Finding a college is a manageable process; if you start early.

Oct. 26, 2010 - PRLog -- So when is the right time to get started?
Kelley , who received her professional certification from UC Berkeley in 2010 recommends  that you begin the discussion with your teen during their sophomore year in high school.  “If you plan ahead and begin organizing your approach, you will be able to pace yourself through the process. There is simply too much to do to wait until your student’s senior year,” said Kelley.
Kelley said that this is a huge window of opportunity as by sophomore year students know what it takes to be successful in high school. They are more focused on the future; selecting coursework that meets the requirements and thinking ahead to life beyond high school.  In addition to coursework, this is the year to also decide which extracurricular activities they are going to focus on. They will naturally drop the ones that don’t interest them, and they will choose the activities that they are most passionate about.  Whether students are passionate about performing arts, sports, or volunteerism, combining extracurricular activities with a solid academic curriculum helps the student grow and develop as a person, something colleges like to see
Miramonte High School senior Hannah Tennant started looking at schools last April.   Tennant went through an informal assessment with Kelley that helped her to identify size, location, school characteristics and nail down factors that were important to her.
“I knew that I wanted to stay somewhat close; generally on the West Coast.  I love the outdoors, and I didn’t want to stay in California because of the state budget situation. So I set my sights on the Pacific Northwest,” said Tennant.
Tennant and Kelley approached the task of fielding a list of good- fit schools in a systematic way that helped Tennant manage the work, without putting the burden on her parents. The goal was to identify a few reach schools just outside of her academic profile, , a few schools they refer to as “safety schools”, which are schools that offer a good chance of admission, while being  good back-ups. And finally, the “probable” schools, which are the schools that are most in alignment with all the student’s selection criteria and academic profile.
While all four years are important, some schools look harder at your sophomore and junior years. So by getting your student engaged in the search process early, he/she will be more invested and focused on academic performance vs. all the other teenage distractions.  They will have more options if they can stay focused.  They don’t realize how competitive it is until it is too late
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“This process can be so overwhelming.  I think having an objective person who has so much knowledge is a huge value,” said Tennant.
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10 Easy Steps to get started.
A lot of investigative research can be done in advance of a decision.  There are thousands of schools your student can select from and it is important to research, refine and keep your mind open to schools outside of your state. The following steps can better help you guide your student in their search for colleges.
1.   If you have access to an assessment tool, such as collegeboard.com, CaliforniaColleges.edu or a high school based online software or site such as Naviance, this is a good place to start. Assessments ask a series of questions which help identify your student’s likes and dislikes and help map their personalities to their core strengths.
2.   When the assessments reveal your student’s likes and academic strengths, you can go out and purchase books that help educate you on the kinds of degrees that would provide the range of careers and income you are interested in. There are also books that provide an overview on college environments and their surrounding communities (Fiske Guide to Colleges or  Princeton Review’s “The Best Colleges”).
3.   Refine your list again. And work with a list of 15-20 or so campuses that your student finds the most approachable based on their program reputation, degree offering, financial aid packages, weather, surrounding community, and distance from airports to home.
4.   During the Spring break of your student’s  sophomore year, plan a family vacation that includes visiting several campuses. Finding a campus to spend the next several years to live is much like buying a home. Often times, upon arrival, a student will just know this is meant to be their new home. The student gets a feel if the campus is large enough or small enough to fit their needs. Are there adequate job opportunities to meet the needs of the student body? Do I like the climate? And, does your child feel as though they have commonality with the student body? Budget permitting, Kelley recommends planning several trips to allow your student the opportunity to see firsthand what the campuses have to offer.
5.   Refine your list again. Your final school list should represent a range of admissions selectivity. Some schools select 20% of applicants and some select 80%.  You need a range of options for your student to choose from.
6.   In your student’s Junior year of high school, plan your testing schedule. The PSAT, SAT,  and the ACT, are critical to their ability to have choices.  There are practice tests to help your student improve in subject matter areas and help them acclimate to long testing periods. (It is important to know that most colleges accept both  the SAT and the ACT and some kids do better on one that the other.)
7.   Keep visiting campuses when you can. Now is the time to start forming their short (top ten) list by inquiring for literature and researching school websites.  The schools need to know who is interested so they can market to the right families. Calendar your top ten’s college fairs and admissions visits to your high school and schedule your own visits to the school.
8.   If you aren’t sure how much you can afford, there are Financial Advisors to walk you through your options. Parents can get a preliminary estimate of what they will be expected to pay for college, known as the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC), by using an online estimator tool such as Collegeboard.com or finaid.org.
9.   Prepare your student to apply to eight to ten colleges that your student has identified as a good fit academically socially and geographically.
10.   Help your student understand that the work involved in completing college applications takes time. Dedicate at least a couple of hours a week during fall of senior year to complete applications and writing essays.
Parents – you can easily fall into bad habits of conflicting with your student.  Try not to bump heads and allow stress to affect your relationship. Given this is the last few years of your time together, avoid the unnecessary battles and allow your student to discover their true destiny with a reliable resource that has all the facts.
“I find that it is helpful to bring in an objective third party as counsel” said Sophomore parent, Christine Temple-Wolfe.  “Parents can remove themselves from the process and know that their college bound student is being managed and reaping the benefits of knowledge and reputable advice,” she continued.
Kelley not only works with students one on one, but she also councils parents by encouraging them to be in a support role; to be encouraging, but not take the reins.  “It has to be the student’s decision. Parents have already had their chance to go to college, now it is your child’s turn.  Let them make the decision that is best given your budget and their opportunity” she said.  
Josie Kelley is a local College Admissions Advisor in Orinda, and serves students (10-12) graders in the East Bay.  She works with students and parents to better manage the process for a positive outcome.

Kelley can be reached at josiekel@yahoo.com for more details.

Another source includes:
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/csearch/

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