5 Steps to a Successful College Search

5 Steps to a Successful College Search:

1.  Be Realistic.  You should be focusing institutions where you meet their admission requirements.  Looking at schools that would be a little stretch is good, but should not be your primary focus.

2.     Explore Your Needs.  Take the time to explore what your non-negotiables are, what your like to haves are, and what is not important to you.  This will help you to expand or narrow your search.

3.  Seek knowledge.  It is always good to talk to someone who knows something about the college admissions/search process.  Experts in the process can help you to simply and maximize your time and effort.

4.  Create a Timeline.  Set a timeline for yourself.  Some colleges and universities have application deadlines.   Some have rolling admissions processes.  You do not want to lose out on the perfect school because you were behind.

5.     Enjoy the process.  Yes, this should be a fun experience.  The opportunities that are before you should be exciting.  Embrace it!

Narrowing Your Search

So often I am asked by parents and students,  “How do I know if this is the right college for me?”

Here are some things to consider when making your final decision:

1.     Make a list of your non-negotiables.  These are things that the school MUST have in order for you to attend.  These are things you believe that you cannot live without.  This list should not be taken lightly.  This should be the key filter in which every college is initially judged.

2.     Make a list of your “nice to haves.”  Once you have this list created, you should rank this list.  This will help you later when you are making your final college choice.

3.     Visit the campus more than once.  The summer visit is nice, but you are seeing the campus at its cleanest and without its main student population.  You want to see the campus when it is in full swing.  This will give you the true sense of what this college is really like.  When you see a residence hall in July it is clean and looking nice.  When you see it in October when student have settled in and are living there, it will have a completely different feel.

4.     Talk with someone who can give you unbiased feedback.   You need to be able to explore this college from all angles.   Getting this kind of feedback will be beneficial in making your choice.

5.     In the end, which of these schools on your final list are you the most excited about?   Ultimately it is your choice and you need to be the one who it truly excited to attend there.   Selecting the college you are going to attend should be a huge and exciting moment in your life! 

Passion for Learning

Recently there has been much chatter about the cost of education vs. what your education does for you.  We read about all the people with their "Liberal Arts" type degrees being unemployed.  We hear that STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) is the way to go.  If you don't have a STEM degree, you will have a tougher time finding work.  STEM is the way of the future!

Or Not.

Look, there are many jobs (high paying at that) out there that are not STEM related.  There are people all over the country doing amazing things that are not STEM related.  There are people without STEM related degrees out there who are also happy with what they do.  How is this possible?  Hmm.  I am going to say it has everything to do with PASSION.  No acronym here.  Just plain old passion.

If you are a student who is passionate about English, study it, master it, and you will find a job doing something with it.  Same goes for Psychology, Sociology, you-name-it major.  Just in the same way, you can study those subjects, choose them as your major, not care really about the subject matter and then not know how to find a job using the skills you were taught in college.  Oddly enough, that also applies to STEM related majors.  If you are not passionate about the subject matter, it is not as easy to sell yourself in a job interview.

As a Nation, we are all jumping on board to the idea that we need more college graduates.  We do.  We do not, however, need more college graduates with degrees in subjects they have no interest in.  When is the last time someone achieved greatness in something he/she was not passionate about?  I'm not talking 15 minutes of fame, but true greatness.  I'm sure it happens, but a blind squirrel also finds an acorn once and a while, too.  What we need are students studying subjects they love.  This will make all the difference in the world.  Can you imagine if we could teach all of our students to love to learn?   We would unharness creative minds like we have never seen before.  In all subjects.  Our education system would again be #1 because we would be developing the best thinkers on the planet.

How can we make this happen?  It starts at home, then in elementary school, on to middle and high school, then to college.  Choosing the proper college adds to the mix.  When students attend colleges/universities that are "best fit" for them, they are more likely to feel comfortable in the environment.  When they feel comfortable, they are more likely to explore the opportunities the institution has for them.  When they explore, they find their true passions.  When they find them, they study them and learn them.   Now we have passionate people who are ready to take on the world.  Can you see it?  Me, too.  Let's make this a priority!

College Admissions Consultants

For many students applying to colleges is a daunting task.  Searching schools, figuring out what is important in a school, how much can I afford.... All the questions just continue to mount.  The more questions, the more overwhelming it can be.  Funny thing though is that in order to find the best fit college for you, you need to ask tons of questions and get answers.  The more you know, the better prepared you are to make the best choice.  The more you know about a college the better you know if it is a good fit for you (both personally and academically).  When those things align, the likelihood of you being accepted to those schools greatly increases.

Using a College Admissions Consultant can really help bridge the gap for you on this.  Reduce your stress and make the process more enjoyable overall.  How do I know?  I am one.  This is not to get you to use me as your consultant.  There are lots of us out there to choose from.  My post is about helping you to make the best possible choice you can.  You should always interview consultants to be sure you feel comfortable with them and that your interests are their priority.  You want a Consultant that will be honest and realistic with you about your options.  Once you have that aligned, you can breathe easy because you will have the help you need to make a successful transition into college!

Are College Admissions Consultants worth the money?  Of Course! Kidding.  The truth is that it depends on many factors.  Costs to hire a consultant can range from $500 - $10,000.   My personal feeling on it is that you have a much greater chance of attending a college that you love by using a consultant than if you do not.  Find a consultant that cares about your success and you will be happy that you used this type of service.

Can Consultants guarantee my acceptance into college?  No.  If you come across one that says they can, make sure the are also the Director of Admissions at the college you intend to apply to.  If not, they may not be telling you the absolute truth (Laughing Quietly To Myself).  Seriously though, we can not make that guarantee to you.  What we can guarantee is that we will help you identify schools in which fit you as an applicants.  This will greatly improve your likelihood for acceptance.

Where can I find Consultants?  If you type in College Admissions Consultants into any major search engine, many will pop up.  You can also ask your High School Counselors and friends for recommendations.  Just remember that once you have some names, be sure to interview the.  Make us earn your business!

Make your college search fun!
Best,
Corey Loucy
4YearGurus LLC