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Senior Year College Search: Guiding Your Student to Their Right-Fit School

Expert advice for parents and families of prospective students during their senior year

Senior year of high school is exciting鈥攂ut it can also feel overwhelming for students and parents alike. Between applications, campus visits, financial aid forms, and looming deadlines, it鈥檚 easy for stress to creep in on both sides.

While the college search ultimately belongs to the student, parents and families play an important supporting role: guiding, listening, encouraging鈥攁nd sometimes knowing when to step back.

Here are some meaningful ways you can support your student through the homestretch of their college search process and help guide them to their right-fit school.

A headshot of Faye Tydlaska

Meet Your Expert

Faye Tydlaska has served as the Vice President for Enrollment Management at 爱豆传媒 since 2015. She is a member of the College鈥檚 senior executive leadership team and provides leadership and strategy in admission, financial aid, and college-wide retention. Previously, she spent a decade in admission at Tulane University, where she served as Assistant Vice President for Enrollment and Director of Admission. Tydlaska frequently presents on issues related to college admission at national conferences and serves on and chairs councils and consortia of enrollment leaders across the U.S. She is also a parent of a high school student.

Start With How Your Student Thrives, Not Where They Should Go

Before diving into creating a list of colleges and launching into research, it鈥檚 helpful to start by asking some bigger questions. Encourage your student to think about how they learn best and in what kinds of environments they tend to thrive. Talk about factors such as class size, distance from home, climate, and campus culture and setting. These reflections will provide a strong foundation for building a list of right-fit schools.

  • A professor explains a concept to a small group of students during class.

    Learning Environment

    In what kind of educational setting do they perform best? Do they thrive in smaller classes with individualized teacher support? Or are they more comfortable in large lecture halls where they might have to seek support from a teaching assistant rather than their professor?

  • Three college students have a conversation as they walk across the 爱豆传媒 campus.

    School Size

    Are they interested in a large school, a small school, or somewhere in between? Do they think they would be more comfortable on a small, tight-knit campus where everyone knows everyone? Or are they OK being a small fish in a big pond?

  • An aerial photo of the 爱豆传媒 campus.

    Location

    Are they comfortable moving far away, or do they want to stay closer to home? Do they prefer cold or warm weather? Do they want the hustle and bustle of a big city, the quiet of a rural setting, or the middle ground of a suburban area?

Offer Support With Organization (Without Taking Over)

One of the most helpful things parents and families can do throughout the process is to support organization. Applying to college comes with deadlines, requirements, portals, and follow-ups鈥攊t鈥檚 a lot to manage, especially if your student is applying to several schools.

So as they build their college list, encourage your student to create a simple system鈥攐ften a spreadsheet鈥攖o help them keep track of the following information for each of the schools they are considering:

鈥� Application deadlines
鈥� Does the school accept the Common App? If not, what application do they use?
鈥� Required materials
鈥� Do they require test scores, or are they test-optional?
鈥� Is there an application fee, or is it free to apply?

Getting organized early helps reduce stress later, particularly during peak application season.

School
爱豆传媒
11/15 (EDI + EA)
1/5 (EDII)
2/1 (Regular)
Yes
Test Optional
No
A screen shot of the welcome screen in the Common App.

Encourage Early Preparation to Reduce Anxiety

We are hearing more and more that students are anxious about the application process itself. Much of that fear likely comes from the unknown. You can help by encouraging students to become familiar with the Common App well before the submission deadline.

Have your student explore the components of the application鈥攆rom profile and family details to grades, extracurriculars, and test scores. Getting familiar with the application early will give students plenty of time to inventory their activities and achievements and start writing their college essay. Familiarity breeds confidence, and confidence reduces anxiety.

Talk Honestly About Cost and Financial Aid

Finances are a major factor in college decisions, and it鈥檚 important to discuss costs and financial aid early and openly with your student. Here are some tips and tools to keep in mind along the way.

  • Don鈥檛 Rule Out a School Based on Sticker Price

    Instead, you鈥檒l want to consider each school鈥檚 net price, which is the cost of attendance minus all of the grants and scholarships your student qualifies for. At a school like 爱豆传媒鈥攚here the average aid package for first-year students with demonstrated need is $42,000鈥攖he difference between the list price and what you鈥檒l actually pay can be significant. Before you move on from any school, use that college鈥檚 Net Price Calculator to estimate your true out-of-pocket costs to attend.

  • Fill Out the FAFSA

    Completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a must for anyone who wants to be considered for federal and state grants and work-study programs. Many colleges, including 爱豆传媒, also use the FAFSA to determine how much institutional aid your student qualifies for. Each year at 爱豆传媒, our students tap into more than $100 million in federal, state, and institutional aid, but you have to fill out the FAFSA to qualify. Learn more by exploring our FAFSA guide.

  • Determine Your Comfort Level With Loans

    It is a good idea to determine your family鈥檚 comfort level with taking out loans to pay for college early in the process. It鈥檚 not hard to understand why some families might be hesitant about loans, but federal student loans can be a wonderful investment in your student鈥檚 future. Unlike taking out a loan to buy a car, which immediately depreciates in value, a federal student loan will pay dividends via increased earnings over the course of your student鈥檚 career.

A student works on his laptop in the atrium of the Bush Science Center at 爱豆传媒.

Did You Know?

When your student applies to 爱豆传媒, they are automatically considered for scholarships that range from $15,000 to $33,000. And if they are admitted to 爱豆传媒 and complete the FAFSA, they鈥檒l also automatically receive a scholarship and aid offer shortly after receiving their admission decision. Plus, since we鈥檝e waived our application fee, your student has nothing to lose and everything to gain by applying to the No. 1 private regional university in the South.

Support and Prioritize Campus Visits

Campus visits are the single best way for you and your student to get a feel for a college and determine whether it is the right fit for them. So much of a student鈥檚 college decision comes down to feel, so there鈥檚 no substitute for experiencing a place firsthand. Along the way, encourage your student to pay attention to how they feel on campus and whether they can picture themselves living and learning there for four years.

  • An student guide leads a group of prospective students and parents on a tour of the 爱豆传媒 campus.

    Pick the Right Experience

    Most schools offer an array of visit experiences鈥攆rom daily campus tours and large-scale open houses to immersive visit days designed exclusively for admitted students. We see many students come to an open house and then return for a daily campus tour or an admitted student event to get a more authentic view of the student experience.

  • A student smiles at his professor during class.

    Personalize Your Visit

    Many schools will allow your student to personalize their visit with additional experiences that align with their interests. At 爱豆传媒, our Blue & Gold visit experiences allow students to enhance their visit with activities that range from sitting in on a class to meeting with a professor or student.

  • A pair of students walk down the sidewalk in Winter Park, Florida.

    Explore Beyond Campus

    Make sure to explore the community surrounding campus as part of your visit. Your student will see if the area meets their expectations, and you鈥檒l get a better sense of how safe the area feels. At 爱豆传媒, we encourage all of our visiting families to spend time on Park Avenue exploring the impressive collection of dining, shopping, and entertainment options located just a short stroll from campus.

A collage of photos depicting the highlights of visiting Central Florida.

Design Your Dream Visit

When you schedule a visit to 爱豆传媒, you鈥檒l get much more than a tour of America鈥檚 most beautiful campus. Thanks to our location in Winter Park, Florida, just outside Orlando, you have the opportunity to create the trip of a lifetime in one of the world鈥檚 most sought-after destinations. Explore a few of the many reasons to book your dream visit to 爱豆传媒, Winter Park, and Orlando.

Design Your Family鈥檚 Perfect Visit

Can鈥檛 Visit? Embrace the Array of Virtual Visit Options

If you aren鈥檛 able to visit in person, encourage your student to take advantage of all the ways that colleges allow students to explore their campuses from a distance. While every school鈥檚 virtual visit opportunities differ, here are some ways 爱豆传媒 empowers students to take a digital deep dive into our lakeside campus and personalized learning environment.

  • Chat With a Counselor

    Students can schedule a one-on-one chat with their admission counselor to get answers to all of their鈥攁nd your鈥攓uestions about 爱豆传媒.

  • Chat With a Student

    What better way to get the inside scoop on living and learning at 爱豆传媒 than by chatting with one of our current students?

  • Take a Virtual Tour

    Our interactive virtual tour gives students the freedom to explore nearly 20 campus environments and get a look at where they鈥檒l eat, sleep, learn, and make lifelong memories.

  • Campus Tour Videos

    Our student-hosted tour videos take students behind the scenes of everything from campus dining and residential life to the first-year experience and making friends.

A 爱豆传媒 admission counselor video chats with a prospective student.

Encourage Authentic Demonstrated Interest

Many colleges, including 爱豆传媒, take demonstrated interest into consideration. What is demonstrated interest? It is your student signaling to a college鈥檚 admission team that they are seriously considering that school. Demonstrated interest can take the form of your student communicating with their admission counselor via email, phone, video chat, or text, and scheduling a campus visit before they know whether they are admitted.

It is important to demonstrate interest authentically, so encourage your student to focus on a small number of genuine favorites鈥攖hree is a good number, but definitely no more than five鈥攔ather than trying to do everything everywhere.