Frank Burtnett - The Bound-for-College Guidebook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Finding and Applying to Colleges

Student Exercises

Introduction

The Bound-for-College Guidebook contains much of the information the student who is navigating the high-school-to-college transition needs to consider during this very challenging time in his or her life. The student will find a series of tips and suggestions about exploration, decision-making, and the admission and financial aid application process. Each chapter is designed to personalize the process and educate you in becoming a better explorer, decision-maker, and applicant. Understanding this information will empower you throughout the transitional process you are going to be experiencing.

Interspersed throughout the guidebook, the student will find a series of personal exercises. You will be asked to engage in personal assessment, answer questions, identify characteristics, and evaluate information that will help in the selection of your future college or university.

The product of the exercises will first be a profile of youthe future college student as seen through the characteristics that you are looking for in your future college. A by-product of completing the various exercises is a structure it will give to your personal transition from high school to college. There are no right or wrong answerssimply your views, your choices, and how you think your future college will help you realize your educational and career goals. At the completion of all or most of the exercises you will have a personal portfolio to guide you through these times.

The guidebook also contains approximately one hundred of the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) from students about college admission and financial aid. Many are questions you have already raised and others represent concerns that havent arrived on your personal radar screen yet. They are the questions that counselors and admission and financial aid professionals deal with every day and each has been answered here for you. Knowing all or most of the answers will allow you to personalize the whole process even more.

The process of college exploration and decision-making is an evolutionary one. It will be influenced by your personal growth and maturation. The process will also be affected by the information you acquire and the ongoing experiences you have as a student. Therefore, the responses that you record here reflect a point in the process and should be reviewed and updated several times before you begin the serious task of submitting college admission applications.

Ask the people that know you (parent, counselor, teacher, or best friend) to review the student exercises you complete in this guidebook from time to time. The more they know about the value you place on the various selection criteria and the direction you are moving with your exploration, the better they will be able to guide and support you.

Your command of the information in The Bound-for-College Guidebook and completion of the various exercises will allow you to put the colleges you are considering to a personal test. From what you learn, you will be in a stronger position to make decisions about where to apply and where to enroll if admitted. You will also bring organization and order to your personal search, decision-making, and application activities.