Taking the stress out of the college process

“We are in a state of emergency regarding my son’s college search,” expressed Mrs. Raskin from East Lyme, Connecticut about her son Paul’s college search. I was booked. But she pleaded for me to find a spot.

Paul and his mother came to see me a short while thereafter. Mrs. Raskin was almost in tears as she relayed how overwhelmed she found the process. Her method for dealing with the college process was to read every college book, every college article, talk to all her friends and acquaintances, and obsess about finding the perfect place for her child. When she relayed the conflicting pieces of advice that she received, it became clear that she was the victim of college information overload.

Paul had taken the opposite approach. He had put thoughts of college out of his mind. But by burying his head in the sand, he had put himself in a place of situational ignorance. He had no idea which colleges interested him because he had not really given any thought to the matter.

Fortunately, her son’s college search was not challenging. I went through College Counseling Connecticut’s best practice methodology for the college search. Paul had a few “patterns of attraction” (the dominant themes of interest), he had a distinct sense of which to prioritize, and his geographical preference was within the Boston to Washington, DC access. His SAT scores and GPA created a fairly distinct set of possibilities among schools that matched his identified criteria.

Within one hour, the Raskins had a game plan.

“We were so confused. Thank you.” Mrs. Raskin explained with tears that were now joyful.

As you approach the college process, be mindful of the polar opposite demons of gathering too much or too little information. Meet with a skilled expert who can eliminate the stress of the college process.