What all should I do to get my kid ready for college?

Question

I did not go to college myself, and feel pretty clueless about what I need to do to get my kiddo there. She is a Jr. in High School right now. I would love to hear advice from people who have "been there, done that". Some helpful hints, websites, books, anything at all. Thanks in advance. :)

Answer 1

You may first want to make sure college is in her plans for after high school. If it is, she will want to be the one who does much of the leg work to get herself to college. Self-reliance is a big plus and it is more impressive to the college admissions office to speak directly to the potential student instead of a parent. Admission boards take a look at a lot of things when determining acceptance or not. One of your best resources will be your daughter's high school guidance counselor. He/she has access to websites, application forms, financial aid information, etc. It is not too early to contact some colleges/universities and have her set up some visitations. Many high schools allow for a certain number of absences for college visits. At the college visits, you will be able to speak with someone in the admissions office who can answer all your questions. I am mom to 4 kids who are now 28, 26, almost 23, and 10. The older 3 have all been college students at one time or another. We had one or more kid in college continuously from the 1997/1998 school year through the 2005/2006 school year. 2 have graduated and one is taking a break from school for a while. Each had some form of financial aid at some point in time, but we also had some investments specifically made to help pay college tuition. Most of our information going into the "college years" came from the counselor's office. They kept students updated on financial aid seminars, college nights, deadlines for tests, etc. Either the information was posted on a bulletin board outside the counseling department or announcements were made during morning announcements. If she is interested in college, I suggest she start by making an appointment with her high school guidance counselor.

Answer 2

First of all I would talk to my daughter about what she wants to be. If she isn't sure then talk about things she is good at , or things that she likes to do. If they have guidance counsellors in her Jr. High then it might be a good idea to meet with them during school hours. Sometimes they can administer apptitude tests to see which areas/subjects your daughter might have an ability in. If she is particularly interested in a career right now then she may be able to do some volunteer work in a related field (for example if she is interested in law enforcement it would be good to volunteer with organizations which help the vulnerable in society.) However she is still in Jr. High and has a lot of time left to decide what she wants to do in the future. Some people don't realize what they want to be until they are much older or already in college or university.

Answer 3

First of all if she is a Jr in high-school it is kind of late to be thinking about going to universities (i.e UM,Harvard,FSU), that is something that has to be thought about and planned out well before their Jr year! They need so many hours of community service, extra curricular activities, and references just to be looked at she to be honest should have already started the physical process of applying last year! What kind of grades is she getting? What kind of grades did she get in the past? Are you taking out loans, or getting grants? She may end up going to a community college which is not bad to get an AA, to be honest I think it is the best way to go! That is how I am doing it I am getting my AA at a community college and then going to a major university for my BA, it saves money and no one really cares where an AA comes from! Good luck!