Terminal mistake made by too many families and students: Starting the college process late.

I met with a family early October who had a senior.  He was a great kid, good grades, a high PSAT score, great extracurricular activities and leadership – a prime candidate for scholarships.  However, he had never taken the SAT or ACT, so we immediately signed him up for October 26 ACT (with the late fee).  As we discussed his college choices, his top choice had a December 1^st  deadline for scholarship applications.  I was sure we would have a good shot if we could squeeze in an intensive prep in the few weeks we had.  He worked hard and we got his scores November 11 off the website.  He scored high… but not high enough.  He was ONE POINT short of a FULL SCHOLARSHIP!  We contacted the college before Thanksgiving about another test date.  They were polite but stressed, “We have deadlines for a reason, especially when we are awarding scholarships.” With his scores and resume, he would qualify for a partial scholarship, but not the full scholarship.

The difference is a little over $12,000 a year or $50,000 over four years!

ONE Point!  FOUR MORE correct answers!  $12,000 per answer!

He went ahead and sent in his application.  We still have other options, choices, and opportunities with other colleges, but it is sad that we missed this by ONE POINT.  If he would have come a month or two earlier and we could have gotten another test under his belt and more prep time, I am sure this would have been a “slam dunk!”  He would have had a full scholarship to his first choice in his back pocket before Thanksgiving with no pressure on him or his family the rest of his senior year.  Instead, we go to Plan B.  More work, more time, and more stress.

Time is your enemy.

This happens every year. I meet with a family who has a senior, great kid, tons of potential but TIME is against us. There just isn’t enough time to properly position and market those kids. And the statement “If only… if only we came to you a year or two ago..” is uttered by these parents.

I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to start early.

If you know families with sophomores and juniors, please share this with them.

So what should you do?

1. Attend one of my free workshops, there are two scheduled for December on the 10^th or 11^th. Use this link to register - /static/workshop.html
2. If you have attended the free introductory workshop, then call me immediately at 1-888-237-2087 ext 2, and schedule a time to schedule a College Planning Analysis. At this appointment I will evaluate your family specific situation and come up with a strategy. This appointment is $97.00 but I will waive this fee if the appointment is scheduled for December or January. Mention this note.
3. Share this note on Facebook, forward it to a friend or print it out and give it to a family who has a junior, sophomore or freshman in high school.

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Uncategorized by J.D Wyczalek