Sometimes we want to hear from experts, sometimes from peers. And sometimes our peers are the experts. When it comes time to think about college, many high schoolers feel comfortable hearing from people near to them in age and circumstance.
Enter “Students Helping Students: Choose the Right College and Get Accepted” (Natavi Guides, $12.95), a starting-from-scratch list of what kids should think about and do, and when. It was compiled by current college students and recent grads willing to share their experiences with such things as deciding where to apply, taking standardized tests, doing well in interviews and getting financial aid. Their advice is general; they don’t recommend specific schools or offer insiders’ tips on getting into them. They do cover the basics in a way that won’t intimidate the skittish, right down to setting up file folders and checklists to keep track of applications.
And they are honest: “What impressed me the most about my college visits,” writes one young woman, “was how the preconceptions of what I thought I wanted in a school were laid to rest after I spent an entire day there.”
On interviews: “Get to your destination at least 20 minutes early so you can catch your breath, relax and focus.”
