This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

College Search Time for Juniors

 With the beginning of second semester, it is time for high school juniors to begin the college search process.  High school college counselors will begin targeting programs for juniors.  Computer programs such as Naviance can be very helpful in getting started.

 There is no absolute right or wrong way to go about this.  Every student is starting from a different place and has unique goals.  Some students are very independent in their search, while others will need significant help from their parents.  With college now costing well over $100,000 in many cases, most parents will want to be involved in the process.

 Students who have a good idea about their potential major or preferred school have a clear starting point to narrow their search.  The majority of students, however, don't know where to begin.  Some possible starting points are location, size, or finances.

Find out what's happening in Deerfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 Location is a factor that needs family agreement.  Some students want the opportunity to travel far from home or to live in a better climate.  Keep in mind that this means traveling back and forth during heavy holiday travel periods.  It also means missing out on some family occasions or activities.  Be sure to think about the negatives as well as the positives.  Other students know that they want to be driving distance from home.  The flexibility to come home to visit at any time is important to them.

 Another starting point can be the size of the school.  Some students are looking for small classes and personal attention.  Others think college means a large campus and major sports teams.  When thinking about size, start with the size of your high school.  Many small colleges can be the size of your high school.  If you think you want "small" this is a good way to think about what that might mean.  Very large schools also break down into smaller components.  No one will interact with all 30,000 students on a very large campus!

Find out what's happening in Deerfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 Finances must also be discussed.  Each familiy situation is different.   Scholarships can make private schools less expensive than public schools, so there is much research that must be done. 

 Although grades and test scores are important for juniors, the college search can be an exciting, rewarding and fun experience. 

Jan Caron, ACT tutor

847-948-8991

mjmhs@aol.com    Jancaronact.com

 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?