College admissions is competitive,

First a definition of terms. Words mean different things to different people. So

I am going to answer this question for those students or parents who are asking about the

most elite schools in our country.

Over time I've developed a proprietary guideline to help me in deciding whether a student should seek candidacy at an elite school. Elite schools to me would be, for example; the eight (8) Ivy League schools or their reputational equivalent; (presidents 568 group, former seven sisters, etc etc.) Without going into the details, this guideline focuses on two

(2) characteristics: (1) Intellectual Curiosity and (2) Drive. If a student is in the "upper

quadrant" of BOTH IC and Drive then I think an undergraduate degree from an elite school would probably be a wise investment.

Otherwise, I think MOST STUDENTS should keep their powder dry, save their money, and

try to use their God-given talents to get into one of the other thousand schools which WILL GIVE THEM A MERIT AWARD. The family can then strategize on going to an ELITE INSTITUTION later for graduate school or professional school.

A few groups beside my so-called "upper quadrant" which MAY ALSO benefit from an undergraduate degree from an elite instituion, are (not in any particular order):

(1) underrepresented minorities, (2) athletes, (3) legacies, and (4) children of the very wealthy. Underrepresented minorities will probably be judged from a different set of standards. If they can attend and graduate from an elite institution, they should take advantage of this coveted opportunity. (2) The same goes for athletes. No institution is going to admit that the academic "bar" would be lowered for an athlete, but in some cases this will happen. I've seen 17 year olds turn down an opportunity to go to an elite college, so they could play at a "higher level" of division I. Any high school counselor or parent that encourages this behavior is in need of some serious psychiatric counseling themselves. Honestly, 6 years from now do you think your daughter is going to the WNBA or that your son is going to play professional lacrosse??? Wake up!!! You need to be using your talents to be getting the best education you can get. (3) Ditto for legacies. They might be getting a slight statistical break and if they're family can well afford it, then they should consider taking it. (4) Finally the rich. Although I've known some very AFFLUENT parents who wanted the biggest merit awards their students could bring home, most elite schools have NO MERIT MONEY. A few have athletic money-- if they are a DIV I or II (non-IVY) school. If a family has enough money not to worry about money, then an elite school for undergraduate studies could give them a leg up later in the job market.

Again, MOST bright, above average students can get an excellent education at any number of small private schools of the arts and sciences and have the schools award them merit money while they get a four (4) year diploma in four (4) years, and THEN

they will be in the competitive and highly enviable position of being a low-debt candidate at an elite institution for graduate studies.

I advocate the entire family should go (whenever possible). I have strategic reasons for this which I share with my client families. But it makes sense just from the standpoint that while your trying to focus on asking a question, you may need an additional set of ears and eyes to collect the answers and then "compare notes" later.

Too, those extra sets of eyes and hears will gather additional data which you didn't pick up on because you were checking out the sample dorm room, the new student center or the attractive student standing next to you.

It is important for a student to see themselves as "marketing" themselves to colleges

for two (2) reasons: (1) Because you are competing for limited number of seats at elite or selective schools, and/or (2) Because you are competing for limited merit awards

(scholarship money) at most institutions.

Rankings might be important, but the REAL question is "Whose Rankings?"

1. POPULARITY/PRESTIGE: Since the beginning of the birth of the millenial generation, US News has been promoting a highly popular ranking of the "Best 100 Colleges/Best 100 Universities". Some very good institutions no longer participate because of the assumptions and methodologies.

2. PRICE: Since parents are custodians of the college monies other rankings such as Kiplingers and Forbes, et al became popular as list publishers gave a half-hearted attempt to account for factors like price or net cost.

3. POLITICS: Other Books or "Best Lists" have appeared in the last decade or more

like ISI's "Choosing the RIGHT College" (Pun Intended), etc. The inherent problem is that a school NOT on their list might actually produce the type of learning environment which is more conducive to their desired outcome than the schools on the list. My experience is that in the last 2 decades the word conservative has all but lost any meaning. Some of these rankings make for interesting reading and nothing else.

4. PERFORMANCE: In the last few years a new type of list or ranking has surfaced based on actual choices that peer groups make. The leading site is called MyChances.NET It ranks schools on head-to-head choices that were reported by

students and uses an ELO POINT algorithm. This takes the list creation out of a publisher's hands and tries to show what might happen if two schools--who BOTH accepted the same student--went head to head.

Ultimately each family has to decide what is important in a school and develop a preliminary list which meets the four critical dimensions of that family. More on this later. Also check out my postings on HIGHLY SELECTIVE COLLEGES.

First, many colleges now have virtual campus tours right on their websites. You certainly can make time to check out those. Another must- do is to read the more popular college directories such as The Best 376 Colleges (Princeton Review), The Insider's Guide (Yale), or Fiske Guide to Colleges. Their write ups are a little more revealing than just a standard directory. Last, have you checked out YOUTUBE? There are some videos of tours available and more are being added as we speak.

Some colleges might or might not be sympathetic to the "I-don't-have-the-time" thing.

Many of the smaller schools are looking for demonstrated interest. Which means

your physical visit(s). Perhaps in your case this might translate to your "touch" via email, skype, facebook, video, etc.

In-State -vs-Out of State Tuition aside, I try to get the parents to think outside the box--outside the box of the state they live in. Afterall, your automobile doesn't know what state it's in, why should you care either??

Sit down with the whole family and do this little exercise. You'll need a map/atlas of the United States and a math compass. (1) Take a math compass, and stick the point into your city on the map of the United States. Now draw a concentric circle. How big of circle? That's where the family discussion begins. How many miles away is Mom and Dad comfortable with? How far away is Kelly or Kyle really willing to live? It really has nothing to do with states. If your circle is a 6 hour driving circle from your home it will most likely include schools from several states.

This exercise is subject to change. I once had a student insist she wanted to go to an exclusive School of the Arts which was over 11 hours from home. Half way to the visit she made Mom and Dad turn around and go home. The most equitable and rational approach a family can take is to consider ALL APPROPRIATE SCHOOLS within a certain RADIUS.

The Search should begin with the most important piece of the puzzle--YOU THE STUDENT. We--the counselor, the parents, everyone need to focus on who the student is--their personality, their interests or traits, and other characteristics like

values and skills.

Why is this important?? Simply it is the KEY to everything. How can you begin a college search until you know what AREA of STUDY or Major you should be looking at?

Young people who skip this process are sorry later (see Gates Foundation, Public Agenda Report) and are certainly more prone to multiple changes in majors and/or colleges.

Because of the heavy workloads, many high schools no longer provide meaningful assessments, but not to worry because many independent counselors have assessment tools to help you with understanding your self/your student. This assessment process should be the first step and can begin in 9th or 10th grade.

Lao Tzu said that "Understanding ONESELF is TRUE enlightenment."

Nowadays, many colleges PREFER the online application. Check to see if the college offers a "free" application (fee waived) if done online versus an application fee if submitting a pdf or or other download version.

The earlier the better. Assuming current college costs, and at the current rate of price inflation (5%) 15 years from now a family raising a three (3) year old child can expect to face undiscounted costs at an elite private school of more than $415,000.00 for four (4) years, or depending what state they lived in, undiscounted public school costs of over $190,000.00 for four (4) years. The latter figure is generous considering that the U.S. Department of Education says most students actually take upwards six (6) years to get a four (4) year degree at a state supported school.

I've had parents of newborns approach me on college savings, which tells me gen x's have a better understanding of college financial planning than my boomer generation did.

If you are asking what method of savings, then I would answer (1) that a family should begin very early (as close to newborn on is appropriate given today's out of sight college costs),(2) saving regularly, say monthly, and (3) saving with some strategic financial objectives in mind.

An example would be to use one pot of money as safe or "guaranteed" money. This makes sense because at a certain point in time those college costs are "guaranteed" to be there, unless you can ask your then 18 year old to wait 12 more years for the stock market to "come back". Later as your savings grow, perhaps you could fund another pot of money and be more agressive or expose yourself to more risk.

Obviously point #(3) depends on many, many factors including the family's overall financial picture, their tolerance for risk, how old the child is, and what their professional advisor has them doing in other non-education areas of savings and investments.

If asking this question you mean WHAT SAVINGS VEHICLES should be used, as a Certified Financial Planner(R) I would need to know about a family's most confidential

financial information before I could make specific recommendations. Generically, there are a number of savings vehicles which could make sense for any given family including

UTMA/UGMA accounts, traditional investment accounts, and certain forms of life insurance.

Yes. (1) Most colleges will waive the application fee(s) if you apply online (typically using their proprietary online application). (2) If a college does NOT offer a free alternative, then a student is normally free to appeal for aid (via letter or email) in having fees subsidized or entirely paid for.

According to IRS Pub #970 a "529" is a Qualified Tuition Plan (QTP). According

to the IRS they were established by Congress so that either states or eligible education institutions could offer vehicles for families to better save for college. There are two basic types: prepaid tuition plans and savings plans.

The savings plan or "529" offer investors the opportunity to invest money which may or may not grow on a tax-deferred basis and the proceeds may or may not be withdrawn on a tax-free basis per the formula set out by the IRS to eventually pay for certain qualified post-secondary expenses at certain qualified institutions.

Over -hyped by Wall Street and other purveyors, they are more complicated then they

appear at first glance. And like ALL FINANCIAL PRODUCTS they have pro's and con's.

Since there is NO RIGHT INVESTMENT for every family, you should consult a good

advisor and review all savings vehicles available before investing.

There are two (2) types of NEED-BASED aid: (1) Gift or what is referred to as "Grant Money" is essentially money given by the institution and does NOT need to be paid back. This is the type of money that everybody wants. (2) "Self-Help" or non-grant

money is composed of either loans and/or "WORK STUDY". Loans, as the name implies, is a debt-based help which must be repaid at some point into the future. "Work

Study" is often Federal Funds but might be funded by the instituion itself, and as the name implies it is a campus based job which allows the recipient to receive financial aid

monies by way of working for them--usually no more than 10-12 hours a week at jobs as diverse as filing in the registrar's office, leading tours for admissions, scraping plates in the cafeteria, or a perennial favorite: working in the university library.

Like all financial aid, work study is awarded by an institution when the student is DEEMED NEEDFUL per a formula like the FAFSA and therfor must be applied for each and every academic year.

If "out of the picture"means you are filing the FM and the non-custodial parent is not required to file, then typically that's good because there is a greater chance of more financial aid.

If "out of the picture" means that one of the biological parents refuses to cooperate

and your filing one of the flavors of IM, then it's sort of a case by case as to what each school is going to expect. This question is complicated and most likely relates to complex issues in the gray areas of F/A. It would be best if you contacted someone directly.

This might possibly be the best thing that could have happened to you, depending on your maturity, and your ambition. Think about it. Once you are eighteen (in most states) the sky is the limit. Though you always want to be grateful for what THEY HAVE PROVIDED and RESPECTFUL of them and their opinions, afterall just because they can't/won't fund college doesn't mean they don't love you. But consider it YOUR

ADVENTURE which means YOUR RISKS and YOUR REWARDS.

Let me say at the outset that few F/Aid officers will consider you "INDEPENDENT" for F/A purposes. That won't happen until at least age 24. There are reasons for this.

If you want to see the "test" that you need to pass for F/Aid "INDEPENDENCE" review The FAFSA, Section #3 (questions 45-57).

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/fotw1112/pdf/PdfFafsa11-12.pdf

So if you are not F/Aid INDEPENDENT, but your parents will NOT PAY what can we do???

First you could consider junior college for the first 1-2 years and then plan on transferring. This should knock off 2 years and since you were going to community college and presumably working ,you now have most the money to fund the next two years (you can find oodles of jobs once you land at the 4 year institution).

If you are NOT yet a senior (you have had this discussion with Mom and/or Dad in Sophomore or Junior year) then you need to create the type of resume of grades,

test scores, and accomplishments that will allow you to go for free or almost free. With a lot of hard work and planning this can be and is accomplished by young people all the time.

Finally there are certain types of standardized tests which allow students to ADVANCE

through a college curriculum BEFORE THEY ARRIVE thus cutting off a course or several. Or possibly a year or more.This strategy takes planning and requires a lot of hard work. Sometimes, the harder we work for something, the more we appreciate it.

Like I said perhaps this is a stroke of fortune, as many students are graduating with ten's of thousands of debt. Perhaps looking at alternatives is a GOOD THING.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is actually three (3) things.

(1) It is a formula or what institutions call a methodology. Specifically, schools refer to it as FM (as opposed to IM which stands for Institutional Methodology). The FM or FAFSA is used at virtually ALL COLLEGES for undergraduate need-based aid.

It is also a (2) warehouse or broadcast system to broadcast to ALL of the schools you are applying for admissions AND FOR financial aid, what your specific responses were to specific financial questions, If you intend to apply to eight (8) colleges, but only include seven (7) on the FAFSA you are in a position of NOT being considered for aid at the eighth school, because YOU DID NOT TELL FAFSA to relay your data to them.

(3) Finally as far as most families go, the FAFSA is a form, much like a tax form, which needs to be filled out and submitted once a year while you are attending college and seeking aid.

I assume you are referencing a "one-time" severance payout and not some special tax

favor that the corporation is giving you year after year. If so, then (1) FAFSA, which acts as a "warehouse" broadcasting out your financial information to the colleges you tell it to, needs to tell your colleges that your family intends to file your taxes, but has not done so yet. This is question #97 on this year's (2011-2012) FAFSA. This will alert the schools to your AGI number (line 37) on your 1040 only being a "guestimate". Then either your college advisor or you need to craft a well thought out, well-written letter of appeal explaining why your income is unusually high and NOT REPRESENTATIVE of the next three (3) years to come. This is important for the schools to understand because not only are you likely to pay a higher amount of taxes (THINK PENALIZATION) but more importantly it's a sign that you've lost your job/income (MORE PENALIZATION) and you don't want to have your student's F/A budgeted on over-inflated numbers for basically an unemployed household.

We've successfully appealled to the IVY League level all the way down to tight-fisted state universities and every type of school in between, but we are the first to tell you there are NO GUARANTEES that any or ALL financial Aid people will see things the way you see them. Colleges are barraged by families who are never satisfied with what they get. It is difficult for the over-worked human beings in the financial aid departments to sift through all the requests and mete financial justice out to those who truly deserve it.

The best approach is to document your appeals letter exceedingly well with bullet points formed with facts and figures and have a hat-in-hand sense of thankfulness. This letter will then NEED TO GO TO THE FINANCIAL AID DEPT of each and every college you are planning to attend. You see, time is money and if you hope to get more money from financial aid, then you will need to spend more time by working the appeals process.

Be a better student. If you do a financial analysis of time spent by a student at

a part-time job in high school, versus time spent studying to improve cumulative gpa

or college boards, the academic results ABSOLUTLEY BLOWS AWAY TIME SPENT ON ANYTHING ELSE!! Based on an informal review I did a couple of years back on merit

granting schools in Ohio (and the pattern is identical in all states as these schools are competing for the same pool), within a reasonable range of test results a single point

improvement in the ACT could add as much as $500-$2000/PER YEAR. The same with

roughly a 100 point improvement on the SAT. Does improving test scores require time and effort?? Of course but much less than a part-time job (Kyle has to work to pay his auto insurance) or even the highly-touted "investment" of time by a student athlete.(Kelly is spending all her time in soccer because she's going to get a "full-ride" someday).

Do I recommend sitting home and doing nothing but studying 24/7?? Of course not. But most Americans are doing less than minimal and improving as a STUDENT provides the biggest "bang" for the scholarship buck.

Meaning unclear: (1) Less F/Aid than other schools offered? or (2) Less F/Aid than Parents had hoped for??

(1) There are many reasons we urge students to position themselves with a number of schools. For one, you may NOT get admitted everywhere and also you may NOT get the offers, either merit-- if the institution grants merit awards--or F/Aid that you want or need.

So let's assume that you've positioned yourself with a number of schools, and some are offering more than a particular school, then you might want to strategically play one school against another. There are several caveats here, because if you go about this incorrectly, there won't be a second chance. First the schools should be of similar selectivity, and second the tenor of this phone call must be gratious and exploratory rather than contentious or demanding.

(2) If the offer(s) were ALL less than parents were hoping for, then we need to retrace our steps. Did we confuse the attainment of talent-based merit monies (grades, test scores, resume, athletics, etc) with need-based F/Aid monies driven by Federal or Institutional formulas which primarily examine our finances ? Did we engage professional help (HECA, NCAG, NICCP, IECA, etc) to advise our family during the 9th-11th grade for strategy and positioning? Did we engage professional help reviewing our family's financial situation at least a year and possibly 2 years before the filing of the F/Aid forms?

Most of my families are working with me in grades 9th-11th to position for Merit Monies which are then "paid out" in the student's senior year. Also by 11th grade if not earlier, we have an preliminary idea about what that family should be expecting in terms of the FAFSA methodology. As we attempt to hone the list of schools we can also begin to strategize on possible PROFILE schools. The BOTTOM LINE: Very few middle or upper middle class families are ever going to be content with NEED based F/Aid driven by a formula.

Finally, in the event that your EFC (Expected Family Contribution) just does NOT represent your families ability to pay due to major life events which were NOT described in your filing of the F/Aid forms (eg Death, Disability, Divorce, Unemployment, etc,) then you should consider appealing your award. Each college

will have a process in place for this option. Again you might consider engaging professional help on this process as well.

For a more detailed explanation of the F/Aid concepts and process we hope to answer your questions via VIDEO right here at UNIGO!! In the meantime, you can see my FREE broadcasts at COLLEGE TELEVISION at our website:

www.collegeadvisorsllc.com

Appealing a merit offer (that is some schools offer "monies" based on gpa, test scores, activities, athletics, etc) can be quite different than appealing a F/Aid award based on

a formulaic interpretation of your family's "need". So what "OFFER" are you trying to improve??

First, we should never begin a dialogue with a college about "negotiating". Institutions prefer to think of families "appealing" one or more "awards". So let's assume that you've positioned yourself with a number of schools, and some are offering more than a particular school, then you might want to strategically play one school against another. There are several caveats here, because if you go about this incorrectly, there won't be a second chance. First the schools should be of similar selectivity, and second the tenor of this phone call must be gratious and exploratory rather than contentious or demanding.

If you started your college plan in 10th grade, which is where we recommend our families begin, you will have a mult-step process to review and drop back on. Was there a recent award or activity that didn't make the resume as it went to "press"? Can we review an aspect of our "marketing plan" with admissions to identify the level of need they have for us versus their current pool? Can we go back and lobby our "sponsors" to help us at a certain school? The situation which I see OVER and OVER again is that parents NEVER had a gameplan, DIDN'T UNDERSTAND STRATEGY, REFUSED TO ENGAGE a professional (HECA, IECA, NCAG, NIICP), but now in 12th grade somehow think Kelly or Kyle is ENTITLED to more money. The reality is that the money a student RECEIVES in 12th grade is based on what was done in grades 9-11.

Appealing your financial need-based awards is a little different. In the event that your EFC (Expected Family Contribution) just does NOT represent your families ability to pay due to major life events which were NOT described in your filing of the F/Aid forms (eg Death, Disability, Divorce, Unemployment, or other Special Circumstances,) then you should consider appealing your award. Each college will have a process in place for this option. Again you might consider engaging professional help on this process as well.

For a more detailed explanation of the F/Aid concepts and process we hope to answer your questions via VIDEO right here at UNIGO!! In the meantime, you can see my FREE broadcasts at COLLEGE TELEVISION at our website:

www.collegeadvisorsllc.com

Appealing a merit offer (that is some schools offer "monies" based on gpa, test scores, activities, athletics, etc) can be quite different than appealing a F/Aid award based on

a formulaic interpretation of your family's "need". So what "OFFER" are you trying to improve??

First, we should never begin a dialogue with a college about "negotiating". Institutions prefer to think of families "appealing" one or more "awards". So let's assume that you've positioned yourself with a number of schools, and some are offering more than a particular school, then you might want to strategically play one school against another. There are several caveats here, because if you go about this incorrectly, there won't be a second chance. First the schools should be of similar selectivity, and second the tenor of this phone call must be gratious and exploratory rather than contentious or demanding.

If you started your college plan in 10th grade, which is where we recommend our families begin, you will have a mult-step process to review and drop back on. Was there a recent award or activity that didn't make the resume as it went to "press"? Can we review an aspect of our "marketing plan" with admissions to identify the level of need they have for us versus their current pool? Can we go back and lobby our "sponsors" to help us at a certain school? The situation which I see OVER and OVER again is that parents NEVER had a gameplan, DIDN'T UNDERSTAND STRATEGY, REFUSED TO ENGAGE a professional (HECA, IECA, NCAG, NIICP), but now in 12th grade somehow think Kelly or Kyle is ENTITLED to more money. The reality is that the money a student RECEIVES in 12th grade is based on what was done in grades 9-11

(1.) Originality: You can't FORCE yourself to be funny or to write with great Wisdom. You CAN FORCE YOURSELF to sit down in a quiet room WITH NO MEDIA (ipod, iphone, itunes, web, tv, etc etc.) and take a blank sheet of paper and begin to create something that NO WRITER could do as well as you--remember events or experiences from your life.

The reason independent college counselors or essay coaches--and this is a generality-

could be more helpful is that often (not always) they spend more time and effort up front on COACHING the essay for topic, originality, creativity and HOW to approach writing. What many parents (who may love you, but often just are NOT good writers themselves) or an overworked guidance counselor does is to take a trite, or unoriginal or hackneyed essay and dwell on punctuation and spelling. It's like going to the junk yard and waxing a rustly heap. Wouldn't you rather design your own Ferrari??

(2). Consistency: Your essay may visibly tie in to your resume and your interview or it may appear not to, but their should be a sense of consistency as to WHO you are. Either through your activities and experiences, or more subtely, how you think and feel about things.

(3). Hook: This is one of those concepts often bandied around by counselors. In an essay it could refer to a title which keeps you wondering why you chose it until the end, or an idea buried in the essay which comes out in an unexpected fashion. A "hook" isn't a necessity, but if one develops while you are pulling things together, it may show a level of intellect that could push the young writer over the edge to an admit or merit award that might not have been justified by grades or test scores alone.

Very important. Long before it was fashionable to go "Test Score Optional"

(Fairtest.org), the most intellectual college in America--St John's(Annapolis) was

primarily interested in using your written expression as a guage for admissions.

Most competitive colleges use 9-14 factors for admissions and the essay is one of

these factors. If you are a senior and many of the 9 factors are already beyond change

(eg:class rank, gpa, etc) one of the remaining ways to impress admissions is your yet-to-be-written essay!!

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that in my experience, parents are NOT the best source of editing or proofing a student's essay. Most parents don't really know what the admissions office is looking for, and many parents are sufficiently removed from writing that their proofing/editing skills are not helpful.

I think in today's world it's probably unbelievable to an admissions official that someone--parent, English teacher, essay coach, college counselor --DID NOT read and help "proof" the student's essay. That DOES NOT mean that anyone should write it for you, or dictate it to you while you copy it down word for word and say you wrote it.

It simply means that most students today are having some adult help proof itheir essay.

Having said that, I would believe that the admissions professional may find your essay refreshingly imperfect and forgive the the occasional spelling or grammar gaffe, if the essay is highly unique, insightful or humorous, or just demonstrates great writing and self perception,

The reason independent college counselors or essay coaches--and this is a generality--

could be more helpful is that often (not always) they spend more time and effort up front on COACHING the essay for topic, originality, creativity and HOW to approach writing. What many parents (who may love you, but often just are NOT good writers themselves) or an overworked guidance counselor does is to take a trite, or unoriginal or hackneyed essay and dwell on punctuation and spelling. It's like going to the junk yard and waxing a rustly heap.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that in my experience, parents are NOT the best source of editing or proofing a student's essay. Most parents don't really know what the admissions office is looking for, and many parents are sufficiently removed from writing that their proofing/editing skills are not helpful.

I think in today's world it's probably unbelievable to an admissions official that someone--parent, English teacher, essay coach, guidance counselor --DID NOT read and help "proof" the student's essay. That DOES NOT mean that anyone should write it for you, or dictate it to you while you copy it down word for word and say you wrote it.

It simply means that most students today are having some adult help proof itheir essay.

Having said that, I would believe that the admissions professional may find your essay refreshingly imperfect and forgive the the occasional spelling or grammar gaffe, if the essay is highly unique, insightful or humorous, or just demonstrates great writing and self perception,

DON'TS: Please DO NOT write on global, macro themes like solving the worlds problems, or the world's AIDS problem, or the country's hunger problem, etc etc, ad nauseum. Also DO NOT tell us about how great your Dad or Mom is.

Nearly any topic COULD produce a well-turned essay in the hands of highly skilled highly intelligent, highly experienced writer which most high-school students are NOT.

DO'S: So make it easier on yourself and more enjoyable for the poor professionals in the admissions departments across America who have to read this stuff. Write about the

one topic in the WORLD that you can write about better than anyone else--with MORE INSIGHT than anyone else. Write about You.

More later.....

Prepping: students can get tremendous results in practice or prepping for the SAT/ACT, prepping (or re-writing) the Essay, and yes prepping for the College Interview. Practice makes perfect. Obtain a list of typical interview questions and rehearse. As you practice your answers first in front of the mirror to check posture and body language, then move to rehearsing in front of live bodies (parents, college counselor), finally try a school.

I had my three children “practice” at a school we were NOT going to apply to, in order to get them real life experience. For the same reason, now I offer an interview prep service for my families

Colleges requiring an interview for admissions usually have officials from admissions conduct the interview. Schools which offer an interview,but do not require it, or offer it as "informational only" may have admissions officers or upper classmen conduct the interview.

Elite schools (Ivy League and others) often have members of their alumni group do the interviews to prospective candidates in their areas. Often, but NOT ALWAYS, these people are every bit as sharp as the admissions personnel and have been trained on what they are looking for.

There are some schools that do what is called an "evaluative interview". They count the interview --or rather the scoring and comment sheet which the interviewer used

toward their admissions decision.

Other schools do what is called "informational" interviews. These are more like question-and-answer sessions. And are not supposed to count toward the admissions decision. They include large doses of the students questions about the school.

I ususally advise my families to simply abstain from any interviews (you never "have to" interview) until we have coached them on the interview. This first coaching session is about an hour. Then we leave them with a set of questions to rehearse. They practice maybe 2-3 hours over the course of a week or so and then we get back and "mock" an actual interview which I then "grade" and provide feedback on.

This way they are ready for any interview--evaluative, informational, or in-between.

Don't forget, admissions people are human beings. Most people will "pull" for the kid who shows they know who they are and what they want. So at least in one sense you can make EVERY interview count.

Prepping: students can get tremendous results in practice or prepping for the SAT/ACT, prepping (or re-writing) the Essay, and yes prepping for the College Interview. Practice makes perfect. Obtain a list of typical interview questions and rehearse. As you practice your answers first in front of the mirror to check posture and body language, then move to rehearsing in front of live bodies (parents, college counselor), finally try a school.I had my three children “practice” at a school we were NOT going to apply to, in order to get them real life experience. For the same reason, now I offer an interview prep service for my families

A good interview is going to be like a good essay and relate the most important information the college is seeking: who are you and what do you bring to their college? One way to address the "Who Am I?" type of question--and believe me there are many variations on this question--Is to rehearse with a piece of notebook paper. Draw a line down the middle and on the left side, list all the things YOU HAVE DONE AND ENJOY DOING. On the right side list all the things YOU WANT TO DO, and HAVE YET TO DO. Practice going through several of these explaining what you like doing and WHY. Also what you are looking forward to doing at college and WHY. The college wants to know who you are. On one level we are what we do.

A good interview is going to be like a good essay and relate the most important information the college is seeking: who are you and what do you bring to their college?

One way to address the "Who Am I?" type of question--and believe me there are many

variations on this question--Is to rehearse with a piece of notebook paper. Draw a line down the middle and on the left side, list all the things YOU HAVE DONE AND ENJOY DOING. On the right side list all the things YOU WANT TO DO, and HAVE YET TO DO.

Practice going through several of these explaining what you like doing and WHY. also

what you are looking forward to doing at college and WHY.

On one level we are what we do. The college wants to know who that is.

Yes absolutely. Although an admissions person attempts to account for maturity level

during the admit process, your gestures/body language speaks as loudly as your words. They might "contradict" your verbal message. Or they may simply be a distraction.

I have my students practice answering questions in front of the mirror, before they are ready to rehearse with parents or me.

Advice: keep hands clasped in lap unless you "talk" with your hands. Especially keep hands away from ears, nose, face, hair, etc.

Well if you can stand on the admission counselors desk and sing like Kelly Clarkson, then you might impress them with your talent.

SERIOUSLY, I've never recommended a"theme-song" for any of my student. I guess if someone was serious about recommending that, what they are trying to get you to do is THINK about WHO you are and convey it in a sentence or two, thus "Think of a theme song that tells them who you are....."

Honestly, the best way to think of who you are is to draw a line down the middle of a page of notebook paper and on the left side list all the things you have done and enjoy doing.

On the right side list all the things you HAVE YET to Do and WANT to do. Practice talking about these two lists. (Remember people like to hear WHY YOU LIKE something

or would like to try something.

Remember, YOU ARE YOUR THEME and NOT the other way around.

I think Athletics can be one of the GREAT college hooks.

Afterall it's NOT a coincidence that somehow, a college gets the correct number of young men and women on each of its many athletic teams each and every year.

Look at little Davidson College for example. Roughly 1600 students; yet, they boast 19 Men's and Women's Div I sports and this does not include Club or Intramural sports!!

Davidson is an elite college and highly regarded by most consultants. It ranks as #11

this year on the U.S. News Rankings.(Nat'l Liberal Arts) My point is think how important athletics are. My guestimate is that over 1/2 of the student body are either Div I athletes or participates in some type of sports.

If you want a highly selective school, gpa and test scores aren't always enough. You need a resume. And high level athletics can be one of the strongest resume entries

you can boast.

First, MOST high school level athletes will NOT move up to the intercollegiate level and be awarded ATHLETIC MONEY. Most high school families just don't understand the prevailing myths which may end up hurting their student-athlete:

They think their student athlete will get a full-ride.

They think their student athlete is going to be "recruited".

They believe their student-athlete needs to play Div I, etc etc.

Most high school student-athletes just don't go on to the collegiate level and most who do don't get the athletic money everybody assumes is there. There are many reasons for this.

For this discussion, I would simply point out that MOST COACHES at MOST ATHLETIC PROGRAMS simply DO NOT have the budget to "SCOUT" or "RECRUIT"

prospects typically more than one or two hours drive away. If you have ever known college coaches, then you know that athletic budgets are one of the big constraints hurting your young high school athlete.

However, that provides YOU with the opportunity to take the scouting to them!! "If it's Going to Be, It's Up to Me" should be the student athlete slogan. A logical way to get recruited is to develop a MARKETING PLAN.

Another IMPORTANT perspective that high school families miss is the potential opportunity which Division III sports could play in your son's or daughter's future college career. More on this later.

Finally, there are other outlets for student athletics, if a student doesn't want "VARSITY"

level pressure or time commitment. Many colleges offer either "CLUB" level which is non-varsity competition with other institutions or "INTRAMURAL" which means literally

in-house "rec" level sports. Some schools offer both.

With Great difficulty. Seriously most parents just don't understand the prevailing myths

which may end up hurting their student-athlete:

They think their student athlete will get a full-ride.

They think their student athlete is going to be "recruited".

They believe their student-athlete needs to play Div I, etc etc.

Most high school student-athletes just don't go on to the collegiate level and most who do don't get the athletic money everybody assumes is there. There are many reasons for this.

For this discussion, I would simply point out that MOST COACHES at MOST ATHLETIC PROGRAMS simply DO NOT have the budget to "SCOUT" or "RECRUIT"

prospects typically more than an hours drive away. If you know coaches you know that athletic budgets are one of the big constraints hurting your young high school athlete.

However, that provides YOU with the opportunity to take the scouting to them!! "If it's Going to Be, It's Up to Me" should be the student athlete slogan. A logical way to get recruited is to develop a MARKETING PLAN.

Many parents are especially sensitive about their students EVEN SHOWING AN INTEREST in the Arts because they're often afraid the student will at best be virtually unemployable and at worst don a smock, cut off an ear and become a starving artist.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

If a family does some advanced planning, they will want to identify their young person's

dominant traits. There are several ways to accomplish this. I would point to the lifetime of work by Dr. John Holland (Making Vocational Choices, 1973, 1984). Holland created

the RIASEC Model or what we now call the Holland's Hexagon. Once assessed, we can identify a student's dominant trait(s) or typology(s), for example ARTISTIC.

My understanding of the ARTISTIC trait is that the student is Creative, and prefer to be Expressive. They like to be Innovative and Imaginative and typically do not like structure or conformity. Ironically, when I think or read about a person like Bill Gates as a young person, I think of someone who is creative and expressive. I think of someone who does not like structure or conformity. Mark Zuckerberg, the billionaire founder of FACEBOOK, was known for going around reciting lines from Homer's The Iliad.

Young people who have a dominant trait of ARTISTIC also have complimentary traits that may determine what majors they could consider in college as well as careers which

other people who have similar traits have succeeded at. For example people who have tested high with Holland Codes of ARTISTIC/SOCIAL might be a Foreign Language Teacher or a Communications Arts Professor. ARTISTIC/REALISTIC perhaps an Audio Engineer. ARTISTIC/ENTERPRISER might be a speech writer or website designer. ARTISTIC/INVESTIGATIVE a sports journalist or a news commentator, and so on and so forth.

In summary, if our society can take any solace or hope in mankind's future it has to lie with young men and women who are creative and innovative. Therefore, being ARTISTIC doesn't doom to failure a sixth of our population, it merely means we as custodians of our young people need to understand how they can contribute best to our society and economy. The best way we can help is to spend a lot of time with our young people in discussion, in helping them research, in exposing them to careers they have NOT seen on television, in providing career days and "shadowings" of various careers, and naturally a plethora of internships. But the first step is to help the student understand through one or more assessments WHO and WHAT they are.

A broad topic. One of the many points of impact is negative. That is where the admissions office or the college coaching staff combs through facebook, or other social sites looking for prospective candidates and their stunning online disclosures, exposures, and confessions.

Social media could be a glitzy high-tech way to promote yourself, but the average high school college-bound student has to realize that colleges view everything online as fair game.