College Prep 101 is a handbook for those involved in the process of selecting, applying to and enrolling in college. It's an excellent resource for students, parents, and educators alike, and no high school library or counseling office should be without a copy. Readers are walked through each step of the college application and selection process, from planning for college to college visits, and choosing a college to college entrance exams. Checklists are provided for each year of high school, listing the important steps to take each year, and there's even a list of items to pack and take to college when the time comes. Finances feature prominently within the pages, as the chapter entitled College and Money provides direction through both applying for scholarships and the financial aid process. In addition, decision making and prioritizing are discussed as bases for spending decisions while the student is actually in college. Millis' second title, "How to Go to College Cheaper" goes into great detail on this topic. The transition from high school to college is also discussed, including extensive coverage of study skills and time management. Students are encouraged to find their own system or style of studying through answering six simple questions and using whichever of the suggested strategies are most effective for them. Organization, prioritization, and decision making are discussed as the basis for effective time management - a skill many college students struggle with. Parents too will find information written specifically for them inside, with their own list of 'must-do' items, a chapter detailing how they can help their student through this process (and deal with it themselves), and specific suggestions hi-lighted throughout the book. The book's thirteen chapters cover all the bases without boring the reader with unnecessary text. It is written in a straight-forward, conversational style that is easy to read, and the numerous lists provide excellent resources you'll refer to again and again.
About the Author: Lance Millis has over twenty years of experience in higher education, including 7 in student recruitment and over 15 in academic advisement and student services administration at a large, public university in Oklahoma. He has been involved in new student enrollment, teaches a Freshman Orientation, and has won campus awards for his academic advising. Millis has been advisor to student organizations, a volunteer for new student orientation, served on and headed selection committees for student scholarships and awards, and headed the school's enrollment appeals committee. He has written "College Prep 101" and published a booklet entitled "How to Go to College Cheaper" that includes over 400 suggestions on how to save money on college. Millis owns and manages two web sites, CollegePrep-101 and College Answer Guy CollegePrep-101 (www.collegeprep101.com), an award-winning web site aimed at helping students, their parents and others who work with them, prepare for and succeed in college. Hundreds of thousands have visited the web site since it's creation in 1996, and literally thousands of students have been helped through the difficult transition from high school to college. College Answer Guy (www.collegeanswerguy.com) provides dozens of short essays, in a blog-like format, on topics covering virtually every aspect of college preparation, selection and success. The web site was, at it's creation, a depository for the text of a newspaper column Millis wrote for three years, and has grown from there. Millis holds both BS and MS degrees from Oklahoma State University (BS, Recreation Management, MS, Natural and Applied Sciences), and is a graduate of Bartlesville High School, in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. He is married and has two children.