Legal Documents Needed for College

 by Helene Wingens | May 18, 2021

Before your 18-year-old heads out the door, ensure you have the legal documents to protect her. Accidents and illnesses happen to everyone, including young adults, and you want to be able to speak to healthcare providers, keep informed and help make decisions for your teen once they leave home. 

Here’s what you need to know when your teen turns 18. Three forms facilitate the involvement of a parent (or whoever is designated) in an emergency or other situation.

What You May Need In A Medical Emergency

1. Health Care Proxy (also referred to as a healthcare agent or medical power of attorney, a healthcare power of attorney, or durable power of attorney for health care)

This authorizes someone to make medical decisions on your teen’s behalf, giving you access to your medical records and the ability to converse with their medical healthcare providers. By signing a healthcare proxy, your teen is appointing you to act on your behalf in making medical decisions in case you cannot make those decisions for yourself.

Each state has different laws that govern the execution of a healthcare proxy (state laws differ on whether a medical proxy has to be notarized or merely witnessed). And, therefore the legal form you sign will be specific to the state where it will be used. In many states, HIPAA authorization is rolled into the standard medical proxy form. In addition, a healthcare proxy can include a Living Will, or you can execute a separate document stating your wishes for end-of-life medical treatment.

2. HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) authorization (also called a HIPAA release)

This is a more narrow document in that it permits healthcare providers to disclose your teen’s healthcare information to you or anyone they specify.

This document alone will often suffice to get information from the healthcare institution treating your child. In a HIPAA authorization, young adults can stipulate that they don’t want to disclose information about sex, drugs, mental health, or other details that they prefer to keep private. As with the broader healthcare proxy, a HIPAA release can include a Living Will.

3. Durable Power of Attorney (Durable POA)

This enables a designated agent (in this case, a parent) to make financial decisions on the student’s behalf. The POA can provide that power vests in you immediately after signing the document or only if your child becomes incapacitated.

The POA enables the designated agent to, among other things, sign tax returns, access bank accounts, pay bills, make changes to your child’s financial aid package, or figure out tuition problems. Durable POA forms vary by state. In some states, the medical POA (or, as we called it, the healthcare proxy) can be included in the Durable POA.

Each state has variations on these forms and how they can be combined, so you MUST consult your state’s laws or speak to a local attorney who practices in this field.

As parents, we always hope that we won’t need these forms, but it’s always better to be prepared in case you do.

When Should You Get These Documents?

You should prepare these documents ahead of time because it may take time to get everything in order, including notarization (although not every state requires notarization.) Once kids take off for school, it may be hard to get their attention, so be mindful of that.

What Else Changes When Your Teen Turns 18?

When your teen reaches the age of 18, even though you may still think of them as children, under the law, they have now achieved adult status. That status allows them to vote, serve in the military, serve on a jury, sign a contract, and get married without their consent. Although they still can’t do certain things, like drink alcohol or rent cars, their legal status is decidedly different than it was at 17.

1. All males with US citizenship (with very few exceptions) must register for the selective service upon reaching 18.
2. Although not required, this is an excellent time for your kids to register to vote.
3. When your children turn 18, you no longer automatically have the authority to make healthcare decisions for them. And this is true even if they are still covered by your health insurance, and you are paying the bill. If your child has an accident or illness and is temporarily disabled, you may need court approval to act on their behalf or even inform them of their medical status.
4. Even though you are paying for their education, the FERPA law says you no longer have access to your child’s grades once they turn 18. That’s right, you can call the registrar and ask to see your 18-year-old’s transcript, and they will not share it with you even though you’re signing the tuition checks.
5.  You can no longer manage money for your children once they turn 18.

 

 

The Extra Mile: How Extracurricular Activities Impact College Admissions

By Maggie Roth 

Although this post was written for families in Virginia, it is applicable to our Westfield families.

The Northern Virginia area is well-known for having great school systems, and that means a lot of competition when it comes to college applications. On top of academic endeavors, ambitious high school students join sports teams, student councils, art and special interest clubs, and pour hours of their time into volunteering throughout the community, in part to stand out on college applications. 

But what do colleges really want to see when it comes to extracurriculars? 

Ultimately, these activities are a way for colleges to gain a holistic understanding of each applicant. 

Juan Espinoza, associate vice provost for enrollment management and director of undergraduate admissions at Virginia Tech, says that the school measures non-cognitive attributes, meaning that a student’s characteristics and experiences are considered as well as academic factors. 

“These non-cognitive factors essentially serve as predictors in not only how the student is going to do in college, but how they’re going to do in life,” Espinoza says. “And they get a lot of these key experiences from that extracurricular activity. And so, it can become critical, especially in our process.”

In a study of four-year colleges during the 2023 admission cycle, the National Association for College Admission Counseling found that 44.3 percent of colleges consider extracurricular activities to be of moderate importance in the admissions decision. That’s less significant than grades and strength of curriculum, but still a factor that could make a difference. 

While academics are the primary focus of admissions, a resume that demonstrates out-of-school involvement and personal identity could be the deciding factor between two academically qualified students. 

Motionshooter/stock.adobe.com

Prioritize Passion

Students shouldn’t feel the need to join clubs they’re not interested in just because they think they’ll seem more impressive. Schools just want to know who their applicants are, what they’re passionate about, and how they spend time outside of the classroom, experts say.

That can take many forms: The Common Application, an application platform that over 1,000 colleges use, accepts categories like academic clubs, musical and art clubs, sports, jobs and internships, community service, and family responsibilities. 

“There’s no one formula you have to do. You know, ‘You have to do this particular activity, because that will be viewed favorably by the college.’ They really need students of many different interests,” says Maureen Kim, a college and career specialist at Fairfax High School. 

Different colleges may have specific attributes they look for in prospective students, like dedication to community service or the arts, but it’s best for applicants to be clear about their genuine interests and priorities rather than trying to conform. 

“Every college sets its own institutional priorities. So what impresses one college may not be the thing that is so important to another college — which is why I always default to what’s important to you,” the student, says Hannah Serota, an independent educational consultant and founder of Creative College Connections. 

Carlos Barquero/stock.adobe.com

Quality Over Quantity

The Common Application leaves a space for up to 10 extracurricular activities. Does that mean students need to find the time to join 10 clubs? Not at all. 

“It’s not [about] quantity, never been about quantity. It’s about quality,” Espinoza says. “Find something you’re really excited about, and you’ll be amazed about the opportunities that will arise from that sort of involvement.”

Colleges would much prefer to see students who are engaged in a handful of activities that they are committed to than for them to be loosely involved in many activities. Sticking with activities for a long time, rather than jumping to a new endeavor every few months, can demonstrate hard work, dedication, and enthusiasm. 

Multi-year involvement can develop into really valuable experience. If a student joins the high school newspaper, they may start out writing just a few articles here and there as a freshman, then write every week sophomore year, help show younger students the ropes in junior year, and eventually take on a role as an editor as a senior. 

Of course, many teenagers don’t have set interests, especially when they first start high school. It helps to experiment with activities early so that there’s time to course-correct later, if the activities aren’t something they enjoy. 

“Just try to start in ninth grade. And then hopefully by 11th and 12th grade, maybe you’re going to have more established interests and you could take on a leadership position in an institution,” Kim says. 

Craig/stock.adobe.com

True Leadership

Leadership is an important characteristic to demonstrate, but only if it’s authentic — not just a title. 

“We make sure that we don’t evaluate leadership in those traditional terms of class president, team captain. Those roles are great, but we often find, too, that leadership comes in many forms,” Espinoza says. 

One important example where leadership can be demonstrated is in family responsibilities, he says. In addition to school clubs or community volunteering, the student can list a part-time job or taking care of younger siblings. 

“That counts. They’re learning the same set of skills they would if they were in leadership, or with a traditional organization that might be found at the high school,” he says.

Even within institutional organizations, active involvement will demonstrate leadership most effectively. If a student organized meetings, tutored new members, or put together fundraisers, those actions show leadership just as much as being voted in as the club president. 

Seventyfour/stock.adobe.com

Community Mindset

One way to stand out is to take interests out of the high school setting and engage with the community.

“I think that by getting out of their high school experience and helping other members of their community, I think that that that shows the colleges that they care about their neighbors,” Kim says.  

There are plenty of ways to take a hobby, passion, or prospective career path and turn it into a service opportunity. Nature lovers can join park cleanups. Future political science majors can volunteer for political campaigns. 

Most schools have college and career counselors who can help find opportunities, and online resources like Volunteer Fairfax post volunteer needs.  “In the end, colleges are building communities, so they want to have students who are going to be actively engaged in the community,” Serota says.

Tell Them About It

Once it’s time to apply, here’s how to effectively share extracurricular experiences:

The activities section: The Common Application provides 150 characters to explain each activity. That’s not much space, so descriptions should be brief — not in sentences — and full of strong verbs. Quantifiable achievements like specific dollar amounts fundraised or the number of students tutored are helpful.

Recommendations: A coach or activity supervisor can write a letter of recommendation that focuses on the student’s extracurricular involvement.

Personal essays: If an experience was truly impactful, it can go in the personal essay section — but only if it can’t be conveyed in the activities section, to avoid repetition.

Feature image, stock.adobe.com

This story originally ran in our December issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.

Do Colleges Track Demonstrated Interest?

 From: College Curators

Simply put, colleges are trying to gauge how likely you are to enroll if they admit you. Some schools use demonstrated interest as a factor when making admissions decisions. With so many applicants worldwide, it is important to show schools that you know about them and you are serious about your intentions to attend. 

All schools offer highly effective virtual ways to connect. If you do have the chance to visit a school in person that is a bonus, but certainly not necessary.

How do you show Demonstrated Interest? 

1. 1. Request Information.  Visit the websites for each of the schools you are interested in and register your email and other requested information.  More than ever, schools are tracking prospective students’ activity on their website.  For an in depth analysis see this 2019Washington Post article which explains how colleges track data, Colleges Quietly Rank Prospective Students Based on Their Personal Data.
   2. “Visit” and Connect. If colleges visit your school be sure to attend the visit (be it in person or virtually). Be sure to take virtual college tours and keep your eyes open for online college fairs this fall.  
   3. Participate in Interviews. Many schools these days offer in person and online interviews. We recommend participating in any way you can. Here is a list of schools that offer interviews BEFORE you apply! 
   4. Open Emails.  If a school to which you are applying sends you an email, be sure to click on it. 
   5. Get Social: Participate in social media interactions by joining schools’ Facebook and Instagram pages. Like posts. Be aware, however, when you are engaging in social media with these universities, they are not your online friends. Interactions should be much more formal. 
   6. Be Specific. In your supplemental essays, be sure to include information that is specific to that institution. Use this information as it relates to your particular interests. Scour the schools’ websites and see if there are any classes or professors who share your passions.
   7. Thank Everyone! Please remember to thank everyone with whom you interact. Do not to send anything in the form of gifts or gimmicks — your words are enough. You do not want to cross the line between demonstrating interest and becoming a nuisance. 
   8. Proofread all your Communications. Need we say more? 
   9. Choose Early.  While it is difficult and not always possible, the best way to show a school your demonstrated interest is to apply Early Decision or Single Choice Early Action. 

List of Colleges that Track Demonstrated Interest

If a school tells you it considers demonstrated interest as a factor in admissions, believe it! This list is not comprehensive and subject to change.  Please check the website of each school. Our source of information is The Common Data Set issued by each school.  

Demonstrated Interest = Very Important:

• American University
• Cooper Union
• Dickinson College
• Hampshire College
• Ithaca College
• Morehouse College
• Quinnipiac University
• Syracuse University
• Thomas Aquinas College
• United States Air Force Academy
• United States Naval Academy

 Demonstrated Interest = Important:

• Allegheny College
• Auburn University
• Bates College
• Bentley University
• Butler University
• DePaul University
• Eckerd College
• Elon University
• Fairfield University
• Florida Institute of Technology
• High Point University
• Kenyon College
• Lehigh University
• Loyola University Chicago
• Michigan State University
• Oglethorpe University
• Reed College
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• Roanoke College
• Seattle University
• Seton Hall University
• Skidmore College
• The College of Wooster
• Trinity College
• United States Merchant Marine Academy
• United States Military Academy
• University of Arizona
• University of Massachusetts Amherst
• Wheaton College (MA)

 Demonstrated Interest = Considered:

• Agnes Scott College
• Babson College
• Bard College
• Barnard College
• Baylor University
• Beloit College
• Berea College
• Boston University
• Bradley University
• Brandeis University
• Brigham Young University
• Case Western Reserve University
• Catholic University
• Chapman University
• Clark University
• Colby College
• College of Charleston
• College of the Holy Cross
• College of William and Mary
• Colorado College
• Colorado School of Mines
• Connecticut College
• Cornell College
• Dartmouth College
• Davidson College
• Denison University
• DePauw University
• Drew University
• Drexel University
• Duke University
• Fordham University
• Franklin & Marshall College
• Furman University
• George Mason University
• George Washington University
• Georgia Institute of Technology
• Gettysburg College
• Gonzaga University
• Goucher College
• Grinnell College
• Hamilton College
• Haverford College
• Hobart and William Smith Colleges
• Hofstra University
• Howard University
• Juniata College
• Kalamazoo College
• Knox College
• Lafayette College
• Lake Forest College
• Lawrence University
• Lewis & Clark College
• Loyola University Maryland
• Marietta College
• Marist College
• Marquette University
• Middlebury College
• Mount Holyoke College
• Muhlenberg College
• New York University
• Northeastern University
• Northwestern University
• Oberlin College
• Occidental College
• Oregon State University
• Pitzer College
• Providence College
• Purdue University
• Rhodes College
• Rice University
• Rochester Institute of Technology
• Saint Joseph’s University
• Saint Louis University
• Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame
• Santa Clara University
• Sarah Lawrence College
• Sewanee: University of the South
• Simmons College
• Southern Methodist University
• Southwestern University
• Spelman College
• St. Olaf College
• Stevens Institute of Technology
• SUNY, Binghamton University
• SUNY, Stony Brook University
• Swarthmore College
• Texas A&M University
• Trinity University
• Tufts University
• Tulane University
• Union College
• United States Coast Guard Academy
• University of Central Florida
• University of Chicago
• University of Colorado Boulder
• University of Delaware
• University of Denver
• University of Florida
• University of Miami
• University of Michigan
• University of Missouri, Columbia
• University of North Carolina at Charlotte
• University of North Carolina at Wilmington
• University of North Texas
• University of Notre Dame
• University of Oklahoma
• University of Pennsylvania
• University of Pittsburgh
• University of Portland
• University of Puget Sound
• University of Rhode Island
• University of Richmond
• University of Rochester
• University of San Diego
• University of Texas at Austin
• University of Vermont
• University of Wisconsin
• Ursinus College
• Villanova University
• Virginia Tech
• Wake Forest University
• Washington & Jefferson College
• Washington and Lee University
• Washington University in St. Louis
• Wellesley College
• Wentworth Institute of Technology
• Wheaton College (IL)
• Whitman College
• Whittier College
• Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• Xavier University
• Yeshiva University

 Demonstrated Interest = Not Considered: 

• Albion College
• Amherst College
• Arizona State University
• Belmont University
• Bennington College
• Berry College
• Birmingham Southern College
• Boston College
• Bowdoin College
• Brown University
• Bryn Mawr College
• Bucknell University
• California Institute of Technology
• California Poly, San Luis Obispo
• Carleton College
• Carnegie Mellon University
• Centre College
• Claremont McKenna College
• Clemson University
• Colgate University
• Colorado State University
• Columbia University
• Cornell University
• CUNY, Baruch College
• CUNY, Brooklyn College
• CUNY, City College
• CUNY, Hunter College
• Drake University
• Earlham College
• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
• Emerson College
• Emory University
• Florida State University
• Georgetown College
• Georgetown University
• Georgia State University
• Harvard University
• Harvey Mudd College
• Hendrix College
• Hope College
• Indiana University
• James Madison University
• Johns Hopkins University
• Kettering University
• Loyola Marymount University
• Macalester College
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Miami University
• Millsaps College
• Milwaukee School of Engineering
• Mississippi State University
• North Carolina State University
• Ohio State University
• Ohio University
• Penn State University
• Pepperdine University
• Pomona College
• Princeton University
• Ripon College
• Rockhurst University
• Rutgers University
• Saint John’s University (MN)
• San Diego State University
• San Francisco State University
• Scripps College
• Smith College
• Stanford University
• SUNY, Purchase College
• SUNY, University at Buffalo
• Temple University
• Towson University
• University of Alabama
• University of California, Berkeley
• University of California, Davis
• University of California, Irvine
• University of California, Los Angeles
• University of California, Riverside
• University of California, San Diego
• University of California, Santa Barbara
• University of California, Santa Cruz
• University of Cincinnati
• University of Georgia
• University of Hawaii at Manoa
• University of Houston
• University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign
• University of Iowa
• University of Kansas
• University of Kentucky
• University of Louisville
• University of Maine
• University of Maryland
• University of Maryland, Baltimore County
• University of Minnesota
• University of Mississippi
• University of Missouri, Kansas City
• University of Montana
• University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• University of New Hampshire
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• University of North Carolina at Greensboro
• University of Oregon
• University of Redlands
• University of San Francisco
• University of South Carolina
• University of South Florida
• University of Southern California
• University of St. Thomas (MN)
• University of Utah
• University of Virginia
• University of Washington
• Vanderbilt University
• Vassar College
• Washington State University
• Wesleyan University
• West Chester University of Pennsylvania
• Williams College
• Yale University

Horatio Alger Scholarship for Juniors

The Horatio Alger Association awards scholarships to high school juniors who have faced and overcome great obstacles in their lives. Applicants are reviewed for critical financial need and perseverance in overcoming adversity. Students who are involved in extracurricular and community service activities are welcome to apply.

Apply Here!

Davidson Scholarship

The Davidson Fellows Scholarship recognizes students 18 and under, who have completed a significant piece of work in the STEM field, literature, music, philosophy, or the "outside the box" category. More details explaining the "outside the box" category can be found on the foundation website. Submitted work is reviewed at, or close to, the college graduate level, with a depth of knowledge in their particular area of study.

The 2024 application is now open, with a deadline of February 14, 2024.

Win up to $50,000!!

Apply Here!

Coolidge Full Ride Scholarship

 

The 2023-24 Coolidge Scholarship application is now live.

A quick refresher: the Coolidge Scholarship is a full-ride, four-year, merit scholarship that recipients may use for undergraduate study at any accredited college or university in the United States. Any high school junior who plans to enroll in college in the fall of 2025 and is an American citizen or legal permanent resident is eligible to apply (current high school seniors are not eligible to apply). Winners may use the scholarship to pursue any academic major.

Academic excellence is the primary criterion considered by the Coolidge Scholarship. Secondary criteria include an interest in public policy and an appreciation of the values President Coolidge championed. Successful candidates will also demonstrate humility and have a record of genuine service to their communities. A complete description of the scholarship’s criteria is available here.

The competition for the Coolidge Scholarship is significant -- only a few new Coolidge Scholarships are awarded each year from a pool of candidates that spans the entire country. Even so, students have reported to us in past years they were glad to have applied even if they didn’t win because the experience helped prepare them for college applications later on. Furthermore, the Coolidge Foundation invites one hundred of the top Coolidge Scholarship applicants to participate in the Coolidge Senators Program, which includes an all-expenses-paid summit gathering and a $1,000 scholarship. Scholarship applicants are automatically considered for the Senators Program.

Please know that the application requires that candidates read President Coolidge’s Autobiography and a few other reading assignments, and then write three essays. We therefore encourage students to begin the application early. Candidates who begin the application at the last minute are unlikely to be successful. The submission deadline is 5:00 PM Pacific time, Thursday, January 18, 2024.

We hope you will share this opportunity with outstanding high school juniors at your school. The scholarship application, along with additional information, can be accessed on our scholarship site: www.coolidgescholars.org. Questions? We can be reached by email at coolidgescholars@coolidgefoundation.org or by phone at (202) 827-4291.

With kind regards,

Matt Denhart, Coolidge Foundation President

Rob Hammer, Coolidge Scholarship Director

December Break Checklist for Seniors (Advice from a College Counseling Expert)

 by Patrick O'Connor, Ph.D.

Dear Seniors:

I hope you have a wonderful vacation, since you’ve been working hard, not only at school, but on your plans for life after high school.

As you get ready for break, here are a few gentle reminders:

1. Finishing college applications 

Some of you are planning on using part of break to complete your college applications. That makes all kinds of sense for some of you, but it’s also important to use break for a break, especially since this may be the last December many of you will be home with your families for such a long period of time.

If you think you can produce your best work, complete your college applications before break. If you need time over the vacation to work on them, think about limiting your application time to an hour a day. You really deserve a breather.

2. Financial aid forms 

It’s pretty likely the FAFSA form—the big financial aid form for college and many technical programs—won’t be available until December 31. If that’s the case, do yourself a favor, and don’t look at it until school is back in session. There are no deadlines over break for completing financial aid forms, so you won’t be missing out on any cash for college. In addition, I’ll be around after break to work with you and your parents to complete this form, which is much easier than you think.

College can be expensive, but if you or your parents look at the form over break and need help completing it, frustration will only get in the way of getting the money you deserve. This can wait until school reopens.

3. Touch Base With Your College Friends 

Many of you are looking forward to catching up with your friends who will be home from college. They’ll probably have a few things to say about what college is really like—and that can be a huge help as you make your future plans.

Since some of these friends are older, you may be catching up with them at events where beer and other adult drinks will be available. Let me just say you want to be careful here. Everyone has a camera on their phone, and one picture of you doing something questionable can easily hit social media—and who knows where it will go from there.

Colleges and employers don’t typically monitor social media accounts of applicants, but some students have lost scholarships, admission offers, and more because of what’s on their social media. This is on top of the dangers you risk if you drink and drive or get arrested for underage drinking. It’s great to hang with your friends. In doing so, don’t hang your well-being, and your future plans, out to dry.

4. Be careful 

Even though you won’t be drinking, adults will be, and they may not always use good judgement. The percentage of drunk drivers goes way up as the night gets longer, and the number of drunk drivers is likely to increase where people have been drinking. These are good reasons to be home on the early side, and to use roads that keep you away from restaurants and bars. Suffice it say, getting in a car with a drunk driver is just a bad idea. Call Uber, or your parents. It may be embarrassing, but at least you’ll be around to be embarrassed.

Enjoy your well-deserved break and be ready to start again in January. This is it!!!