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Health & Fitness

Searching for the right fit? College fit, that is!

By Martha Savary

I talk to thousands of parents each year about all aspects of college planning, and it truly is one of the most enjoyable parts of my job. Helping families make sense of it all can be overwhelming, particularly parents of juniors who are just embarking on the college process.

School vacations are a great time to plan a college visit and explore your options as a family.

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Here are some easy steps to get started in making a plan of action:

Build a college list.

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Often times, you will hear folks say "make sure the college is the right 'fit.'" The right fit needs to be academic, demographic and social. It is easy to determine the fit of the first criteria from a visit to the college website where information on academic and admission requirements can be found. It is less easy (although some colleges do provide virtual tours) to determine fit from a demographic and social perspective without getting a feel for the actual campus vibe by visiting and touring the campus if possible. What does it feel like to be in a city? Does the student like a more rural campus environment or something in between? Try the innovative interview on yourplanforthefuture.org to explore what you may be interested in.

Get on the road and plan a visit.

While it may not be feasible to visit every campus on the list, especially if there is significant travel involved, a student can gain valuable insight from visiting “types” of colleges. This will help inform and clarify what "fit" actually means. With the many “makes and models” of institutions right here in the Commonwealth, exploring a large urban university, a small suburban college and the flagship public university is all possible within a 2 1/2 hour drive. Even if these colleges don’t make it on the list, by providing the experience the student can determine comfort within each type of environment.

College campuses are open environments that allow for a family to attend a theatre production, a sporting event or even a lecture without actually being enrolled. Additionally, while a campus tour is a great way to get a feel for numerous parts of the college experience, many colleges have maps available so families can do a self-guided tour. Visiting the campus while college is in session allows students to determine if they “fit” on the campus and if the campus fits them.

Read more advice from Martha on finding the right college fit at blog.mefa.org.

Martha Savery is the Director of Public Affairs at the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority.

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