Getting the best possible college education is a fairly complex process and requires a serious planning and continuous review of the plan. The scope of this topic is limited to what your college going child needs to go through in order to get the desired college education. This includes the student selection criteria that is most commonly used by colleges, application process, and determining the compatibility of student and college. It does not cover financing for college which is covered separately.
Different colleges have different criteria to select students for admission. Their goal is to attract a diversified talent pool. In general most colleges base their decisions on:
What college is good for your child? It is difficult to find a perfect college match for your child. But with careful planning you can make an informed decision. With so many state and private colleges in the country, it requires a lot of work in determining a few appropriate colleges for a student. Apart from cost, this requires looking at what subject area different colleges focus on, what kind of facilities (laboratory, sports) they have, where are they located, how are they ranked (check http://www.usnews.com ), what kind of internship/Co-ops program they have, any undergraduate research facility, typical class size etc. There are a number of online tools available to help you make decision. Naviance ( http://www.naviance.com ) maintains a database of all acceptances. They also have tie ups with many high schools in the country. They may actually have your child's high school GPA, SAT, PSAT scores and have a customized chart showing where does your high school child fall relative to the students who applied/accepted at different schools in the country. Your child's college guidance counselor at high school is a good resource to help with this process.
To apply for a college you need to provide all the things listed in college admission
criteria and an application processing fee of $75 - $100. The student must be very clear
on the reasons for applying to a particular college. It is advisable not to apply at too many
places because it makes the process more competitive for all students, not to mention the
effort of applying at multiple places and the cost.
To improve the chance at a particular college, some students use either an 'early
decision' option or 'early action' option. Many colleges offer these options. Both
require a student to apply early (usually in November), the decision by colleges is also
early (December/January).
In case of early decision, a student can apply to one college as part of early application and must join this college if the college accepts the student and offers adequate financial package. A student who has applied for early decision can also apply to other college as part of regular admission process but must withdraw all other applications if accepted at early decision choice. Generally early decision colleges require you to pay a non refundable deposit before May.
Getting the best possible college education is a fairly complex process and requires a serious planning and continuous review of the plan. The scope of this topic is limited to what your college going child needs to go through in order to get the desired college education. This includes the student selection criteria that is most commonly used by colleges, application process, and determining the compatibility of student and college. It does not cover financing for college which is covered separately.
Different colleges have different criteria to select students for admission. Their goal is to attract a diversified talent pool. In general most colleges base their decisions on:
What college is good for your child? It is difficult to find a perfect college match for your child. But with careful planning you can make an informed decision. With so many state and private colleges in the country, it requires a lot of work in determining a few appropriate colleges for a student. Apart from cost, this requires looking at what subject area different colleges focus on, what kind of facilities (laboratory, sports) they have, where are they located, how are they ranked (check http://www.usnews.com ), what kind of internship/Co-ops program they have, any undergraduate research facility, typical class size etc. There are a number of online tools available to help you make decision. Naviance ( http://www.naviance.com ) maintains a database of all acceptances. They also have tie ups with many high schools in the country. They may actually have your child's high school GPA, SAT, PSAT scores and have a customized chart showing where does your high school child fall relative to the students who applied/accepted at different schools in the country. Your child's college guidance counselor at high school is a good resource to help with this process.
To apply for a college you need to provide all the things listed in college admission
criteria and an application processing fee of $75 - $100. The student must be very clear
on the reasons for applying to a particular college. It is advisable not to apply at too many
places because it makes the process more competitive for all students, not to mention the
effort of applying at multiple places and the cost.
To improve the chance at a particular college, some students use either an 'early
decision' option or 'early action' option. Many colleges offer these options. Both
require a student to apply early (usually in November), the decision by colleges is also
early (December/January).
In case of early decision, a student can apply to one college as part of early application and must join this college if the college accepts the student and offers adequate financial package. A student who has applied for early decision can also apply to other college as part of regular admission process but must withdraw all other applications if accepted at early decision choice. Generally early decision colleges require you to pay a non refundable deposit before May.
