If you are disorganized during the college search, it will likely be an unpleasant experience for you and your family. Here are a few suggestions for optimizing your organizational skills and maintaining sanity during your application process:
• When you begin receiving mail (likely after taking the PLAN and PSAT), begin TWO...two piles, two boxes, two bags, or two bins. One for schools that interest you and one for schools that do not. Early on in the college search, sort through the materials at least once a month. You may see schools shift from one pile to the other.
• Grab a spiral notebook. Keep track of all involvement and awards. Include all of your community service projects, babysitting jobs and employment, leadership roles, and athletic endeavors. This will help later when you create your student resume listing all of your activities and accomplishments.
• As you get serious with your search, continue to sort through the incoming college materials. Once you have an established list of schools that interest you, recycle the other mail.
• For the schools to which you will apply for admission, create a specific organization system, whether a crate with hanging folders or a binder with dividers for each school. Any time you get mail from that school, include it in the correct location. Copies of your application for admission, as well as any communication you have with the school via email is also helpful to include.
• Create a master calendar for all admission, scholarship, and financial aid deadlines.
• Once you have applied for admission to a campus, it is imperative that you read the mail from that school when it arrives, whether by postal mail, email, or text. It is not enough to simply file it properly.
Maintaining an organization system throughout the college search will help ensure a less chaotic approach, better communication at home, and no missed opportunities.
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