Friday, October 19, 2018
If you or your teen are beginning their search for a college, there are many things to keep in mind, from size of school, to location, curriculum, and more. Anita Narayan, managing editor of Education at U.S. News, offers four key tips for beginning the college search.Focus on fit. Students should narrow down their ideal majors and decide if they want a rural or city campus, small or large classes, a school across the country or one closer to home. To start, U.S. News' college search tool has more than 1,800 college profile pages with in-depth information on alumni starting salaries, graduation rates, tuition cost and financial aid, class size and student body breakdown.
Be mindful of application deadlines. The majority of schools have a regular decision deadline of Jan. 1, with students expecting to hear back sometime between March and April. However, some schools offer early decision or early action deadlines that can come as soon as November. Other schools have rolling admissions, which means they will evaluate applications as they receive them and release decisions on a regular basis. Remember these dates so that deadlines for top-choice schools aren't missed.
Write the college essay. One of the most important aspects of the application is the college essay, and students should start working on it as soon as possible. Essays have a 650-word limit on the Common App, an application platform that allows students to submit materials to multiple colleges, and the prompts are usually open-ended.
Discuss cost and affordability in detail. Don't let a school's sticker price stop you from applying. Sometimes, seemingly expensive schools offer a considerable amount of financial aid. However, understand the implications of student loan debt, and remember that the average cost of attending college can vary based on whether a school is public or private, in- or out-of-state, and more.
"Applying to college is a process years in the making and requires lots of family support, dedication and detailed research," says Narayan.
Source: U.S. News & World Report
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