Summer: Getting a Jump on College

To the parents of graduating seniors, congrats!  You've lived this already and you're worried about meal plans, white sales, and XL twin sheet sets.  Please feel free to add to this advice column.  I only have one son going to college this fall, and much of this I fell into by luck.  I would have loved to have someone guide me through the process of finding a college with my son.

To the parents of current juniors, sophomores, and even freshmen, school is out for summer, but it can also be a leisurely way to get a little ahead for the college search process. 

• For parents planning a trip across country, take a few hours out to visit a college.  It doesn't matter if it's a college your family is remotely interested in, but all the better if it is.  For families staying close to home this summer, visit local colleges--both public and private.  Parents of freshmen might merely go to to observe, but by their sophomore year, students should be comparing things they've seen at each school and creating that "dream" school.  Just like first-time home owners create a list of amenities (fireplace, pool, magnificent kitchen, etc.), the goal is to create a list for the ultimate "dream college" that when the applications go out, and the acceptances come in, that the student has a way to pare down the list to the essentials.
• For current juniors (soon to be seniors), the upcoming fall and winter will be the craziest of your life.  Here are a few ideas to make the season go easier.  Talk to your senior friends now.  See if any of them still have the questions from their college applications on their computer.  Get used to writing about yourself.  Start focusing on how to write about how great you are, even if it feels weird.  You'll need essays that make you stand out.  On July 1st, register for the Common App at commonapp.org and fill out everything you can now.  Start writing practice essays. Have an adult you trust give you feedback.  Before you throw out your best junior essays from school, save your top 2 or 3.  You might be able to use them for some schools.  Check a few books out of the library and practice a few SAT tests over the summer.
• Sophomores becoming Juniors.  Visit cappex.com or zinch.com or both.  Create a profile.  Colleges will start recruiting you.  It's an easy way to start looking without the pressure.  Start looking at campuses online and start trying to put into words what you like and don't like about the campuses and the programs.  Talk to your parents about their expectations and your own.   If you really like message board communities, check out collegeconfidential.com.  And start looking at the message boards for the schools you're interested in.  Remember, though, no matter what you read, nothing is as dire as some people would have you believe.  If schools have meet and greets in your area, don't be afraid to go.
• For freshman, start a resume.  It can be a simple Word document, or it can be on a piece of scratch paper.  You may not have a job, but you have things to brag about.  Start writing down all your accomplishments including the obvious: honor roll, volunteer stuff, etc.  But keep track of your hours--the more you do now the easier it will be later when the applications ask you for how many hours you completed in each activity from four years prior.

And back to families.  Enjoy the ride because it will be over before you know it.  The idea with starting early is to take a leisurely pace.  I'm almost going to miss it.  Almost.  :)