Preparing for College - The Parent Path
During your son's or daughter's high school years, he or she will begin to think about long-term interests and career goals, and make many important decisions. This checklist will help you to help your student during one major decision-making process the search for the right college.
Freshman Year
- Discuss the importance of lifelong learning and the value of a college education.
- Create a space and time for your student to establish good study habits.
- Promote extended, well-paced study rather than short-term cramming.
- Discuss the impact of grades and course selection on college admission.
- Check curriculum requirements for college entrance.
- Encourage involvement in extracurricular activities, volunteering, and internships or other work experiences.
- Engage your student in decision-making so that he or she learns to look at options carefully, to act decisively, and to take responsibility for final decisions.
- Plan for college expenses... explore your savings options.
Sophomore Year
- Start to network with your son's or daughter's teachers and counselors.
- Talk about his or her interests and career possibilities.
- Begin exploring appropriate college options with your student.
- Continue your support of extracurricular involvement and encourage participation in leadership roles.
- Inquire as to whether your student should take the PLAN (pre-ACT) or the PSAT exam.
- Keep college correspondence in a well-organized file.
Junior Year
- Your student should develop and follow a plan of college search.
- Attend information sessions sponsored by the high school.
- Consult with your son or daughter's high school counselor for college search ideas and advice.
- Review all options... if a school seems too costly, find out what scholarships and other financial assistance may be available to you.
- Your student should prepare for and take the ACT/SAT exams.
- Network (check progress and commiserate) with other parents.
Summer Before Senior Year
- Help your son or daughter to sort through college mail as it arrives.
- Review ACT/SAT results and discuss whether your student should retest.
- Visit different types of schools: small and large, vocational and liberal arts, private and public.
- Develop a list of questions for colleges and take them with you on your visits.
Senior Year
- Send in applications and be aware of deadlines.
- Make additional visits and encourage your student to spend the night and attend classes at the schools that spark his or her interest.
- Remain open-minded as the short list develops.
- Stay positive - the search for the right school can be exhausting and stressful at times.
- Meet deadlines when applying for merit-based scholarships and need-based assistance (for example, FAFSA).
- Collect all of your tax information and file for financial assistance in a timely fashion (and keep copies).
- Remain helpful and supportive while the final college choice is made.
- Notify the chosen school of the final decision and send in the tuition deposit. It also is common courtesy to notify all other schools that granted acceptance.
- Take a deep breath and relax! You and your college-bound student will encounter new decisions and create new checklists during the summer ahead.
Brought to you as a public service by Augustana, Rock Island, Illinois. © Augustana College 1994-2002 www.Augustana.edu and www.CollegeQuestions.org
