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Curing the College Application Blues

By Dr. Raymond J. and Eileen Huntington

There is no such thing as one "right" school. With hundreds of universities to choose from there are sure to be at least several that meet your teen's needs. Help you future freshman create a list of five to ten serious choices using a three-tier approach. The first tier are the most competitive schools; the second-tier colleges should meet all the same requirements but are not as selective as the first group; third-tier should include colleges your teen is sure to get into (a.k.a. safety schools).

Don't make the mistake of thinking a public, in-state school is all you can afford until you investigate all available financing. More than half of all college students receive some form of financial aid (scholarships, grants, loans, etc.) that can make a private school across the country nearly as affordable as the state school a half-hour from home.

Your teen's application and supporting materials (transcripts, essays, recommendations) are all an admissions officer has to consider when making a decision that can have a major impact on your child's life. The materials must be well written, neatly prepared (appearance does count) and submitted before the application deadline. If the application is just one day late all that hard work is completely wasted because no one will review it.