Beverly Gillen knows the difficulties of navigating college prep. She has two adult daughters whom she helped through the planning process. In fact, she knows college planning so well that she wrote a book, Get Connected for College, to help high school students (and their parents) prepare.
What Gillen realized while helping her daughters is that it’s never too early to start planning for college. Especially with the climbing tuition costs and decreasing acceptance rates.
“College admission is becoming more competitive,” Gillen says. “You can’t just roll in and join a few clubs senior year. Admissions counselors are going to look for some depth and long-term commitment.”
When she realized how few resources were available, Gillen penned a book to focus on straightforward advice that kids can easily follow. She wanted it to be realistic and teen-friendly so that kids who may not have the support of a parent or guidance counselor could still follow along.
For each topic in the book, she provides a list of resources and offers guides like “25 Ways to Start Saving for College.” “I think there is a myth that it is never too late to start saving,” Gillen says.
She offers examples of leadership skills and ways to highlight those skills to universities. There’s also a milestone map, which allows students to track their progress toward receiving an acceptance letter. For example, there’s a designated place where students can record campus visits, noting the pros and cons of each school.
Although Gillen doesn’t have a writing background, she has always been interested in families and education. She obtained her parent education license in 1994 and started Partners in Parenting Consulting to help counsel families during various life stages. It was this experience, in addition to her own experience with her two daughters, that inspired her to write the book.
If Gillen could give any piece of advice, she’d say to start early. She says it is never too soon to start planning for college. She also advises parents to let their kids take the lead and offer support rather than trying to control the process.
And there are plenty of students who like controlling the process themselves. Nate Pasko, a senior at Hopkins High School, is working to narrow his list of choices. He agrees with Gillen that starting early is the best advice for students. Pasko also recommends putting together a spreadsheet. He created his own document with each school he is interested in and ranks them in different categories.
However, in the end, Pasko says it will likely come down to financials. He isn’t worried about getting into his schools of choice, and at this point, is more focused on obtaining scholarships.
Another senior at Hopkins, Sihaam Abdi, agrees with Pasko. “Honestly, the hardest thing is just how am I going to pay for it?” Abdi will be attending an American school in Kenya next fall.
Making a final decision about which school to attend can be daunting for students, though there are plenty of resources like Gillen’s book to help make the process easier. But by starting early, finding a system that works best for your schedule and letting your student take control of the process, the decision won’t be nearly as daunting.
