Education Guide 10.18.26 - Flipbook - Page 15
| Sunday, October 18, 2026
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in business, but within that major may
be specialties they may not know about
like marketing, information technology,
communications or analytics.
Another great way to learn more
about a school is to speak directly with
its representatives. Calvert Hall sponsors
a college fair each year with about 150
colleges and universities that is open
to all high school students. “Colleges
love that they’re getting to meet not just
our students but students from other
schools, too,” says Green, who adds
that college admissions representatives
are also invited to Calvert Hall four days
a week in September, October and early
November for information sessions.
Factors to consider
The National Association for College
Admission Counseling (NACAC, www.
nacacnet.org) has a host of informative
articles on its website for parents and
students for each step of the process
– preparation in high school, search
process, the application process and
how to decide on a school. Some of the
factors the organization recommends
include:
Location: Do you picture yourself in
a remote area with a natural setting or an
urban environment with big-city vibes?
Size: When you think about college,
do you picture a compact campus where
you run into friends between classes or
do you envision big Saturday afternoon
football games, with thousands of fans
cheering on your college’s team?
Class Size: A college’s size often
affects the size of its classes. Are you
participating in small-group discussions
or listening carefully to your professor
lecture in a large room?
Extracurricular Activities: Size
can have a big impact on extracurricular activities. In general, the larger the
college, the more variety of activities
offered. At smaller colleges, students
may find it easier to get involved and
stand out in extracurricular activities.
Social Life: Larger schools have a
greater variety of social options, and
small colleges may have fewer options
but wider student participation in any
one event.
Average Debt upon Graduation:
What will it cost for you to get an education? Will your prospective career
path make it feasible to pay back your
student loans?
Retention
Efforts/Student
Advising: Are there services available
to help you navigate college majors and
graduate on time?
Graduation Rates: Ask about the
retention and graduation rates for students like you.
Diversity on Campus: One of the
benefits of going to college is meeting
students from different backgrounds.
Diversity on a college campus can mean
differences in race, religion, ethnicity,
gender, geography, etc.
Of course, finances are a big factor
for many students, Green says.
“We generally encourage them to
include a school on the list that would
be a financial fit for their parents, or
the likelihood of receiving financial aid.
College costs have risen, and it’s important to have open, honest discussions on
what is reasonable”
Changes in college process
One of the benefits of meeting with
a college counselor is that the college
admission process changes, and these
professionals are tasked with keeping
up with the latest procedures.
For example, some schools require a
SAT or ACT test score, where other colleges make reporting your score optional. With the advent of A.I., some schools
have eliminated the college essay, as it
may be hard to decipher whether the
student actually wrote the essay.
Colleges are competitive
Getting accepted into college is getting more and more difficult, and stu-
dents are applying to multiple schools,
due in part to The Common App, which
allows students to apply to more than
1,200 member schools at once. This
has led to an onslaught of applications at some schools. For example,
nearly 55,000 students applied to Yale
University last year, and more than
145,000 prospective freshmen applied
to UCLA.
“Every college a student applies to
should be a college that they’re excited
about, and this includes schools where
their chances are likely they’re going to
get admitted, as well as what we call
‘reach schools’ that are more selective,”
says Green.
She and her colleagues keep track
of trends such as some state schools
focusing primarily on in-state students.
“Every year, we have a few students
apply to the University of Georgia, but
only the top students get admitted.
Other schools that are difficult for outof-state students include the University
of Texas and the University of North
Carolina-Chapel Hill. It’s our job to make
sure that students and parents know
this, so if their child is not accepted, we
can provide answers as to why.”
