Find the College that Fits You

The College Application Process is its own thing.

When you Google it, you find oodles of information about how to make your application stand out, ideas for financial aid, what the “best” colleges are, and consultants you can hire to help you get in.

All those pieces of information and strategies are valuable.

I’m going to focus on something that will both increase their value and help the choice your child makes be the first steps to a successful investment for all of you.

How can all the pieces be put together understandably?

Juniors and Seniors work hard to do well in high school. They’ve essentially been responding to expectations developed by well-trained and intentioned adults. Some have had the opportunity to take leadership roles, but high school is mainly structured and focused on the overall group.

When they begin looking for and then applying to attend college, they are squarely in the present (high school), making choices for the future (college) based on what they think the experience will be like.

High school is full of competition for students, so that aspect of the college search process can feel familiar.

Have you ever gotten caught up in a contest or event where winning was very important? You win, and the prize may be exactly what you were working for – or it’s just the prize.

Choosing the right college enhances the positive outcome of the investment both you and your teen are making.

What if your child, who is a junior or senior in high school, becomes more aware of their strengths, plans strategically for help with the challenges, focuses on what truly interests them, and becomes confident at finding the type of situation that will enable them to take calculated academic and social risks that ultimately help them evolve into the capable and amazing person you know they are?

Your child is working hard. They need a coach to listen, ask strategic questions, and work with them to tweak their search for colleges that really fit them and consider the non-negotiables you as their family have.