I got a question the other day about a parent's role in the college process, and you might find my answer surprising...
While I usually insist that students take the reins and control the application process, there are some specific things that are best for parents to take care of:
College Visits: Because parents are better able to see the big picture and plan logistically, it is easier for them to schedule and plan college visits, including travel, hotels, and making reservations for tours and interviews. If your student is able to focus on this, by all means, let them do it, but it is my experience that juggling coursework, testing and extracurriculars makes it tough for high school juniors to focus on this as well.
These arrangements should be made with the participation and approval of the student... this means: visit the colleges they want to see, and make sure they aren't missing important academic and sporting events.
Scheduling testing: Because this involves a credit card, I generally suggest that parents schedule the SAT, ACT and Subject tests on the College Board website. Your student should know or pick the password, however, because we will need that later in the process when we send the scores.
Financial Aid: Students often think it is their job to fill out the FAFSA and CSS Profile forms for financial aid. But the most important information on the form is the parent's financial information. So unless you share your tax returns with your student, this is a job for the parents.
CommonApp: This item may have you scratching your head, and I agree... I would prefer that most students fill out their own Common Application form. However, there is information that they don't know, such as the year you graduated from high school/college/graduate school. Most students also don't know their social security numbers, which they also need on the form. You can provide this information to your student, and we can make sure the forms are done, but at the end: I will want you as parents to look over the Common App to make sure that you are happy with what we are sending, and that nothing important has been omitted. This does not mean editing the essay again, but it does mean that all the extracurriculars and honors have been listed, etc. You won't need to worry about this until just before we send it all off.
And that is it... everything else should be something that your student can take care of with your support (and mine).
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to let me know...
While I usually insist that students take the reins and control the application process, there are some specific things that are best for parents to take care of:
College Visits: Because parents are better able to see the big picture and plan logistically, it is easier for them to schedule and plan college visits, including travel, hotels, and making reservations for tours and interviews. If your student is able to focus on this, by all means, let them do it, but it is my experience that juggling coursework, testing and extracurriculars makes it tough for high school juniors to focus on this as well.
These arrangements should be made with the participation and approval of the student... this means: visit the colleges they want to see, and make sure they aren't missing important academic and sporting events.
Scheduling testing: Because this involves a credit card, I generally suggest that parents schedule the SAT, ACT and Subject tests on the College Board website. Your student should know or pick the password, however, because we will need that later in the process when we send the scores.
Financial Aid: Students often think it is their job to fill out the FAFSA and CSS Profile forms for financial aid. But the most important information on the form is the parent's financial information. So unless you share your tax returns with your student, this is a job for the parents.
CommonApp: This item may have you scratching your head, and I agree... I would prefer that most students fill out their own Common Application form. However, there is information that they don't know, such as the year you graduated from high school/college/graduate school. Most students also don't know their social security numbers, which they also need on the form. You can provide this information to your student, and we can make sure the forms are done, but at the end: I will want you as parents to look over the Common App to make sure that you are happy with what we are sending, and that nothing important has been omitted. This does not mean editing the essay again, but it does mean that all the extracurriculars and honors have been listed, etc. You won't need to worry about this until just before we send it all off.
And that is it... everything else should be something that your student can take care of with your support (and mine).
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to let me know...
