Back to School: Let the College Search Begin

August is here, and college application season is about to begin.

Deadlines loom in the not-so-far distance, and high school seniors and their parents are likely finding themselves in states of confusion, stress or disagreement.

Here to help is Phil Trout, a college counselor at Minnetonka High School. Every fall, Trout provides a series of informational presentations--each about an hour long--on various topics that address a number of the most popular and common elements about the college search process for juniors, seniors and their parents.

The goal of the seminars is to provide helpful detailed information about the college admissions process, the college search process, the financing of college education and much more.

“Minnetonka High School has a large percent of students who plan to go on for further education,” said Trout. “In a typical year, 93 percent of students go on to a 2-year or 4-year college or university.”

Trout, who’s entering his fifth year as college counselor at Minnetonka, understands that postsecondary school isn’t for everyone.

But for students planning to go on, Trout and his team help find colleges that are right for the individual by offering invaluable advice to guide families into the next stage of academic life. He helps students and parents consider locations (of the 700 students in a graduating class at Minnetonka, half stay in Minnesota while half go elsewhere), price and academic interests while they make their decisions.

Trout shares some of his most significant, basic advice.

Trout’s Top 5 Tips for Incoming Seniors and Parents:

1. Self-discovery

“Self-reflection and self-examination are the key,” said Trout. “Are the student and the parent on the same page? I think students and parents can have a terrific conversation about college where they never say the name of a school.”

Trout is referring to individual needs and interests, such as distance from home, school size, campus climate, academic rigor and location. “These are all really important college characteristics that are part of the exploration, and it does happen that the student and the parent are not on the same page.”

Trout says it’s important to talk about basic school characteristics before starting the college search process.

2. It's the student's choice

“It’s the school that they’re going to be attending,” he explained. Trout never wants to disrespect the parents, but in terms of finding the best fit, “that’s something that will be determined by the student.”

3.  No need to know your major

“The single most popular major for incoming freshman is ‘undecided,’” Trout said. Students should focus more on questions like where they want to live, whether they can live in a small town, whether they need to be close to an airport or whether they can live somewhere where it never snows.

“Parents want to put what the student will major in at the top of the consideration list,” he said, “but I actually don’t agree with that. I think there are other more important characteristics or items to the search including academic rigor, school size, school location and school cost that I’d put ahead of major.”

4. Visit the campus

“A campus tour is the most helpful element to the college process,” said Trout.

5. Take college rankings with a grain of salt

“I don’t necessarily believe that college number 12 is better than college number 21. And if college number 50 really resonates and has the right feel, it could be a great match.”