Getting Into College (1962)

[Music] getting into college is an achievement that is becoming increasingly important for many of you for Bob Anderson the task of getting into college has been completed he's now arriving on campus to begin his first year just what did Bob do to gain admission to the College of his choice he would tell you that he followed two Simple Rules first plan early second get expert counsel to see how these two rules helped Bob let's go back a couple of years to Bob's junior year in high school in his junior year Bob was already making plans for college in fact he'd been thinking about college for some time before this some of Bob's friends like Ken thought that college was still a long way off but Bob realized that planning takes time along with planning early Bob also Al sought counsel from an expert Mr Henderson like counselors in many other high schools Mr Henderson had a great deal of information and knowledge about college requirements he knew that each student had different qualifications and goals Mr Henderson helped these students to select and gain admission to colleges that would best fit their individual needs Bob was one of the students Mr Henderson had talked to on a number of occasions Bob you've been keeping your grades up that's good the last time you and I talked about college you were interested in science and social studies have you been doing any more thinking about this well I'm still not sure I've been doing pretty well in biology but I like history and I like government it sure is hard to decide that's right that's one reason for having counselors Bob your strong interest in both biological science and social science indicates that a liberal arts program is for you that would give you a good background and then later you could specialize in one of a number of fields in either biological science or social science but first you'll want to discuss it with your parents and for now then let's be sure that your program is set up right so that you can get into a good liberal arts college Mr Henderson helped Bob choose the courses for his senior year for example he made sure Bob would continue with his fourth year of English generally a liberal arts requirement as well as courses in science a foreign language and social studies after arranging the program Mr Henderson discussed school enrollments and finances with Bob important considerations in the choice of any college then Mr Henderson introduced him to the college cataloges he selected some of those put out by liberal arts colleges for Bob to look at listed in each catalog were the courses offered by that college each catalog also contains specific information about admission requirements of course there were other points to consider a small school or a large one a private school or a state university there were many decisions to be made decisions that would take a lot of thought when he got home Bob showed the cataloges to his parents as they had done many times before Mom and Dad discussed his plans with him a big consideration was family finances Bob's father had an average income but he too had planned early and he was managing to set aside some money toward his son's education Bob was also contributing with money he earned working part-time after school and on Saturdays he worked in a supermarket during summer vacations he held another job as a junior counselor at a day camp this job provided not only money but good experience in organ izing activities and in getting along with people by the time Bob was ready to begin his senior year in high school he had selected several colleges in which he was particularly interested he arranged to visit one college with his parents at the College administration building they got information about the campus then they continued their tour the library was one of the places Bob wanted to see they also stopped by a few of the classrooms and Laboratories and talked to members of the teaching staff then they looked at the living facilities on campus first on their list was the student dining hall in the cafeteria there was a good selection of food at a cost that seemed quite reasonable later Bob and his father were taken on a tour of the dormitories Bob talked to the students and got more impressions of what college life would be like finally he went to see the the college admissions counselor again seeking expert counsel he also talked with a financial aid counselor from him Bob learned about the possibility of getting a scholarship and a part-time job to help him with his college expenses when the tour was over Bob had a much better understanding of what this college had to offer later he visited other colleges so by the start of his senior year in high school Bob was well prepared for the final steps involved in gaining admission to college he took the final courses that would qualify him for a liberal arts college and worked hard to get good grades later he took the various tests required by most colleges for admission he had found out which tests were required and when to take them then once again Bob went to see Mr Henderson to get help in filling out his applications Bob applied to three colleges where he felt his needs would best be met and where he felt he had the best chance for admission several months later Bob received his replies he was very pleased with the results all three of the colleges had accepted him and two had offered him financial aid his friend Ken was glad to hear the news Ken also had news but it wasn't good he had applied to several colleges but they had all turned him on Bob was disappointed to hear this Ken was a good student what had gone wrong well let's see we need go back only a few months to find out Ken had waited until his senior year before taking active steps to get into college he' always hoped to study engineering Mr Henderson had helped him lay out his high school program but Ken had not made use of Mr Henderson's Council for getting into college his parents were very interested in his education and were eager to give their help however while they wanted to be helpful they did not have enough information and experience to guide Ken in making realistic plans they were acquainted with only a few of the largest and most widely known schools later when Ken filled out his applications for admission he applied for financial assistance hoping this would cover most of the cost of his education however if he had checked with a counselor he would have learned that financial aid generally goes to those students who really need the help and who make an effort to help themselves during the summer though Ken made little effort to find a job he did not have a very realistic plan for financing his education after listening to Ken's experience Bob suggested that he see Mr Henderson right away the next day Ken took Bob's advice Mr Henderson was pleased to see Ken he had been concerned about him he told Ken that he might have been more helpful if Ken had made use of his Council earlier yet there was still a chance of his getting into college Mr Henderson explained that he would send Ken's application to to a college admission Center a College admission Center is a place where representatives from many colleges go to look for promising candidates who may not have contacted them directly this is where Ken's application was sent in the days that followed during the final semester of Ken's senior year in high school he hopefully check the mail no letters from any of the colleges when graduation time came Ken's chances were beginning to look pretty slim one day after graduation when Ken had just about given up hope letters came from several colleges and later one of these granted him admission so today Ken is also arriving at College this school has a good engineering department financially it is within Ken's means and in many other ways it is well suited to Ken's requirements Ken was very lucky to be able to complete his last minute Arrangements of course Bob did not rely on luck he followed a much Sher procedure for getting into college a procedure based on two rather simple but basic rules these rules can be of help to you as you make your plans for College Plan early and get expert [Music] councel