THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, September 27, 1994 TAG: 9409270046
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH THIEL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 92 lines
Guides abound to help high school juniors and seniors navigate the bumpy road toward college.
But who helps parents who want to make sure their kids choose the right school, meet all the testing and application deadlines and, if necessary, find scholarships or other ways to pay for college?
At Cape Henry Collegiate School in Virginia Beach, it's Arlene Ingram, director of guidance and college counseling.
For the past 15 years, Ingram has written and published guides for parents bewildered by all there is to do to prepare kids for life after high school. For juniors, Ingram's ``College Exploration'' gives tips on choosing schools. Then ``The College Countdown: The College Application Process'' leads seniors and their parents through all the steps of applying to schools.
``Although a lot of parents have gone to college, times have changed,'' said Ingram, who in August was quoted in Nation's Business, a magazine published by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in an article containing financial hints for parents of college-bound students.
Parents and students need to have a take-charge attitude, Ingram said, making sure that they get answers to all their questions and that they understand the process of choosing and applying for colleges.
``We don't want them left on April 1 or April 15 without a college,'' she said. ``So their strategy and how they go about it is essential.''
For juniors, Ingram recommends visiting schools, spending the night, sitting in on some classes and talking to students. She advises checking with high school guidance counselors to see whether any college fairs are scheduled in the area. It's a good way to check out several schools without traveling to all of them.
Students and parents should narrow choices down to about four, with one ``safety'' school to which acceptance is pretty much a sure thing, she says.
A calendar mapping out all deadlines for the year is a good idea, Ingram's guide says. Meeting requirements before deadlines can give students an advantage.
Seniors and their parents should call colleges this month to get application materials, the guide says, and make note of special application requirements, such as the Scholastic Assessment Test and the American College Testing Program. Students should ask high school guidance counselors about deadlines for registering to take those tests.
Also this month, parents and students should check high school transcripts to make sure they contain no errors. It's wise to ask guidance counselors about deadlines or special procedures for student requests for transcripts to be sent to colleges.
By October, students who are applying to colleges for an early decision should begin drafting their applications, Ingram's guide says. And it's not too soon for students applying by the regular deadlines to begin thinking about what they will write on their applications.
Ingram recommends making a blank copy of the application form first and using it for a rough draft. The final form should be typed neatly and proofread carefully. Neatness and spelling count.
It's often good to include an essay, even if one is not required for the application. Parents can help with this, offering ideas for topics or insights from their children's early years.
In November, the first information about financial aid usually becomes available from colleges. Check with colleges and high school guidance offices to get financial aid and scholarship application forms and to find out deadlines. It is essential to get those forms in early to get a piece of an often limited pie.
Decisions from schools should begin rolling in during the winter and spring.
Students who get accepted to more than one college should make their decisions as soon as possible and write short letters to the schools they do not plan to attend. That frees up spots for other students who might be on the waiting lists.
Students who do not get accepted to the colleges of their choice should not get discouraged, Ingram says. They should visit their guidance counselors immediately to check out other options.
For parents, Ingram offers these final tips:
Ask questions and help your child stay on top of deadlines, but don't turn up the pressure too much. Kids already feel the strain of worrying about whether they will get into college.
Be realistic about your child's chances of being accepted to selective schools.
Help with the paperwork, but do not do everything for your child.
And remember that you are not being graded as a parent based on your child's college acceptances. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
MORT FRYMAN/Staff
Arlene Ingram has written guides for paerents[sic] of college-bound
students.
by CNB