Most students picture opening the envelope or their email, and finding the announcement of their admission to the college of their choice: the ultimate fulfillment of their dreams as a high school student.  In general, I find students don’t think much beyond this moment, aside from imagining how great college will be.  (For the record, college is pretty great!)  Most parents, however, realize that this celebratory moment is just the beginning.  The transition to college is really exciting on paper, but it is also one of the most challenging moments in the life of a student and her family.

The College Transition for Parents

Parents, as you try to help your student with the transition to college, you must first and foremost be aware of how different college is from when you attended.  Technology, specifically the internet, has dramatically changed how students and parents conduct business with the school.

Most students begin thinking about where to attend college by assessing academic programs, and rightly so. Your education is the reason you are going to college, after all, and you’ll want your school’s academic offerings to provide you with the skills you need to achieve your goals. But college is about more than just textbooks and papers. Over the next four years, you’ll spend much more time outside of the classroom than inside the classroom. What will you do? How will you get involved? What are your priorities? With whom will you connect? Asking the right questions—and finding the best answers to them—can help you identify the perfect social complement to the academic institution of your dreams.

Who Else Goes Here?

Faculty members are charged with teaching you the material on their syllabi, but you’ll learn just as much from your peers. What are they like? What attitudes do they have about education or life in general? If you’re passionate about social justice, you might want to find a campus energized by community service opportunities and engaged, informed students.

Why am I getting so much mail from colleges?

If you have taken a national standardized test in the last few months and checked the box allowing colleges to send you materials and publications, you’ve probably felt your inboxes swell with electronic and print publications over the last few weeks and months. Don’t worry, swelling is normal and will die down in a couple of years. Nonetheless, with a sudden affliction of this variety, families will have questions. Let’s diagnose the phenomenon together.

Staying Ahead of Your Applications | Part 2

In Part One of this post, we offered three big organizational tips to help juniors get started on their college application process. Now that you’ve gotten yourself organized, here are five key elements that every student should add to her timeline in the spring of the junior year of high school:

Staying Ahead of Your Applications | Part 1

As we ring in the New Year and juniors begin the spring semester, the college application process kicks into high gear. With so much work in such a short period of time, many students struggle with what to do and how to do it.

Every junior needs to take two small steps at the start of the year to get on track and stay there. First, adopt a strategy to keep content organized. Second, create a college application timeline that will ensure that the entire family knows what needs to happen and when. It is critical that students find ways to manage their college processes while simultaneously maintaining their school work and extracurricular activities. Consistent academic performance should always be at the top of your to-do list.

That loud exhalation you heard over the weekend was the sound of tens of thousands of high school students submitting their first round of college applications before early deadlines on November 1. For those of you who have confidently put your personal statements and supplements in the hands of admissions officers at your first-choice colleges, congratulations! You’ve earned a well-deserved break from essay writing and resume building, and may even want to share your status with your friends on Facebook or your followers on Twitter. But before you publish that tweet, take a step back, and think about the door you may be opening.

Engaging with College Social Media Accounts

Colleges and universities are using social media as much as their prospective students. Have you seen the Tumblr for the University of Michigan’s admission office? Or the Twitter account for Harvard? These can be great ways to follow along with your favorite schools—and to learn more about what they offer. But be cautious of over-connecting with schools, particularly small ones. While Harvard (with half a million followers) might not notice that you show up in their mentions every single day, Connecticut College (with just 8,000) surely will. And it’s not just a school behind that account, it’s a real person who might even be reading your application. Every time you comment on a school’s Facebook post or reply to one of their tweets ask yourself, “would I want this comment included as part of my application?” If not, toss it.

Have you ever wondered why students shouldn’t apply to too many colleges? Or how many is too many? College Coach admissions expert Elizabeth Heaton recently spoke with Peter Howe of NECN’s Money Saving Mondays to answer these questions.

What does this have to do with saving money? It’s no secret that college is expensive, but one frequently overlooked financial factor is application fees, which can go as high as $100 each. With many students submitting 10, 12 or more applications, these fees add up. One way to cut those costs is to avoid mass-applying to dozens of colleges.

If the college admission season has gone according to plan, you’re likely putting the finishing touches on your last supplemental essays, penning personal thank-you cards to your teacher recommenders, and hunkering down for a congratulatory bowl of ice cream and Netflix marathon. While this dream scenario is appealing to parents and students alike, it doesn’t quite match up with reality for so many seniors scrambling to stay on top of things during this stressful fall. If you’ve put off your applications for the last few months, waiting until a sense of urgency kicks in, you’re not alone. But we’re here to tell you that the time to get started is now (if not a month ago), and to help you take the first big steps towards college application success.

Earlier this week, we suggested five ways for students to begin to get involved during their high school careers. Today we pick up where we left off, with the last five tips on our list!

6. Part-time jobs

Whether a student is looking for a little extra pocket money or experience in the working world, a part-time job is a great way to demonstrate independence and initiative. Even 15 hours a week at the local ice cream shop can reinforce a strong work ethic (and a bank account balance).

7. Volunteering

Many high schools these days are requiring students to do community service or complete volunteer hours as part of their graduation requirements, but regardless of the requirement, giving time to a cause your child cares about can be wonderful for a number of reasons.  Interest in animal science? Volunteer at the local shelter. Curious about medicine? See if there are opportunities to help at the city hospital. Is your child itching for political experience? Tell her to sign up to canvass for a local campaign. Volunteering isn’t just about stacking up hours, it’s also about exposure to new experiences and organizations.

When it comes to the college application, some parts are easy to understand. Take tough courses. Get good grades. Write a strong essay. But when students are also encouraged to “get involved,” it’s hard for them to know exactly where to begin, and understandably so. For freshmen in particular, high school is a new experience with a wide variety of clubs, organizations, teams, and activities to be a part of, and getting involved in just a few of those activities can enrich your child’s four-year experience in high school.

So where do you begin? Before helping your child decide what it is he may want to do, it’s important to first spend some time looking at what his passions and talents are, the time he has committed to each of his current activities, and how much he enjoys participating in those activities. The start of high school can be a great opportunity to make changes to your student’s extracurricular involvements, or to introduce her to something new. Remember, this isn’t just the first step in her new academic career, it’s also her introduction to a brand new community.