Table of Contents
Student Exercises ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction xiii
Chapter 1 How Colleges Admit Students: Anatomy of an Admission Decision 1
Chapter 2 College Exploration: Getting Off on the Right Foot 11
Chapter 3 A Calendar of Exploration, Decision-Making, and Application Tasks 17
Chapter 4 The First Step: Taking a Look at You 27
Chapter 5 Mounting a Search: Getting Answers to Your College Questions 37
Chapter 6 High School Course Selection: Relevance to College Admission 53
Chapter 7 Learning about College Options: Getting the Best Information 57
Chapter 8 Using the Internet to Explore and Apply to Colleges 67
Chapter 9 Making the Most of the College Fair Experience 73
Chapter 10 Campus Visits: Getting Ready to Go 77
Chapter 11 Campus Visits: Being There and Afterward 83
Chapter 12 Admission Plans: Modes of Admission Access 91
Chapter 13 Degree of Difficulty: Understanding the Admission Competition 95
Chapter 14 Admission Tests: How They Are Used and Strategies for Preparation 99
Chapter 15 Admission Essays: Putting Forth Your Best Effort 105
Chapter 16 Narrowing Options: Deciding Where to Apply 109
Chapter 17 The College Application: Making It Work for You 121
Chapter 18 Understanding College Costs 129
Chapter 19 Types and Sources of Student Financial Aid 135
Chapter 20 Making Financial Aid Forms Work for You 145
Chapter 21 After the Application: What Happens Next? 151
Chapter 22 Off to College: Getting Ready for Your First Year 157
Chapter 23 Parents and the High School to College Transition 163
Chapter 24 Educational Success: How Counselors Can Help You 167
Chapter 25 School to College: Counselors as Your Allies 169
Chapter 26 Learning from the Experts: Reflections of Veteran Deans and Directors of Admission 173
Chapter 27 Some Closing Words about Expectations 179
Index 181
About the Author 187
