I know this will come as a shock to you, but the college admissions process has changed a little in the past 30 years! Yes, my only perspective of the process was my own experience that long ago. So let me recap that really briefly for effect.
In 1984-85 I didn't give too much thought to college or where I wanted to go to school. I didn't think about crossing a river and public in-state schools were my only real consideration. The sticker shock of small private school tuition was the primary detractor to that route so I focused solely on Iowa, Iowa State and UNI. I really didn't want to go to Iowa State (for all the wrong reasons, their sports programs sucked) and I really wanted to go to Iowa for all the reasons you would expect from a high school senior (some of my friends were going there, it was reasonably far away from home, and they had great sports programs). Remarkably I did not have a college visit to Iowa and relied on my basketball camp experience from 7th grade as a means of knowing that was where I wanted to be. Also surprisingly the school scheduled a visit to Iowa State that confirmed my suspicions - no thanks. And UNI was so close to home I really didn't want to go there unless I didn't get into Iowa.
So I took the ACT test and filed two applications - one at Iowa and the other at UNI. Luckily, I scored 24 on my ACT (Iowa required an 18 minimum, with 21 preferred) and I was accepted as a Hawkeye. I was also accepted to UNI but that was really only a default position. And off I went! Relatively simple, relatively painless, and all I had to figure out now was how to pay for it. Almost $5,000 per year for four years! Yikes, hopefully my grades would support some scholarships, grants and loans, and that would cover it.
Ok, sorry back to the story. The counselor at Regis Jesuit was marvelous. She had years of experience, multiple degrees in counseling, and really had a teaching and service attitude to help the student (and the parent) find the right school. She asked very good questions of Haley and offered her full support in guiding us through the process. Ah, the process ...
First, you use a tool called Naviance that enables you to compare schools across a wide variety of categories. Haley puts in her grades, details, preferences, desires and pretty much any parameter she wants and Naviance will help her select from the 3,000 available universities and colleges in the US. Second, you need a test plan. After multiple rounds of pre-ACT and pre-SAT testing Haley will learn which test suits her testing approach the best and schedule at least two rounds of testing for that preferred route. She can and likely will take the other test also so she'll end up taking these tests at least three times collectively. Then, she needs to narrow her initial list of schools to somewhere between 12 and 20 schools. Keep in mind these schools are coast-to-coast and span the spectrum of public/private, small/big, cheap/expensive. Check that, they are all expensive! I'll come on to that in a minute. Once she has narrowed to up to 20 schools she will need to schedule college visits. Yes, you should always visit the school you are going to attend at least once. Then ultimately narrow the list to 3-7 schools for which you will apply.
Because college demand is so high, you really have to be a great student. My great I mean a GPA of 3.7 or better, an ACT score of 27+ and a resume that has more than school on it. It's crazy competitive. For Haley to go to a top tier college she'll need a 30+ ACT score and a GPA of 3.9 or better in addition to her extra curricular activities. Fortunately, she's on pace to do just that. If she wanted to get into an Ivy League school she would need better than a 4.0 GPA and test scores of 34 or better just to be considered!
One more thing that was of value. The priority order for selection of students at most schools is:
1. GPA
2. Test scores (SAT/ACT)
3. Resume (yes, it's just like the real world - if you don't have one you're screwed)
3. College essay (Haley will take a semester long course and complete hers that way)
4. Teacher recommendations
The whole process takes about 12 months and will probably cost thousands of dollars. Oh, and the cost of a four year degree? At least $120,000. More likely $150,000 and up. And that's just the bachelors degree. Haley wants to be an orthodontist so will likely be in school for 12 years or more. Even at $30k a year (conservative) that's over $350,000!!!
But Haley is worth every penny. There is not a better investment on the planet than the investment Holly and I will make in our kids. But the process was, well overwhelming.
And I am so thankful to have a college counselor to help Haley, Holly and me through the process!
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