Preparing for college can be a stressful time for high school students. To alleviate the stress of planning for college, it is best to plan early while in middle school and high school.

Mathew Lord, who is the Director of School Counseling at Gloucester High School, spoke about what students can do to prepare before the transition to college. Lord has been a counselor at GHS for 26 years and director for the past 13 years.

Lord said that students should be thinking about what they want to do as early as middle school and Gloucester County middle schools are helping them do that through Naviance, which is a career and college readiness program. 

“In the middle schools in Gloucester they use Naviance at the middle schools also and they start doing career exploration stuff with them. So parents can go in and look at their kids’ Naviance account and there’s stuff in there they can do with them to explore,” said Lord.

After middle school, students should be doing college tours anytime during high school and finding out what they are looking for in a college or university. Going on tours can help students find out what campus sizes they like as well as if they want to go to a college in a more suburban, urban, or rural area.

“I suggest that if your family is going on vacation, that you find out what colleges are in that area and you just go and tour. You don’t even have to be interested in that college. But the more campuses you get on, the more you get a feel for what kind of campus you like,” said Lord.

He also advised going on tours with students there.

The PSAT, SAT and ACT are very important to take while in high school. These standardized tests are required by some universities.

“We still take both for everybody. Take both the SAT and the ACT. We suggest you take the PSAT in 10th and 11th grade for practice. Then take the SAT and ACT during 11th grade,” he said.

Lord recommends taking it during 11th grade year; that way a student can take it again if needed.
While in high school, students can obtain scholarships for college.

Lord recommends using free national search programs such as Fastweb, and looking for scholarships through Naviance.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is filled out by students to determine eligibility for student aid. This can be done in the senior year of high school, throughout college and during graduate school. Students who need financial aid should fill out the application as soon as possible.

“As soon as the FAFSA opens, start to work on it, that way if there are questions and problems, you can start dealing with them so you can make all your deadlines,” said Lord. It opens in October, he said.

During their senior year, some students will go through what most call “senioritis.” To combat those issues with distraction and lack of focus, establishing a routine can go a long way and can also help prepare students for college life.

“Establish routines early on in high school and stick to them,” said Lord. “It doesn’t matter if you are going to work, whether you are joining the military, or if you are going to school. Successful people have routines and they stick to them.”

He said that routines can be adjusted when needed, depending on the situation. Lord also recommended that during the summer before freshman year to maintain your routine, attend summer orientation programs that the college offers, join social media or apps to meet other students and make new friends and, lastly, meet your roommate before you get on campus if you can.

Students should also find out where to go when they need help. This includes academic help such as meeting with your advisor and writing labs, physical health if you are not feeling well, and a place to go to get help for mental health.
Lord also gave advice to those dealing with something called “impostor syndrome,” which is when someone has doubts in their accomplishments or abilities.

“If you get accepted into school, you are academically prepared to succeed—now remember that,” he said.
Lord also said that to make sure you are emotionally mature enough to go on your own. He said that there is nothing wrong with two-year colleges, for those who may not be ready.

One piece of advice Lord had for students before they go to college is to enjoy themselves as much as they can.
“Enjoy yourself. Make sure you keep doing stuff that you enjoy,” said Lord.