Question: I would like to receive mail from colleges at home. I need to expand my knowledge of college information now that I am in 10th grade & I would like to know if this can be done.
This may be one of those “be careful what you wish for” situations. messages that you can read in your life. 😉
As you are only a sophomore, you may not have taken any college entrance tests (psat, sat, act) yet. once you do, the registration form will ask if you are willing to have your name and contact details sent to colleges. if you agree, you will end up on many mailing lists. Universities won’t receive your scores, but they will get your name and contact details if you meet the student “profile” they’re looking for. Examples of characteristics colleges can look for using the sat and act log include:
-gender
-state or country of origin
-racial or ethnic origin
-potential specialization
-other interests or strengths (sports, music, etc.)
Although colleges will not receive their actual scores, some will have score caps and therefore will not get the names of students who did not meet them.
so, when you sign up for tryouts, make sure you agree to participate in this student hunt, and then get ready for the onslaught. Keep in mind, though, that friendly letters are really just invitations to apply, but they’re no guarantee of acceptance, no matter how welcoming they sound. Once you’ve finished your junior year, compare your GPA and test scores to the average numbers at the colleges you’re interested in to see if you’re really in the ballpark.
In the meantime, if you want to start getting college supplies now, here’s a fun and easy way to do it:
-Go to the college confidential supermatch here: http://www.collegeconfidential.com/college_search/
-complete the questionnaire that asks you about your university preferences in terms of size, location, major, etc. (don’t worry if this changes many times before you’re a senior). The quiz will also ask about your GPA and standardized test scores. (If you don’t have the test scores yet, you can play with different numbers.)
: See your “results” list on the right side of the page. At the bottom of the box under each university’s name, you’ll see a “request information” link. click on that and it will take you to a form to fill out that will go directly to the admission office to put you on the mailing list.
-if you already have specific colleges in mind, but they don’t appear when you do your supermatch search, you’ll see “find & match a school by name” near the top left corner of the supermatch form. enter the name of a university there and it will be added to your list.
It can be fun (but exhausting) to explore all the college “propaganda” that will arrive between now and the end of your senior year. try to keep a discerning eye as you go. all colleges can start ringing. the same thing pretty quickly, but if some intrigue you more than others, look for statistics to back up the brochure’s claims. For example, is the racially diverse group of college students on the cover really representative of the demographics of this college? Is the promise of “highly satisfied students” reflected in the school’s retention rate? Keep in mind that many of these posts are not written by university officials but by advertising experts, the same people who sell you toothpaste, soda, and cereal. so be a careful consumer and don’t get hung up on glossy photos and catchy slogans.
(published 2/1/2012)