Hi College Bound friends!

First of all, a heartfelt thank you to those who knew about the sudden passing away of my father last week. We are still reeling from the shock and slowly adjusting.  I'm so grateful that my kids have had the joy of living next to him and my mom for all these years and had just enjoyed a nice dinner and conversation with him before he passed away a few hours later. Thank you to those who kindly rescheduled for appointments in the coming weeks or who agreed to meet with my associate, Kay, as I attended to family obligations.

So, with that said, on to the topic at hand, planning for your amazing future.  At the risk of being redundant, I'll remind you guys of your "to do" list for the summer, below.

Rising seniors- Over the summer you want to finalize your list of colleges you plan to pursue (5-8 is typical), prepare for your fall SAT or ACT exams, work on your application essays, do some volunteer work and attend any pre-college camps that appeal to you.  The Common Application will be re-opened on August 1st, allowing you to start your applications even before school starts.

Rising Freshmen, Sophomores and Juniors- Use your summers to pursue your hobbies and interests, to volunteer, travel, start your own small business and perhaps attend some pre-college camps.  What you choose to do over your summers can really add that extra pizazz to your applications and set you apart from the students who just used their summers to hang out at the pool and play x-box!  

Rising juniors also need to prep for the PSAT they will take in Oct of their junior year since so many outstanding scholarships are offered to students who score well.  

It's a dilemma- When colleges are in session, you don't have time to go take your student on college tours.  When summer vacation rolls around, there are more opportunities to go on college tours but the campuses will be mostly empty, leaving you with an incomplete impression of the school. So- What's the answer?

Students on campus is ideal- It certainly best to go on college visits what students are on campus. Look at your student's school calendar for fall breaks, spring breaks and teacher work days and designate those as college tour days. When my own children are juniors, we always take spring break and make it one big road trip, visiting schools one after another in a big circuit.  Lots of fun!  Why is it important to catch colleges in session?  

1- Students can get a sense of the hustle and bustle and energy of the campus rather than just seeing the grounds and buildings. 

2- Students can look around at the students who are there and get a sense of how well he/she might fit there. 

3- Students can/should  strike up a conversation with an existing student in the cafeteria or at the bookstore and ask them their thoughts of the school. 

4- Students can often sit in on a class or even arrange to stay overnight in a dorm with a host student.

However, many times it's just not possible to catch colleges in session during the school year. In that case, go in the summer and get the most complete information that you can.  You will at least get an impression of the campus, learn about the school's strengths and special programs and form a foundation of an opinion.  You may even get to meet your future admissions counselor and get his/her contact information for later reference.  

If you end up really disliking a school, then fine, take it off your list.  If there is a school you visit in the summer and you think you like it, try to circle back and revisit it when the semester is in session and get a fresh impression.  Hopefully, it will be even better!

Ultimately, all you can do is all you can do.  If visiting schools in the summer is your only option, embrace it and make the most of it.  Ask lots of questions, make notes, get to know your admissions rep and you'll be just fine.