Planning a College Visit


One of the ways to find the best college for you is to visit the colleges you are considering.  But before you leave home, here are some tips to make for the best college visit.

First, decide when you are going to visit the college. Many students visit colleges during the summer. However, the best time to visit is when the students are on campus. Colleges have a very different feel during the summer or during breaks when there are few students on campus. If the only time you can visit is during the summer, that is better than no visit but try to visit your top choice colleges when the students are on campus.

Second, call the admissions office at the college and let them know when you are coming. This is important to make sure that you receive a tour of the college and possibly have the chance to attend an informational session. This is also a great time to ask if you can meet with a professor who teaches a subject in which you have an interest.  If you are interested in playing sports in college, now is the time to talk with a coach.

Third, do some research on the college before going on your visit. If you know some of the basics before visiting the college, you can ask better questions to see if this college would be a good choice for you.

Next time I will talk about what to do once you get on campus for the visit.

What Does a College Admissions Counselor Do?


People will commonly ask me what it is that I do to help students. Here is what I tell them:

I work with students on all aspects of the college admissions process to help them find the best college for their needs. That sounds good, but what does it really mean. The answer depends to some extent on how old the student is.

If the student is in 8th or 9th grade, I will work with them to lay out an appropriate list of classes to take during high school. If the student has options on which high school to attend I will also work with the family to identify what might be the best choice for that student.  With students at this age I will also discuss the importance of involvement in extracurricular activities.

With students in the 10th grade we will begin talking about standardized testing. We discuss what the student might do with their activities to make themselves a more attractive candidate to a college when they apply as a senior.  We will also talk about the need to visit colleges and what to do on a college tour.

For students who are juniors in high school I begin by reviewing the students grades, test scores(if they have any) and activities list. If the student has not already taken a standardized test, or is not happy with the results, we will discuss options to improve their scores. I then talk with the student to find out what they are looking for in a college. If they don’t know what they are looking for, I help them understand the various things to look for to find the right college for their needs.

I help students find and review a variety of colleges that may be appropriate for their needs and help them narrow the list to a workable number of colleges that they wish to apply to.  Starting in the summer before senior year I help students with the application process including a discussion of what might be good essay choices for the student. After the student has written the essay, I will edit it and make suggestions for improvement.

In addition I will help the student on issues related to getting the strongest recommendation from teachers and help prepare them for college interviews. If financial aid is an issue, I will work with the student and their family to find colleges that are the most affordable for their family.

And that, in a nutshell, is how I help students find the best college.

Best Activities for a Gap Year from College


You have decided that taking a gap year from college is your best option.  In my last posting I said that colleges will let you take a gap year if you are doing something productive. What do colleges consider productive?

Colleges don’t want to see you sitting around during the gap year. Want to work to raise money for college or broaden your horizons? That is fine. Want to volunteer for your favorite charity? That’s fine too.  But is there a “best” activity?

There is no one “best” activity for a gap year. But some activities are better than others depending on why you are taking the gap year. If you are taking the gap year to take a break from academics, then working, volunteering or traveling are all activities that might make sense. For these students I generally advise that they find something they are passionate about and focus their year on that passion. Whether this involves work, volunteering or travel really doesn’t matter.

However, taking a course at the local community college would not make much sense. If you wanted to continue your academic pursuits, why didn’t you just go to your original college?

On the other hand, if you are taking a gap year because you slacked off in high school and did not do well, taking a class at the local community college may be the best option to prove you can do college level work.  Working a steady job for these students is also a great way to spend a gap year because you can show some maturity by holding a steady job.  Many students also find that after working a low end job for a year that they are more serious about getting an education.  That sort of experience often makes a student more motivated than if they had gone directly to college.

The “best” activity for a gap year is one that results in growth for you. Whether that is academic growth or just growth as a person, only you can determine the “best” activity for your gap year.

How Does a Gap Year Work?


Last week I talked about what students might want to consider a gap year. But how does a gap year work?

There are two possible approaches to a gap year and the approach you use depends in part on why you are taking the gap year. The first option is to apply to a college as if you planned on attending in the fall.  Once accepted you can contact the college you have chosen and ask to take a gap year. Almost all colleges will agree to a student taking a year off as long as the student plans on using the time productively.  This is the best approach for those students who know what they want from a college but just need a break.

Occasionally, students who take this type of gap year have a change of heart on what they want from a college and decide during the gap year that the college they have chosen is no longer the best option.  If this should happen, you are free to apply to another college and if accepted attend the new college.  The only loss would be of any deposits you might have made to the first college.

The second approach to a gap year is to take a year off and not worry about applying to college in the senior year. With this approach you would have an additional year to get your SAT or ACT testing done, and would have more time to explore your college  options.

This second approach is best for students who need additional time to figure out what they want from a college.  This is also the best approach for those students who wait until late senior year to start thinking about college.  As recently as yesterday I spoke with the parent of a senior just starting to think about college. Can you find a college at this late date? Yes. Will you have the time to find the best choice for you? Unlikely.

Next week I will talk about what you might want to do during a gap year.

New Website for International Students


I just came across a website that I think may be helpful for those international students looking to attend college in the US.  The website is EducationUSA and is from the US Department of Education.

College and University education is different in the US than in many other countries and this is a good basic resource to provide information to international students.  There are also a number of offices of EducationUSA around the world where students can get even more information. The site provides a search engine so students can find an EducationUSA office near where they live.

I do work with international students looking to attend college in the US, but for many students, they just need to understand how the process works.

Should You Consider a Gap Year?


I have received a number of phone calls this month from parents of seniors wondering about finding the right college for their student. I always tell them that a gap year should be seriously considered at this point so late in the admissions season.

For those of you not familiar with a gap year, it is an increasingly popular option for students to take a year off between graduating from high school and starting college.  There are several groups of students for whom a gap year makes sense.

Students who had problems early in high school and haven’t lived up to their potential are often good candidates for a gap year. The additional year can be used to take college courses at a local community college where the student can prove that they are capable of handling college level work. This goes a long way to convincing college admissions officers that you are able to handle college work despite a poor high school performance.

On the other end of the scale are those students who have worked incredibly hard during high school and need to take a year off to avoid a burn out. Princeton University made news several years ago when they began encouraging admitted freshman to take a gap year although Princeton calls it a bridge year.

A third group of students for whom a gap year makes sense are those that have not taken the time to determine what they want from a college.  These students might be able to find a college at this late stage of the admissions process but they do not have the time to find the best college for their needs.   For these students, a gap year makes sense so that they have all of this year to work on finding the best college for them.

If you fit one of these groups, you should seriously consider taking a gap year next year. I will talk about how a gap year works and what to do during a gap year in one of my next postings.

The 3 Best College Search Sites


Now is the time that juniors should start the process of finding which colleges they will apply to. But with over 3,000 colleges in the country, where do you get started?

Here are my 3 favorite college search sites. Each of these website has its advantages so checking more than one is a good idea.

1. College Navigator- I recommend that students start at this site more than any other. This is the official college search site of the US Department of Education. You can search for colleges by a number of different criteria but I particularly like the ability to look at the retention and graduation rates of different colleges.

2. College Board College Search – This site  allows students to search for even more criteria than the previous site. The other thing I really like about the the College Board web site is the financial information provided for each college that is identified.  This is one of the few sites that tells a student the average amount of need met by each college’s financial aid department.

3. Princeton Review- Princeton Review’s Counselor-O-Matic asks questions in a fun way to make the process of finding the right college more interesting. Unfortunately, in the past, the colleges that were identified were often not appropriate. Think a guy having an all woman’s college as one of their options.  They are working to improve the search engine. The nice thing about the Princeton Review site is that once it identifies a possible college you can also find similar colleges.

Using these three sites together can help a student put together a preliminary list of colleges. But do not rely on such a list alone. You need to research each of the identified colleges in more detail starting with the websites of each college.  And as I have discussed here before, I always recommend visiting a college before making the final decision of where to apply.

Of course, if you really want to find the best colleges for your needs, you should consider hiring a professional college admission consultant.

How to Avoid College Transfers


Allen Grove at About.com recently wrote a good article entitled “5 Good Reasons to Transfer to a New College“.  Allen lists 5 of the most common reasons that students transfer from one college to another. There are good reasons where a transfer to another college is appropriate. But, more often than not, the reason for a transfer to another college is inadequate planning when first choosing a college.

Let’s look at several of the reasons listed in the article. Reason 1 for a transfer: Financial Necessity.  I have written many times about the need to understand college financial aid before choosing a college.  If you understand financial aid and consider it when making the decision of where to apply to college, the chances that you will need to transfer for financial reasons is substantially reduced.

Reason 2: Academic Upgrade.  If you understand what your qualifications are and what colleges are looking for, you have a much higher chance of being accepted at a college that is academically appropriate for you. It is true that many very qualified students are not accepted into the most selective colleges, but if you have planned your match and safety colleges appropriately, then you should have been accepted into an appropriate academic college to begin with.

Reason 5: Social Situation.  If you have spent the time to investigate colleges before applying, you should understand the social situation at those colleges when you apply.  To understand the social situation at a college will generally involve visiting the college, either before applying or after acceptance.  This is why I also tell people to visit a college before making the decision on whether to attend or not.

By doing some work before applying to college, you can hopefully avoid the need to transfer to another college.

Summer Activities for BS/MD Applicants


Last week I talked about some summer activities for college admissions. While those suggestions are appropriate for most students, those students considering a BS/MD program have different considerations.

Most successful BS/MD applicants have experience with research in some field of science.  This may be experience in a university laboratory or in a lab associated with a science related business.  Typically this lab related experience occurs during the summer, most commonly before the junior or senior year of high school.

I generally encourage BS/MD prospective students to spend at least part of one of their summers involved with a research experience.  Many universities make such research opportunities available to high school students and it is just a matter of contacting the university to see what opportunities they have available. Some of these programs are competitive so the earlier you get started applying, the better your chance of acceptance. If you are able to arrange more than one research experience, you will be an even stronger candidate for a BS/MD program.

Summers can also be a good time for prospective BS/MD students to shadow a physician. Following a physician, also called shadowing, is another critical requirement for the successful BS/MD candidate.  Medical schools want to be assured that you are fully aware of what being a physician is like and shadowing a doctor before applying to the BS/MD progam is one way to show your understanding.  Ideally, this shadowing will last at least a week and summer is the best time to arrange this activity. In fact, having several experiences with shadowing a physician is even better than having a single such experience.

Finally, summer is a great time to work or volunteer at a job in a health related facility. Volunteering at a hospital, clinic or nursing home, are all good ways to communicate your interest in becoming a physician while also demonstrating that you have compassion.

While summer is a good time to volunteer at a health facility, the longer your period of volunteer effort, the stronger your application. If you can volunteer during the year at the same place that you volunteer during  the summer, your commitment will appear even stronger.

With the need to be involved with research activities,  doctor shadowing and volunteer activities, applicants to BS/MD programs will have their summers full.

Here are all of the articles in the series on BS/MD programs.

BS/MD Programs

BA/MD or BS/MD

Admissions to BS/MD Programs

BS/MD Admission Requirements

Applying to BS/MD Programs

Interviews for BS/MD Programs

BS/MD Programs and Financial Aid

BS/DO Programs

BS/MD Programs for International Students

BS/MD Programs for College Students

Summer Activities for BS/MD Applicants

6 Steps to Make Yourself the Best BS/MD Candidate

What Are Good Summer Activities For College Admissions?


Summer is months away  but there are a number of things that you might want to do this summer to improve your chances of admissions to your top college choices.

There is no one summer activity that is the best activity for college admissions.  In general terms, the best activity is one that enhances your application to college. What does that mean in practical terms?

Colleges like to see students with a passion. If your passion is playing soccer then you might want to volunteer helping coach a junior soccer team.  Or if you need to earn money, then find a job coaching soccer or working at a sport store as the soccer “expert”.  If you think you might be good enough to be recruited to play in college, then you might consider attending a soccer camp or playing on a traveling team.

Doing something related to your passion is more important than what that passion  happens to be.  Colleges are looking not only for athletes but musicians, student leaders, researchers, dancers and many other types of students.

Don’t worry if you have to work to pay for college or even help support your family. Colleges consider work just as valuable an activity as any other activity.  But if you have to work, try to find an activity that also is related to a passion of yours.

Some people think that to be a good summer activity it has to involve foreign travel to help third world orphans or some other worldly good.  This is not true and in fact these type of expensive summer activities can sometimes backfire and make a student a less attractive candidate.  Simply having the money to spend the summer with foreign travel does not impress admissions officers.  Most admissions officers do not make much money and they may be offended if you come across as the rich kid who tries to impress colleges with their money.  If you are interested in some type of international work, then international travel can be helpful. Again, the issue is your passion, not your money.

If you spend the summer developing your passion, whatever it might be, you will be doing what you like and enhancing your college application at the same time.  Now go out there and figure out what you can do to enhance your passion.

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