Special Report: Getting That Perfect College Fit

"I knew I wanted to go to Missouri because not many people were applying there," said  graduate William Beaudoin.

The University of Missouri sophomore is studying to become a high school social studies teacher. Although he applied to one other out-of-state college, Beaudoin knew right off the bat Mizzou was right for him: "It just was a love at first sight experience."

Beaudoin should consider himself fortunate, as other students aren't as lucky or realistic in their admission expectations.

Considering the options 

Jan Caron, an ACT tutor on the North Shore, has been assisting local students with the college application process for years and is familiar with the desire of Deerfield parents to send their teen to a prestigous school, such as an Ivy League institution.

According to a New York Times chart, students admitted versus the number of applicants to a particular school in 2010 ranged from a low of 7 percent at the likes of Yale University to a high of 83 percent at University of Colorado, Boulder.

"You read horror stories and kids don't think they're going to get in," Caron said about the process of being accepted at an elite school.  "Very few kids from Deerfield actually go to those schools."

The Deerfield High School profile showed that Cornell, Harvard, Yale and the University of Pennsylvania were among the college destinations for the 413 members of the 2010 graduation class.

That is all good and well, but the exam coach wants to make sure teens and their parents know there are options and that "there are plenty of schools for average students." For a comprehensive list of U.S. colleges and universities, click here.

Caron has worked with teens who received perfect ACT scores of 36 as well as students with learning disabilities. She notes that none of her students have failed to get into college.

Beaudoin was among them.

"She helped me raise my [ACT] score three points," he said about the private tutoring sessions with Caron while in high school. "She would give me hints and little tricks."

Items on admission scale 

As thousands of high school students prepare to take the ACT exam Saturday, Caron points out that such tests are only one factor in getting that acceptance letter. Admissions officers also consider grades, honors, extracurricular activities and outside interests in weighing an application.

"Deerfield no longer gives class rank but that doesn't mean grades don't matter," she said. "Schools still give that information out in various ways."

Caron emphasizes that no one wants to attend college just to get the equivalent of C's and D's. Likewise, post-secondary institutions don't want to admit enrollees who will get mediocre grades, especially in these challenging economic times when competition for admission and financial aid has increased.

She says students need to apply to schools where they have the potential of being successful and to do thorough research of their prospects, including visiting campuses to determine whether there are like-minded peers.

"Fitting in academically is important to likely success, and fitting in is more important than going to a college just for the prestige." Caron said.

Parental involvement 

Caron believes high school students should highlight what characteristics are important to them and focus on applying to those universities that meet those needs--with help from their parents.

"They need their parents," Caron noted. "There's really nobody that knows and cares about that particular child more than their parents."

When Beaudoin sought to attend college it was something new for his family where he is the eldest of three sons. His parents were unfamiliar with the application process, but now are ahead of the game as one of his brothers applies to college.

"He's preparing for his ACT now," Beaudoin said. "He's got an advantage over what I had."

It is an advantage that Beaudoin doesn't seem to mind in being a trailblazer for his brothers.

The Mizzou sophomore is confident he picked the right university and knows his high school has been a contributing factor, especially after his first English class in college.

"We would do peer reviews," Beaudoin said, "and I would say, 'Holy cow, Deerfield has done incredible things for me.' " 

Editor's note: This is the last of a three-part education series offering insights into navigating the college application process.

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