Originally published on 8 January 2015 in the Pasadena Indpendent, Arcadia Weekly, Monrovia Weekly, and Sierra Madre Weekly

The road to college

It’s a rite of passage for every high school senior in this country. It’s called college applications. The phrase alone inspires fear and trepidation in students and their parents. Stressed-out teens saddled with schoolwork, extra-curricular activities, and standardized testing navigate this complex process with their equally anxiety-riddled parents who watch helplessly, much as they want to extend a helping hand. As we all know, everyone survives it, most of us with our sanity largely intact.

For some parents who had gone through it in their youth, they would soon learn that the process has changed because today’s competition has become extremely intense. More teens are opting to go to college now than ever before. There is a growing surge of foreign students applying to American universities. Less selective universities are seeing an increase in student applications while their available spots have stayed the same, resulting in fewer acceptances. Universities implement more rigorous standards in their selection process as they put together a well-rounded class made up of outstanding individuals.

While both my husband and I were college-educated, our experiences had not been the same as our daughter’s. We did not spend our summer months building houses in a third world country, or handing out groceries at a food bank, to put on our resumes. We did not enroll in a summer program at science camps or art schools to further enhance our academic record. We did not have an array of activities to show college admissions directors that we spent a meaningful summer. 

My husband and I are immigrants: he is from Taiwan and I am from the Philippines. There were no convoluted college searches where we came from. To make up for what I did not know, I started reading up on the admissions process. But no amount of book-reading and research could have prepared me for the onslaught of emotions and self-doubt that seized me once the process was at hand. I constantly questioned myself if I had provided my child with all the tools necessary for her to successfully make it to the finish line in this marathon.    

My daughter went to a private school, which a reporter for a local newspaper referred to in a 2007 feature story commemorating the school’s centennial, as “Pasadena’s most elite school.” This school, which I shall henceforth refer to as REPS (Really Elite Private School), has a team of college counselors who starts a discussion with students and their parents about college applications in the fall of junior year.

However, I feel that REPS college counselors should have given students and their parents an overview of what the process entails back in 9^th grade. I think that neither students nor their parents are made fully aware of how grades and extra-curricular activities during their high school career affect the final outcome of their college search. Waiting until the second half of junior year to talk about what colleges are looking for when they assemble their incoming class is far too late. Indeed, when I started doing my research into the admissions process, one of the reference books I used broke down students’ preparation starting in 9^th grade. After having read a few parents’ books on this subject, I came to the conclusion that this daunting, nail-biting process brings out the neurotic in us (I could argue, therefore, that kids started this application process the minute they toddled into their first class; that they were auditioning for college back in nursery school).

This monstrously arduous experience had been such an eye-opener for me, that I thought it might be helpful to some parents if I wrote about it. Some parents might find it elucidating; at the very least, I hope it provides some form of respite from the stress they are going through. If I could help even one parent or student find his/her way in this maze it would have been well worth my effort.

The road to college will follow a high schooler’s journey from freshman year through move-in day at university in September. As I will be speaking about our family’s journey, it will not totally reflect what other students experienced. The result of my daughter’s college search would not be the same as someone else’s. I will include anecdotes about my daughter’s high school days and her subsequent college application, with the hope that some readers can apply some of her experiences to their own situation. Some of the stories might elicit a small chuckle while others would sound too absurd to be believed but all the anecdotes are true and actually happened. Lastly, I would be addressing parents and students alternately.

FRESHMAN

Typically, the beginning of the year marks the halfway point in the schoolyear. First semester grades would soon be released, if they had not been sent out yet. If your 9^th grader’s marks are not great, he/she would need to use the second semester to better them as it’s the end-of-year grades that show on the transcript. A student’s grades are a very important, if not the single most important, component of the college application. 

Continue your extra-curricular activities in arts or sports, with concentration on one or two where you excel. Do not attempt to dazzle college admissions directors with the range of your interest, unless you are a budding Leonardo da Vinci and have mastered every single craft. Find something you are truly passionate about and do it throughout your four years to show your commitment. My daughter realized she loved acting but she only found out in her junior year so she did not have much time to fully engage in it.

SOPHOMORE 

This is your student’s second year and by this time he/she should have fully transitioned into high school. He/she needs to put extra effort into weak subjects and solidify grades for the second semester. Your student should continue his/her focus on academic performance skills, sports participation and arts involvement. He/she should also start studying for the PSAT (www.collegeboard.com). Taking a practice PSAT in 10^th grade gives your student the chance to identify weaknesses then work on them before taking the NMSQT (www.nationalmerit.org) in 11^th grade. At REPS, students meet with their grade level dean in the winter of 10^th grade to discuss year-end testing options and junior-year course options. Sophomores enrolled in Advanced Algebra and Pre-Calculus register to take the SAT II Math Level 2 exam in June of their sophomore year. Sophomores enrolled in Functions, Trigonometry, and Advanced Algebra (FTAA) take this same exam in June of their junior year, after completing the Advanced Topics and An Introduction to Calculus-Honors (ATIC-Honors) course. Sophomores who are thinking of going into science, medicine, architecture and engineering are encouraged to take the SAT II exam in Chemistry in May or June of their sophomore year. Your student should also start lining up summer activities.

JUNIOR

The second semester of junior year is significant as it is the beginning of the college application process. From their college research, students are now ready to start planning a visit to colleges.  They can even do their initial campus virtual tours online www.campustours.com, www.CollegeProwler.com, www.SmartCollegeVisit.com, www.YOUniversity.com. College

counselors usually recommend that students use their spring break to go to several different types of schools. A good list should include a small liberal arts college, a medium-sized research university and a large state university to let them have a feel for what “small” or “large” school means. They should be able to experience firsthand if a large city like New York makes them feel alive and vibrant or if it totally overwhelms and scares them. They need to experience if a school with 20,000 students is the right setting for them. They don’t necessarily have to visit the schools they are actually considering applying to, this trip should give them ideas about what they are looking for in a university. Once they’ve established  the elements they are looking for, they can start making a list of schools they would put on their list of colleges to apply to. 

SENIOR 

All college applications should have already been sent out for the January 1^st regular decision/admission deadline.  Some universities, like Georgetown, have a later deadline.

Parents should already have filed their income tax returns; get ready to submit FAFSA (www.fafsa.ed.gov). Apply for scholarships. There are several websites to help you with your search like www.scholarships.com, http://www.collegexpress.com, or www.scholarships360.org.

Ask your school to send your mid-year grades to colleges and verify that all your application materials have been sent. Breathe a sigh of relief; the hard part is done. The rest is out of your hands. 

(Ms. Ruiz is NOT a licensed counselor nor does she dispense professional advice for college applicants.  Her knowledge on the subject is limited to her personal involvement in her daughter’s college search.  She had been actively involved in her daughter’s elementary and middle school years as a parent volunteer in several school activities.)