Take Advantage: Introduce Yourself!

It’s September, which means seniors are in the thick of application season -- deadlines, essays, and campus visits are in full swing. This is an exciting few months, but it can also be very hectic for families. During this time, I always get asked “what else can we be doing?” Students and families want to ensure they have done everything possible to make the most of their efforts. My first response is always “have you contacted your admission counselor?” 

At every college or university there is an admission counselor responsible for the geographic territory in which you live. This person will be reading your application and basically serves as your advocate during the application process.

They represent YOU when taking your file to the larger admission committee. If they represent you, don’t you think it would be beneficial to get to know this person? You want to be more to them than just the paper your application is printed on.

During my time in Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech's admissions departments, I vividly remember certain students that took the extra steps to e-mail me, come to see me when I visited their high school or college fairs and some would even contact me after the process just to keep in touch.

College admission counselors get into this field (hopefully) because they love working with students. They want to get to know their applicants beyond what is listed in your extracurricular section. If you visit a school, why not ask to meet the person who reads your application so they can put a face to a name? This is not an interview; it’s just an opportunity to have a conversation and say hello. If you have questions during the process, who better to email and direct those questions to instead of an automated email address?

This advice also comes with a caveat: make sure to respect the counselor's time. Admission counselors at larger schools have pretty big case loads. They are busy and may not be available to meet you in person and that is okay. My advice is reach out, ask questions, ask to meet this person if they are available and take advantage of this important relationship. Not every applicant does this, but trust me when I say that it can make a major difference. This does not guarantee admission, but if you approach this relationship with respect, they will remember you when they read your application. So take advantage! You never know where this relationship could take you.

Standardized Tests

As juniors are beginning to jump into the wonderful journey of standardized testing, here are some tips on how to prepare for these oh so fun tests.

The good news is that students have already begun their preparation just by being a student! The SAT/ACT are meant to measure what students have already learned in their high school classes. The absolute best way to prepare for these tests is to take challenging courses offered by your school. Fortunately, no matter what class a student is taking here, they are most likely being challenged and already preparing for these tests even though they may not realize it. Junior year is a stressful year in terms of academics but taking these classes seriously is ultimately the best test prep a student can do; however, there are some additional things that students can do to prepare outside the classroom for the standardized tests season.

Take the PSAT/Aspire

One important practice opportunity for the SAT is the PSAT, offered in October. The PSAT is taken by students as preparation for the new SAT, which began in March of 2016. It contains content that is slightly less complex than the real SAT; however, it allows our students to become familiar with the format and types of questions that are ultimately asked on the SAT. Several high schools will offer their benefits of these practice tests, make sure students treat this practice test seriously, timing themselves and taking it in a quiet place with minimal distractions. This will allow them to see what they would actually score if you took the test, and it will give a benchmark for measuring their progress as they continue with test preparation.

Score your practice test and identify areas of weakness

After your student has completed the practice test, go back through the results with them and identify what type of questions they consistently missed. Was it a particular section or subject? Were questions consistently missed in algebra or grammar?  Did they miss easy questions because they weren’t paying attention? Once you go through the results, you will most likely be able to identify some pattern and areas of weakness or a particular section where your student struggled. You can then sit down and make a plan on how to improve that particular section or sections that need improvement. You can purchase a book with practice questions and explanations on these topics, or use one of several resources available for free online such as Khan Academy’s SAT prep materials or Applerouth test prep. Regardless of which resource you use to study, the most important thing is to be targeted, focusing your energy on specific areas of weakness.

• Take the SAT/ACT and evaluate

When it comes time to finally take either the SAT or the ACT for the first time, help your student realize this is the first time they are taking it and try to relax. The practice tests should really help them understand the flow of the test and the type of questions that will be asked, which should put their mind at ease a little bit. Typically students will take either test a number of times, which is normal. If a student scores lower than they thought they would, it’s time to evaluate their results and focus on what areas need improvement, just like you did for the practice tests and start thinking about your options. A face to face tutor may be a suitable option for your student or it may be utilizing more practice tests. It entirely depends on your family, but we are also here to counsel and help guide you and your student through this process.

A recent trend in higher education and college admissions is “test optional schools.” Here are a few that currently do not require standardized tests: Agnes Scott, American University, Bowdoin College, Christopher Newport University, DePaul University, Dickinson College, East Tennessee State University, Furman University, George Washington University, and Temple University.

As you can see, there are many schools that embrace the test optional policy in their admission process and the list is continuing to grow each year. We hope you all will approach this process with seriousness, but also understanding that this is only one factor in the admissions process. Yes, it is important, but college admissions counselors are looking at the entire student and a student is never just their test score.

The College Visit

The favorite song of my husband and I is a sweet tune from our favorite band, Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors (check them out!) Ironically, this song also reminds me of visiting colleges. Stay with me here…

The chorus goes like this:

“With you I can be myself

With you, I don’t have to be somebody else

It’s like putting on my favorite pair of shoes

I like to be with me, when I’m with you”

These lyrics surely apply to love, but also to a larger truth: sometimes when something is right, you just know.  This is often the case when students take visits to college campuses.

Whether a student is deciding between two final schools or has no idea what he or she is looking for, a campus visit can usually help determine which school feels right and will be the right fit. Students will often describe a campus visit to the school that they ultimately choose as simply feeling right. Most parents and students will ask me when is the right time to start visiting campuses; I truly believe it is never too early to start.

Fortunately, visit programs have grown considerably in recent years on college campuses. There are entire visitor centers and multiple staff members dedicated to making the visit for students excellent. What I advise students to do is find a couple of schools that they are interested in and that are close by and take a day trip. For example, a student in metro Atlanta could visit Clemson and attend one of their morning admission sessions and campus tours and then drive 45 minutes down I-85 to Furman University and attend the afternoon campus tour, getting you home by dinner time. This is just an example, but there are dozens of schools in the southeast (and across the country) that are within an easy driving distance of each other.

Once you decide on which campuses to visit, get comfortable navigating universities’ campus tours/admissions pages and make sure to register early for your tour! Tours book up in the spring during high schools’ spring break so give yourself at least a month to plan and register for each school’s visit. Many schools require that you register beforehand. I am a strong believer in visiting schools when students are on campus. This can be tough because summer trips are easy for most families, but it is very important to gain a feel for campus, which does not happen when the campus is empty. If you’re able to do day trips, make sure students are there.

Anytime you can take a day or two for a college visit is a great time, but here are some of the best times of the year to visit campus:

Fall-Columbus Day (October).  Many schools have the day off or a fall break around this time.  Many institutions host tours all day and even go beyond that and have open house programs. Open houses are typically day long programs or half day programs. They will have information sessions on admissions, academics, involvement and campus tours. I love open houses. The fall is generally less busy for campus tours, so you won’t be fighting crowds.

Spring-President’s Day (February). Another time to take advantage of having a couple days of school to hit the road! Just like in the fall, many schools will host open house programs. Keep the weather in mind if you are planning on going up north!

Spring Break (March/April)-This is my favorite and most recommended time to visit a school. Students have a whole week off! I know the idea of visiting multiple schools on your week off doesn’t sound as appealing as a trip to the beach, but it can be worth the effort. Colleges and universities prepare for these weeks. When I was working in admissions at Georgia Tech we hosted twice the amount of tours than normal to accommodate for visitors during spring breaks. The one negative is that it will be more crowded. I would register for this week about 2-3 months out.

Summer Break (May-August)- The  summer provides your family flexibility. You can start planning a trip in the spring to make sure you still fit in your family vacation and everything else happening in the summer. From my experience of working with campus visits, the busiest month in the summer is late June through July. While some colleges have very active summer sessions, one drawback could be a lack of students on campus, but I still think it’s a great idea to take advantage of the time you have.

A fairly new trend is overnight visits.  Some colleges provide overnight visits for seniors or admitted students in the fall or spring of their senior year. I recommend this type of visit for the student trying to decide between 2 or 3 schools or who may live far away. If you have never visited a school before because of the distance, you want to get the most out of your visit. Typically, overnight visits consist of spending the night in a dorm room with a current student, attending classes, having lunch in the dining hall and learning about academic majors, scholarships and campus involvement.

Tips:

Be on time..or early! Make sure to print directions, have the exact address in your GPS, whatever you need to do. Sometimes schools will start without you or even not let you in after 15 minutes of starting.

Wear comfortable shoes! You will be walking a lot. College campuses have stairs and hills. You want to be dressed comfortably and also bring layers. Sometimes buildings can be chilly!

Don’t forget to check the weather! If your family has been planning a road trip for two months you want to be prepared for anything. Unfortunately, it will probably rain on at least one of your visits. Don’t let that stop you though. Just come prepared!

Great Opportunity: Don’t forget about the Tennessee Road Trip that is being planned right now. We are almost to capacity so if your student is interested, please let me know. Even if your student is not interested in going to school in Tennessee, I think students learn a lot by being on campuses and comparing different types of institutions through the process.

Here are some local (and semi-local) visit ideas!

Georgia Tech-Open house events throughout the year. Register here: http://admission.gatech.edu/visit/open-house-events

University of Georgia Admission Sessions and Campus Tours. Register here: https://www.admissions.uga.edu/connect-with-us/visit-uga

Georgia College. Register here: http://www.gcsu.edu/admissions/visitation-events

Samford University Daily Visits and overnight visits. Register here: https://www.samford.edu/admission/visit

Auburn University weekly tours/housing tours/Saturday tours. Register here: http://www.auburn.edu/admissions/visit/index.html

Furman University weekly tours (golf cart tour!). Register here: https://admission.furman.edu/visit/