Find the Right College for Your Student Athlete
By Monica Randall PhD
I encourage families with student athlete’s searching for colleges, to keep an open mind and look beyond ratings and rankings to find a college that will be the right fit both academically and socially. Colleges that Change Lives (CTCL) supports this view. CTCL is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to supporting a student-centered college search process and member colleges are leading advocates for higher education access and college choice. Their mission is to help students find a college where they may develop a lifelong love of learning.
The truth is, the college admissions process is constantly changing. The methods we used to get into college will not work for our children. Thankfully, each spring, CTCL offers a series of information sessions and college fairs throughout the U.S. These national tours are amazing opportunities for students and parents to learn about today’s college search process, obtain information about colleges within the CTCL network and speak to college admissions representatives. The best part is, these CTCL sessions are FREE and include a 30 minute presentation about today’s college admissions process. CTCL’s next event is May 19, 2016 at 7 p.m. at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. For more information about CTCL events in other U.S. locations, visit CTCL.org/info-sessions/.
For swim families, CTCL college fairs are a rare opportunity to meet with college representatives from a variety of colleges without the time and expense of a road trip or plane ride! With over 40 colleges represented, this event offers you and your student athlete the chance to explore a set of unique colleges and consider those that may be a ‘good fit’ for your student athlete (remember – keep an open mind). To make sure you receive all of the benefits the college fair has to offer, be sure to plan ahead. Download my ‘College Fair Checklist’ to help you stay organized before, during, and after event. Just follow the list and you and your student-athlete will be on the way to finding the college that’s perfect for them.
Dr. Monica E. Randall
About the author: Monica E. Randall, PhD is a college admissions expert, food allergy consultant, and swim mom. Her practice educates and prepares college-bound student athletes how to successfully and meaningfully incorporate their academic and athletic talents into their future college lives. Working with Dr. Randall, students not only find ‘best fit’ colleges to attend but also improve their odds of getting into their top choice college. She can be reached at monica@bridge2colleges.com or Bridge2College Consulting.
