De-Stress College Apps

by Caroline Simms

Just as many of her classmates were fretting over college applications, Jennifer was done. Two small colleges, her first and second choices, gave her admission decisions by Oct. 15. One even provided her with a generous academic scholarship. Jennifer is not a top student, nor does she have an outstanding resume. She maintains a 3.5 GPA at a public school, enjoys soccer and track, and does volunteer work with her church youth group. Jennifer had one key advantage: she finished all her applications early. For both her parents and her, college admission was a relatively stress-free experience.

As the director of college guidance at Laurel School in Shaker Heights, Joan Pfeffert has seen her share of frantic parents. "The best way to make the experience non-stressful is to look at a variety of schools. Realize that where your daughter goes to college is not going to determine the rest of her life. In reality, it is what she gets out of college and not the name on the diploma that is important. Severe competition is only with a small number of schools. Most colleges accept about half of their applicants," says Pfeffert.

With more than 4,000 colleges and universities across the country from which to choose, parents and students alike need to be aware of all the options.

"Given appropriate counseling, every child can be admitted to college," says Pfeffert.

If parents start early enough and offer plenty of support along the way, the college search should be painless. Develop your child’s passion early. When your children reach high school, make sure to discuss grades and courses. Even if they are not great students, have them pick courses that will prepare them for college. Encourage them to take AP courses if possible, though not all students are qualified for them.

Dr. Richard Scaldini, president of Myers College in Cleveland and the father of a high school senior, advises, "The process is very much about who the student is and what he wants, rather than who the parents are and what they want."

Even though finding the right college and filling out applications is the student’s responsibility, parents should be an integral part of the process. They can be helpful in creating a plan for the college search, perhaps at the start of junior year:

Pepper Pike resident Libby, whose daughter is now a sophomore at Swarthmore, found the entire college process daunting. She suggests that "parents stay out of it. The guidance counselors guide students along. English teachers help with essays. Start to look at schools no later than spring break of junior year. And make sure that your son or daughter takes the ACT and SAT prep courses."

Ed France, father of three and a resident of Cleveland Heights, already has two in college and a junior at University School. He says, "Go see the schools when they are in session. After acceptance I would visit the schools again. Your child will have a different set of parameters after he has been accepted."

Too many students want the name-brand school, but Mr. France wants his son "to fit into an environment where he will thrive. I don’t want the school environment superimposed on my son based on empirical data."

Parents and students alike tend to focus only on grades and test scores. However, other factors are also very important: interview, campus visit, application, summer jobs, internships, extracurricular activities, community service, and hobbies. Admissions counselors are interested in what makes the applicant stand out. What is his passion? Yale will probably accept only eight percent of its applicants in 2007, and Harvard ten percent. Yet many excellent schools are clamoring for students.

"Believe in your son or daughter. Keep their confidence up!" advises Dr. Scaldini. "If your child is willing to persist, he will find his way."

Caroline Simms has two children and lives in Northeast Ohio.