Getting an Early Start

Whenever I begin working with a student at the start of senior year, I know I’ll soon be hearing, "I wish I’d started earlier."

Twenty years ago, when students usually applied to four or five schools, generally within a few hundred miles, the process didn’t take a lot of time. But now, with so many students applying to more colleges, sometimes in different parts of the country, three or four months is not much time to research schools, decide on a final list and prepare applications. For students who are considering applying early decision, it’s especially important to start planning now.

Many juniors assume they’ll research and visit colleges during the summer. But if you can visit colleges over spring break, when they’re in session, you’ll get a much better sense of the schools. The atmosphere is quite different when students and professors are on campus.

Summer weather also doesn’t reflect what life will be like during the school year. Last April, I visited colleges in New York, and the day I went to Cornell, the sky was gray, temperatures were freezing and sidewalks were icy. Visiting a Midwest or East Coast school over spring break may give students a taste of winter and that piece of information could be a deciding factor. Isn’t it better to find out while there’s still plenty of time to investigate other colleges?

Beginning the college search during junior year can make the process more fun. It’s easier to approach each visit with a spirit of discovery. It’s much more stressful for students to realize in October that their first- and second-choice colleges––which look so beautiful in the brochures––feel too isolated when they’re on campus and there’s not a store or restaurant for miles.

The increasing competition means sophomores and even freshmen are wise to start thinking ahead. Last year, an admissions officer at NYU told me that they could have easily filled a second freshman class and still turned down plenty of well-qualified applicants. Students who know early on what they’ll be facing can make choices that will improve their chances of admission when it’s time to apply to college.

One of my students, who is extremely bright but wasn’t taking her schoolwork very seriously, came to see me in the middle of sophomore year. After learning that her college options would be quite limited if her grades didn’t improve, she realized she wanted to have more choices and her grades shot up.

If she’d waited another year, she wouldn’t have had time to improve her transcript and her prospects for college admission so dramatically.

There’s so much anxiety surrounding the college admissions process and sometimes getting early, accurate information can provide reassurance. A student who was concerned that she didn’t participate in sports was relieved to know that she didn’t need to worry about it.

Her passion for art and writing would make her a very attractive candidate for colleges and she could spend the next couple years pursuing what really excited her. Colleges like to see long-term commitments to a few activities, and if students begin identifying their interests during freshman or sophomore year, they have time to pursue those interests in depth.

Getting involved in extracurricular activities or community service projects isn’t just about creating impressive college applications. These experiences help students learn what their strengths are, how to be proactive and how they might want to use their skills in future careers. This kind of self-knowledge not only enhances self-esteem, but enables students to make better decisions when it’s time to apply to colleges.

It’s always easier to find what you want when you know what you’re looking for.

Planning ahead gives high school students the opportunity to make informed decisions about their future. That’s a skill that will serve them well in the college admissions process—and throughout their lives.

If you have questions, please send them via e-mail to editor@theacorn.com or to the address on page 4, Attention: College Corner. I’ll answer as many as possible in future columns.

Audrey Kahane, MS, is a college admissions counselor in West Hills. She can be reached at (818) 704-7545 or via the Internet at audreykahane@earthlink.net.