Since joining Church Farm School in 2014 as its first Director of College Guidance, Tiffany Scott (who came to the school from Admissions at University of Delaware) has not only helped 100 percent of the school’s graduates matriculate to leading colleges and universities, including Princeton, Yale, Brown, Williams, Swarthmore, and more. She’s helped them navigate best fit, financial aid, scholarships, and grants.

In the past four years, the school’s nearly 200 graduates have accrued almost $20 million in scholarships, including a prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship and a dozen QuestBridge Scholarships. She’s also currently leading CFS’s Alumni Success Program, which follows alumni through their college years to ensure persistence. Her goal is to raise the rate of persistence (which nationally is about 59 percent for boys; much less if you are from an underserved background) to 85 percent.

Scott offers her top tips by season for parents of seniors navigating the college admissions process.

Take Advantage of Summer

Hopefully, you’ve used summer break as an opportunity to plan for college; visiting as many schools as you can, working so that you can save money for college application fees (which quickly add up), honing your SAT/ACT test-taking skills, crafting your personal statement, researching and applying for scholarships, looking at which schools have supplements and working on them and finally, starting your Common Application (which opens on Aug. 1).

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Follow Through in Fall

Fall is crunch time. Sign up for the October SAT in early September, then start meeting regularly with your school’s college counselor to review your plans and ensure your letters of recommendation are making it into their hands. Continue to visit schools, focusing on those that are of the most interest to you. While you’re there, figure out the pros and cons of each environment (Do I prefer rural or city settings? Is a single gender college for me? Do I like small classes or large?). Attend financial aid workshops to make sure you know how to fill out the FAFSA, and create a calendar with various admission guidelines, deadlines, and notifications. Submit your scholarship and early decision applications. Most importantly, stay on top of your classes! Don’t let senioritis settle in during this critical time.

Wind Down and Select in Winter and Spring

Winter and spring are both exciting and stressful, but you still need to keep up with your schoolwork; most schools will see your mid-year grades before they make their decision. Follow-through is extremely important during this period; check with every school to which you applied to ensure they have all of your materials (check your e-mail and college portals regularly) – they should have your FAFSA by Feb. 1. When you start receiving acceptance letters, take the opportunity to attend any special programs or visits they might offer. Most importantly, carefully review the financial aid package and always ask for more money. This is a four-year financial commitment! If you received any outside scholarships, send those organizations thank-you notes. Finally, select your school and make sure you send them your deposit by May 1. Along the way, ask for help often. This is a major life decision and there are so many resources available to you if you seek them out.

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