Supporting your Child's College Decision

Hi everyone! With today being the last business day before the May 1st National Enrollment Deadline, I wanted to talk to all of the parents out there about how you can support your child as they make their college decision.

While all the attention is on your child as they make the announcement of which university they choose to spend the next two or four years of their life, its also important to recognize yourself during this time. Being proud of your child is important, but you should also be proud of yourself for raising such a great child. You instilled in your son or daughter the skills that they used throughout their high school career to bring them to the precipice of college! Their leadership in the classroom, on the athletic field, in the art studio, and at their jobs is because of the way you raised them and supported them through their last 17-18 years on the planet.

As your child makes their decision on which college to attend, as a parent what is most important is that they choose a college or university that fits their needs and desires. While being a legacy to your alma mater is cool, it is more important that they choose the school because they like it and see themselves succeeding there. If your child chooses to attend another institution that isn't your alma mater, please don't think that they did this on purpose or to be malicious. They are choosing to pursue their own desires and live a college experience that is completely, 100% their own, so be proud of that!

Start thinking of opportunities to visit them on campus - -
Family Weekend, Dance Recitals, Academic Ceremonies

It may be scary to think of your child heading off to college in a few months, but this is what you've been preparing them for! They are about to embark on an experience of lifetime. They will mature, meet new people, gain some culture, change their views, and start building the life they will live for the next 50 years ... how amazing! Knowing that college is the gateway to all of those things, you should definitely be supportive of their decision. They are choosing to start their pursuit of life and experiences, so don't slow them down because you disagree with their choice of a school.

Just as you have supported them in school since Kindergarten, it will be no different once they enter college. They will need your phone calls, care packages, visits, and video chats to keep themselves sane, calm, and focused throughout college! So, don't let their choice of a university, if you disagree, get in the way of supporting your child through the most difficult, yet exciting, years of their life. Be there for them!

enjoy the chase,

skylar 

Handling a Denial Letter

Hi everyone! If there is anything that I have learned throughout my past 6 years of chasing college, it is that your dream plan does not always work out. While it can be disappointing, it is undoubtedly a significant part of life.

Being denied from a college or university that you applied to can sting ... really badly. Whether they were your first choice institution or your fourth, being denied admissions to a university is something that is difficult to handle. Because this is an unfortunate side affect of choosing to attend college, I wanted to devote a post to it.

First things first, it is perfectly normal to cry when you receive that denial letter and don't let anyone tell you otherwise! Especially if it is a first choice university, your response is perfectly normal. In life, you will face disappointments - bad grades, missed job opportunities, relationship break-ups, and even more difficult moments. In all of these, it is okay to be sad and to show your emotion. What is important though, you can't sit in that sadness for the rest of your life or the rest of your senior year. Take a few days to grieve the disappointment and then make your new future plan from there!

Telling the important people in your life about a denial of acceptance will be just as difficult as reading the words in the letter, but it is important to do. Tell your close family members, friends, and teachers, but don't feel like you need to blast it over Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. I would also share the news with your school counselor so that they can assist you with reworking your plan for the future.

Next, you will want to review your overall plan for the future. Compile all of your acceptances (if you applied other universities) or a list of other universities where you can still apply.

1. If you have other acceptances, then start looking at financial aid packages, overall campus climate, opportunities in your major, and potential extra-curricular experiences. Doing this will hopefully allow you to see a bright side in another university. While it may not be the same as the one that you were denied from, it can still provide you with an amazing college experience!
   
2. If you did not apply to any other universities, you will want to look in your local area or in the area where you are interested in attending college to find which universities have rolling admissions. Universities with rolling admission accept applications throughout the school year and into the summer for a new incoming class, so there would be no deadline to adhere to! Even if your only option is a community or junior college for right now, still pursue it because you can always look into transferring after the fall or spring. 

From that reorganization, you should be able to create some new plans for your upcoming future. It also doesn't hurt to talk with your school counselor or even the Admissions Counselor from the university. It could be that your grades are the reason behind your denial, so spending a year at community college to help your grades improve could give you the opportunity to enter as a transfer student! 

When I was younger, there was one university in this world that I wanted to attend more than anything. It was so prestigious, I loved the feel of the campus, and I looked good in the school colors. I chose not to apply as an undergraduate and instead waited to apply as a graduate student to their School of Education. I didn't necessarily think I was a guaranteed acceptance, but I thought my GPA, GRE scores, and experiences would at least permit an interview. So, I was crushed when I received my denial letter through e-mail ... I literally spent ten minutes crying in my car after I was done with Student Teaching because I was so upset and disappointed. However, looking back on it, there was no way that I would have been able to afford the university, afford living in the city where it was, nor could I have a social life while there. So, while I was disappointed and I needed to make new plans, the outcome and the opportunities I have had not at that university have provided me with so many more learning opportunities!

So just remember, if you do receive a denial letter, it is okay to be upset and sad, but it is also a new opportunity to rework your future goals and plans!!

enjoy the chase,

skylar

I was Accepted ... Now What?

Hi everyone! We are entering a very exciting time in the next few weeks ... COLLEGE ACCEPTANCE LETTERS are mailed out! Some universities do rolling admissions, so you may have already heard your decision, which was hopefully favorable for you! Because of this exciting time, I wanted to provide you all with some advice on what you should do once you learn that you are accepted to a university!

First things first, CONGRATULATIONS!! Getting accepted to college is a dream come true, whether you are applying to community colleges, state schools, small private colleges, or the most elite universities, it is a-okay to be excited about your acceptance! I cried when I got the phone call that I was accepted to my undergraduate alma mater because I was so happy and so excited about what was to come! This is an accomplishment in its own right, so be proud of it!

You may also want to celebrate with your family and your friends about your acceptance to college. Bake a cake, go out to a nice restaurant, blow up some balloons, and throw some confetti! You are entering the next phase of your life and it is a cause for celebration. It doesn't need to be outlandish or ridiculously expensive of course, just make it a great time to recognize where you've come and where you are possibly going!

Once you go to school the next day or a few days following, you will want to update your school counselor and the teachers/administrators who wrote your letters of recommendation. They will want to hear the update and this also gives you the opportunity to thank them for their help and support of your college application! If you want to tell your friends and other teachers, go right ahead, but don't feel obligated to inform the whole world. --This is the same for updating on social media. Obviously, if you want to update your Facebook status or post a picture of your acceptance letter to Instagram, then definitely do it, but don't feel like this is an obligatory aspect of your college acceptance!

Follow me on twitter @Chasing_College 

Plan to visit campus one more time! You can check out my post here on the difference between your first and last visit to campus, but you really should try to see campus once more before making your final decision. You can take a more in-depth look at the major you want to study and possibly talk with some administrators in the functional areas you are interested in, e.g.: Campus Ministry, Athletics, or Study Abroad Office. Most universities have Admitted Student Days, so that would be a nice chance to visit too.

At this point you should have already filed your FAFSA, but if you haven't, make sure you do that! This can give you access to more financial aid opportunities, federal loans, grants that you don't have to pay back ... so many things to help make college a little more affordable. You should also check out even more scholarships that you can apply for on that campus and throughout your community. If you have any questions or concerns about your financial aid packet once it is sent to you, be sure to call the Financial Aid Office or make an appointment to discuss particulars in person. DISCLAIMER: Don't be upset when they can't offer you any more money, a lot of times there is no amount of begging or pleading that can be done for them to find available money and give you an extra $5,000 a semester.

Without a doubt, something you should do is join that university's Facebook page for your class year. There will be administrators and upperclassmen already on that page to help answer your questions and you can also meet potential classmates of yours! Some of my first "Facebook Friends" from college came from the Class of 2014 page I joined once I was accepted and really interested in going to my alma mater. You can find people in your major or who are interested in some of the other extra-curriculars in your life, so definitely don't blow it off as something unimportant.

Finally, my advice to you is RELAX. The first and most draining part of the process is done, you have been accepted somewhere and you do have a future in college, so don't stress out. Enjoy the rest of your senior year and make sure you still keep your grades up, the university will request your final transcript!

Have you already been accepted? How did you celebrate? Share in the comments your acceptance stories :)

enjoy the chase,

skylar