated 25ish years ago and the whole process has changed a lot since then; i.e. applying to college using the Common App and SAT scores not being used all that often.
All of this rambling is to say, your school guidance counsellor needs to get it together not just for your son but for all of the students.