Finding a College for Your High School Senior

As my 15-year-old daughter would say, "Good luck with that."

OMG - who knew that a bright, talented 17-year-old young man would be so reluctant to engage in a process that will define four important years of his life? Where he lives, how he spends his time, the foundation for his career (hypothetically, anyway). This is big stuff. Important stuff. And HE'S DRAGGING HIS FEET AND IT'S MAKING ME CRAZY!

Apparently I'm not alone. It's not just boys - I hear that girls are similarly afflicted.

As much as I'd like to ignore the matter and leave it in his hands (a tough-love tactic: you-made-your-bed-now-lie-in-it), I won't. He doesn't have the judgment to realize the consequences, even though next year, magically, he's going to have enough good sense to be able to survive on his own at college. God help us.

I'm going to chronicle some of our experiences and want to invite anyone and everyone to join in the discussion by leaving comments. WE NEED ALL THE HELP WE CAN GET!

Let's start at what some experts consider a second-stage of the college search process - considering different colleges (we're going to leave the "what's your major" discussion alone for now).

Loren Pope wrote a terrific book, "Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges." Don't be surprised if you think about college differently after reading the book. Previously I was focused on finding a good school that offered my son's preferred major, particularly something VERY AFFORDABLE, and I expected that he'd end up at the state university about two hours away that is a flagship in our state university system.

But after reading this book and considering things on a broader scale, the paradigm shifted. Maybe a small college would be a feasible option that offers him the chance to more easily create close relationships with professors and be challenged in different ways. It's not that this isn't possible at a large college or university. But a small college offers a different atmosphere and he might really thrive at one.

Be forewarned: Pope is considered to be a bit anti-Ivy League and the focus is on small schools. It's still worth a read. Be sure to visit the Colleges That Change Lives website, too.

The book also helped me realize that we might be able to afford something besides a state university, that small colleges might be a financially viable consideration after all. But more about that on my next post.

What books can you recommend for college-seeking students and parents? Please leave a comment.


Photo courtesy of Garrison Photography