With so much information and overwhelming pressure from all sides, the college search and application process is a lot more complex than it used to be. But it doesn’t have to be! The key is to demystify the process so that you can help support your student throughout the process with the knowledge that matters.
Following Along with Your Student
You now have access to view your student’s college preferences, college list, and their impressions of each.
Complete Your Own Corsava Card Sort
Have some fun as you see what your student did to consider their preferences by completing your own card sort.
To start a Card sort:
- Navigate to "My Profile"
- Select "Begin an online sort"
Each card represents a unique characteristic of the college experience, with definitions to help you explore your choices. Select what you Must Have, what Would Be Nice, things you Do Not Care about, and those things that are a No Way.
Once you have completed entering your choices, select "Yes, I want to see my report" button to save your answers and load your report.
Tip: Don't worry, if you aren't sure about a choice you can change your selections later.
Your report is a color-coded summary that organizes your preferences by category and level of importance.
By viewing your Corsava report and your student’s, you will see how they compare, opening important discussions so that you are all on the same page. You may be surprised to learn what’s important to your student when it comes to college!
Create Your List of Colleges
You may also be joining your student on college visits or helping with some research, so by creating your own list and adding your impressions, you will learn more about each of the colleges your student is exploring. You may even find there’s more research to do after a visit.
Tip: Consider your preferences and impressions as you visit campuses, research online, go to fairs, and talk to people. We recommend that you spend some time researching or visiting the college before you give your initial impression.
To add a college:
- Navigate to "My Profile"
- Select "Select Colleges" under My Colleges
- Start typing a college name in the box
- Select the college you want to add
- When you return to "My Profile," you may need to refresh the page to see all the colleges you have added.
To add an impression:
- Navigate to "My Profile"
- Select one of the colleges under My Colleges
- Select an answer for each card (similar to a card sort – your Must Have and Would Be Nice cards will appear in random order).
Tip: You can always edit these choices later on, so don't get stuck if you don't know an answer. Just select the "Don't Know" option.
If you are visiting that college, you can add the date of your visit. You can also add notes. This is a great way to get a reminder that there are more items you want to research, from deadlines for scholarships to access to learning support for your student.
See How Your Colleges Line Up
After you complete your impressions for a college, a score will appear next to the college name. The score is weighted, giving your Must Have cards more priority over your Would Be Nice cards. Colleges are sorted by score, with the colleges having the highest scores appearing at the top.
Tip: You can update this list anytime you want. And don't worry – if you remove a college and decide later to add it back in, all of your impressions and notes will reappear.
Remember that the most successful transitions to college entail a student taking ownership of the process and parents walking alongside, giving support while factoring in what’s most important to their student’s success.