Thank you to everyone who attended the 'What to Expect from the College Process" PTA meeting last night! I wish I could have kept talking for another hour, there is so much to say! The main message I wanted to get across is that the beauty of the college process is that while it might be very long and it might be labor intensive it doesn't have to be stressful. A large chunk of the process is extremely transparent. Especially with how many resources are available online, there is very little guessing involved in terms of what is required to apply, what the statistics are of the admitted classes, and what the timeline is for students.
My biggest suggestion for parents/guardians is to remember that children of any age look to their parents for cues about how to react to situations. If a parent or guardian approaches the college process with stress and anxiety, there is a 90% chance that the student will approach the process with stress and anxiety. If every conversation a parent/guardian has with a student is laced with pressure about being admitted to college, it isn't surprising when the student develops intense fear and anxiety about the admissions process. On the other hand, when the adults at home can be calm and honor the strengths of their student the college process can turn into a wonderful experience full of really meaningful memories.
The websites and resources I mentioned last night were:
1) The ElRo College Office website
2) The Elro Weekly Calendar - Found on the ERHS homepage under 'News and Announcements'
3) The calendar listing of college visits that take place at ElRo each fall
4) The College Office Handbook - given in hard copy in the spring of Junior Year, but available any time for download via the ElRo College Office website on the Juniors or Parent tab
5) This blog!
6) Naviance Family Connection -- every student will get their private account the spring of their junior year, but anyone can log in earlier as a guest - email me for the password (please include the name of your child if you are a parent/guardian)
7) The College Board website
8) The ACT Website
9) College Reality Check for net cost estimates -- be warned this site is NOT accurate for out of state public colleges, as the cost will come up as the average cost for most students and most students will be getting the in-state tuition rate. It is accurate for all NY colleges though as well as all private colleges.
10) NYC College Line
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