What No One Tells You About College Planning BY AMANDA MILLER
W hen people hear “applying to col- lege,” they may think that it’s simply filling out some information about the student-to-be, writing a college essay (if even required), and clicking submit. In reality, it is much different. There are several unspo- ken steps that can cause plenty of stress, con- fusion, and forgetfulness. Luckily, we’re here to help. We have uncovered those hidden steps and stressors and are here to help make college planning easier to manage. ORGANIZED EMAILS Creating a “professional” email is important. While CoolKid101@hotmail.com was super cool as a kiddo and even better as a junk email address as a young adult, it’s not going to look great when keeping up with college applications and correspondence. College-bound students are encouraged to create a new email, preferably one that is some variation of their name (that will be
hard, we know). With the new email, it can be used to organize correspondence with each college. Many students will be applying to more than one college, so those color-coded tags and folders that Gmail provides will be extremely helpful. As a note, parents, we recommend having access to the email just to help make sure application confirmations, financial aid notices, scholarship deadlines, and future test reminders aren’t going unnoticed. It’s also great for added transparency without hovering over the student-to-be. UNEXPECTED COSTS These costs can be especially unexpected. Transcript requests, application fees, and any immunization records that have to be mailed can all add up quickly. Knowing about these expenses ahead of time helps families budget realistically, prevent delays when payments are required, and reduce frustration when
documentation is needed. High school coun- seling offices can provide a clear breakdown of transcript and record fees, while college admissions websites often list application costs upfront. Families can also explore dual enrollment or college-level courses while still in high school, which can save money and, in some cases, allow students to test out of certain college classes. Other smaller but important costs include sending ACT or SAT scores to colleges, joining honor societies such as the National Society of High School Scholars, and graduation-related items like caps, gowns, tassels, and honor cords. NEEDED DOCUMENTATION Speaking of documentation, having docu- ments on hand will save plenty of time and prevent headaches. Immunization records, transcripts, test scores, application fees, driv- er’s licenses, and Social Security numbers are often the most requested documents to have during the process. Compiling them will help
14 MARCH 2026 | CINCINNATIFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM
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