JUNIOR YEAR TIMELINE FOR CONTACT WITH COLLEGES

This is the year for getting serious about making college contacts. As soon as you know that you are interested in a college, make a point of letting them know. Here is what to do:

• Go to the college website and click on the Admission section. Complete whatever form is available to indicate your interest (e.g., “Add Me To The Mailing List,” Register for Events,” “Contact This College”).

• If there is no online sign-up mechanism, then simply call the admissions office and let them know of your interest. The phone number is usually listed in the Contact section of the website Admissions section.

• More importantly, find out who the college rep is assigned to your high school and his/her email address. Some colleges make this very easy by having a section in the Admissions section of their website called something such as “Find Your Admission Counselor.”

Other colleges don’t list that information on their websites, so you will have to call the Admission office and ask for the name and email address.

Once you have the rep’s name and email address, then send an email such as this:

Dear Mr/Ms. (name):

My name is (your name) and I am a junior at (your school) High School in (your city). As I have been reading about your college in guidebooks and on the Internet, I have become very interested in learning more about your college. Will you be coming to my high school (your school) sometime in the next few months? If yes, I would love to have the opportunity of meeting you and hearing about (college).

Sincerely,
(your name)
(your high school)

• Sign-up for and attend college fairs held in your hometown

• If a college rep comes to your high school, try to meet that person.

PARENTS
Junior year is the best time to take your child on college visits. While interviews are not usually available to juniors, everything else is--from college tours to sitting in on a class to spending some leisure time just people watching. See Guide 6: Visiting Colleges for more.