I teach in a college prep high school, so I’m probably more in tune to things with my oldest than some of my friends are. LIttle things, like the fact that a Common App exists, and things like deadlines. In addition, my sister’s oldest just finished her freshman year at college, so I have her experience to look at.
My son, on the other hand, really wants to go away to school. He knows what he wants to major in. And he’s a happy-go-lucky kid-- the kind who will absolutely bloom where he’s planted.
But he HATES shopping. And coming up with, and narrowing down the list is shopping.
So I’m doing the ground work. I’ve come up with a list of schools that meet his basic requirements in terms of grades, major, price, and distance. We started seeing schools last fall, and after a brutal winter have seen 4. (He got a stomach bug that forced us to skip a 5th.) I take notes, but have been warned not to ask questions. (OK, that makes it a little trickier, but the majority of the big questions are either answered on the website, during the presentation, or someone else asks them.) After each visit, we have a chat in the car, and when we get home I write down everything I have about that visit.
He’s loved 3 of the 4 schools we’ve looked out. But one of his reactions was that he liked a school, but wouldn’t want anything larger…OK, great, that narrowed down our list a bit.
Next week, when my one week of summer school is over, I want to get to a few more schools. I’ll have to schedule around his work schedule, which still varies each week, but that’s OK-- all the schools are within a few hours of here.
The other night at dinner, we were discussing the Common App prompts, and someone came up with a good example for him to use. OK, great-- now he’ll spend some time this summer writing the essay.
But I do think it’s very fortunate that I have access to a great College Placement office at school, and to friends there who are free with advice. I’ve bounced ideas off them, and they’ve come up with some great ideas for us to consider.
I don’t envy kids who are on their own for this process.