Anyone had a "rude awakening" when applying to colleges?

[profmom]

Dd is in 8th grade. I'm wanting to understand what we need to know and/or keep in mind about college admissions. Has anyone had a "rude awakening" when applying to colleges about the path they chose for their dc?

 

I know this is a huge, broad question! What's the best way to get a handle on the college admissions process so that we can consider what they want to see along with our own goals and plans? Feel free to recommend resources/books/websites too!

[Brenda in MA]

I'd say that the biggest "rude awakening" for us was the cost. I'd recommend the book "Paying for College Without Going Broke" from Princeton Review. The earlier you understand the ins & outs of college financing, the better.

 

Academically, we didn't have any surprises. My son was well prepared for college. A rigorous, WTM-type of education gave him all the academic tools he needed.

 

To begin to get a handle on the requirements for college admission, I'd suggest looking at the websites of 5 - 10 colleges that you might see as fits for your child. Choose a variety so you are looking at your local state colleges & universities, but also add in some private school choices. Just looking at what courses they are looking for on a transcript and what testing they require will help you make sure you have all the bases covered in your high school plan.

 

Best wishes -- the time goes by so fast. Enjoy your teens while they're still in your house!

 

Brenda

[Krista in LA]

Well we haven't started applying yet as dd is only in 10th grade, but I have been researching it some lately and had a panic attack.

 

The main thing I learned was to make sure they do service hours during their high school years (which we do anyway through church and scouts). Test scores and good grades alone won't get her into some colleges where everyone has good grades and test scores - you need something to make yourself stand out. Also, it was suggested to start a list that includes every activity, award, leadership position, etc that they do/get so that when it comes time to fill out apps, all the information is right there. Leadership positions are important, as well as going deep rather than wide with activities. Try to search out every opportunity you can find for competitions. Take as many AP classes as you can. I will add that dd has her eyes on Emory, so all of these things matter more than if she wanted to go to a state school.

[Luckymama]

You can start by lurking on the parents' board of CollegeConfidential.com. Many posters are slightly, um, neurotic but more are exceptionally kind and helpful. I started reading CC when my senior was a freshman :)

[FaithManor]

Agreeing with Krista, good grades and good scores aren't enough. So, look for unique opportunities that make your student look different from the pack.

 

Faith

[4Hisglory]

We have home schooled since kindergarten and have been acepted at the university we had chosen to apply to. Three years ago I started looking at their home schooled students admissions page to see what they were expecting,so that would be my recommendation. Go to the college's admissions pages and they will have at least the academic expectations. My daughter did not have a lot of extra curricular activities,most were serving at church, I was worried that it would not be enough for them but it was. That would be something else to look at, what they expect for extra curricular. No big shocks here yet although I won't completely relax until she is there in the fall.

[Laurie4b]

As others have said, check out the admissions requirements for several schools she may want to go to. That gives you what to shoot for.

 

Know that admissions departments weight GPA's, so call your courses honors courses. If you can get a course approved as AP, do so.

 

Check into many ways to demonstrate competence other than Mommy grades: SAT Subject tests (not just SAT's or ACT's), AP tests, community college courses are good ways to do that. Make sure there are a couple outside teachers who can write recommendations.

 

Many scholarships want good grades PLUS volunteer work PLUS leadership. So look particularly for volunteer work that involves leadership. (eg not just playing the youth worship band, but being in charge of it; taking responsibility for Operation Christmas Child in your area, etc.)

 

KEEP TRACK of the hours served. Do it weekly and total . Some applications ask that question differently and it is a pain to calculate if you haven't kept good records.

[Nan in Mass]

No rude awakenings, thanks to some early investigations on my part, but I feel like that early work saved us. I spoke to a kind admissions person when my older one was in 10th grade and she offered several bits of advice that were news to me. The following things were a surprise:

 

-Colleges were going to want to see those SAT (or ACT) scores even if my son had good grades in CC classes but tested badly. CC wasn't going to save us from having to show colleges SAT scores.

 

-Colleges that say they don't need SAT scores really mean "don't need SAT scores from students in regular school". They want to see SAT scores if you are homeschooled.

 

-When you apply to colleges, it is the things done BEFORE senior year that colleges will look at. That means that CC classes senior year only won't be much help. You have to take CC classes junior year.

 

-CC classes that are non-academic aren't worth much in the eyes of the admissions folks. (I was stupid not to have thought of that.) And you need to take more than just one academic CC class; you need to take 3 or 4.

 

Those were my surprises. They shouldn't have been surprises. They are just common sense. I just hadn't thought things through all the way.

 

-Nan

[creekland]

I can't think of any rude awakenings per say, but I definitely agree with doing your homework (as the guidance counselor) ahead of time.

 

My latest "find" was that med schools don't like to see CC credits for pre-req courses, so we've switched course with middle son to have him take the SAT II for Bio and Chem to "prove" readiness for college. I had thought he'd take those in CC. Now I'm glad I didn't spend the money on those classes! Even if his undergrad had given him credit for those, later on it would have been a knock against him in med school (ditto that for AP).

 

Otherwise, yes, it helps to have outside verification of some grades. Having outside teachers or profs for letters of recommendations has been most helpful too. Then yes, it definitely helps to have high SAT/ACT scores. That was probably the biggest help for us of the three (but I recommend all three).

 

The next important tidbit to know is that college A is not equal to college B. Different colleges specialize in different things and overall, some are considered better than others. Since many of them cost about the same, it's worth it to do homework figuring out where the true best value for your $$ is. That answer will be different for different students based on what they want to study, etc. Many, many times I see kids come back to our ps and mention they can't find a job after college. I always ask them where they went and what they majored in. I'm not usually surprised after I hear the answers. Actually, I've never been surprised. Employers favor certain colleges based on the education one can get. The same degree from a non-favored school won't even get you an interview most of the time - especially in a down economy. Be open to thoughts. Just going to a local school might save money, but if one can't easily get a job from it, did it really save anything?

 

If you know what junior wants to be when he grows up (beware, even as a senior or college student they can change their mind, but you have to start somewhere), ask people already IN that field for schools they recommend (online or in person). Ask schools how many graduates they have placed in their field (or med school or grad school, etc). There's a wealth of knowledge out there to be shared and almost all of it is free for the searching.

[FaithManor]

Creekland, it's not just pre-med that do not want to see CC credits. When dd was looking at Vet school, it was the same and she had also considered a straight chemistry major. Same thing and very adamant about it.

 

Faith

[Nicole M]

My only rude awakening was just how long it took me to generate all the paperwork. Hours and hours and hours. I had kept lists, and vague outlines of course descriptions, but putting it all into a document, tidy, just took forever. I'm a bit persnickety about consistency and aesthetics in formatting, so I probably made my life harder than it had to be, on many levels.

 

My youngest, now in 8th grade, watched all this and kept muttering little morsels about how "next time" (i.e., for *him*) I should do all this paperwork ahead of time, as we go, instead of waiting until the last minute, etc., etc. Not helpful, honey! But I am definitely writing complete course descriptions as I go next time.

[4Hisglory]

We purchased Transcript Pro by Inge Canon for generating our transcript. It helped me keep things organized and offered different presentations. For us some of our courses went from one year into the next and we were able to show it in that way instead of "fudging" and showing all work in one year. It looked very professional and I felt good about handing it in. I would say for me it was a good purchase.

[Nan in Mass]

Ok - you are right. That was a shock. I had kept records as we went along and had a rough transcript already, and it still took ages to get the final form of the paperwork done. The fact that I had to write a councilor's recommendation and a school profile was a shock when I found out about them sometime during 11th grade. Thank goodness for that book that TWTM recommends for writing transcripts. It was really helpful for writing those letters. Then there were the recommendations to get together and CC advisor recommendation (required several visits to the advisor so she could get to know him) and the CC transcript... And my sons only applied to one college each - the same college! There was no essay. They did visit and later interviewed. Some people apply to ten colleges! Keeping track of all the paperwork and all the deadlines must be a nightmare!

 

Another shock, which happened at the time, was just exactly how much work it was to get all the other stuff done, the stuff that happened after the application was sent off. Financial aid forms, vaccinations, roommate forms, passport renewal, bookstore forms, ... The running around and paperwork went on and on. We made several visits to the college to arrange things - a very long drive. Nice windshield time but... Then there was all the running around getting his supplies.

 

It was a surprise how much help my sons, sons who have either lived on their own working or travelled around overseas by themselves for months at a time, needed with the whole process. I sat with them as they filled out the applications and fed them information. I kept track of all the paperwork and the deadlines. They did all the things that needed doing, but I told them how.

 

You would think I would have realized how much work it would be. After all, it took at least five separate trips to the CC plus a multitude of email enquiries to get them signed up - placement tests, student id's, orientation, etc. But no - it was still a surprise.

 

Funny how fast you forget! The youngest is probably going to apply to a number of colleges. I'm sure the amount of work will be a shock all over again.

 

-Nan

[Reya]

I made a transcript template (with no courses) when my eldest was two! And I've kept detailed course descriptions.

 

Anal, much?

 

I don't do lesson plans or anything else, so it's really the only documentation I keep other than his actual paperwork.

[LBS]

The biggest shock for me, was that, even though we had what I considered realistic standards, those schools were not wanting my child as much as he is wonderful. After two kids applied to almost 20 schools, combined, I was kinda sad I came away feeling like it really is about the numbers. The more well-rounded kid ended up with a great scholarship to a very good school, but not the level of competitive-ness I really expected, and I was making allowances for my own prejudices. The kid who is not well-rounded, very narrow in her experiences and resume, BUT she had a 4.5, earning our county's highest award (top 5%) got in everywhere she applied. They applied to different types of schools though, so its hard to compare, and they're different sexes. No idea how that affects it.

 

Every mom prob can't believe all the schools don't want their kid, I guess.

 

The total cost shocked me, too. The amount of money that is available, surprised me too. The amount of money that is available for asking, surprised me too.

 

LBS

[J-rap]

Someone recommended keeping lists of activities, volunteer work, honors, leadership roles, etc. that their child was involved in over the years, and this is what we did too. I began keeping these lists when out oldest was in about 9th grade. This has helped so much. Often, our children are in more activities and even leadership roles than we think! For example, my four girls took turns running a little day camp out of our home for girls ages 4-7, for about five years. It took a lot of planning and leadership, and they did all of it completely themselves. I had completely forgotten about this at first, as we were concentrating too hard on academics and the more traditional extra curricular activities they had been involved in.

We eventually came up with lists that were two pages long per child! So, when it was time to fill out the college resumes, we could gather a lot of information and even character qualities from our lists. :)

[Nicole M]

Ok - you are right. That was a shock. I had kept records as we went along and had a rough transcript already, and it still took ages to get the final form of the paperwork done.

 

:: snip ::

 

Another shock, which happened at the time, was just exactly how much work it was to get all the other stuff done, the stuff that happened after the application was sent off. Financial aid forms, vaccinations, roommate forms, passport renewal, bookstore forms, ... The running around and paperwork went on and on. We made several visits to the college to arrange things - a very long drive. Nice windshield time but... Then there was all the running around getting his supplies.

 

It was a surprise how much help my sons, sons who have either lived on their own working or travelled around overseas by themselves for months at a time, needed with the whole process. I sat with them as they filled out the applications and fed them information. I kept track of all the paperwork and the deadlines. They did all the things that needed doing, but I told them how.

 

You would think I would have realized how much work it would be. After all, it took at least five separate trips to the CC plus a multitude of email enquiries to get them signed up - placement tests, student id's, orientation, etc. But no - it was still a surprise.

 

Funny how fast you forget! The youngest is probably going to apply to a number of colleges. I'm sure the amount of work will be a shock all over again.

 

-Nan

 

Yes! I kept thinking, once the applications are in, home free. Au contraire. It seemed like it was just one thing after another. The music auditions, making and re-making recordings for different schools to meet their different criteria.... Gah.

 

And yes, I had forgotten! I think I actually blocked out the horror. It has all come back to me these last few weeks, though, since auditions were on campus here where I work. Boy, am I glad that's over!!!

 

Oh, yes, and the expense. Wowie.

[G5052]

But it has helped to talk to local friends who have sent their kids to the colleges that we're thinking about. I don't know anyone who has done it for the major we're thinking about though, so that makes me nervous, but I'll probably begin making inquiries this summer and we'll make some visits in the fall.

 

Utterly terrifying though, but we have several majors/careers in mind and have a bit more time before the application process, so we're ahead of some.

[profmom]

I love this thread -- so helpful! Thanks, guys!

[readinmom]

I think the overall biggest shock was the total cost. If ds # 1 (private school grad) test scores had been higher, he would have qualified for in-state tuition for some of his out-of-state choices.

 

Also, it is never too early to start looking or planning. College Confidential is an invaluable tool when it comes to admissions information. Pay close attention to your state university requirements, as they change frequently. We planned visits starting the summer of 8th grade, and tried to make 2-3 during the year.

 

Hope this helps!

[Brigid in NC]

I think the biggest shock for me was just how long it took to write course descriptions. Because my ds was applying to some real "reach" schools, we had decided ahead of time that we would include streamlined course descriptions (along with a one-page transcript). Boy, getting the content aligned so that the wording did not sound pieced together in a totally cut-and-paste fashion -- and then also getting the formatting the way we wanted -- took a LOT of time.

 

One help -- that would have been a shock otherwise -- was having to submit a transcript for a summer program between 11th and 12th. That MADE me decide on a transcript format, and get the template established. Otherwise, the time spent on that would have been a real shocker at college app time also!

 

:001_smile:

[Kareni]

I'll concur with others that some surprising aspects were:

 

~ the amount of time needed to compile all of the 'counselor' paperwork (i.e., transcript, letter of recommendation, course descriptions, homeschool profile)

 

~ the costs (college application fees, PSAT/SAT/SAT Subject test/AP fees, cost of sending test scores to individual colleges, cost of sending community college transcripts to individual colleges first with the application and then with the mid-year reports, PROFILE fees for reports to the individual colleges)

 

~ the sheer amount of brain energy necessary to even try to begin to understand some portion of the financial aid picture (FAFSA, PROFILE) and the amount of time needed to fill out the financial aid paperwork

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Jane in NC]

 

~ the sheer amount of brain energy necessary to even try to begin to understand some portion of the financial aid picture (FAFSA, PROFILE) and the amount of time needed to fill out the financial aid paperwork

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

The PROFILE. (Shudder.) Many parents will never be forced to encounter the blasted thing, but those with students applying to highly competitive private schools most likely will. The PROFILE is the most invasive document in which every penny or potential penny of one's income stream or assets must be accounted. Further, several parents I knew were unaware of it. So as the Official Bearer of Bad News, I pointed out often with 24 or 48 hours notice that such-in-such college required the PROFILE. It seemed to catch a number of parents unaware.

 

FAFSA is gentle in comparison. But I was still surprised that some colleges wanted copies of our tax returns even before my son agreed to attend. We are very security conscious, so having our social security numbers and so much financial information floating about made me uncomfortable. I called each college which received detailed information to ask what their document retention and destruction policy is. I am completely baffled that this is not stated clearly on college websites.

 

When you read these boards, it becomes clear that parents (like their students) approach this college thing quite differently. Some will insist you only need a one page transcript with test scores to back it up--they say don't worry about course descriptions, book lists, etc. But Admissions Officers at the colleges to which my son applied said that the more information they received on homeschool students the better. Thus I prepared an eight page course description document and a carefully crafted statement of our homeschool philosophy. (Thank you again Kareni for proof reading and editing everything!)

 

Everyone who knows us seemed confident (or at least said to my face) that my son would be accepted at colleges and receive some merit aid. But I did not always share this confidence, wondering all too often if this homeschooling thing was all a mistake. This doubt remained until those letters began arriving. In the end, I think I put myself through more anxiety than I needed. Perhaps that is a good reason to stay away from some of the College Confidential and NY Times "The Choice" blog. After a while, I wonder if those things help or just drive us crazier.

 

Best of luck,

Jane

[mom31257]

:bigear:

[Linda1951]

sometime this month we are going up to the Community college advisor and find out some things, but from what I have been told by the woman in admissions, I showed her pdf a copy of what DD's transcript would look like and she said it was fine. She does not have to have Geometry or Chemistry.

She wants to be a graphic arts and do stuff on the computer graphic design.

She would need to take the entrance test and go from their.

No volunteering.

[Jane in NC]

sometime this month we are going up to the Community college advisor and find out some things, but from what I have been told by the woman in admissions, I showed her pdf a copy of what DD's transcript would look like and she said it was fine. She does not have to have Geometry or Chemistry.

She wants to be a graphic arts and do stuff on the computer graphic design.

She would need to take the entrance test and go from their.

No volunteering.

 

Most community colleges have open admissions policies, do they not? A transcript and a placement test are all that is required for general admission. Acceptance into specialized programs (like nursing) is another story.

[jld]

 

In the end, I think I put myself through more anxiety than I needed. Perhaps that is a good reason to stay away from some of the College Confidential and NY Times "The Choice" blog. After a while, I wonder if those things help or just drive us crazier.

 

 

 

:iagree:

[smilesonly]

Wow! Such a great thread! Printing this out...

[mommy4ever]

I am in Canada, so I thought I'd share a resource that is fabulous. I am just starting to snoop, as my oldest homeschooler is in grade 8 now. Better sooner than later.

 

Canada is about 10 years behind in homeschooling acceptance, so they are heavily into to transcripts and unless the kids use a provincially written curriculum, there is no transcript, and a parent cannot write their own. Most of the Universities do not want to take the time to look through a portfolio.

 

So College and University is a little more troublesome to get into. Here is a link that shares some great audio recordings from previous conferences.

 

http://www.wisdomhomeschooling.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=162&Itemid=120

 

In the 2010, Traditional College and Universities, 2 gentleman speak for 2 different Post Secondary Institutions. It was very informative, I'm not done yet. So anyone in Canada this may be a good start to your research. The colleges mentioned are in Alberta.

Edited March 11, 2011 by mommy4ever
eta: I need to learn to proofread before hitting post

[Joan in GE]

ask people already IN that field for schools they recommend (online or in person). Ask schools how many graduates they have placed in their field (or med school or grad school, etc). There's a wealth of knowledge out there to be shared and almost all of it is free for the searching.

 

We're just in this position now (college application deadline is end April here!) and are trying to figure out which undergraduate program would be most useful for the masters ds3 wants to do. Open house happens to be next week so this is really timely info!

 

Lots of other helpful comments on this thread - thanks everyone!

Joan

[Storm Bay]

I am in Canada, so I thought I'd share a resource that is fabulous. I am just starting to snoop, as my oldest homeschooler is in grade 8 now. Better sooner than later.

 

Canada is about 10 years behind in homeschooling acceptance, so they are heavily into to transcripts and unless the kids use a provincially written curriculum, there is no transcript, and a parent cannot write their own. Most of the Universities do not want to take the time to look through a portfolio.

 

So College and University is a little more troublesome to get into. Here is a link that shares some great audio recordings from previous conferences.

 

http://www.wisdomhomeschooling.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=162&Itemid=120

 

In the 2010, Traditional College and Universities, 2 gentleman speak for 2 different Post Secondary Institutions. It was very informative, I'm not done yet. So anyone in Canada this may be a good start to your research. The colleges mentioned are in Alberta.

 

For the record, if you are a Canadian living in the States, you need to contact Canadian universities to see what they want from you. If your dc have Canadian citizenship, they pay Canadian citizen tuition. There are some universities that have out of province tuition rates (eg McGill), but not all do.

[Myra]

Nan and others,

You mentioned a book that "TWTM recommends for writing transcripts. It was really helpful for writing those letters." Could you give the title of the book?

 

Thanks,

Myra

[ciyates]

I am so glad I read this tread. :D