What I didn’t know as a high school Junior/Senior…

Ok, so I ran out of ideas for blogs and had what some would say..”writers block”, but as I sit here in the admissions office patiently awaiting for students to sign into our web chat I realized this would be a vital time to write about some issues that might be of interest to some or most high school juniors and seniors.  I want to let you in on some things that I was unaware of as a high school student.

1.  I was unaware that most or all colleges held opportunities for high school students to visit their campus to get a feel for what they had to offer. 

I know this may seem kind of stone age, but I was the second of five members in my family to go to college and my first sibling had been out of college for over 5 years before I was ready to get going.

2.  I didn’t realize how important it was to research different colleges for things such as enrollment, cost, or even athletics. 

After coming to college and getting a first hand look at what college had to offer me I became very curious as to what other colleges were like.  I wish I could have at least explored these opportunities as a high school student in order to take away my curiousities. 

3.  I didn’t know that my high school counselor could have been a bigger asset to me when applying for colleges came around. 

As a matter of fact…my high school counselor never even made a point of asking me about my application process or if I needed any help applying to colleges.  My piece of advice to you guys…take advantage of your counselor’s knowledge and make sure you can get the most out of them when it is most important.

4.  The LAST MOST IMPORTANT THING….the application process begins in SEPTEMBER and it is beneficial to any student to get your app in during the preferential filing period which I’m sure is different for all schools but for ISU it is in NOVEMBER! 

So now that I have given a little forecast of knowledge I did not have in high school I hope that those of you who take the time to read this blog will learn from my experience and get a head start on your college hunt. 

 One thing I always tell students that I think is important…you spend too much money on college to not love where you are at!!! So make sure you are going to the college that is right for you and not your bestfriend or boyfriend/girlfriend.  The college search has begun for most of you and the more you know the better chances you have of picking the perfect school. 

Let’s Go Birds!!!