Question: What are some common college planning mistakes families tend to make?

Answer: The biggest mistake I see in my practice is the number of students who apply to the same 6-10 schools in this region without considering other options.  This not only means that the students are competing with other students from similar profiles, but it may also result in students not receiving as many acceptances or much merit money because they are not offering geographic diversity. In a similar vein, students will often restrict their search to schools on either coast and refuse to consider schools in the middle of the country. Students repeatedly tell me that they need to be near the ocean, even though they understand that they may have neither the time, nor the resources to access the water.

Another issue I tend to see repeatedly is how unrealistic many parents and students are in terms of their chances of being admitted to highly selective schools. Often families want to apply to many of these top schools with the hope of increasing the probability of acceptance. While we all hope that admission officers can recognize a diamond in the rough and see beyond grades and scores, generally it does not work that way.  If a student has not been selected to one highly selective school, his or her chances for an acceptance at another highly competitive school is difficult. I would prefer that a student apply to only a couple of reach schools so that they put the time and effort into applying to schools with a more realistic chance of acceptance. I also want students to concentrate on finding schools where they would be happy to attend. I find that when students concentrate on top schools, they often do not develop interest and enthusiasm for schools within their reach. I also hate to see students receive multiple denials, as it is demoralizing, even if he or she went into the process with the understanding that the chances for admission were slim.

Another mistake I often see is the belief that there is considerable scholarship money available. In reality, there are few scholarships available for students who do not need financial aid. There are, however, merit scholarships available at many colleges regardless of income. These are very different from winning a scholarship from sources other than the colleges themselves.

Generally colleges who grant merit money use it to recruit the top students they hope to entice to their campus. I recommend that if you need merit money, you focus your search to those schools where you are in the top quartile. If you are hoping to win scholarship dollars, it behooves you to look at local scholarships, where the money tends to be less substantial, but are more attainable as fewer students are applying. Please do not wait till your student is accepted before looking for scholarship money. Generally April is too late, and scholarship deadlines have passed.

Stay on top of deadlines now and research local funding though websites such as WashBoard.org, which focuses on money for students from Washington state.

Joan Franklin is the owner of MI College Support, an independent college counseling practice (www.micollegesupport.org). Contact her at (206) 232-5626 or joanfranklin@micollegesupport.org.