Applying to College: Top Tips for Parents

First Semester

• Your student should stay in touch with their high school counselor and college admission counselor to keep plans on track.
• Sign your student up for the ACT or SAT to improve on previous scores, if needed. 
• Remind your student to request personal references from teachers or other mentors at least two weeks before college application deadlines. 
• Schedule campus visits at top college choices. 
• Help your student apply to colleges, aiming for four or five schools: one "dream" or "reach" college, three realistic options and one "safe" school. 
• Request that high school transcripts and test scores be sent to schools.
• To seek need-based aid, fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Get more information on college financial aid and apply for scholarships.
• Remind your student to send thank you notes to your counselor and people who wrote recommendations.

Second Semester 

• Help your student keep grades up; second-semester grades can affect scholarship eligibility.
• Ask your counselor to send first semester transcripts to colleges and universities where your student applied. 
• Finish the FAFSA. You can expect to receive your Student Aid Report about four weeks after the FAFSA is filed.
• Deposit. Your student can reserve a spot at more than one college or university if they still aren't sure where they'll be going.
• Compare financial aid packages and make a final decision.
• Have your student register for student orientation at their new university and politely notify other colleges that they won't attend.

• Grades: This is the year that college will look at most closely, so help your student focus on maintaining or improving grades.
• Recommendations: Toward the end of the school year, your student should ask favorite teachers, coaches or mentors if they will write recommendation letters as part of the college application packets. 
• Testing: Students typically take the PSAT in the fall. These scores can qualify students for the National Merit Scholarship program, which can earn them money for college, and they are good test practice. Register your student for ACT, SAT any AP tests they want to take. 
• Focus your college search. Keep files on colleges that interest you, what majors they offer, financial aid options and what you like about each campus.
• Request information from colleges of interest. Keep your eyes open for college fairs, and plan campus visits to talk with current students.
• Decide how to pay for college. Talk about your family's financial resources, and gather information about scholarships, grants and student loans. High-school-sponsored financial aid nights and college financial aid counselors are good sources of information. Some scholarship deadlines are early, so get ready to submit applications.
• Help your student stay involved with extracurricular interests, such as volunteering in the community and joining clubs or sports teams at school.

• Get ready to apply. Keep a file with all the materials your student might need for future college applications: school transcripts, a list of school and community activities, awards and honors, paid and volunteer work experience, and a list of adults who know them well and might write recommendation letters.
• Encourage your student to stop by the guidance office and set up a time to meet to review classes to make sure their high school course load meets college admission requirements.
• Stay involved. Hobbies, sports and service clubs are all important but make sure your student isn't spread too thin. 
• Look into testing. Some colleges require ACT or SAT scores as part of their application process. Your student can start getting ready for the SAT or ACT during sophomore year by taking the ACT PLAN or PSAT.
• Start the college search. Read as much as you can about different schools. Use online college finders, search top-college lists and check your library for college guidebooks. Make two lists — one of schools of interest and the other with attributes that are most important to your student in a college or university.
• Use the summer. Your student could get a job and earn some cash, volunteer with a cause they care about, perform in a theater production or take an interesting class. If you do some traveling, try to visit colleges and universities.
• Look for scholarships. PSAT scores might qualify students for a scholarship, so consider a test-prep course. Guidance counselors can suggest other scholarships that might fit your needs, and free online search sites can help find even more financial aid for college. 

Freshman Year

• Prepare for college. Map out what classes you want to take in high school, being sure to cover the basic preparatory courses that most colleges require: three years of general electives, four years of English, four years of math, three years of foreign language, three years of natural science and three years of history/social studies.
• Aim high. Grades are important, but colleges also respect the challenge posed by honors, advanced-placement and college-level classes. Encourage your student to seek an extra challenge in subjects they love.
• Find passions: Preparing for college isn't just about hitting the books. Students should explore a hobby, try a sport, join an academic club, volunteer for a worthy cause or learn an instrument. 

8th Grade

• Encourage your student to tell the world, "I'm going to college!"
• Keep (or start) saving for college.
• Help your student find mentors who believe in them.
• Make sure the high school they plan to attend is state-accredited and offers a formal college-prep curriculum.
• Help your student volunteer in your community.
• Empower your student to read! The more diverse the material, the more new ideas and vocabulary words they'll encounter.