<p>Hey guys, My kid entered 9th grade this year. I know it's real early but if there's anything we should be doing to prepare for college this early, please let me know. I figured we'd start discussing it next year and just work on grades this year and allow him to enjoy the ride and have a great Freshman year. I don't really want to make a big deal about college right now, because we'll have plenty of time to worry about the pressure of admissions later. Is that ok, or should we be doing something more pro-active?</p>
<p>His 9th grade schedule is:</p>
<p>Honors English
Honors Biology
Geometry (with Sophomores)
Adv. PE
Graphic Design
General Art
Drawing/Painting
Ceramics</p>
<p>It's an art school, if you couldn't tell. ;)</p>
<p>Oh, what I would like, is suggestions on good books for parents to read about preparing your High Schooler for college, if something like that exists?</p>
<p>(I just graduated high school) He needs to take history (my school doesn’t have history freshman year either, im more saying this for future years). Colleges usually require 3-4 years of it for admission. However, I don’t think you really need to do anything right now about college except just make sure he keeps his grades up and gets involved with activities he likes.</p>
<p>Thanks! He’s taking History in his next session, it rotates, he should get plenty of it. We’re also doing volunteer work at a food bank together and he wants to join some High School clubs on his own. Thanks for the help. :)</p>
<p>What colleges are you looking at?
For books, you can’t go wrong with Cal Newport’s How to Be a High School Superstar. It’s different from most college prep books, but it’s an interesting read.</p>
<p>Hi d33d33, seriously we haven’t begun looking at colleges because we thought it was too early and would put too much pressure on him. What do you think? Should we start that discussion this early?</p>
<p>I will check out that book. Looking for books for us, as parents, and a book he might enjoy as well, so any recommendations welcome. :)</p>
<p>Yes, you want to make sure he takes social studies every year. Also, a foreign language is something colleges look for. You might consider reading this book: “How to be a High School Superstar: A Revolutionary Plan to Get Into College By Standing Out (Without Burning Out)” by Cal Newport. Interesting take on extra curricular activities and also thinking about how he spends his summers. </p>
<p>Many colleges have a foreign language requirement. For some it is 2 years and most accepted students will have had 4 (Wisconsin). Take a look at your state flagship and other schools that are on your radar. Sounds like Fine Arts may be in his future but he needs to be accepted to the entire college/university. He should not count on his arts background to get him into most colleges. If it is not too late I would substitute a foreign language for one of the arts classes.</p>
<p>Great advice guys, I’m going to see his counselor tomorrow to discuss foreign languages and history classes, to make sure he’s going to get the required amount to be competitive come application time. Thanks for the heads up.</p>
<p>Make sure he learns good study habits and that his procrastination skills don’t increase (funny how the more work you get, the better you become at procrastinating). I agree with keeping up good grades. A lot of people on CC talk about how an upward trend is a huge plus but they neglect to mention that consistently having stellar grades is even better. </p>
<p>Great advice. He’s always been a stellar student, top 5% of his class, all A’s, etc. So he’s applying those same habits to 9th grade. No worries there, I just want to make sure I shouldn’t be doing anything else as a parent to prepare his college plan. Looks like I’m all set, just need to look into the foreign language and history concern.</p>
<p>I agree with you that it is too early to think much about college. He should enjoy high school and follow genuine interests as they develop, make friends, and grow. Too much talk about college can turn into a life lived for the future, resume building and that can just mean a lot of false motivation. I think you are doing the right thing. YOU could read the Cal Newport book but I hope your son doesn’t read it and start strategizing!</p>
<p>Compmom, best advice yet and exactly what I plan to do. Glad someone validated it. I just bought the book and will read it on my own, no plans to give it to him. :)</p>
<p>Be sure he is on track to take some AP classes if his school offers them. As the Newport book will tell you :), he doesn’t have to take every AP offered. But enough to be considered to have a challenging courseload.</p>
<p>No. AP classes are “Advanced Placement”. They are (theoretically) the equivalent of taking a college class while in high school. An exam is offered in the spring through the trusty CollegeBoard (get used to hearing their name, they will take plenty of money from you over the next several years!) for each class. Scores are on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being highest. Students typically report their scores to the colleges they apply to. In some cases colleges will give placement (moving past intro classes) and/or college credit for AP courses with certain scores (often 4 or 5 gets credit, but I have seen 3, and some schools give no credit for APs).</p>
<p>One thing many colleges look at is the rigor of the student’s schedule. The guidance counselor fills out a recommendation form, and on it they are asked to check a box regarding how rigorous the student’s courseload is. A student who takes many of the AP courses offered (if the school has them) is more likely to get the checkbox for having highest rigor, which helps with admissions at some colleges. </p>
<p>Some schools do not offer APs. Some only allow a certain number to be taken in certain grades. My kids went to a school where they were only offered for seniors, and they only had a handful of options. Often Honors courses in 9th/10th grade are required before enrollment in APs later on. Your high school guidance counselor could answer the question of what APs are offered at his school, and if there are pre-requisite courses and/or required grades in previous courses to sign up for them.</p>
<p>He is a ninth grader. I would suggest you just make sure his high school sequence will allow hi. To take the recommended courses for most colleges. </p>
<p>Then take a deep breath, and help your kiddo enjoy life. And help him enjoy learning. </p>
<p>Honestly, my best advice is, stay away from this site until spring of sophomore year. As a parent, it’s very easy to get addicted to the threads, and overloaded, and to develop an anxiety disorder from reading all the posts from these very VERY high-achieving and driven students and parents. It’s also easy to lose perspective of what “normal” is! :-S </p>
<p>My youngest is in college now, but back when I was in your shoes, I found myself needing to take a break because my anxiety was spilling over onto him. </p>
<p>Most important thing is to get good grades from the start.</p>
<p>I would only start learning about the college process immediately if he seems to have a legitimate chance at a top 20 college. In that case you need to plan from the beginning because of the hyper-competitive admissions environment.</p>
<p>I would think about the money. So make it clear to him early in the process what you can afford so there are no misunderstandings later. No need in steering him towards Harvard in casual discussion if there is absolutely no way you can afford it</p>
<p>9th grade is the best time to start building up interest on something that may develop into a passion. Try to join a few clubs or other EC. He/she may drop some and focus on the more interesting ones later on. It would be good to stick with something for a few years and take a leadership role there.</p>
I just bought the book and will read it on my own, no plans to give it to him. :)</p>