Eclipsed by the College Admissions Process?
Currently, high school educators and guidance counselors find themselves overworked, overtired, understaffed, and underfunded. Secondary teachers meet with 150+ students per day and guidance counselors work at an all-time high national average of 491 student to each counselor; in California it's a staggering 941 students to each counselor. Imagine trying to get for individualized advice when your guidance counselor has over four hundred students to divide his or her time among. Stuck in the muck is the most important audience - students who fear that the educational process is breaking and that they are left to fend for themselves.
From high stakes testing, to financial planning, to an increasingly competitive global job market, there is incredible pressure and challenges for students to navigate on their pathway to college. In addition, there is an abundance of pressure to be “unique” and to standout amidst their peers.
No one wants to have their chance to reach their goals eclipsed by the daunting admissions process or by the overwhelming amount of baggage that comes along with it. So how are students expected to skillfully maneuver through the process?
Keep a Well-Maintained Planner
Organization is key when inundated with important deadlines, dates, events, and obligations to take care of. Update your planner frequently. Catalog your application deadlines, plan when you will apply for FAFSA, set scholarship goals and application deadlines, make note of test registration deadlines and test dates, log senior events, Setting up your timeline well in advance will create a go-to resource for students who are intending to juggle numerous obligations with less stress.
Build Relationships
Sometimes students need to look no further than the leaders who surround them, such as teachers, administrators, coaches, neighbors, clergy, youth group leaders, etc. What were their experiences? How can they network with you? Would they be willing to write a strong letter of recommendation? Do they have the skills to edit your admissions essay? Begin conversations, listen, and generate a reliable supporter who can support you.
Set Clear Goals
When students strategically create purpose for themselves, they begin to work smarter, not harder. Having a clear objective, with a timeline will help students drive toward success. The key is to write down goals and review them daily; push yourself to accomplish them.
Be Persistent
Apply zealously for scholarships. When frustration strikes, ask a wealth of questions and do not stop until you feel comfortable moving forward. If standardized testing does not show favorable results, be tenacious about your studies and improving your grades.
Locate Resources
Tools are critical when it comes to the college admissions process, and they come in many forms. Computers, scholarship manuals, college fairs, college counselors, college admissions representatives from your chosen institutions, College Board, Khan Academy, local scholarship offers, etc. are all tools that need to be used and used well.
Adapt a Mindset of Resiliency
Rejection is a part of the process for both college and scholarship applications. When students recover quickly from tough circumstances and forge on, they learn how to adapt and subsequently grow. Ultimately this opens students up to circumstances in which they will work harder for success in an effort to avoid further disappointment.
If students are to shed light on the college admissions process and avoid an eclipse, they cannot do it alone or on a whim. Support and intentional decision making are essential to success.
If you’re looking for support, we're ready to encourage you and to guide you through the process. CBCR is well researched, student-centered, and ready to shed light on the admissions process, in order to lead students toward their maximum success with confidence.
Contact College Bound, Career Ready, LLC for an initial consultation by emailing collegeboundcareerready@gmail.com or by utilizing the Contact Us page on our website at http://www.collegeboundcareerready.com.
