A critical component of the college search that often goes overlooked is how the role of the cost will factor into the selection process. Along with finding colleges that will offer the right academic and non-academic features (location, size, culture, etc), it’s important for families to find colleges that also meet the right financial fit.
Many of our junior students are trying to make a big decision these days: play sports in college, or not. Talking it over with your parents and Campus Bound counselor is a really important step, but there are also conversations you can be having with coaches that can help. Both your high school athletic coach, as well as coaches at the college level can offer important insights. Here are some questions you might ask them.
“Here’s your college list, now go research these schools.” This is something you might hear from your parents, school counselor or even college counselor. At Campus Bound, we provide more direction than that in general, but in this blog we outline some of the ways students can research colleges and give our opinions on them.
Could you imagine walking into a high-end car dealership with no idea if the price of the car is going to be $60,000 or $30,000 until after you have done the test drive, talked to the sales manager, and done a credit check? Well, that’s somewhat like what the college financial aid system is like except it can be multiplied by 4-5x of those amounts or more for the 4 years of college.
A question we receive often at Campus Bound is from families wondering what the best ‘strategy’ is for applying for financial aid. When you google financial aid strategies you are inundated with personal opinions about the financial aid process. Some of these articles are curated by professionals with years of experience in the field while others are written by individuals without credentials. Either way, it can be hard to know who to listen to and what information is valid.
I remember taking the SAT’s myself. I bounce my leg up and down when I’m anxious, and I remember doing that and realizing I was probably bothering those around me. I was trying to sit still for hours and take what I thought would be the most important test of my life (it wasn’t).
Junior students who are starting to visit campuses may be a mix of excited and nervous. But remember that most campus tours are run by current students who are trying to entice YOU, so let those fears and worry go. Also, knowing what to expect and preparing for your trip can be helpful. This blog post points out some things to do before you engage in campus visits.
This is an exciting time of year when seniors are finalizing their college lists and getting applications and essays completed. Juniors may be starting to explore different types of colleges, which is thrilling as well. But for many families, the cost of college looms over the entire process. If you’re one of the fortunate families for whom the cost of college doesn’t matter, this blog isn’t for you. But for the rest of us, here are some effective strategies for making sure that cost doesn’t hinder the overall excitement.
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Some colleges offer the opportunity for an applicant to engage in an interview with either a member of the university staff, a current student, or an alumni as part of the college admission process. In a previous blog post, we outlined why the interview is important, and 4 steps to mastering it. However, an important part of mastering the college interview is participating in a mock interview.