Parents can get insight to the college admissions process Thursday in the auditorium from 8-8:55 a.m. during the latest installment of Coffee with Counselors.

“The purpose is to provide parents with pertinent information throughout the year that is applicable to a significant number of students and parents,” counselor Ryan Kiefer said.

Featuring Hendrix College regional director, Beverly Wheeler, the session will seek to answer any questions or concerns parents may have.

“Most parents are heavily involved,” Wheeler said. “But some parents are not sure of the process so they don’t seem to be involved. It’s not that they don’t want to be. I encourage all parents to attend admission programs offered at the high school and also programs offered by universities their child is considering. I also encourage parents to ask as many questions until they understand the process concerning their child.”

Mistakes made by inexperienced students and parents can be common when applying for college and Wheelers says this can slow down or even hurt the students’ selection process.

“The biggest misconception is every college admission process is the same,” Wheeler said. “Unfortunately, the process can be very different depending on the type of school. They need to make sure to ask the same questions at each institution to make sure they can compare apples to apples and oranges to oranges. A mistake that families make is applying late for admissions and financial aid, and not visiting schools early in the process.”

Parents going through this for the first may feel overwhelmed and frustrated but Wheeler says educating themselves about the process will help them help their child with the start of their future.

“Don’t be afraid to ask for assistance with the process,” Wheeler said. “Talk with their high school counselor early and often.”