5 Things Families Wish They Had Done Earlier in the College Process
When families consider when to start college planning, five parts of the process stand out as steps with no fixed starting point: a family conversation about cost, a running record of activities, informal visits to nearby colleges, course planning, and a clear division of tasks between parent and student. Each one can begin in ninth, tenth, or eleventh grade, and each connects to the applications and decisions of senior year.
This article covers what each step involves, what it can look like before senior year, and how it can still begin for a student already in senior year.
1. When Should Families Talk About College Costs?
A cost conversation can take place before the student builds a college list, so each school is weighed against a defined budget range from the start.
The conversation does not require a final number. A range is enough to begin, and it can cover:
The amount the family can contribute each year from income and savings
Whether loans are part of the plan, and if so, how much
Costs for younger siblings who will also attend college
The student's contribution, such as summer earnings or a share of any loans
With a range in place, net price calculators become a tool for comparing schools against it. Colleges participating in federal student aid programs are required to post a net price calculator on their websites. These calculators estimate need-based aid more closely than merit aid. Merit awards are not based on financial need. They depend on how a student compares to each year's applicant pool. A college's published scholarship criteria and its Common Data Set can add detail on merit aid. For a closer look at the difference between listed prices and what families pay, see sticker price vs. net price.
For middle-income families, need-based aid may cover a small share of the cost at some colleges. In those cases, merit aid can become a larger factor in which schools fall within the family's range.
2. Why Keep a Running Record of Activities and Achievements?
A running record keeps dates, hours, roles, and results in one place for the activities list, a student resume, and essay brainstorming.
The Common App activities section has space for up to 10 activities, each with a 150-character description, plus an honors section with up to 5 entries. The section also asks for grade levels of participation, hours per week, and weeks per year.
A record kept over time can include:
The name of each activity or organization and the student's role
Grade levels of participation
Hours per week and weeks per year
Leadership positions and the dates they began
Awards, recognitions, and competition results
Specific contributions, such as the number of volunteers recruited or the amount raised for a fundraiser
Paid jobs, family responsibilities such as caring for a sibling, and independent projects can appear on the Common App activities list. Including them in the record gives a full picture of how the student spends time outside class.
A shared document or spreadsheet updated at the end of each semester is one way to keep the record current. Recording figures at the time they happen keeps specific details available when the student writes activity descriptions in senior year.
3. What Can Visiting Nearby Colleges Show a Student?
Informal visits to a few nearby colleges of different sizes and settings can help a student identify preferences before a college list exists.
These early visits do not need to be official tours or limited to schools the student plans to apply to. A walk across campus, a stop in the student center, or a look at the library and dining hall can show how one setting differs from another.
One approach is to include a range of school types:
A large public university
A small liberal arts college
A mid-size college or university
Campuses in urban, suburban, and rural settings, where travel allows
A few questions after each visit can help the student compare schools:
How did the size of the campus and student body compare to the last school visited?
Which parts of the setting stood out, such as the surrounding city or town, the layout, or the housing?
What would a typical weekday look like for a student here?
Short notes written after each visit keep impressions about different schools separate. These notes can also help with supplemental essays if the student decides to apply to any of these colleges. Some supplemental essays ask why the student is interested in a particular college.
Some colleges list demonstrated interest as a factor in admission decisions in their Common Data Set. An informal visit may not be recorded unless the student registers with the admissions office. A registered campus visit is one way a student can demonstrate interest in a college. Once the student has a college list, a visit or information session may be worth considering at schools where demonstrated interest is a factor.
4. How Do Early Course Choices Connect to College Applications?
High school courses build on each other, so ninth- and tenth-grade choices can affect which advanced courses are open in junior and senior year.
Access to some advanced courses depends on prerequisites, particularly in math, science, and world languages. A student who wants to reach calculus or a fourth year of a language by senior year may need to plan for it in ninth grade.
Colleges review the transcript alongside the high school's school profile. The profile describes the courses the school offers, its grading scale, and any limits on advanced coursework. Admissions offices can use it to see the student's course choices in the context of what was available at that school.
A few points can inform a four-year course plan:
Some colleges post minimum course requirements, such as a set number of years of math, lab science, or world language, on their admissions websites.
Some intended majors, such as engineering or nursing, may have specific course expectations in math and science.
Colleges see the senior-year schedule on the application, and some require a midyear report with first-semester senior grades.
Rigor is one factor among several. The right course load depends on the student, and a schedule with room for sleep, activities, and steady grades may suit one student better than the most demanding option available. For more on planning in eleventh grade, see what a junior should be doing for college.
5. How Can Parents and Students Divide College Planning Tasks?
A clear division of tasks sets expectations for who handles research, essays, applications, financial aid forms, and deadlines.
The process can span several years and may involve multiple schools with separate requirements and deadlines. Deciding who owns which task before the workload increases gives the student and parent defined roles.
One approach sorts the work into three groups:
Student-owned: essays, the activities list, completing applications, and communication with admissions offices
Parent-owned: budget decisions, financial information for aid forms, and travel logistics
Shared: college research, visits, and final list decisions
Some tasks require both. FAFSA asks the student and each parent contributor to provide information and consent through their own StudentAid.gov accounts. Colleges requiring the CSS Profile also collect information from both.
A standing check-in, such as a 20- to 30-minute meeting at the same time each week, gives college planning a defined place in the family schedule. Student ownership of applications can also build practice with organization and communication, skills used again in college.
Can These Steps Begin in Senior Year?
Yes. In senior year, these steps run at the same time as application deadlines. Each of the five can still begin, with some adjustments.
Cost: A budget range set before applications go out can guide which schools receive an application, and which, if any, receive an Early Decision application. Early Decision is binding, so running a net price calculator first gives the family a cost estimate for the school ahead of the commitment.
Activities: A record can be assembled by working backward through each grade, using school calendars, team rosters, certificates, and emails to confirm dates and hours.
Visits: Fall visit days, open houses, and campus tours offer a chance to see colleges before application deadlines. In the spring, admitted student events add another opportunity before the enrollment deposit deadline.
Courses: The senior schedule is set, and first-semester grades appear on midyear reports at colleges requiring them.
Roles: A division of tasks can begin at any point during the application season.
Working With Blue Birch College Consulting
Blue Birch College Consulting helps families find the right colleges at the right price, with cost, merit aid, and fit evaluated together. Working together connects the five steps above: a family budget range translated into net-cost estimates, a college list built around academic, social, and financial fit, and a timeline for courses, activities, and applications.
Support is available through hourly consulting, the Pathway Plan for juniors, or focused strategy sessions. To discuss your student's current stage and which option fits your family, schedule a 30-minute consultation.
