Students aim for spot in Governor’s Honors Program
More than 1,600 high school students from across Georgia competed for spots in the prestigious Governor’s Honors Program at Berry College on Saturday.
During the breaks, Rob Franek, editor in chief of The Princeton Review, gave parents a quick overview about the college admissions process. According to surveys, 94 percent of high school students and their families say they are stressed or extremely stressed about college. Here are Franek’s tips: 1. Start the college process as early as possible.
2. Research, research, research. Where students earn their degrees matters.
3. Students should let their parents help them, they may actually know something.
4. The college admissions process is difficult because everyone is applying to the same 25 schools. There are 3,000 four-year colleges in the U.S. alone.
5. The No. 1 thing admissions officers look at is high school GPA. Students should be challenging themselves with AP, IB, dual enrollment or honors classes.
6. The No. 2 thing admissions officers look at is ACT/SAT scores. Prepare for the ACT and SAT to possibly increase scores an average of 200 points.
7. The No. 3 thing admissions officers look at is applicants’ variety of
academic and extracurricular activities, which can be expressed in a college essay. There is no room for error on the essay when it comes to poor spelling or grammar.
8. Interviews are a golden opportunity. Students should be prepared to say, “I see myself in your school and did my research and believe I can be a fit for your school.”
9. To help find the right college, talk to current students and look at surveys.
10. Parents should be following the college’s social media.
11. What is going to be the return on investment for a student academically and for the family? Look for a college’s career services and job placement rates.