We Are Now - Emerson Educational Consulting

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

We’re excited! Beginning today College Planning Services, Inc. will begin doing business as Emerson Educational Consulting.  Only our name has changed.  The staff, locations and ownership remain the same. 

We are changing our name to better reflect what we do. In the last few years, the term college planning services is often understood to mean financial planning and is no longer appropriate. Our new name better reflects our primary objective helping students to find colleges and universities where they will be educationally successful and socially happy.  In addition to changing our name, we’ve changed logo and our website.  And, we’ve added an additional service.

Our new service, Ask an Educational Consultant, is designed to provide an easy to use, affordable and effective way for college bound students and their parents, as well as graduate school candidates to connect directly with me.  Now, parents and students will have an opportunity, using the telephone or Skype, to speak to me, an experienced IEC who is a member of both the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and a Certified Educational Planner (CEP).

 I want to emphasize that while we have modernized our look; our commitment to providing the students and families we work with excellent service has not and will not change.  We will continue to provide the same comprehensive college and graduate school admission guidance our clients have come to expect. 

The College Admissions Scoop: Making the Most of Written Portion of the College Application

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

The college essay and the short paragraphs are important parts of the college application. Further, by the time students apply, they are usually the only parts of the application over which the student still has control. If these statements are written with care, they can help the student to stand out from other applicants and to present a dynamic, personal and memorable picture to the admission staff. Students should plan on writing many drafts.

Essays that talk about too much end up sounding watered-down. Students should remember that it is not about telling the admissions committee what they have done - admission representatives can pick that up from the student's list of activities - rather, it is about showing the admissions committee the applicant’s unique qualities and characteristics.

Here are some important essay tips for students:

• Don’t tell the reader what you think the reader wants to hear. You’ll be wrong! Just be yourself.
• Don’t use one hundred words when ten words will do well, if not better.
• Don’t submit your first draft; it’s probably not your best work.
• Don’t keep at it just to get it done. Allowing at least a day between drafts will help you decide if your writing says what you want to it to say in the best way possible.
• Don’t give it to 10 people to read.  Limit the feedback you receive, otherwise it will sound like it was written by a committee instead of an individual – you.
• Do remember to proofread.

Proofread again! It’s your critical responsibility to proofread your entire application, including the essay, before hitting the submit button. The easiest way to proofread an application is to read it out loud, not to yourself, but actually out loud. When possible you should print a preview of your application to proofread out loud, and then keep for your files. 

The College Admissions Scoop: Don't Sweat the Interview!

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

Does the thought of having a college admissions interview make you break out in a cold sweat and make your heart beat faster?  It shouldn’t!  Here’s why.

The interview is an opportunity for the college admissions representative to get to know you.  Most are nice and don’t ask trick questions. The interview isn’t a test of academic knowledge.  It is a way to help college admissions officers see that you are more than the number on your transcript (GPA) and your test scores. Interviews add a face and a personality to your application.  They give you a chance to talk about your good qualities that are not reflected in your application.  Interviews also provide you with an opportunity to explain any blemishes on your transcript.  Many interviews are informational and conversational. You tell the college admission representative a bit about you and he or she will tell you a bit about the school.

When you meet your interviewer, shake hands and maintain eye contact. If you are with your parent(s) or a friend introduce them to the interviewer.  Make sure your parents understand that they are not to accompany you into the interview room.  If your parent(s) want to be in the waiting room when your interview ends so they can ask a question or two, that’s OK.  Don’t have a family discussion in the presence of the interviewer.  Don’t roll your eyes at something your parent says, even if you think it’s the stupidest thing you ever heard.  That will only show that you’re immature. 

Marilyn’s Interview Tips:

• Most interviewers will want to know why you’re interested in their school.  It helps to do your homework and to learn about the school before you interview.  Try to go on the tour before you interview.
• A firm handshake, eye contact and a smile are important.
• Always be yourself.  If you try to be something you’re not, it will come across loud and clear.  Besides, you have a lot to offer.
• When in doubt, be honest.
• If you’re feeling really nervous, it’s OK to say so.
• Go prepared with questions to ask the interviewer.
•  If possible rehearse with someone who has conducted interviews.
•  Ask the interviewer for a business card.  This will help you spell the person’s name correctly when sending a thank you note. 

The College Admission Scoop: Begin College Applications Now to Make the Fall Less Stressful

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

Don’t wait - begin now!  If you wait to begin the college application process until school resumes in the fall, you’ll find the added workload to be about the same as having added another full course!  Also, many unexpected things can occur during the fall of senior year that could prevent you from giving the application process your all.  So, don’t delay.

Starting early will give you time to think carefully about how you are going to present yourself to the admissions committee.  The college essay, the personal statement and the various short paragraphs are all important parts of the college application.  Importantly, by the time you apply, they are the only parts of your application over which you will still have control over.  To put “your best foot forward”, you will need to devote considerable thought, time and effort to your writing.  If they are written with care, your statements can help you to stand out from other applicants, and present a dynamic, personal and memorable view of yourself to the admission staff.  You should plan on doing many drafts.

The Common Application goes live for 2011-2012 on August 1^st.  Other applications will follow suit during the month of August.  Here are some reminders to make the process less stressful:

During the Summer:

• Schedule interviews as early as possible, since slots will book up.
• Create a timeline for each school you are applying to. Be sure to make note of important deadlines.
• Register for fall standardized tests.
• Visit schools.
• Register with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse if you are interested in DI or DII sports and if you want to be recruited. Develop a list of your extracurricular activities.  

Once School Begins:

•  Request letters of recommendation.  Give your teachers information about you to spark their memory.  Give them plenty of time to meet deadlines.
• Request a copy of your high school transcript and check it for accuracy.
• Decide if you are applying using early decision or early action plans, or to any schools using rolling admissions.  Complete those applications first.

The College Admissions Scoop: Tough Breaks and Silver Linings

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

For some high school students and their parents the perceived risk of failing to get into the schools of their choice can be very stressful.  For new or soon to be college graduates, the risk of rejection by a graduate school or a potential employer can be similarly stressful.  It doesn’t have to be that way.  Take a deep breath, and then tell yourself that failing to get into the school you want to attend or landing the job you thought perfect, can become a good thing -  especially when you use “failing” as the spark to ignite your strength and resilience.  "Failure is not the opposite of success, it is the stone to success," Arianna Huffington told the Sarah Lawrence class of ’11 in her graduation speech. And, Conan O’Brien told the Dartmouth Class of “11 that “It is our failure to become our perceived ideal that ultimately defines us and makes us unique. It's not easy, but if you accept your misfortune and handle it right, your perceived failure can become a catalyst for profound re-invention.”

Watch Conan O'Brien's speech here :

Watch Arianna Huffington's speech here:

Rising Seniors: Letters of Recommendation - Choose Teachers Wisely

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

Rising seniors, it’s time to think about who you will ask to write your letters of recommendation for college.  Choose your teachers wisely.

The Common Application requires two letters of recommendation from teachers.  Other applications ask for one teacher recommendation and some require none.  Sometimes, colleges prefer that you choose teachers from core academic subjects. It is important that you read the application instructions for each college you are applying to and follow the directions carefully.

Here are four things to think about when choosing teachers to write letters of recommendation: 

1. Will each teacher add something new about you – a new dimension? If both teachers say the same thing, you are giving up an opportunity to add more depth to your application
2. Can each teacher you chose speak about your intellectual curiosity? How you learn?  What you do when things become difficult? Can they talk about you as an individual? You want the person or the committee reading your application to know about you, separately from the other students who are applying from your high school.
3.  It is not always best to choose the teacher for the class where you received a good grade or even your best grade. Sometimes the teacher who can talk about your perseverance, your ability to work hard and your individuality will be able to write a more effective letter.
4. After the teacher agrees to write your recommendation, you may want to consider giving the teacher a one page resume that not only details your activities (in school and outside of school), your leadership abilities and your hobbies, but includes what you liked best about the class.  Doing so may provide the teacher with information that can be used to write a stronger letter; it may also indicate to the teacher that you take this seriously, and appreciate the time and effort that he will devote to writing a letter on your behalf.

2011-2012 Common Application Update

 By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

The Common Application lets students fill out one application online for all of their member colleges and universities.   While this saves some time, students need to be aware that about 2/3 of the member schools require additional information in the form of Supplements.

Yesterday, Scott Anderson, Director of Outreach at the Common Application, spoke about The Common Application for 2011-2012.  He began with some interesting statistics from this past year (2010-2011):

•          575,000 unique applicants
•          2.4 million Common Applications filed
•          70% of the applications were from public high schools
•          4.5 is the average number* of applications filed by applicants (* number is low for the northeast where the average is  up to 7.7)

Then, Scott went on to talk about enhancements to the application for this coming year:

•          There are 49 new participating schools, bringing the total number to 461 colleges and universities.  New members include University of Kentucky, UNC-Chapel Hill and the University of Southern California.  You can see the full list at www.commonapp.org and then click on news.
•          The new layout for listing foreign languages will help students’ better capture proficiency levels.
•          The “activities” section is reduced from 12 to 10, providing more room to write about each activity. Students will also be able to reorder their activities without redoing the entire section.
•          250-500 words are suggested for the personal statement.
•          There is a standard Early Decision (ED) agreement accepted by almost all members.
•          Students will be able to review application progress using their smart phones.

Rising seniors, please note that The Common Application will go live for the 2011-2012 school year on August 1^st.  

Go With Your Gut and Other Thoughts on Choosing a College

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, MSW, CEP and Jana Jett Loeb

Congratulations!  Now you get to choose, but time is running out!  If you are having trouble deciding which college to attend, here are some helpful ways of approaching this choice.

First, if possible, visit your top choices. Even if you visited the campus before, it’s great to visit again now that you’re in the driver’s seat.  Colleges will be doing their best to woo you, which means you’ll have the chance to meet professors and administrators, speak with current students and visit classes

Second, consider the academic offerings, location and student life when you are making your decision.  Ask questions - don’t be satisfied with merely number of courses offered.  And, remember that your interests might change.  It is good to find out how easily you can take courses outside of your major and about any difficulties encountered by students in scheduling courses.        

Third, think about the location of the school.  Do students have a vibrant campus life or do they flee to the nearest urban area on weekends?  Do students like the town or city in which the school is located, or is the surrounding area tough to access and enjoy?  Is the school isolated from or well-integrated with the local community?       

Fourth, try to envision yourself among the student body.  This is usually pretty intuitive. Is there a particularly dominant social scene at the school, and if so, is it something you would like to be part of?  Do different types of students all get along well, or do ethnic and social groups segregate?  Notice how people relate in public areas like the cafeteria or library.           

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, go with your gut.  And, remember that it is up to you make your own college experience when you arrive on campus.  The school you feel is best is probably the best school for you.

The College Admissions Scoop: Selective Schools Grasp at Reasons to Deny

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

Every morning, I post to College Planning Services, Inc.’s Facebook page links to articles that I feel offer something interesting about higher education and the college and graduate school admission process.  One of today’s links was to the podcast of The Brian Lehrer Show: College Letters.  Today, the day students across the country, and the world, will hear from a small group of highly sort after colleges and universities, Lehrer airs a highly relevant interview with Jacques Steinberg, education writer for the New York Times.   

To my surprise I agree with most everything that Steinberg says.  I agree especially that the admissions process “is not fair.”  Steinberg tells listeners not to put stock into what rejection means because the process can be highly subjective.  As an example, Lehrer plays an excerpt from the recent Tova Smith NPR broadcast Behind the Scenes: How Do You Get Into Amherst. Listeners hear that a student is rejected because the reviewer does not like the first sentence in the student’s essay, which she interpreted as not showing intellectual passion, but rather showing a passion for just music.  This example showcases, according to Steinberg, how admissions officers at the highly selective schools are sometimes “grasping for reasons to say no.”

To all the parents who will be hurting tonight because their children were denied, take a deep breath, swallow your disappointment and move forward. Your child was just one of the unlucky ones. Your child is still the same intelligent, curious and wonderful person he or she was before the denial.  Where a person attends college does not determine success in life.  It is up to your child to determine his or her own success. 

The College Admissions Scoop: Don't Obsess!

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

Early this week the print and TV news media ran with the story of a mom who is suing her child’s pre-school for damaging her daughter’s chances of gaining an Ivy League education.  Why are some people are so obsessed with a small group of schools that they don’t want or allow their children a normal childhood?  Who or what factors create an environment where both parents and students think the value of education is in a name and will pursue actions that lead many to question their sanity?  In some instances, this parental obsession gets passed down to their children who also do - dare I say it – stupid things.  Take, for example, the teenagers in a suburb of New York City who allegedly hired others to take the SAT’s for them.  

As an independent educational consultant I visit between 30 and 50 colleges each year, all over the United States, as well as some international schools.  My visits have reinforced what I knew to be true – there are many, many wonderful institutions of higher learning.  These colleges and universities have professors invested in teaching undergraduates, interesting and unique course offerings and spirited campuses. Most importantly, the students who attend these schools are happy to be there because they found the right environment for them to be successful academically and happy socially.  So, instead of obsessing about a few schools, keep an open mind and help your child broaden his or her college search. 

Tips for parents:

·         Don’t believe everything you read or hear about college admissions.

·         Don’t compare your child to your neighbor’s child or any other child.

·         Don’t make your child’s college admission your hobby or your job.

·         You are there for parental support, not parental interference.

The College Admissions Scoop: The Complexity of College Admissions

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

Every morning on my business facebook page I post links to articles related to college and graduate school admissions.  This week one of the posts linked to a report from the College Board Advocacy and Policy Center on Parent and Research Perceptions of Complexity in College Admission.  The first phase of their research shows that while students, parents and guidance counselors may complain that the decision process is not transparent, most found the college application process to be fairly easy to understand and only moderately stressful if a student applied to four colleges or less.  The research also showed that the more schools a student applied to the more complex the application process became.  This was particularly true if the schools were private rather than public.

Given the small number of surveys used for the study, what I take away from the research is the need for accurate information that gives parents and students a better understanding of the college admission and college decision process.  

Tips for Parents Planning College Visits

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S. W., CEP

Marilyn’s tips for parents who are planning college visits:

• Ask your son or daughter if they are comfortable having you ask questions during the visit. If they are not comfortable, respect their feelings and don’t ask questions. You do not want your offspring focusing on his embarrassing parents instead of the colleges you are taking the time to visit.

• Set up appointments for the schools that require them. Some schools allow you to do this online while others require a telephone call. Most tours are 45 minutes to an hour and most information sessions run an hour. Colleges usually schedule tours and information sessions back-to-back.

• Always check to make sure the times listed in the guidebooks or on the websites are correct. You don’t want to arrive on campus and find that they are not offering tours and information sessions because it is a special day on campus.

• The timing of your visit can influence how comfortable your child is on a particular campus. Although it is ideal to visit colleges during the academic year, going in the summer is still valuable. Think about when would be best for your child and your family.

• Arrange your schedule so that you are not rushing from campus to campus. Do not visit more than two schools in one day.

• In addition to the tour and information session, set aside time to have a meal in the dining hall. In addition to checking out the food this will allow your child to eavesdrop on conversations, and if they are comfortable doing so, to talk to other students. If your child is concerned about being seen in the dining hall with his parents, gently remind him that you will not be the only adults there as faculty and staff use the dining hall as well.

• If you will be staying overnight near the campus, check to see if there is a sporting event, a theater production or an a cappella concert taking place on campus. If necessary, get tickets. You might need to, once again, gently remind your child that faculty and staff attend these events as well as parents of the students involved so you will not be the only adults there.

Juniors: Plan Visits Wisely

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson and Jana Jett Loeb

It can seem overwhelming to plan visits to colleges when there are so many types of schools to see. There are only so many days of vacation or long weekends, and overloading them with college visits may do more harm than good. If you visit too many schools, especially in too short of a time, they will often run together and it will be difficult to get much out of the visits. So, at the beginning, it is important to choose schools that are different in significant ways in order to maximize the value of visiting.

Some important factors to consider are size, location, academic offerings, and selectivity. If students are unsure whether they would be happy at a large university with a bustling environment, or a small liberal arts college in a rural area, then it is important to visit both of these types of schools as well as schools that fall in-between. Be sure that each school has something a bit different to add to the mix.

Students should not get too caught up in what they assume they want before they have an opportunity to experience different types of environments. It is much better to be able to say that you don’t like something than to say that you wish you had known this type of school existed. Even if a student is convinced he only wants to attend College X, it isn’t advisable to only visit College X and schools exactly like College X. It is crucial to push the boundaries of one’s expectations, and visiting can help students narrow their interests and options. Even if students return from visits just as committed to attending College X or schools like it, that commitment is now more informed by the experience of seeing what such schools—and others—are actually like.

Once you have determined which schools to visit, there are a number of things that students and parents can do to make the most of the visiting experience. Our next post will provide tips for how to make visiting colleges exciting, fun and informative.

Juniors: It's Important to Visit Colleges

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson and Jana Jett Loeb

Visiting colleges in an important element of the college search process. In the beginning, a search means casting a wide net. After students use guidebooks and the Internet to find schools that seem appealing, they should begin to think about visiting schools. Experiencing different college environments will confirm if what they have read and think they want meshes with their campus experiences.

Visiting is important because it allows students to get a realistic sense of the culture of a campus. Visiting gives students the opportunity to sit in on classes, speak with current college students, witness daily life, and get a feel for what a school has to offer. It is also the way students learn how a college wants itself to be seen, a useful indication of what college leadership think is important.

But, perhaps the most important reason to visit campuses is the instinctive way students respond to the experience of visiting. The ‘gut feeling’ is a hugely important factor in directing students’ college preferences; it usually doesn’t lie. A junior touring a campus will often know instinctively whether a campus is a good ‘fit.’ While not every visit will elicit a strong response, some probably will, and those will speak volumes. Stay tuned for our next post about choosing the right range of schools to visit.

The College Admissions Scoop: It's FAFSA Time!

It is time to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA, is available online at www.fafsa.ed.gov or via hard copy by request only. Filing online is highly recommended for both speed of transmission and accuracy of information.

There is no automatic income cut-off level for financial eligibility, so I recommend that you apply even if you think you will not qualify. The only sure way to determine your eligibility for need-based financial aid is to file the FAFSA. The likelihood of being eligible for some form of financial aid may be better than you think.

Some common financial aid myths include:

• Only students with high GPA's get all the aid
• If your older son or daughter did not qualify for aid, then neither will your other children
• Only extremely needy students can receive financial aid, so if your family income is high, then don't bother to apply

The primary responsibility for paying for a student's education rests with the student and his family. Financial aid programs are only intended to assist students and families with their college costs.

The College Admissions Scoop: Deferred Dos and Don'ts

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson and Jana Jett Loeb

Note to parents: If your child has been deferred, there are steps he or she should take to remain a viable applicant.

Seniors, if you have been deferred from an early school, being proactive may help when your application is considered within the larger regular pool of applicants. Here are some important dos and don’ts.

Do:

• KEEP UP YOUR GRADES. Committees will look carefully at this when making their final decisions.
• Restate your interest in the school in a brief letter that you send in January or February. The purpose of this letter is not to re-frame your entire application or to build your resume; the Committee already has the information they believe that they need to make a final decision in April. However, this letter can be helpful to confirm that this school would be your first choice if you were admitted. The letter tells them that you remain interested despite having been deferred.
• Update the Committee on any additional accomplishments or developments in your application. It is helpful to do this, but only if you have something that will add substantively to your application. Tell them about a significant award you have received or if particular circumstance has changed.
• Ask your guidance counselor to call the school to see if there is a specific reason for the deferral, but note that for the majority of applicants it isn't any one thing. If you are not comfortable having your guidance counselor call on your behalf, then call the school yourself.

Do Not:

• HAVE A DIP IN GRADES. An admissions committee will look unfavorably on students who have let their grades fall in their senior year. This applies to all the schools you have applied to.

• Have Mom or Dad call the school - admissions representatives want to hear from students!
• Re-craft yourself by sending new letters of recommendation, new resumes, or new essays.
• Send the Committee a copy of every article you have published for the school newspaper since your deferral.
• Tell the Committee about every extracurricular activity in which you have ever participated.

While a deferral is disappointing, be sure to keep things in perspective. After the first semester at college, most students report that they are very happy and doing well at the school that they chose and that chose them. Remember, all the schools on your list are there because you know that they are places where you can be successful academically and happy socially. It is more about what you will do with the four years at college than the particular school.

In our experience, things tend to work out for the best and they will for you too!

The College Admissions Scoop: Deferred - What Does It Mean ?

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., C.E.P. and Jana Jett Loeb

Note to Parents: If your son or daughter has been deferred from an early program, s/he is probably experiencing a combination of relief and confusion, and you might be too. What does it mean, exactly, and what is the best way to proceed? Hopefully these next two posts will help your child make sense of a deferral decision as well as understand the appropriate next steps.

If you have been deferred from an early program, you are probably feeling a combination of disappointment and confusion. While you would have wished for a definitive acceptance and might find it hard to imagine waiting throughout the next coming months for another decision from the same school, you probably also feel a sense of hope that when your application is reconsidered, you may yet be admitted in April.

An important thing to know is that a deferral is not a disguised “no.” Colleges have every intention of reconsidering your application in the context of the wider applicant pool during regular decision. In fact, they have chosen to hold off on making a final decision until they can see the full context in which your application is situated in their pool. That said, it is also important to be realistic about your chances of admission at this point. While you will certainly receive another review by the committee, your chances of admission are now lower. It is fair to continue to hope for a positive response from the school, and indeed, students can be admitted after being deferred. However, it is also important not to focus primarily on your early school.

The best way to proceed after a deferral is to move forward with the rest of your applications. Be sure to compile all of your materials for the other colleges to which you are applying, and to submit your applications as soon as possible. Doing so will help you to avoid any last-minute problems. It will also help you feel more secure about your college plans while you are in somewhat of a limbo phase with your early choice school.

While a deferral is a disappointing middle ground, be sure to keep things in perspective. You should put your best foot forward, both with the school from which you received your decision and also with your other applications. Most importantly, you must continue to maintain impressive accomplishments as the year continues!

Note: Our next blog will contain information on how to be proactive with your ED school after a deferral.

Rejected - It's Their Loss, Move Forward

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson and Jana Jett Loeb

A Note to Parents: If you son or daughter has been denied from an early program, you likely share in their considerable disappointment. A denial this early can definitely sting, but it is important to put your feelings aside and encourage your child to put their effort into the schools that remain on their list and to keep this decision in perspective.

What follows are some thoughts for students who might trying to make sense of their early denial.

Your ED, REA or EA application has been denied. You are probably—and quite understandably—disappointed. For some of you, “disappointed” might even be putting it lightly. You put in a tremendous amount of work to show your best self to your top choice school and they rejected you. That hurts! But you are not alone.

It is common for students to be denied to early programs. If you have heard that schools only defer or admit students early, then you have been misinformed. It is important to know that these early denials do happen, and that they are not highly unusual. It does not mean you were a terrible applicant or “never had a chance.” It does not mean that you could, should have done things differently. It does not mean that you were not academically competitive with the other applicants. It does not mean you are a failure. It does mean that they probably had more qualified applicants than they had space for.

Schools want to be clear with their applicants, and by giving you an honest decision at this early date, they encourage you to vigorously and enthusiastically pursue the other colleges on your list.

Hopefully, all your other applications are ready. If not, get to work immediately. This will help you to feel more proactive and positive, and will help you to avoid the pitfalls of procrastination.

Don’t let your disappointment get the best of you. Everyone feels the sting of rejection, but what says the most about your character is how you rebound. Get excited about the schools on your list and the many wonderful college options that remain! There are certainly “fat” envelopes in your future.

The College Admissions Scoop: An Interview with Kevin Preis, Founder, Go See Campus

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., C.E.P.

Marilyn: Why do you recommend students visit college campuses before deciding whether to apply?

Kevin: “High school students can use trips to campus to get better ideas about the culture and type of environment they prefer for their college experience. They might find they like large suburban campuses, small liberal arts colleges, or universities with religious affiliations. Plus, visiting different parts of the country can prepare students for changes in weather and climate. Whether you are a Texas gal who wants to live in the snowy north or a Wisconsin guy who wants to try a school in the desert, getting a taste beforehand can help ensure a more comfortable university stay.”

Marilyn: Do you recommend that students visit with their parents, if possible?

Kevin: “This depends on the student and his or her stage of the admissions process. Ultimately, students should be the ones researching, applying for, and deciding on colleges. Parents should encourage this independence and responsibility by providing the amount of guidance they think is necessary.

Generally to start out, visiting colleges together is a good idea. Parents can have a dialogue with their children by seeing college campuses for themselves, participating in admissions activities, and meeting college students, faculty, and staff. This can make a big difference when facing final decisions on schools. Plus, it's an opportunity to make lifelong memories!

In some cases, a student has a good handle on the college search, can manage the trip, and wants to visit alone. Participating in a university-sponsored event, like an Open House or an overnight visit program, allows this experience under the supervision of the school's admissions office. If you have questions about these programs, colleges are usually open to receiving them.”

Marilyn: How can visiting a college help a student with his/her application to that college?

Kevin: “Personal experiences with college students and professors can help students describe why they want to attend a particular university, why they are a fit for the school, and what they can contribute academically and socially if admitted.”

Marilyn: What does the Go See Campus website provide for students and parents?

Kevin: “Go See Campus is a free website that helps students and parents plan campus visits and make the most of the college search. The site’s College Trip Planner connects users to campus tours, information sessions, and other admissions activities. They can download maps and make travel arrangements all in one place. For more information, visit http://goseecampus.com, and get exclusive content and updates through Facebook and Twitter.”

This interview should not be construed as an endorsement. The intent is to provide information, and represents the views of the Kevin Preis only, and does not necessarily represent views of College Planning Services, Inc. or Marilyn G.S. Emerson

The College Admissions Scoop: Don't Procrastinate - Finish Your College Applications Now!

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson and Jana Jett Loeb

A Note to Parents: As you encourage your student in completing their applications, feeling confident that they are making the best use of their time is likely a concern. Though you probably remind them frequently to keep up to date on their work, it might help for them to hear an outside perspective. Hopefully the following post will give your student a good sense of how to avoid the pitfalls of procrastination.

As you probably know, procrastination is not a great strategy for completing your college applications—or anything else, for that matter. While it makes sense that you need time to think about how to best present yourself within the application, and that sometimes you need to take a break from the work, it does not follow that waiting until the mood strikes you (inevitably, 11:30pm on December 31st) is a productive approach.

The first thing to know regarding procrastination is that even if you are impressed with what you can pull off at the last moment, admission officers will sense that your application is lacking in foresight and substantive effort. Because the deadlines for applications are months after materials first become available, readers will wonder why you weren’t able to take advantage of the considerable time allotted to you in putting together your application. If you do not use that time, your ability to present yourself as genuinely and comprehensively as possible will suffer. This means that admission officers will not have as solid of a grasp on who you are and what you have to offer to their community. It also suggests that you are not a responsible student, and you can probably imagine why that would reflect poorly on your ability to make a positive impact in the university classroom.

But there are some more practical concerns regarding procrastination, as well. If you are submitting at the last minute, you’re unlikely to be the only student doing so. Submitting online at the same time as tens of thousands of other students makes you vulnerable to internet troubles, uploading problems, or system failures. Also, as you finish up your application, you are more likely to make mistakes or miss areas to correct if you are rushing to finish everything on time. Those little details are very important to admission officers, and if you forget to spell check your essay or take the tracked changes off your activity sheet, it will reflect poorly on your application as a whole.

Perhaps the most important reason to be timely with your application, however, is that it gives you the chance to relax about the process. Being timely doesn’t mean that you aren’t still working on finishing touches in late December, but it does mean that you have been responsible enough in compiling your application that you feel confident that you are submitting your finest work. You deserve to be proud of what you have submitted, and you deserve to relax when it is all done. If you make use of all the time you have and avoid procrastination, you will experience the feeling of considerable accomplishment and relaxation when you finally click “submit.”