Couch Shopping (aka College Search) Update

Rick Ropelewski |
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Richard Ropelewski

Couch Shopping (aka College Search) Update

In a previous newsletter, I described a college information session we attended for our daughter who is a junior in high school.  An Admissions Counselor compared the college search process to shopping for a couch, which at first seemed odd but turned out to be a great analogy.  Many of you have provided some suggestions regarding the college search so I thank you for your advice and input.

This Spring we visited nine colleges, and while my daughter does not have a definitive list of colleges to which she will apply, the process was productive.   She has determined that she is not a “big school’ kid.  She does not need to be in an urban setting, but there need to be more than two fast food options within walking distance to the campus.

For those grizzled veterans of the college search, there may not be any epiphanies on this list, but here are some of my random observations and comments from that experience:

  • Take pictures of the different campuses.  Later when trying to compare schools it will help jog your memory as to key aspects of the tour and institution.  Full disclaimer – not an original idea of my own, but very helpful.
  • Take copious notes.  Kudos to my daughter for immediately getting in the car after each tour and writing down the important details.  On several days, we had both morning and afternoon tours and we were both mentally taxed at the end of the second tour, but she still took time to record her thoughts.
  • The Wake Forest Campus is gorgeous!  I probably won’t get accepted but I WANT to go to school there.  Tom - Wealth Manager Assistant and Chrissy - Client Relationship Manager will take care of any questions or service needs and I’ll see you in four years.
  • It was a very fun trip!  Between school, sports and having her license, getting more than an hour or two of quality time with Molly is very rare.  It was wonderful, some great laughs and a chance to reconnect during a very busy junior year.

More updates to follow and please let me know if you have any ideas for my Wake Forest college essay.