Do Missed Deadlines in the College Search and Choice Process Really Matter? YES!
By Kimberly L. Jackson, M.Ed.
Published in the St. Louis Women's Journal,
Octobe/November 2011
Are you wondering if there is a timeline you should be on for college visits, applications, scholarships and other decisions? The answer is yes – there is a timeline. In fact, it’s a timeline that is very important. While you want to give your child some autonomy in the college search and choice process and ask them to keep to the timeline, you might be better off in the end by not giving too much autonomy. This really is a good collaborative project between you and your college-bound son or daughter. Get a timeline, put it on the refrigerator, talk about it, and mark off when you have completed each of the steps.
If you have a high school senior who is planning to apply to a highly selective college, then you are now less than 8 weeks away from many of the application deadlines. Similarly, some schools have an early December deadline in order to be eligible for competitive merit-based scholarships. You also need to remember that completing applications for admission and essay questions is not a quick process. Set aside hours, not minutes, for these to be completed.
If you have a high school junior, this is the semester to begin talking about which colleges to visit in the spring. I know, the calendar says October and you are wondering about plans for Halloween and Thanksgiving, but you also need to be concerned about the list of colleges that are potentials.
Not staying on the recommended timeline not only puts you behind, but could contribute to added stress to your holiday season. No one needs more stress over the holidays.
