By Judy Marrazzo
It may sound counter intuitive for parents to begin talking to their children about going to college by just taking them to one, but nothing starts the conversation better than a campus tour.
When teenagers see a college in the flesh and walk its campus, it makes the idea of going to a college into something tangible and real.
Working in a college tour company that has taken thousands of high school students to tour colleges, it quickly becomes apparent that many, if not most, high school students have a host of false impressions of what college is like.
Fictional movies, as well as incorrect information spread by uninformed but well-intentioned family and friends, fill students with misconceptions of what college and the college selection and application process is like.
Many parents are familiar with the air teenagers put on that they instinctively know about college, whether they learn about it from their friends or online.
So many high schoolers resist having conversations with their parents, either because they think they already know the information, they don’t want to admit their lack of knowledge, or they think mom and dad are equally uninformed.
That’s why a college visit, to just about any college campus, is important as early in high school as possible.
Every college-bound student should aim to find their “right fit” school, academically, socially and financially. As parents, you can offer to take a day trip or stop on a campus while you’re on vacation. Most schools have options for a campus tour and an information session.
Typically visits last between one to three hours and require pre-registration, which can be done on the school’s admissions webpage. The information session gives parents and students the opportunity to hear what the school offers from admissions officers.
They also discuss the admissions process and financial aid/scholarships. The campus tour allows you to see what goes on in and outside of the classroom and library, and some tours visit the dorms and dining halls.
Tours are led by students so you can ask questions about their experiences.
Going on college tours helps dispel myths and debunk rumors as well as provides your high school student an opportunity to see things firsthand and through their own eyes.
Try to visit every year as high school freshman, sophomores, juniors, and, eventually, seniors since each year they will have a different perspective.
Visit different types of colleges. Big colleges. Small colleges. Urban, suburban and rural colleges. Ivy League, well-known/”popular,” and specialized colleges.
Even if they have no intent to apply there, visiting gives them an idea of the variety and kinds of colleges that are out there.
By the time they are seniors and ready to pick colleges, they would have figured out what type of college they like whether they have visited the colleges with their parents, school, youth group or tour company.
They should then visit or revisit the colleges that offer them that “right fit.”
A college visit provides both parent and child an opportunity to talk about what they saw. Love it or hate the college visited, it’s a start in the process of figuring out what a child wants in a college.
Hey, there are a few thousand colleges out there to choose from; and more than one of them will fit the wants and needs of even the most finicky and demanding child.
Take notes afterwards so you can go back and review them. More than likely the parent and child have jotted down different things which is helpful in keeping the conversation going.
It’s so important to start the college conversation early enough in a child’s high school career, so that parents and their children have accurate information about what the individual colleges that they are looking at require for admissions with respect to GPAs, test scores and extracurricular activities.
This way they have a couple of years to get the grades up or get more involved.
Also knowing the tuition fees, available scholarships and other financial obligations, helps children and parents have honest open conversations about the costs and alternative college options.
Having these conversations early and often helps high school seniors to avoid those emotionally crushing “woulda, coulda, shoulda” too late moments and have their list of just-right and reach schools.
Plan your college visit today for the upcoming school vacations or summer, so you can start the conversation with your child!
Judy Marrazzo is the Founder and an associate director of goCAMPUSing, America’s premier college tour company. For more information, visit www.goCAMPUSing.com or call 516-941-6992.
