Fiske Countdown to College: 41 To-Do Lists and a Plan for Every Year of High School

by Edward Fiske, Bruce Hammond

Overview

Unique, simple approach to the complicated college prep process, from the leading authority in college admissions.

Getting ready for college is a complicated and confusing process — how do you know when to take the SAT? When do you start applying to schools? What classes should you be taking to help prepare you for college-level work? Is there anything you should do before high school?

Fiske Countdown to College is a comprehensive collection of simple, easy-to-use checklists that spell out your road map for each year of high school and make preparation for college a breeze. There are 28 "to-do" lists for parents and students, ten "don't" lists, three "top 10" lists, and two glossaries, divided by year, that walk you through high school to college. Quotes from students, parents, and counselors offer advice and support from people who've been through all of this before.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781492650775
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	07/03/2018
Edition description:	Revised
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	487,274
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.30(d)

About the Author

Edward B. Fiske is the founder and editor of the Fiske Guide to Colleges. A former Education Editor of the New York Times, Fiske is known around the world for his award-winning writing on topics ranging from trends in American higher education to school reform in Southeast Asia, New Zealand and South Africa.

The guide was established in 1982 when, covering higher education for the Times, Fiske sensed the need for a publication that would help students and parents navigate the increasingly complex college admissions scene. The guide, an annual publication, immediately became a standard part of college admissions literature and it is now the country’s best-selling college guide.

Fiske has teamed up with his wife, Helen F. Ladd, a professor at Duke University, on several major international research projects regarding the development of education in various countries. Together, they are co-editors of the Handbook of Research in Education Finance and Policy, the official handbook of the American Education Finance Association. Fiske’s journalistic travels have taken him to more than 60 countries on behalf of the U.S. Agency for International Development, UNESCO and the Asia Society.

Born in Philadelphia, Fiske graduated from Wesleyan University summa cum laude, and received master’s degrees in theology from Princeton Theological Seminary and in political science from Columbia University. He is a regular contributor to the International Herald-Tribune. In addition to the New York Times, his articles and book reviews have appeared in Atlantic Monthly, Chronicle of Higher Education, Los Angeles Times, and other national publications.

A resident of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Fiske serves on a number of boards of non-profit organizations working for access to college and international understanding. He is also a founding member of the board of the Central Park School for Children, a charter school in Durham.

Bruce G. Hammond was editor in chief of The Insider’s Guide to the Colleges and was managing editor of four editions of The Fiske Guide to Colleges. He is the author of Discounts and Deals at the Nation’s 360 Best Colleges and is the school and college expert at Parent Soup, a division of iVillage.com.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Fasten Your Seat Belts v

9^th Grade 1

List #1 Getting a Good Start

List #2 Learn about Honors, AP, and IB Courses

List #3 High School Begins

List #4 What to Do with an Underachiever

10^th Grade 15

List #5 College Looms Closer

List #6 Registering for the Tests

List #7 Get Informed about the SAT Subject Tests

List #8 The Truth about Test Prep

List #9 The National Merit Program

List #10 The SAT and the ACT: What's the Difference?

List #11 Explore Careers

List #12 Know the Top Five Myths of College Admission College Admission Pledge for Students College Admission Pledge for Parents

11^th Grade 45

List #13 Academics

List #14 Standardized Testing, 11th Grade

List #15 The College Search, 11th Grade, for Students

List #16 Find Out the Cost of a Year

List #17 The College Search Don't List, for Students

List #18 The College Search, 11^th Grade, for Parents

List #19 Know the Facts about Athletics and Admission

List #20 The College Search Don't List, for Parents

List #21 Making the Most of College Visits

List #22 College Visit Don't List

List #23 The Summer after 11^th Grade

12^th Grade 83

List #24 Standardized Testing, 12th Grade

List #25 Getting Teacher Recommendations

List #26 Early Decision and Early Action

List #27 The College Search, 12^th Grade, for Students

List #28 The Application Don't List

List #29 The College Search, 12^th Grade, for Parents

List #30 Get to Know the Admission Officers

List #31 Get Informed about the Performing Arts Application Process

List #32 The Scholarship Search

List #33 Surviving the Essay

List #34 College Essay Don't List

List #35 The Financial Aid Process

List #36 Winter of Senior Year

List #37 After the Acceptances, for Students

List #38 Handling the Waitlist

List #39 After the Acceptances, for Parents

List #40 The Summer before College

List #41 Letting Go

Epilogue 141

Acknowledgments 142

College Counselors Advisory Group 143

Notes 144