Category: College Planning Blog

  • How do I find the right colleges, and where do we start?

    How do I find the right colleges, and where do we start?

    Simple Solutions to Important Questions

    The college search can be daunting, with an overwheling array of options and no clear start line. The graphic below shows you how to take two simple but powerful steps on the way to the University of You, and you can here me talk more about these steps on episode 24 of the Tom Talks College podcast.

    How do I find the right colleges, and where do we start?

    #1 Clarify your needs + wants.

    Fill in as much of the University of You Matrix as possible.
    Don’t sweat what you don’t know yet. It’s a work in progress.
    Avoid lazy words such as “good” and “big.” You’re better than that.

    Check out Zoe’s matrix. She’s a rockstar!

    Take time to explore colleges online and follow my campus visit rule: Visit early. Visit Often. You’ll be amazed how quickly you’ll go from “um, not sure” to “this is what I need and want,” but it doesn’t happen without effort and energy.

    #2 Start by finding A+A options.

    Skip those reach schools for now that get you all bunged up about not getting in. Match your matrix with colleges that fit both A’s.

    ACCESSIBLE = I will get in.

    AFFORDABLE = We can afford it.

    Opening your mind to a great experience at a college that ALREADY loves you is the best way to take the stress level down a notch. Maybe the best fit isn’t the one that tells the most students “no.”

    The goal is to create a great set of options from which to choose — when it’s time to choose 

    None of this is intended to create a “drive through” college search process. To do this well, it takes time, energy, patience and sometimes endurance. But it’s 100% worth it.

    Next up: How to visit campuses the right way

    In two weeks I’ll return to one of my favorite topics, and one which I’ve featured on numerous episodes.

    I have no idea what I’ll say, but I’ll come up with something YOU can use to get the most from campus visits on your way to the University of You.

    Until then…

    Connect with me if you need help building the right list of colleges for your student. Call, email, text or schedule a free consult or 15-minute phone call.

    We’re OnCampus, and we’re in your corner.

    Source link

  • How do college applications work?

    How do college applications work?

    Here’s a condensed version of episode 23 on the Tom Talks College podcast with the graphic I referenced. 

    Hey, Juniors

    This is the first in a series called “Hey, Juniors,” and the goal is simple: respond to your most common and most important questions with easy to understand visaul images and just enough verbiage to provide context. This week I’m tackling a question that seems far off, but our goal is to take a simple step that leads to action during a designated “work window.” Here’s the graphic. 

    You choose, juniors

    The work windows given are just suggestions, and all of these are 45 days. If you want to kick butt and get ‘er done in 30 days, go for it. Let’s not drag this out anymore than we have to. But if you say you’re going to start then, you need to back it up with action. Until then, Mom and Dad have every right to talk with you about colleges — and you not only have the right but the opportunity to do the same — and everybody is on the same page about the start date.

    Pieces and parts 

    In later podcasts, blogs, graphics and social media we’ll break down the application into its components to see how the pieces line up with what colleges look for in applicants. It’s going to make a lot of sense.

    Next up: How to find the right colleges

    Next week I’ll tackle one critical part of the much larger question about what to look for, what makes a college a great fit, what exactly is a “fit” anyway…and there will be another image, created by the former fine artist who never took a graphic design class. (No surprises there given the image above, TK.)

    Until then…

    Let us know if you have questions about applications, the process, timing or anything college-related including the ACT, call, email, text or schedule a free consult or 15-minute phone call. We’re OnCampus, and we’re in your corner.

    Source link