Trim the College List

If your senior is headed to college and has a long list of favorite colleges, now is the time to trim the list to further solidify the path that will be taken after high school graduation.

Why Now Is the Right Time

Being organized helps with decision-making.
A focused career intent will help your student eliminate schools that don’t match the career path or potential college major. For example, a student planning to become an electrical apprentice can most likely eliminate four-year college options from the list.
Organized planning prompts earlier discussions.
Your student’s ability to enter the desired education or training program will depend on coursework planned for 12th grade, particularly if multiple four-year colleges are under consideration. With deadlines approaching and test retakes occurring, the earlier that decisions are made, the easier your student will find it to plot the most beneficial course.

What Your Student Can Do Now

Specify the most important features.
When it comes to selecting a college, many features are vying for your student’s attention. Is it in a favorable location? Is the faculty well-educated and considered experts in their respective fields? Does it have a robust study abroad program? How successful are its internship and placement rates? Will a campus organization offer extensive involvement? Does it have the degree or program that leads to successful employment? A successful return on a college investment requires more consideration than its highly ranked athletics programs or state-of-the-art recreation facility.
Refine the list of colleges.
If not already done, consider using an electronic method, such as an Excel spreadsheet, to rank the importance of each college’s features on your student’s list of favorites. As a result of your research and campus visits, you should be able to label columns listing each school’s attractive features and begin ranking them. Columns could have labels such as size, available facilities, weather, surrounding community and financial feasibility. Also important to include are descriptors to help with future processes, like the school’s federal school code for completing the FAFSA, as well as contact information for the admission counselor and other offices or individuals your student will be working with through the application and admission process.

What Your Student Can Do Later

Look into scholarship opportunities.
If your student is likely to apply to a particular program, it’s not too early to investigate the availability of and qualifications for scholarships. Knowing the eligibility requirements early will give your student the opportunity to increase required grades or test scores or to take particular classes in high school.
Consider earning college credit.
A 2022 report from the Iowa Department of Education reported that 97.1% of high school students participated in joint enrollment courses delivered through a contractual agreement with a community college. Many of them earned associate degrees or certificates simultaneously with their high school diploma, and of the courses taken, 35% were classified as Career and Technical Education. Your student can work with the school counselor on dual enrollment, Advanced Placement and other opportunities to earn college credit now that will transfer easily to those schools he or she is most interested in applying to. Earning the credit now may allow your student to progress more quickly to college graduation later, saving on the overall cost of attendance.

What You Can Do

Create a joint email account.
A new email account that both you and your student have access to can help streamline the college planning process. Your student can provide this email to colleges and programs and on standardized tests and other documents to ensure that all information comes to a single place. Together, you can sign up for ICAN’s Tip of the Week and other subscription information to come to that email as well. Remind your student to check it often, and check it yourself so you can remind your student of to-do items and updates.
Guide without judgment.
You likely know your student better than anyone else. You can provide an objective idea of whether your student is likely to feel comfortable too close or too far from home, enjoy particular facilities or programs, or become frustrated by crowded classes and registration difficulties.
Be honest about finances.
If a particular institution starts to surge to the top of the list but seems like it may be unaffordable for your family, discuss options with your student. Encourage exploration of similar, but less-expensive, programs and campuses and discuss possible ways to make up the cost difference without going too deeply into debt.

Next Steps

Be sure to complete the survey questions at the end of this article to be entered into the 529 deposit giveaway!