| | Published October 15th, 2008
| College Application Mania Hits Lamorinda
| | By Cathy Tyson | | |
Let the nagging begin. Yes, it's that time of year again, when parents of seniors in high school begin tactfully reminding their children to wrap up those applications. With approximately 98% of area high school seniors attending either a four or two-year college, that's quite a bit of "reminding." Fear not, stressed out parents, Acalanes, Campolindo and Miramonte are lucky enough to each have a dedicated college and career advisor on staff with information not only about the many schools out there, but also on financial aid and scholarships to guide bewildered students through the process.
They even schedule visits from college representatives far and wide so that seniors can get a peak at a variety of schools, hear about their specialties and get a pass to miss class - not a bad deal. For example last week Campolindo hosted representatives from Williams, Stanford, University of Portland, Bowdoin, Emory, UC Santa Barbara, Vanderbilt and more. In addition our high schools offer college application workshops, information on foreign exchange programs and SAT as well as ACT tests.
Overwhelmed, some parents go through a personal college counselor, who, for a fee, will inquire about a student's strengths and weakness, make suggestions, help figure out the best college "fit" for their child, assist with application essays, and stay on top of deadlines.
"We try not to quantify a number of applications...but beyond ten is a lot of work," said Joan Karr, Acalanes College and Career Center Advisor.
She went on to say that California State Universities will be accepting applications from October 1 through November 30. University of California applications are a little different, students can be working on them through October, and submit them as of November 1.
The waiting is the hardest part, but some schools have a shorter review period than others. According to Karr, if an eligible student applies to Cal State Chico, notice of acceptance might come back in a couple of months. University of Oregon has rolling admission, so applications are accepted as of late August and students can hear back in six to eight weeks. University of Colorado has a new program that students applying by December 15, should hear back by February. University of California will generally notify students in March; California State Universities around February 1.
Editor's Note: Readers of the Lamorinda Weekly may also want to check out the regular column of college advisor Elizabeth LaScala (see page 14) which is chock full of great advice.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA