November is one of our busiest months. In between writing recommendation letters, looking at essays and advising final lists, and plenty of phone calls and emails, we thought we’d share a wish list of things that we hope our students and families will take to heart as they approach the college process. These are often the focus of our conversations and frequently asked questions in the fall… and also often the ideas and advice that students sometimes wish, at the end of the process, that they had given more thought.

 

1. An open mind never hurt anyone. American higher education is full of opportunity—and always evolving. A college that you know something about from a decade ago or more has likely transformed in unexpected ways. Research funding and innovative programs exist in places you might not expect. An incredibly competitive academic job market, with newly minted PhD’s added each year, means that even colleges that may not be very selective in admissions are incredibly selective in choosing the teaching scholars they hire. These days, "prestige" and selectivity (not to mention the absurdity of rankings) are in no way proxies for quality of the four year experience. We always lament the missed options passed over by students who didn’t research suggestions we made or that crossed their radars. There’s no commitment or harm done in talking to a rep at a college fair or spending 10 minutes on a college website or unigo.com, learning about a new place. So much of what matters in a college expeience comes from unknowable and unpredictable factors, and from the experience of growth that comes from engaging new people and ideas. If your search is limited by a narrow focus on who you are and what you know now, you're missing out.

 

2. Cost is key. Bottom line, college is expensive these days. Financial “fit” is second only to admissibility in truly assessing a “good fit” college. Public universities don’t always provide the most affordable option. Though the starting sticker price may be higher, if you have financial need as determined by the FAFSA, a private college is most likely to meet your need and to do so with minimal loan debt. The “sweet spot” is at colleges where a student is relatively academically strong compared to the typical admitted student. Also, look at the members of the Western Undergraduate Exchange—some of our neighbor states offer good deals for Colorado kids. Decide what your family can afford (and is willing) to pay before you start the college process— and talk to financial aid offices during the search. These days, they welcome the chance to engage with you early. You can begin your own research by looking at the Net Price Calculators colleges are required to link to their websites.

 

3. There are no "magic" scholarships. There are many independent scholarships out there, but with the exception of a few, big, hyper-competitive programs, the money that makes a difference comes from colleges themselves, and a smart application plan. Families must look at costs before and during applying; often families wait until exciting admission offers are in hand to look at the real price and realize it might not be manageable. If you’re looking for “merit” aid from colleges, we can help students find the places that will give them a discount based on their profile as a student. See #1 here, too…

 

4. There's more to life than football... It is typical for students at small, independent high schools to crave the excitement of a big university with a stadium full of tens of thousands on October weekends. For some, that works! A couple of points to consider, though. Large universities are a minority option in the education landscape. Most colleges are “small.” Also, if you are thriving within the discussion- oriented classrooms at CA, and enjoy knowing your teachers and working with them, a class of 200 or 500 students makes for a tough transition. There are only seven home football games in a typical season… and college is an every day, four-year experience.

 

5. Small colleges offer more than you might think. It may seem counter-intuitive, but in smaller environments, you are more likely to find: supportive advising (making sure you graduate in four years and make the most of that time), room to explore the curriculum (generally you don’t have to declare a major until the end of sophomore year,) incredible hands-on opportunities (bigger colleges may have amazing research facilities, but the chances of getting your hands on the expensive equipment as an undergrad are slim,) and very strong support for your next step: graduate school, medical school, a job, even on-campus support for a start-up enterprise! There are always exceptions, and some larger universities offer all the above—small honors programs at public universities can be the best of both worlds—but these are things to look for in any college.

 

6. Location doesn’t matter that much. It turns out that the vast majority of colleges are not in cities. This was the ideal when most of them were founded—get away from the city and study in an idyllic setting with few distractions. But in 2015, it would be a mistake to pass over those colleges. Internships are a demand of today’s student, and even places in seemingly remote Midwestern towns have found ways to get students to internships in the big cities during summers, semester breaks… even during the year. A CA alumna recently held an internship during the school year in a city a flight away… all expenses paid. One of the latest trends is for colleges to create funds to pay for experiences like this—and to pay students for internships that don’t come with a paycheck.

 

7. Students are evaluated for who they are, in context. You run on your record. It doesn’t matter how many students from CA are applying to a college in a given year. Colleges look at your ability and effort in the context of what CA offers—you aren’t compared to each other or to students at the public school across town.

 

8. GPA isn’t meaningful on its own. What’s a “good” GPA? It depends on what your best effort looks like within an appropriately challenging courseload. But bottom line, it is the story told by a close look at a complete transcript, representing over 3 years of work, that colleges will consider. The main take-away is that students should simply do their best in courses chosen carefully, taking the advice of the many faculty who can guide them… and know that one grade in one trimester does not make or break a transcript. Being a conscientious student motivated for the sake of learning rather than by grades, who works effectively with teachers (helping them write good recs!) goes a long, long way towards shaping your future.

 

9. What makes a good essay may surprise you. An effective personal essay in the college admission world is one that offers a tiny slice of insight into the authentic personality and mindset of a real, live 17-year old. It’s not a professional cover letter, the answer to life’s big questions, or something that should be written to impress an imagined audience. The best essays are honest, unvarnished, and can be funny, self-deprecating, even risky. We are fortunate at CA in that the Junior Writing class all students take prepares them for this kind of personal narrative—and we are on hand to guide the re-drafting of essays until they represent a student well. Parents, you might want to step away from this part… effective essays might make you nervous—but they work in helping students come to life in a quick read of an application.

 

10. You are more than a score! Something about the specificity of a number can cause us to give test scores more weight than they are due. It is certainly true that many colleges have a range of acceptable scores… but the scores are just a small part of a holistic review—and the middle 50% of accepted test scores is much more useful than an average. The narrative portions of an application (rec letters, essays) reveal much more about the traits a student will bring to college, and the transcript, especially from a place like CA, reveals much more about a student’s academic potential. Colleges know this, and more of them each year become comfortable with making scores optional—Trinity College in Connecticut being the latest. See fairtest.org for a long list of others, and focus your efforts as a student on your coursework and community engagement—those things pay off every time! 

11. Bonus: Early isn't always the best way to go. While there is a lot of energy expended and commotion created around binding Early Decision options (if you're admitted, you have to go!) and, increasingly, around non-binding Early Action options (if you are ready to apply in the fall, you can have an earlier response), for many students November is not the best time to submit applications. We hope that students will engage continually in college thinking in senior year-- they are changing immensely over the several months that we are having these conversations! We see a lot of unnecessary anxiety created in trying to meet those early November deadlines, and sometimes it means the student is not putting their best foot forward, which really defeats the purpose. Also, true story: the majority of students who contact us about transferring colleges are those who attended a highly selective college they were admitted to via the Early Decision process... Contrary to popular belief, ED is not a magic bullet to be admitted to a reach (read: "unlikely") college. Admit rates are often higher in that pool because of special "hooked" populations (athletes, legacies, etc.) that receive the benefit of that special contribution to the community in exchange for making the binding commitment to attend. As always, this is a topic for conversation with your counselor!