[email_link]

How to Organize Your College Search

Picking a college can be an exciting period of discovery. But, like most discoveries, it takes dedicated time and effort. There’s so much information to sift through, like brochures, college websites, and financial aid forms. There are deadlines to meet, essays to write, and applications to submit. Then, there’s everything else you need to do as a high school student … like going to classes, doing homework and, hopefully, sleeping!

No wonder the college search process can feel overwhelming for students and their parents. But it doesn’t have to be that way. How can you make the process less daunting? Well, half the battle is getting organized. The other half? Staying organized.

There are four categories of materials you’ll be collecting or disseminating in the college search process, including information about: you, colleges, applications, and financial aid. How can you keep these materials orderly, accessible and useful throughout your decision-making process?

Here are some helpful tips:

Don’t Pile; File
Ben Franklin advised, “A place for everything, everything in its place.” That’s the key to organization. As you explore colleges and compare options, you’ll need a way to arrange the information so that it’s easily accessible. Start by setting up a filing system allowing you to organize information and applications into the following categories:

• Student Information File
  By the time senior year rolls around, you might not remember that you volunteered with Adopt-a-Highway in freshman year or that you performed a solo during the winter concert. So, set up a file and keep a list of your activities and achievements. You can use Steven Antonoff’s College Planning Activities & Experiences Worksheet as an example. Modify it to meet your specific needs.Include information about academic classes and test results, extracurriculars, sports, volunteerism, summer or part-time jobs, recognition and awards. Your list will come in handy when it’s time to fill out college applications. Admissions officers look for students who demonstrate long-term, in-depth commitment and involvement in their activities as well as leadership skills.

  Ask yourself what you’re looking for in a college. Together with your parents, develop a list of the criteria that are most important in choosing a school that’s a good fit for you. Consider using Antonoff’s Qualities that Will Make a College Right for You Worksheet as a thought-starter. Revise the worksheet to fit your requirements. You’ll use it later, as you evaluate the colleges you’re considering.

  Also, early high school is an ideal time for a career assessment and exploration activities. Find out which college majors align with your career interests. Keep this information in your file. Your college selection criteria list should take into account whether the school offers the programs you’re considering.

• College File
  Based on what you know about yourself and what you’re looking for in a college, now you can make an initial list of possible contenders. Using the criteria list you identified earlier, create a spreadsheet. As you explore each college, fill in the spreadsheet with the information you’ve uncovered. Evaluate each school against your criteria. Certainly, your contender list will evolve as you research each school in greater depth and go on campus visits.Use expanding pocket file folders – one for each college under serious consideration. File any information you’ve gathered about a particular school in its respective college folder.
• Applications File
  Design a spreadsheet for each college to which you’ll apply. Keep track of all the important dates (e.g., application deadline; date you submitted your application, date of campus / department visits, date of admissions interview, if applicable; date you sent in your deposit, etc.). In addition, keep track of the dates that you made contact with the admissions staff (whether through phone calls and emails to request information or to ask questions, to arrange visits, to meet with an admission representative who came to your high school, and so on). Increasingly, colleges are paying attention to students who “demonstrate interest” in their school. So ongoing interaction with each school is essential because it shows your strong desire to attend the institution. In fact, your demonstrated interest may be the “tie breaker” to being accepted over another applicant.Keep copies of the college applications you’ve submitted in a “College Applications” folder, along with the spreadsheet you’ve designed for each college.
• Financial Aid & Scholarship Application File
  Designate a separate file folder to keep information needed for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and other financial aid forms. Create a spreadsheet to track deadlines, application submissions, responses, and associated websites.Keep copies of your FAFSA forms and scholarships applications in your Financial Aid folder.

Additional Resources
Here are some terrific books to help you organize your college search:

• The College Bound Organizer (Costaras & Liss)
• College Admission: From Application to Acceptance, Step-by-Step (Mamlet & VanDeVelde)
• College Match: A Blueprint for Choosing the Best School for You (Antonoff)

Summary
Organizing your college search early in the process saves time and stress in the long run, so it’s worth the investment. After all, as Ben Franklin said, “Lost time is never found again.”