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1) SORT THE MAIL As It Comes
In the Door!
Say, for example, you
hate math and you get a brochure for an engineering school, throw it out
immediately. Tame the Paper Monster now while he is still small. If you’re not
sure, don’t throw away the rest of it yet. Just put it somewhere in a box or
two. If you aren’t at a decision point yet, then sort by regions and states. |
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2) COLLEGE MATERIALS
HANGING FILE FOLDERSGet several large boxes (cardboard or plastic boxes with the sliding drawers work well), a
lot of regular file folders and the hanging file folders from your kit.
Mark the hanging file folders with geographical regions or whatever large
sorting criteria makes sense to you. Your aim here is to somehow get a handle on
the amount of paper. Following the example of geography, then mark the regular
file folders with the states’ names. Place them within the appropriate region
as an example, "California" within the "West Region" hanging
file folder. As the materials come in the door, put them in the
appropriate file folder.
So when does this start? For some teens, it’s as early as 8th
and 9th grade, if they were participants in their regional academic
talent searches or were a state or regionally recognized athlete or musician.
Now, not tomorrow, is the best time to start your student resume. Click here for
information on why you need a student resume and a Resume
Worksheet.
But for the rest of you (which is most of you), the avalanche of paper starts
after they have taken their first college admissions test: PSAT, PLAN, ACT or
SAT.
Fast forward and it’s now your junior year in high school. It’s time to
bring the hundreds of colleges down to some manageable number.
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3) TRIMMING DOWN
During Junior Year
Get out the top college search parameters you worked on earlier. If it’s
been awhile since you’ve worked on them, re-evaluate and make sure that they
are still valid. For example, if geography isn’t a criterion for you, then go
through each state and pull the colleges that meet your top criteria – such as
what you think your major or area of interest might be. But if geography is one
of your sorting mechanisms, then pull the states that fit the criteria. Put the
"active" states/schools into a separate box(es). [Again, don’t throw
away the schools that don’t fit into your scheme – not yet. Just put them in
boxes by themselves. You never know what could spark your interest in the next
year.Think you’re done? No way. You may have narrowed it down to a few dozen
schools but the fun hasn’t even begun yet. You’ll need to try and narrow the
vast amount of colleges down to ten or 12. How do you narrow all the schools
down to just ten to 12? Based on the criteria you feel is most important to you
– for example: tuition, availability of scholarships, area of study (major),
urban or rural, and student population – sort through the file folders.
Another way to pare down number of colleges and universities,
by breaking them down into the three groups:
(1) "reach" college – a
school you really want to go to buy may have a hard time getting into
(2)
reasonably attainable colleges and
(3) sure-shot colleges (those you know you’ll
get into.)
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4)
CONSOLIDATE
Move the materials and file folders for your top ten to 15
choices into a different box from the rest. Put each school in its own file
folder. On the front of the file folder, write the name of the college rep, the
phone numbers, etc. This will make it easier to make phone calls and arrange
college visits. Put this active box somewhere it easily can be found. [Again,
don’t throw the other stuff away yet. Just add the box(es) to the stack!]Worried about narrowing your list of colleges down? Don’t! With all your
brainstorming, the information on your College Call
Checklists from of the College Countdown: The Parent’s and
Student’s Survival Kit for the College Admissions Process, your
conversations with college admissions reps, it will happen automatically.
Arrange to visit the campuses of some of your top picks sometime during second
semester or summer. As you visit each school, take the College Call Checklist.
Take notes as you go. If you wait until you get home, you’re bound to forget.
The colleges will all start running together in your mind after awhile,
especially if you visit more than one college per visit.
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 Get Organized!
TAMING THE PAPER MONSTER
SURVIVAL KIT-IN-A-BOX
"Traditionally the most daunting and frustrating activity
a student and family sets out to accomplish is the college search. Anything that
can minimize this anxious time is appreciated."
-Robert E. N., Chairperson
Pupil Personnel Services,
High School
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IN ONLY
9 EASY
STEPS |
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5) The Final 6 HEAVY BLUE FILE FOLDERS
For the final six: Use the blue heavy duty file folders
from your kit for the admission application and the application
supporting documentation and application checklist for each school. Write all
names and phone numbers on the blue file
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6) SCHOLARSHIPS |
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YELLOW FILE FOLDERS
Use the yellow file folders from your kit for
any separate scholarship applications and scholarship supporting documentation
for the school. Slip this yellow scholarship folder inside the blue college
application folder. Label the tabs so you can easily tell which school the
folders belong to if they become separated.
Use the expanding folder for each university and keep the
application and scholarship folders PLUS all documentation for that school in
that expanding file.
Keep all of these active files in a box separate from the
remaining other colleges.
If you are applying for independent scholarships, start a new
expanding file folder for independent scholarships. File this large file
folder in the box with your final schools’ folders. File each independent
scholarship application, Checklist and supporting documentation should be in its
yellow own file folder which will be placed in the expanding file folder
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What Paper?
What Volume?
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· The top of the ping-pong table a foot deep!
· Your closet stuffed with view books and catalogs!
· Underneath your bed, good thing you’re the
one supposed
to vacuum under there!
· Lawn & leaf bags – 50 pounds each!
· The dining room table is covered and you can’t use it for two years!
· The mail delivery person has to rubber band stuff
to the outside of
your mailbox because the inside is also stuffed with college stuff
for
you!
· The college material for you outweighs the junk mail!
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7) Timing
Fill out as many applications out as possible during the
summer to relieve the stress during the fall semester. Remember some deadlines
for scholarships (both school-based and independent) are in early fall
(September/October).For the applications that are not available during the
summer, look through your accumulated documentation for prior years’
applications from your final six. Or check with your guidance counseling office
for old applications. Essays may or may not change from year-to-year, but they
often will be similar. Spend the summer accumulating data and practicing the
essays.
Get your resume in great shape, because every application,
scholarship application, and special recognition program will want a copy (to
their own specifications, of course). Click here for information on
Student
Resumes.
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8)
Down, Paper Monster
Down!
This is not the time to lose anything. You have to keep your
college files in check. Each time you speak with an admissions rep, make a note
of it and put it in the file for that school.
You must be neurotic about these files, keeping them updated,
maintained, etc. – especially if there is a dispute over a deadline and
missing information. Use the Application/Scholarship
Checklist from the College Countdown: The Parent’s and Teen’s
Survival Kit for the College Application Process to help you keep each
application under control.
Make copies of absolutely everything. You never know when you’ll
need them to replace ones that were lost, or substantiate check numbers or
dates. Yes, this will mean a lot of paper, but it will be worth it if something
is questioned.
Triple-check (yes, triple check) each application package
before you take it to your high school for any counseling recommendations and/or
high school transcript. And then have someone else read it.
Make sure that your copy of the application package is
assembled in exactly the same order, etc. that the original is in. Paperclip the
pieces of the package to keep it separate from the other supporting
documentation in the file. Then re-file your copy in the appropriate application
folder.
As a follow-up procedure (and to provide backup), attach a
stamped self-addressed post card with any application, form, etc. that is being
mailed outside of your control (a.k.a. at your high school). Samples of these
postcards are in the College Countdown: A Parent’s and Teen’s Survival
Kit for the College Application Process.
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9) THE FINAL
COUNTDOWN!
As you receive feedback and information from colleges, etc.,
make sure you make the appropriate notations on the Application &
Scholarship Checklists.
After you make your final decision; make sure you send back
your acceptance letter by the deadline. Usually that is May 1st, but
some colleges have other deadlines. Admissions and housing deposits are usually
required at this time. Make the notations on your Application Checklist.
Send letters declining admissions and scholarship offers to
the other schools. Make sure you say "thanks."
Make sure you send all the acceptance paperwork necessary for
your scholarships, etc. by the response deadlines. This is for both school-based
scholarships and independent scholarships.
After all is said and done, unearth the lamp table of boxes
of college materials. Donate the View Books and catalogues to your school or
some lucky junior. Have fun with the rest.
For the school you accepted, move those files to an active
place in your home. You and your parents will be adding to these files for the
next several years.
For the other schools to which you were accepted, but
declined, pack the files in a box, seal it, label it, and put it away where it
can be found easily – just in case you change your mind along the way.
Once you are in college, the Paper Monster doesn’t stop.
Make sure you keep your paperwork current on loans and scholarships. Send
paperwork home that needs to be kept for the duration (and not lost).
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