By Nathan Sommer
Murphy News Service

Fall is an essential time of the year for juniors and seniors in high school to plan for their postsecondary plans, and it is crucial for every upperclassmen interested in college and their families to stay on top of the college search and application process over the next few months.

Jamie Dukowitz, college counselor at Robbinsdale Armstrong High School, says the beginning of junior year is the first opportunity for most students to home in on the college search and selection process. He encourages each junior to make a list of campuses they are interested in potentially attending, strongly considering factors such as size, location, cost and academic majors.

Once they have made this list, it is critical for juniors and their families to visit multiple campuses.

“There is nothing quite like getting on an actual college campus to get a sense of whether or not a particular school is a good fit for the student,” Dukowitz says, adding that most juniors will work with programs such as Family Connection or Naviance in school to help them narrow down their list.

Dukowitz also recommends juniors begin their preparation for the ACT test. This school year, every junior in the state of Minnesota will take the ACT writing-plus test on Tuesday, April 28, 2015. He encourages each student to take the test more than once, but added that scores generally tend to plateau after three attempts.

Rachelle Hernandez, associate vice provost for enrollment management & director of admissions at the University of Minnesota, says the test allows students to see which college they are best prepared for academically. Incoming freshmen at the U’s Twin Cities campus had an average ACT score of 27.9 this year.

Dukowitz says each student is expected to narrow down their list of desired schools by senior year, and apply to around 3-6 different colleges by Thanksgiving break. Dukowitz says that process seems to be beginning earlier each year, as many selective campuses are now accepting applications the summer before their applicants enter senior year.

Fall also provides seniors with a good opportunity to look into financial aid. In January, students and their families will need to fill out the Free Application for Federal Aid (FAFSA) after completing their tax information, which will inform them of how much financial aid they qualify for from each applied college.

“This is where applying and potentially getting accepted into multiple schools is advantageous to students,” Dukowitz says, adding that “having multiple financial aid packages gives students options come college decision time in the Spring.” He highly recommends students to additionally look at outside scholarships from community organizations such as the VFW or the Lion’s Club.

Hernandez emphasizes from a university admissions perspective that the importance that juniors and seniors continue to strongly focus on their academics by taking challenging courses. She says selective universities such as U look at their students holistically and that academics is the primary considered factor. That includes courses taken, GPA, class rank and ACT test scores.

“We’re focused on these things because our goal as a university is to support a student’s success once they get to our campus,” Hernandez says, adding “the best preparation for success on a college or university campus is a strong preparation in high school.”

Extracurricular activities throughout high school are considered as secondary factors in accepting applicants. But Hernandez says most colleges are looking for consistency in commitment to certain activities, especially where students have excelled in demonstrating leadership.

“I think there is a myth out there that if a student has a resume that is five pages long, it is better than a list of activities that only takes up one page,” Hernandez says. Rather, the admissions office at the U of M prefers resumes demonstrating a student’s dedication throughout high school to a few particular areas of interest.

Dukowitz agreed, saying, “Colleges want to see that their applicants have been involved in things on a consistent basis for years, not just something that seems like an add-on for resume appeal.”

Hernandez says if students and their families have any questions or concerns, they can visit the websites of colleges in which they are interested, where most schools have their expectations transparently communicated.

She also highly encourages every junior and senior pursuing postsecondary plans, along with their families, to work closely with their high school counselors and admissions counselors from various colleges.

“Students and their families have a lot of resources available to them and they should not be afraid to ask any questions, address any potential concerns, or work with counselors, because these folks are here to answer questions and help each and every student in the college search.”

Dukowitz says the process is not as daunting and time-consuming as it may seem and that “before they know it, students will be in the car with crying parents and off to Target to get matching bedding for their roommate.”

Reporter Nathan Sommer is studying journalism at the University of Minnesota.