Setting Goals

, , , ,

How To Build A Great College List

Dobler College ConsultingWith over 4,000 colleges in the country and an endless supply of rankings touting the best of this and the best of that, your college search can get complicated. And it can happen in a hurry. Your friends will be talking about colleges. Your uncle will wax poetic about his alma mater. You will see all the posters and announcements hanging on the walls of your college counseling office. So many options and yet, you can only choose one to attend. How do you know which one is right?

While you may never know which ONE is right, you can identify which ONES may be awesome possibilities by doing some homework and building a great college list.

And here’s how you do it.

1. Know thyself

Before you start looking at colleges, you need to take a good, hard look at yourself. I’m not talking about checking yourself out in the mirror to see if the gear is working today as much as I’m talking about understanding your VIPS – your values, interests, personality style and skills. If you don’t have a good handle of what’s important to you and why, try this exercise suggested in a great book on college admissions called, Going Geek, written by my friend, John Carpenter:

Write an assessment of yourself that covers what you are good at, what you struggle with, what is important to you, and how you learn. Then ask a close friend to write an assessment of you and have each of your parents do the same. Once you have all three, compare them and see what common threads exist.

2. Priorities first

Some of the major attributes you should pay attention to when thinking about how you will qualify schools for your college list include:

·         Size
·         Location
·         Major
·         Student life
·         Chance of admission
·         Types of admission
·         Graduation rates
·         Cost

But now that you have a good handle on your VIPS, you should be able to qualify these attributes even further. Forget the US News. Forget your uncle’s drawn out stories of the good ol’ days. Forget about the school that your best friend daydreams about. In other words, realize that you now have the power to create your own rankings based on what is important to you.

3. Channel your inner Sherlock Holmes 

Okay, you now have a good idea of what’s important to you and why. You’ve created a list of attributes that you want to find in a college. Now, it’s time to do some investigating. Since you can’t visit all 4,000 schools individually, turn to some search engines to identify schools that match up with your most desired attributes. The College Board’s Big Future, College Navigator and Princeton Review each have very extensive databases that allow you to search for schools. Collegeresults.org is another great website with very helpful information. Produced and maintained by the Education Trust, this website allows you to look up a college’s four-, five- or six-year graduation rates and then compare the school’s rate to those of its peer institutions.

As you identify schools of interest, research them more thoroughly, schedule campus visits, meet with admissions reps at local college fairs and check with your college counseling office to find out when these schools may be visiting your high school. Another great way to get to know a school is by connecting with them through Facebook and Twitter.

4. Edit, edit and then edit some more

Initially, your college list may contain any number of schools. Ideally, you want to get it down to roughly 10 schools. As you visit and learn more about each school, try to narrow the list down to down to 5-6 finalists where you would be happy enrolling. Some people will tell you to pick a range of schools where admission for you may be a reach, very likely or a sure thing. My opinion is that you should be picking schools at which you can see yourself being happy. Don’t include a school just because you know you can get in but have no intention of ever enrolling.

5. Don’t be a Sloppy Joe

Building a great college list is one thing but if you fail to keep it organized, the list will lose its value.

Get a binder where you can keep a checklist for each school, notes from campus visits and brochures and other materials. You want to be able to compare apples to apples – keeping your information updated and fresh will help you do that.

6. College lists are made of paper, not stone

Be flexible and keep an open mind. If you get soured on a school for a reason that is important to you (the school is too far away, too expensive or just didn’t feel right when you went for a visit) and want to take if off your college list, then feel free to do so.

Same rule applies when you learn something about a school that makes you want to add this school to your list. Spend some time qualifying the new school and if it feels right and matches up with your priorities, add it to your list.

If you have any questions about building a great college list, please use the comment box below. You can also email me directly at eric@doblercollegeconsulting.com – I would love to hear from you!

Read More
Eric Jul 09, 2012 , , 1 Comment
, , , ,

What It Means To Be A Private College Counselor

I recently joined a BNI here in Cheshire and I have to say that I’m pretty excited to be a part of such an awesome organization. Essentially, BNI is a group of local professionals who help each other network and market their services. At the start of each meeting you get to do a 30 second commercial – a chance to tell the group what you do so that they can understand your business and refer people to you who may be in need of your services.

It’s a great organization built on some outstanding people who just really want to help. I don’t say all of this because I want you to go out and join BNI (though you really should if you own your own business and want to be a better networker). But, I do say it because I’ve realized very quickly that what I do as a college consultant is not very commonplace.

I mean, let’s be honest here, I don’t fit into a category that’s easily recognized or understood like an attorney, an accountant or a financial planner. And for the people who do understand what I do, the assumption is often that my services are for rich folks only.

So, I figured it was time to talk a little more about what I do, why it matters and just how affordable I am.

Who am I? I’m a private college counselor

I work for families in need of good, sound college planning and advice. Some families hire me because their son or daughter is not getting enough guidance from their high school counselor. Others hire me for a second opinion or just to fill in the gaps. For twelve years, I traveled around New England and read thousands of applications making admit and deny decisions for both the University of New Haven and Central Connecticut State University. Whether I’m providing insight into how the admissions process works, helping a student to prepare for an interview or providing feedback on an essay, I draw on these experiences every day.

What do I do? I counsel students and their families on college planning

I offer college planning services that families can choose from and everything I do can be customized to fit each student’s individual needs. Some students will only need my help for one or two meetings while others may hire me to help them for upwards of a year and a half. Regardless of their need, I put together an affordable plan to meet their needs.

When do I do it? I make myself available during non-traditional hours

I work evenings, Saturdays and Sundays. Why? Because that’s when it’s convenient for students and their families. I also do a lot of work by email, phone and Skype for students who live out of state or even outside the country.

Where do I do it? I come to you

I always like to meet potential clients in person first. It gives them a chance to feel me out and ask questions before choosing to hire me. A local coffee shop like Starbucks is always a great choice! After that, it’s up to the client. We can work at their house, the local library or the coffee shop we first met at.

Why do I do it? Because families need the help

Due to large caseloads and other issues that require their attention, public high school counselors can rarely spend more than an hour of time per student each year on college planning. I hardly think that’s fair to any student who is trying to make one of the biggest and most complicated decisions of his or her life.

What does it cost? Not nearly as much as you would think 

My most comprehensive package, called “The Senior,” typically begins in the junior year and costs $2200, or about half of the national average. The timeline can span up to 18 months and includes nearly a dozen 60-90 minute meetings in addition to unlimited phone and email contact. I also offer small budget packages (anywhere from $700 to $1500) or a menu of services families can choose from at a rate of $125/hour.

Considering that the average four-year cost for college including tuition, room, and board can be anywhere from $80,000 to $160,000. Doesn’t it make sense to invest a small fraction of that amount to ensure that your son or daughter’s college experience is a successful one?

If you would like to know more about what I can do to help you, please use the comment box below – I would love to hear from you! You can also email me directly at eric@doblercollegeconsulting.com.

 

Read More
Eric Jul 09, 2012 , , No Comments
, , , , , ,

Extracurricular Activities That Matter

Today’s blog post is from a friend and colleague, Craig Gonzalez. Craig is an awesome tutor and one of the most interesting academic professionals I know! A couple weeks ago, Craig and I talked about the world of college admissions and I asked him if he would share some of his insight on the role of extracurricular activities.Here’s what he had to say:
The college admissions process, despite popular belief, is not some tricky, bewildering, magical thing. Extracurricular activities are not things you do to get accepted to a university, they are things you do because you love them. But you DO want to go to a great school and you DO need to be aware of that when you decide to join a club. To figure out which activities matter, read on.
Are These Good Enough For My University?

It is absolutely hilarious to hear the above question. “Is writing for the newspaper good enough to get me into Harvard?” It’s almost as silly as the fake modesty you get on college confidential. You know what I’m talking about. The “I have a 4.0 and am President of everything and cured cancer, and I know I’m so dumb, but do I have a chance at any decent school?”

Let’s call that what it is: attention seeking. It’s the same reason the super-hot girl calls herself ugly or the buff guy calls himself fat: validation.

But you are not here seeking validation. You are here because you don’t know if your extracurricular activities are going to help you get into a great school. So, let’s figure this out, shall we?

It’s not what you do, but how you do it

Why do you think schools want you to take extracurricular activities? There are several reasons that all lead to one specific reason. First of all, do you think the school cares if you like swimming, polo, dancing, or theater? Not really. So asking if newspaper is better than theater is like asking if Lady Gaga is better than Natalie Portman.

Gaga makes music and Portman makes hearts melt (re: movies). They are not comparable. Likewise, picking extracurricular activities without a basis for comparison is insane.

Theater is better if you want to act; newspaper is better if you want to write. Right?

Second, schools really want to see if you are more than a number on a page. Grades prove that you have the intellectual ability to read and understand material, understand teachers and testing, and manage your time. The SAT does the same. Extracurricular activities prove who you are outside of academics. And that’s really what colleges should be about. Preparing you for the world outside of school.

The activities you do outside of school prove if you will be a future leader or follower. If you will sacrifice your free time for some greater good or if you care more about munchies and YouTube than the written word, sports, or poor people.

The problem is picking activities that you are good at, that you can become a leader in, and that look good on an application.

Passion Is The New Currency

Now look, If you are doing it for some ulterior motive (getting into a university), then you suck. Seriously. It’s like me learning to salsa just so I can pick up girls. I love salsa. And yes, it’s awesome for picking up girls. But that’s a nice bonus. Getting into a school because of your clubs is a great bonus, but if you are not interested in the club, that will show and just make you look like a sycophant.

The best extracurricular activity you can choose will:

– Be related to your big picture goals

– Be something you are really interested in

– Be something that you can rise to the top in

– Be something that you would be proud to tell people about

You want to succeed in life. You want to do really, really well in life. Seriously. But you also want to be happy.

Imagine this:

I am really interested in rock climbing. So, my extracurricular activity in high school was to rock climb. Now, that’s not a team sport, so how can I take what I love and make it awesomely application-worthy? I organize a rock climbing trip with kids from the inner city.

I do what I love, and I help people. And I can write a passionate essay about that. And, doing something like that might get picked up in the paper, so in my application I can refer to the time the newspaper wrote about me being an awesome human.

You need to join clubs that you will grow into. Schools need future leaders. That is a fact. “True story, bro.” So, pick something that you will succeed at. People tend to get passionate around success and uninterested in failure. So, succeed. You succeed, and everything else will fall into place.

Thanks, but where is the cake?

Let’s get some easy steps in place so you can really, thoroughly, legitimately, and awesomely find a great activity or activities to get involved in.

(1) What are you into? What is your thing?

This is open-ended. Just write down all the stuff that makes you smile, happy, laugh, get excited about. Most of you know what you are into. If you don’t know, then figure it out. What are you into? Movies, girls, boys, sports, helping people, TV, writing, poetry, food? Figure that out.

(2) Of those things that you are into, what can you probably be good at?

Helping people is easy, right? Just help. But let’s say you are really into basketball. But you are like 5 foot nothing, cannot sprint, and only know how to shoot granny style. Well, being a varsity captain is not in your future. But, you could do something auxiliary (cheerleading, mascot, film, reporting) that deals with your passion. Write it all down.

(3) Of those things that you could be capable of, which are offered in some capacity by your school?

Let’s say you are all into Christian stuff, but your school does not offer Christian stuff. Then Christian stuff needs to go into your “outside of school” pile.

If you want to be an actor, but your school does not have a film or theater department, don’t cross it out, but move it to “outside of school”.

(4) Of those things that are not listed in your school but you really love, hit up your counselor, your parents, and Google and figure out who does that stuff in your town.

Where could you go outside of school to get involved in knitting, or pet care, or magic? Do your research and write things down. If you want to write poetry but your school isn’t into that, find any poetry meet ups or poetry publishers in town. If you like water polo but your school doesn’t have a pool, find a club in town that has a team.

(5) Pick some on-campus activities and at least one off-campus activity.

Go out, ask to be on the team, apply, call the YMCA, call the local newspaper, intern, write, work, play for free. Just get yourself busy. If you join these things (pick 2-4 that you can totally dominate) or do these things, you will naturally move up the ranks, because you are into it. If you think about how cool it will be to finish school and write, workout, fight, climb, sing, or act, then you have found an extracurricular activity that you are passionate about. And that, my friends, is an extracurricular activity that matters. Because you will write about this activity, and you will tell people about it, and you will BE defined by it. So make sure you pick something that you are proud of.

NOTE: Please note that there are some exceptions to these rules. If you are really into sex, drugs, racism, or ultra-violence, you should definitely NOT get involved in those things as a way to get into college. Fight club all you want in your own time, but that’s not really the mark of a future leader. Also, don’t be a racist; racism sucks.

What are your current extracurricular activities? Will you become captain (or captain equivalent) anytime soon? If not, why not?

*Craig is an awesome dude who runs Craig Gonzales Tutoring. He has put together a pretty stellar SAT Tutorial Kit that he gives away for free. You should find him, like him, email him, and let him help you rock that SAT.

If you have any thoughts you would like to share on writing an extracurricular activities, please use the comment box below – I would love to hear from you! You can also email me at eric@doblercollegeconsulting.com or Craig at craig@craiggonzalestutoring.com.

Eric Dobler is the president and founder of Dobler College Consulting. Follow him on Twitter.

Read More
Eric Jun 24, 2012 , , , , , No Comments
, , ,

A Conversation About College Part III

This is Part III of a running series called, “A Conversation About College” which covered some of the more pressing questions that were asked at a workshop I conducted a few weeks ago at Sacred Heart Church in Southbury, Connecticut:Q: Where (or how) do we start the college application process?

This is absolutely the question that is on the minds of every parent of a sophomore or junior right now. The problem is that there really is no easy answer. A lot depends on who your college-bound is and what is important to him or her.

When I work with students who have yet to begin their college search, the first thing I do is spend some time getting to know them and their VIPS. VIPS are values, interests, personality-style and skills. By talking to them about their goals, fears, dreams and everything else in between, we can identify a direction to start with. From there, we talk about the types colleges that are out there and what attributes he or she should be looking at such as location, in-state or out-of-state, size, programs, student body type, cost, etc in order to develop a successful college list.Ultimately, getting started takes time and a lot of conversation.

Q: What would you suggest if your child does not want help with the college application process?

This is a tough position to be in as a parent because, of course, you want the best for your child and you want to support and help guide them through the process. Unfortunately, this is also a time where your child is trying very hard to figure out where he or she fits in the world. From a developmental standpoint, their resistance to your interest in helping is very appropriate. They are trying, more and more, to do things on their own and to identify themselves as their own, authentic authority on things.

My best advice to you is to be willing to take a step back and to try, as hard as it might be, to watch from a distance right now. I would let him or her know that you are there, ready and willing to help and to be a part of the journey whenever he or she is ready to let you in. I would also stress that you are interested in supporting them through this time, as opposed to trying to make decisions for them. I often find that students want to know that they are going to have some control over the decisions being made and put up this initial resistance as a preemptive strike against any involvement you might have. Once they realize that you are there and just waiting for them to ask, I think you will find that they will be more interested in your help and your opinion. Then, once they invite you into the process, ask them what they would like help with. The more you let them dictate things, the happier your household will be!

While you wait for your child to come to his or her senses, I would spend some time reading a few blogs and keeping your finger on the pulse of the admissions world. You can also sign up for my newsletter and will begin receiving that on a monthly basis starting on the first of the ensuing month. There will be advice, things to stay on top of and a planning calendar that hopefully you will find useful. In the meantime, check out a blog I wrote about the role parents should play in the college process a few months ago. It’s more written for parents who are over-involved, but the perspective on what parents can and should do might be helpful.

If you have any thoughts you would like to share on “A Conversation About College,” please use the comment box below – I would love to hear from you! You can also email me directly at eric@doblercollegeconsulting.com.

Eric Dobler is the president and founder of Dobler College Consulting. Follow him on Twitter.

Read More
Eric May 21, 2012 , No Comments
, , , , , ,

A Conversation About College Part I

Last week, at Sacred Heart Church in Southbury, Connecticut, I conducted a workshop titled, “A Conversation About College.” There were about 35 people in attendance – mostly parents of high school sophomores and juniors –and the event was designed to be an engaging discussion about how to successfully navigate the college application process. The families who came to the event were great! They weren’t afraid to ask their pressing questions which covered just about every aspect of the college admissions process. Starting today, I will be sharing a take-away transcript of their most pressing questions from the evening’s discussion with you here in my blog.

Q: If all the pieces of the puzzle are in place, except for SAT scores, will most schools overlook a low score?

A: To be honest, this is a tough question to answer because whether or not a school is going to overlook a low score depends on several things:

1.) It depends on which schools your son or daughter is making an application to and what their average SAT scores are. The more competitive the school, the less forgiving they are going to be. What you want to know is how low the score is when compared to the college’s average score for admission.

2.) It also depends on the other pieces of the application. How strong are the grades? How good is the essay? What do the recommendations say? Has he or she done an interview? Is there enough here for an admissions counselor to say, yes, let’s overlook the scores – this is a very subjective situation and will be met with different responses depending on the college.

3.) One thing to consider is whether or not a college even requires SAT scores. There are a couple hundred schools in the country which are test optional. You can find a complete list of them at www.fairtest.org. A student can apply to any of these schools and choose not to submit test scores for admission. Some of the schools may want test scores at a later time for course placement so you would submit the scores later on, but for admission they would not be required. You may get lucky and find out that a school your child is interested in is already on this list. If not, he or she may want to go through the list and consider some of the schools.

4.) In the end, with a situation like this that is so gray, the best thing a student can do is contact an admissions officer and ask for their take on it. Go right to the source for the most accurate information. Definitely a situation where an interview could be very helpful.

Q: When is the right time to submit an application?

A: The right time to submit an application is before the deadline. Depending on whether your son or daughter will be applying Early Decision, Early Action or Regular Admission, there will be different deadlines and you will want to pay close attention to them. On the other hand, some schools will be on Rolling Admission which means you can apply whenever you want (though you will typically want to apply sometime in late November or early December). For the application deadlines for any school, you can go to their admissions office webpage or a website like the College Board or College Navigator.

Q: How can I find a reputable college that will accept a “C/B-” student?

Honestly, this is something that will take a little research and a little time because the search won’t just be about the grades as much as it will be about several other things including intended major, location, cost, size, type of student body, public or private – there are so many factors that go into prioritizing a college search and these are just a few of them. Once you have pinned down some of these items, you can then do a more thorough review of potential schools by reading reviews about them online, conducting college visits and attending college fairs. A C/B- student isn’t a terrible thing by any means, but it does mean that other parts of the application like test scores, the essay and recommendations may be leaned on even more so to help make a decision. Another thing to keep in mind is whether or not your son or daughter’s grades have been trending in an upward or downward direction. If they are trending up, a lot of schools will look favorably upon their academic record. If they are trending downward, then your list of potential schools will have to be very realistic.

Q: How can I motivate my child to enjoy looking at colleges?

This is really a question that is dependent on which grade your child is in and where you guys are in the college search process. For a younger student, such as a freshman or sophomore, your best bet is to check out a local school and at least attempt to introduce the idea of college. For a student who is already in their junior year, it may be best to just sit down and talk with them and see if you can get them to tell you how they feel about the college search and visiting college campuses. Are they nervous? Scared? Intimidated? Do they feel like they are under a lot of pressure? A conversation like this can be very valuable towards getting them pointed in the right direction. Here is an article from the NY Times about a dad who found some ways to introduce his 9th grader to college visits. I really liked his approach and hope you find some value in it.

If you have any thoughts you would like to share on “A Conversation About College,” please use the comment box below – I would love to hear from you! You can also email me directly at eric@doblercollegeconsulting.com.

Eric Dobler is the president and founder of Dobler College Consulting. Follow him on Twitter.

Read More
Eric May 05, 2012 , , , , , , , , , 3 Comments