PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Applying to colleges can be a stressful but exciting time. You might be helping your child do that right now.
Park Vista High School senior Juliana Burns has a long list of schools she's looking at attending. Her research and preparation work started early.
"I wanted to get my standardized testing done before I built my list," said Burns. "Because you can't really have those good fits, reach and safety schools."
She focused on college visits, starting with in-state schools her sophomore year during spring break.
Professional school counselor Megen Stair at Park Vista High School listed the top five things to consider for parents and kids beginning the college search.
She says the No. 1 priority should be to start early.
"We encourage as early as freshmen year for students to attend college fairs, visit websites, start gathering information," said Stair.
No. 2: She also recommends visiting campuses and suggests going on visits during spring break of the junior year.
"See the campus as there are students there, and you get a real sense of what the campus is like," said Stair.
No. 3: Then consider your major.
"You may hear the name of a school and be very interested in the school, but they may not have a program for what you are interested in doing," said Stair.
No. 4: Focus on financial aid, if you need to.
"Consider, can you afford a school? That's really important especially considering in state or out of state," said Stair.
She said to ask good questions of college representatives, like what kinds of activities do they offer on campus.
No. 5: Perhaps most important of all is to make sure you have a strong list of good fit schools and safety schools.
"I do believe there is a good school out there for everyone and that things work out for a reason," she said.
The Palm Beach County School District College and Career Fair takes place Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the South Florida Fairgrounds Expo Center East located at 9067 Southern Blvd.
There will be FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and Financial Aid sessions every 30 minutes to help families understand the process for applying for and receiving financial aid for college.
Click here for a full list of schools attending the career fair.