Know the Signs of College Preparedness

by Katherine O'Brien ThD Candidate, Certified College Planning Specialist, & Founder, Celtic College Consultants

 

There are signs that the water is rising and a river will overflow its banks. My friend, who has lived on a river for several years, had to learn those signs. Over the years, during our conversations, I hear occasional comments about the level of the river. This morning, after many storms this past week, I heard about having to move the benches away from the river bank. The river is expect to flood today, hopefully not all the way up to my friend's house. Even so, preparations have been made because the signs were known, watched for, and responded to.

 

 

Do you know the signs of college preparedness for your teen? Your family? Do you know what needs to happen and when it needs to happen so your teen is ready for college?

 

Campus Visits

As I spoke with a sophomore this week, we planned his second round of campus visits and how he and his parents can best prepare for them.

 

Course Selection

As I met with my 8th - 11th grade clients recently, we have discussed class schedules for next year, to meet the requirements of their top choice schools and programs, develop and show their interests, and show the level of academic challenge that they are capable of handling well.

 

College Funding

With the FAFSA changes, college funding strategies have changed. Have you refined your plans? Have you estimated your college costs and put together a cash flow strategy to meet them? Do you know your SAI?

 

Scholarships

College selection significantly influences scholarship eligibility. So does student preparedness. Hoping for scholarships is nowhere near as effective as planning for them. Do you know what types of scholarships might best contribute to your college funding plan? Is your student researching and applying to them? Considering that in college searches?

 

Life Skills

Life skills are sorely lacking in many young people, leading some to drop out of college, change their majors, transfer schools, and fail classes, all of which negatively impact their self-image and future prospects. Are you parenting in such a way that your teen is learning by steadily taking more responsibility, having opportunities to succeed, and to fail, while being mentored, rather than sheltered?

 

Leadership

One of my clients and I discussed his options for developing relationships with key teachers so they will know him well and be able to write top notch recommendations for him in a year. Demonstrating leadership, inside and outside the classroom not only helps teens become strong adults, it also boosts their sense of self, and enables key adults in their lives to get to know them, mentor them, then write strong recommendations for them.

 

 

These are a few of the signs of college preparedness. I invite you to increase your awareness of the signs. Schedule a family consultation with Katherine, a trained, seasoned professional with 20 years’ experience. Hear your teen discuss his or her accomplishments, ideas, hopes, and dreams. Ask your questions. Know what the signs are that you are track. Learn what next steps will move you and your teen toward college success. Be affirmed for the work you have done so far and mentored for continued progress. Email Katherine: KOB@CelticCollegeConsultants.com today to schedule your consultation so you know the signs of college preparedness and what the next right steps toward college success are for your family.

How to Not Waste a Campus Visit

 

by Katherine O'Brien, ThD Cand., Certified College Planning Specialist

Visiting campuses is an important part of choosing a college. However, the way most families do it helps the colleges more than it helps themselves. In their desire to be accepted by colleges they esteem, both students and parents can forget that colleges are businesses. The admissions department has two purposes. Yes, it sifts applicants and accepts or denies admissions. Admissions is also the marketing department for the college.

BEFORE YOU GO

Do your homework. Why is this college or university worth the time and effort to visit? Which of their academic offerings has piqued your student's interest? What else about the campus makes it interesting? Location? Size? Athletics? Other amenities? In short, research your schools, evaluating them according to your own criteria, NOT THE RANKINGS, and determine which schools to visit. During your research, notice what questions come to mind. What information do you want that isn't on the website or part of their virtual tour? BE PREPARED for your visit.

MAKE THE MOST OF THE VISIT - MAKE APPOINTMENTS

Having identified interesting programs, majors, departments, clubs, organizations, and the like, reach out to them and make appointments to see them before or after your tour. At some schools (typically smaller campuses), the admissions office will happily arrange this for you. Others will tell you it is forbidden (ignore them; they are the gatekeepers keeping a flood of non-serious inquiries at bay).  Ask the departments and programs and groups directly. Arrange for your student to sit in on a class or two. (If you can't certainly spend some time in the classrooms, student union, or cafeterias and talk with students. If possible, make a fifteen minute appointment with a professor in your prospective major. Come prepared with a short summary of your background and interest in the program and have questions for the professor. Pay attention to the interactions between students and professors. Ask about the availability of professors for help with learning course material, for research and other deep learning experiences. You'll find a wide range of campus cultures. Some have opportunities for students to engage in research and other outside the classroom learning opportunities from freshman year on while others have a select number of such opportunities restricted to upper class students in the major.

START WITH THE OFFICIAL TOUR

I'm always astounded when families tell me they drove through a campus or walked around a campus on a Saturday, doing a self-tour. While they may have SEEN a college, they certainly did NOT VISIT the college! A college is a community of people. In order to visit a college, one must interact with the people on the campus. Yes, touring the facilities, academic, living, and recreational, is important. Talking with actual students, staff, and professors is ESSENTIAL.

So, start with the tour. Listen carefully. Ask questions. Expect a different level of answer from student tour guides than you will receive from admissions staff. Do not expect complete transparency from either of them.

If you are visiting a large university, you may need to attend multiple tours. Some have general admissions tours as well as tours particular to the colleges on campus (the college of engineering or of music or of business, for example). Go on both if at all possible.

VISIT THE NEWMAN CENTER or CAMPUS MINISTRY OFFICE

Even if you are NOT Catholic, this is a VERY HELPFUL part of your visit. The Newman Center is the Catholic parish on campus. Campus ministers regularly work with students from all over campus, from every college, program, and major. They talk with undergrad and graduate students as well as staff and professors. They hear about the dorms, the sports, various programs. They hear it all. They are also well connected with the mental health and other support programs on the campus. The Newman Center staff does not work for the university so can provide a non-biased perspective based on current student experiences. You can also learn about their events and programs. It's great to have a place on campus that you know is safe. No spiked drinks or wild parties here!

You can find the contact information, as well as a summary of the campus ministry programs, for all 300 or so colleges or universities with strong Catholic communities on campus in Every Catholic's Guide to College. Get a copy of this invaluable resource today!

AFTERWARDS: THINKING THROUGH YOUR VISIT

Keep in mind YOUR goals for college, YOUR learning style, the experiences and opportunities YOU desire. Then evaluate the campus you just visited. What was offered? Whom did you meet? What was the overall campus culture like? Is this a place, a community where you can see yourself growing, developing, and thriving in? What else do you need to learn about them in order to answer that question.

WANT HELP?

College preparation is a multi-year, multi-faceted process. Having well prepared, focused students find the right colleges for them at the right price point for the family takes effort and expertise. To schedule a one hour consultation for your family to discuss your student's needs, email Katherine at KOB@CelticCollegeConsultants.com. For more information about her college consulting services, please visit CelticCollegeConsultants.com

College Visits Worth Making

by Katherine O'Brien, MA CCPS

Founder, Celtic College Consultants

Choosing a college is a complex tasks. Many people focus on external factors like reputation or rankings but fail to do the in-depth student focused analysis required in order to identify colleges where your teen can not merely get a degree but can also thrive during his or her college years. Students who thrive graduate with more confidence and are better prepared to deal with life after college with all its opportunities and challenges.

Students need to be engaged, connected, challenged, and cared about. On campus, these needs can be met in various ways. Ideally, they are met in through a variety of experiences. Every student is different so the optimal cluster of opportunities will vary significantly from student to student. Nonetheless, there are several modalities common between them.

Academic connections can be built with other students, professors, graduate students, tutors, as well as through clubs, internships, research and exploratory opportunities, and short and long term off campus trips of various kinds. Rich, lively discussion groups (both academically focused and interdisciplinary) are actively fostered in and out of the classroom on some campuses. These can be manifested through honors colleges, living/learning communities, and other campus groups. Explore those in his or her field of interest. Find some that appeal to your teen. Even introverts need to have some connections!

Becoming connected, challenged, and cared for can also happen through the faith community on campus. Working together to serve the poor, to pray, to deepen one's faith, to prepare for worship services, to go on retreats and mission trips and the like are all examples of ways nurturing relationships can be built on campus. Don't forget to visit the Newman center or campus ministry office when you visit campus. Does it feel like a "home away from home" for your student?

Intramural sports, clubs of various kinds, and other ad hoc groups on campus can also be a rich source of affirmation and belonging for students. These are often completely unrelated to academics, which can provide a healthy balance. After all, even the most dedicated students are not studying machine, but are human beings! Whether it's quidditch, golf, swing dancing, chess, kite flying, or something else, encourage your teen to find his or her niche on campus.

Lastly, immersive educations which include high impact practices often make a decided difference between attending college and thriving on campus. Unfortunately, many, many collegians never have even one of these experiences. Look for them as you explore perspective colleges: internships, service learning, hands on learning, project based learning, study abroad, and other experiential learning opportunities. These have been shown to have a positive and often profound impact on students' lives. Finding good mentors (academic, personal, spiritual, etc.), being involved in long term projects and activities, forming connections in multiple campus communities also have a significant impact on students' well-being and college outcomes.

Campus Visits!

Summer is here and many are headed out to visit some campuses they are seriously considering attending.  While the atmosphere on campus is different in the summer, a great deal can still be learned during the summer campus visits.  Additionally, families have more time so can explore the campus and surroundings a bit more thoroughly.

When on campus, it is important to strike out, to venture beyond the campus tour.  The admissions office has their view of campus life; students have a different perspective.  Be sure to register with the admissions office, too.

In order to keep families on track during their visits, and have a place to record their impressions, keep track of contact information as they explore each campus and meet with professors and others, we developed a campus visit guide.  It is a reproducible pdf file.  Students may make as many copies (one per school is ideal) as needed. Each student will need to buy his or her own copy.  Available here.

During and after campus visits, it is essential that notes are taken.  Once several campuses have been visited, certain details tend to blend.  By taking notes, you'll be sure to remember that Professor Jones was from Northwestern not University of Chicago, for example.  Those notes will provide details for application essays, revealing your deep knowledge of the university and your investment in becoming part of their student body.
 We found some great tips for you online, too.

U.S. News and World Report:  http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/twice-the-college-advice/2012/05/22/plan-college-visits-this-summer

 

NY Times: http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/30/planning-a-college-visit-readers-suggest-questions-to-ask/

 

Virtual College Visits (take advantage of the opportunity to visit a college virtually and then in person, when you can): http://www.youvisit.com/collegesList.php

More college planning tools can be found here: https://celtic.infusionsoft.com/app/storeFront/showCategoryPage?categoryId=1

 

 

How do I determine that a School is the right one for me?

US News and World Report uses a number of criteria, criteria which may or may not be in line with what is most important to you and your student.  If a professor, for example, wins a very prestigious award, does that tell you how good he or she is in the classroom?  Is any real contact possible with such professors?  Or are their classes handled by TAs (grad students who are teaching interns)? 

It is imperative that students and their parents more thoroughly investigate schools they are considering applying to.  Is Harvard, for example, the best place for your student to study in his or her chosen field?  Maybe, maybe not.

Here are some things to explore regarding colleges and universities you are considering:

Have you been on campus?  Sat in on classes?  Spoken to other students in that major?  Professors?  Are there undergraduate research or internship opportunities available?  Are there 2 of them for 5000 students, or is there a realistic chance that this would be part of your experience at that university?  What is dorm life like?  Is it party, party, party?  Is it all study and no play?  Is there a balance?  Can you find a place to study when you might need one?  What sorts of activities are going on - everyone needs to socialise and take a break now and again.    Are the typical activities of interest to you?  Do they refresh you and ready you for another round with the books?
  What sorts of discussions happen in the classes? Is this school notoriously intolerant of real discussion of various viewpoints?  After all, isn't true intellectual exploration a key part of a college education?  What sort of discussions happen in the dining halls and the dorm lounges?  Are students bashing those with particular viewpoints, or are they regularly engaging in meaningful examination of the merits of various arguments and positions? 

  What sorts  of alumni associations are there?  Do graduates often get accepted at their desired graduate schools?  Is the placement office efficacious in helping graduates and older alumni find positions?

This is by no means an exhuastive list of questions.  It is a representative sample.  Create your own, customised list.  What are the most important facets of a college education and experience for you?  Make a list; from your list, draft your key questions.  These will guide your campus visits.

None of these questions is easy to answer.  You have to do some real research and spend time truly exploring your candidate universities.  Name brands only take you so far - then you need to seriously explore the opportunities offered and value given for the price at that program in that university in order to determine which should remain on your list of schools to apply to and which should not.