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College Research: making your college list
My daughter graduated from BHS in the spring of 2005. I learned a lesson then that I would like to share with you now -- knowledge is power. Like most parents and students I was anxious about the application process precisely because I didn't know very much about†it and what I did know was second hand rumor and conjecture.
So instead of staying up nights I went to a bookstore and spent about $100 on books. Some of these only encouraged more neurosis (oh my god, my child is not perfect enough!) but one book in particular really helped me gain perspective on the process, and I would like to recommend it to other parents. This book was written by Marty Nemko, and you can purchase a used first printing "You're Going to Love this College Guide" from Amazon for just a few bucks. This first version was published in 1999, however, and is a little out of date. The book was recently reprinted (2004) under a different name "The All-in-One College
Guide".
The great thing about this little book is that it helps you narrow down your list of possible college choices -- using for example selectivity, region, location, size, and cost to identify the small, Northwest, urban college that is ideal for your student.† THEN you can†do more† in depth research on your list of ten to fifteen possibilities, using the Fiske Guide to Colleges for the hard cold facts -- over 3000 colleges are featured in this exhaustive tome. My daughter and I found that the Fiske Guide didn't really give you a dimensional picture of campus life, so we tried to flesh out facts with "The Insider's Guide to the Colleges", published by the Yale Daily News, and the "Student's Guide to Colleges".
If your student is anything like mine, he or she doesn't really know what they want to do in college or in life. Check out the "Occupational Outlook Handbook: 2006-2007" for some career ideas . . . and then use "The College Board Book of Majors" to read more about these majors. A valuable feature of this book is a listing of all colleges that offer each major.
If your student isn't sure what he or she wants to study, or where . . . consider some interesting alternatives. The following books will help you get a sense of the full range of college choices available:
"Cool Colleges: For the Hyper-Intelligent, Self Directed, Late Blooming, and Just Plain Different"
"Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools You Should Know About Even if You're Not a Straight-A Student"
"Looking Beyond the Ivy League: Finding a College That's Right for You"
And for those of you that have your hearts set on the Ivy League experience, I recommend:
"Admissions Confidential", by Rachel Toor
"A is for Admission", by Michele Hernandez
"What It Really Takes to Get Into the Ivy League", by Chuck Hughes
Last, but certainly not least, try to be realistic with your student about what your family can reasonably afford to pay for college. In my opinion most financial aid offices do not make an adequate allowance for the high cost of living in the Bay Area. I have also heard that it is a good idea to use a bank appraisal of your family home rather than current market value -- which can vary widely and in this region is hardly a reliable indicator of family income.† I found a website that was extremely valuable to me because it helped me project how much -- if any -- financial aid my student might be awarded. The site is called FinAid and the address is http://www.FinAid.org.
Here in California we are blessed with an excellent public junior college, college, and university system. There is a place for every student right here in our state! I highly recommend visiting our local college offerings, UC Berkeley, Sonoma State, Diablo Valley College, or St. Mary's College in Orinda, for example, to get a sense of what kind of environment your student responds to. If your student absolutely, positively wants to go to school out of state, check out schools in Canada -- many of them are highly regarded and the cost is a fraction of the cost for out-of state or private schools here in the US.
On a final note, our very own College & Career Center is a wonderful resource, not only for books but also for website links, etc. Check out the College & Career page on the BHS website, http://www.bhs.berkeley.k12.ca.us. I also found a cool website that will link you immediately and directly to college websites everywhere -- http://www.clas.ufl.edu/au/and another neat site that has virtual tours of colleges (almost as good as going there . . .) http://www.campustours.com.
I hope this information has been helpful . . . and I hope that my message will encourage other parents and students to†have a†more informed and "powerful" college application experience.
Jessie Seaton
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