College admissions is competitive,

I encourage students and families to visit college campuses when classes are in session rather than during breaks. Often, the high school calendar leaves students with days off when colleges are generally in session. Because it is difficult for students to overcome bad first impressions, it is important for them to experience a campus that is in full swing. I also encourage students to attend one or two classes by making arrangements in advance. Some colleges publish a list of courses that are open to prospective students. Visits during Preview Day or Open House can also be worthwhile, as the college puts its best foot forward to introduce visitors to a wide variety of features that are unique to life on that particular campus. Take advantage of opportunities to visit departments, speak with professors and engage in conversations in the dining commons or student union. If you cannot imagine life without a morning workout in the gym, be sure to check out the facilities while on your visit. If the gym is only open to varsity athletes during your favorite work-out time or if the equipment appears archaic or inadequate to you, think about how you would overcome these challenges as a student on that campus.

As you create your list of Reach, Good Chance and Almost Assured Admission colleges, it is important to visit those in the latter group. It may be a mistake to visit every reach school on your list; visit colleges that appear to be within your reach, apply broadly, then visit those reaches to which you are actually admitted. Try to lock down a couple of almost assured colleges so that you will not be surprised or disappointed if they turn our to be your only real choices. Falling in love with dream schools can be difficult to overcome if you are not offered admission.

Size generally refers to enrollment, but students also should make themselves aware of average class size, percentage of lecture classes with more than 100 students, student/faculty ratio and physical space...is this a compact or spread-out campus?

Too often, students fail to answer the essay prompt. Rather than breaking down the question and outlining their thoughts so as to ensure that the answer is responsive, thorough and clear, they begin writing without adequate preparation and submit essays that are jumbled, grammatically incorrect, muddled and non-responsive...big mistake!

Students may inadvertently omit portions of the required documents or responses because they have not created a plan or system for a completely submitting the application. Outlines and checklists can help you avoid incomplete applications.

Although it is acceptable to re-use themes and ideas in submitting essays to different colleges, it is imperative that your responses make sense to the particular application at hand. Please do not submit your answer to LMU's supplement directly to U Washington without fact-checking and editing for appropriateness. If you want to major in Accountancy and the college you are applying to offers general Business Administration, you will not make a good impression if you cannot show the admission committee how their BusAd major relates specifically to your narrower interests and goals.

Consider spell-checking with the help of a dictionary rather than relying on an automatic computer spell check program. Context may not be clear to the computer but using your brain may lead you to your errors that can be corrected before you submit your work.

If you avoid reading the Mission Statement on the college website or in the view book, you miss an opportunity to discover the college's goals and objectives. Are they in line with your goals and objectives? Do you see a fit or are you not particularly interested in becoming the kind of person that will make University X proud? Avoiding the clues can lead to costly mistakes.

Although we must reach for what we want in life, applying to a slew of colleges that are outside of our reach leaves the impression that you do not know your own strengths and weaknesses, that you are fishing rather than making purposeful, carefully considered decisions or that you are not taking the process seriously. Develop a list of colleges that makes sense!

Attending college in-state may keep you inside your comfort zone. If you are familiar with location and culture, you may find the transition to college less stressful than it might be if you are a stranger in a strange land. However, part of the college experience includes learning how to adjust to new situations. If you attend out of state, you are more likely to encounter students whose geographic and background diversity challenge what you know and push you to consider perspectives that are new to you. Broadening your experience, by attending college out of state, may help you build a solid foundation for later years when you are called upon to work in unfamiliar territory. There are, of course, benefits to going to a college closer to or further away from home. It may be easier for family and old friends to see and accept the new you when you return after having been away for a while than it is for them to recognize your subtle growth when they see you more regularly. Many students find that their skills in independent living and problem-solving are increased when they attend colleges away from home; laundry notwithstanding, as you make daily decisions on your own without the benefit of familiarity, you may find yourself rapidly growing in confidence and self-esteem.

Admissions officers look for students who are engaged, curious, honest, eager to learn and willing to contribute to the vibrancy of the campus. Most colleges hope to attract a diverse pool of students whose unique and individual perspectives and experiences will enhance learning opportunities for all. Whether strong in athletics, the arts or science or gifted in special talent or kindness of spirit, students who can express their intellectual curiosity and an excitement for what lies ahead are generally well sought after. Although most admissions folks are forgiving of the bumps in the road that students experience growing up, they do become cautious when they suspect patterns of bad behavior that may be detrimental to the common good. I always advise my more impetuous students to reflect on ways to continue to embrace their notions of freedom of expression while considering the plight of a committee charged with creating a freshmen class that is welcoming and glad to be there.

Parents should begin saving for college on or before the day the kid is born! It is never to early to begin saving.

Work Study is a federal program that pays students to work on campus. It is attractive to the college because it is funded by government rather than campus money; students like it because it generally pays better than most minimum wage jobs and work locations are on campus rather than far away. Work Study is an opportunity for students to earn and manage money while learning.

FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. By completing the FAFSA and submitting the Student Aid Report (SAR) to the colleges, students are evaluated for need-based financial aid. The all-important Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is noted on the SAR.

A college's Cost of Attendance (COA) minus the EFC equals the students demonstrated need and becomes the basis for financial aid awards.

Family income and assets must be reported on the FAFSA. Although the components are assessed at different rates, it is imperative that students and parents answer questions truthfully and thoroughly.

No cost and courteous help is available from the Student Aid Commission by calling 800-4-FEDAID and detailed completion instructions are on the website FAFSA.ed.gov

Although many colleges are joining the ranks of Test Optional (allowing students to submit material and information in lieu of test scores), most colleges and universities that you will consider still require standardized test scores. For many, these scores are second to grade point average in selection factors, but for some (particularly the private colleges), a more holistic evaluation will weigh the test scores in context with the rigor of your high school courses, the strength of your academic performance, the depth and focus of your involvement in non-academic activities and the character you have developed over the high school years. It would be a mistake to think that test scores do not matter, so prepare well, do your best and find a college that will appreciate you for who you are and what your experience has been.

In some instances, your excellence in sports might help you get into a college to which you might not otherwise have access. A word of caution, however: if you decide not to continue with your sport (change of interest, injury, or other reason) will you still be at the right college?

If you play a varsity sport in high school, you already know the time commitment it takes. Understand that this commitment will be just as intense, if not more so, in college. Your time management skills will be put to the utmost test as a college athlete! Consider DI, DII and DIII colleges, understanding that even though only DI and DII offer athletic scholarships, DIII colleges are eager to attract strong players and might offer merit or other financial incentive if you were to choose them.

On most college websites, at the athletic page, there is a recruitment form that a prospective athlete can fill out. These notify the college of your interest and make it easy for the athletic department to consider and contact you. On the Common App, there is an Athletic Supplement. By completing and submitting this form, colleges to which you are applying can identify you as a potential Varsity athlete. Of course, high school and club coaches have long taken an interest in their best athletes and will often offer to put in a good word to their college contacts. You must also visit the NCAA website and register with their Clearinghouse in order to play an NCAA sport in college. Other ways of being recruited include specialty camps, but some are prohibitively expensive and are not necessary to ensure that you are seen by college coaches.

Identify those colleges strong in the arts by using one or more of the guides. I like The Fiske Guide by Edward Fiske and The College Finder by Steven Antonoff. Once you have created a list of colleges with strong arts programs, review the department pages of the websites. Add your name to prospective student mailing lists, use the contact information to ask questions or seek further information. Don't forget to thoroughly review the curriculum so that you can understand the scope of the major.

Conservatory aims to prepare students for professional performance careers. In a college program, students study a broad range of liberal arts to develop skills that can lead to teaching and other fields.

Colleges with strong Dance programs include Chapman, CA, U Arizona, Cal State Long Beach, UC Irvine, UCLA, NYU, Sarah Lawrence and Southern Methodist. When reviewing Dance departments, read about faculty background, experience and areas of interest and review the specific curriculum of the programs you are considering.

You can seek and create opportunities in teaching, coaching, arts administration, directing and writing. Your streak of talent might lend itself nicely to a career in marketing, advertising or visual design. You might also find yourself at home in front of groups, so look working in organizational behavior, corporate training and industrial education might also be interesting to you.

Colleges reserve the right to withdraw an offer of admission. Students should choose a senior year course load that is similar to if not more rigorous than the sophomore and junior year programs. Avoid "senioritis" by maintaining a high work ethic, a seriousness of purpose and a commitment to excellence. Make level-headed decisions during the robust days of senior activities and celebrations...now is not the time to be arrested, expelled or otherwise subjected to chaos or mayhem!

Retention rate refers to the percentage of students who return to the college the following academic year. For example, if the Freshman retention rate is 80%, we know that 20% of the class does not return for Sophomore year. Sometimes, the retention rate is situational. When I see a significant drop in the rate from one year to the next, I want to know what has changed about the campus. Is major construction or infra-structure repair or expansion creating a noisy or distracting environment? Likewise, when rates rise I am curious about changes and improvements the school has made in specific areas. I look at areas of housing, athletics, town/gown relations, student volunteer involvement, new programs or majors, enhanced or reduced financial aid and scholarship opportunities and changing faculty. Prospective students may decide to avoid colleges that fail to retain a significant percent of the freshman class.

Colleges do not keep parents apprised of their student's academic progress.

Colleges are interested in the student voice. When parents are too involved in the process, they run the risk of obscuring the student's perspective with their own, which may hinder the admission officer's ability to draw an accurate picture of the applicant.

Over-involvement can prevent a child from taking ownership of his or her process, limiting the opportunity to stand on one's own feet. When children are allowed to think through the process and proceed with a background of support, they tend to learn about themselves and gain a sense of accomplishment. The more independently students tackle their apps and essays, the better prepared they are to discuss themselves in an interview situation. It is difficult for any of us to defend or expand on the thoughts of others and anxious teens are certainly no exception. Limited parental involvement prepares students for life after high school and gives them the confidence to face new challenges.

Become familiar with the language of financial aid. These websites will help you understand the significance of COA, EFC and SAR and help you develop a time line for submitting forms. After reviewing the web pages, do not hesitate to speak with Financial Aid Officers at the colleges that most interest your child.

Of course it is never too early to save for college so talk to a financial planner about 529 Plans and other savings vehicles. In addition to savings, there are parent and student loan opportunities that will help pay for college. Begin scholarship searches as early as 9th grade. Most high schools maintain binders or bulletin boards that highlight local, regional and national scholarship opportunities. Consider registering at Fastweb or other free scholarship search site, check your affiliates (employer, church, fraternal organization, union, etc.) for scholarships, read Paying for College by Greene and Greene and have your student take a look at Ben Kaplan's Scholarship Scouting Guide.

Re-evaluate your choices. Given responses from other colleges, should this deferred or wait-listed college remain on your list? If not, reply to the college with a brief note of thanks, declining the offer. If you do want to keep the college on your list, reply with a brief statement describing why this college is your top choice (or among your top choices). Give any new (new, not rehashed!) information that is important since the filing of your application and thank the review committee for their continued consideration.

It is important to identify the college or university you want to transfer to and then review the transfer requirements. For example, you will need to know the minimum and maximum number of college credits you can earn before transfer; you may need to complete all or some of your general education or core requirements and you may need to have completed lower division courses for the intended major. A careful review of the prospective college's guidelines on transfer is essential to making a smooth transition. As always, heed deadlines and application process!

A minimum of three colleges, one each in the Reach School, Good Chance for Admission and Almost Assured Admission categories, can be expanded to six to nine, focusing on a distribution amongst the levels of admission difficulty. I have had students apply to 25 colleges but, generally, so many applications may be reflective of not enough time spent in research to create the best, most satisfying list.

Early Decision certainly makes it easier for students to make travel plans. Visas and other documents, inoculations, etc. can be obtained well in advance of deadlines when students know in December which college they will attend the following Fall.

Either is accepted by all colleges. The IELTS is based on British English and is used by British and Australian universities. The TOEFL uses American English. They are structured differently in the areas of reading, writing, listening and speaking. Review each at their respective websites to determine which is better for you.

You may take the TOEFL as many times as you like, heeding the minimum number of days required between tests. Fee reduction vouchers (one-half the regular fee) are available to US high school seniors with financial need. Guidelines, procedures and eligibility are outlined at the TOEFL website.

If you have a documented learning disability (504 Plan, IEP, etc.) you may request accommodation. Contact CollegeBoard through their website.

Not all services offered at the colleges are the same. For a decent comprehensive guide, check out the K&W Guide to Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities. You might want to familiarize yourself with the excellent programs offered by Landmark College in Putney, VT, including their 2-year undergraduate program, their transitional program for high school students and their visiting college students semester program. Other colleges, including U Arizona,

U Denver, Curry MA and Muskingam OH offer specialized programs to support learning differences. It is imperative that you are proactive and self-advocating in seeking help both in admissions and while a student on the campus.

The K&W Guide to Colleges and Universities by Princeton Review is an industry standard. I also like "Learning Outside the Lines by Mooney and Cole. For Autism and Asberger Syndrome, Ann Palmer's work is insightful.

The web can also help students identify ways to approach colleges with their requests for specific types of support. For example, http://celiacsatcollege.com/ addresses issues of living on campus with Ciliac and Yahoo! offers a blog for students with Chron's.