<p>Awesome post, Juillet. Sometimes we seem to take middle-class college attendance for granted. One of the most touching moments of my life was when I attended a scholarship ceremony for DD1 in her school (SEC) during orientation. There were a good number of ‘1st gen’ students with their families, and you just knew that it was much more important for them and their kids… </p>
<p>In terms of early visits, it helps a lot to put the idea early on, but not pump up a particular school. Just the idea that if they do well in high school, and their tests and EC’s, they have a shot at it, regardless of cost. </p>
<p>If you also have kids in college, and younger ones at home, lots of college visits (in general) are natural. We visit DD1 often and it helps to show DD2 what the ‘culture’ is and what the expectations are. It also helps to meet other kids in school (say, DD1’s suite mates) that may be studying the same areas as DD2 wants to go to and can give some real insight as to what level of study is involved, etc. </p>
<p>Nothing is more humbling to a 4.0 HS freshman than to meet a super-scholar 4.0 full ride college freshman in a hard major that somehow manages 4.0’s and a good amount of partying at the same time :)</p>