<p>Hi All: My son is just starting H.S. and we don't know what we don't know about preparing for college these days, can anyone relate? Are there any good books or references anyone can recommend to get us off on the right start? Thanks</p>
<p>First I would compare graduation requirements to admittance requirements to see if there are gaps.
Our state for example does not require any foreign language for graduation while most universities require at least two years of same foreign language to apply and some schools want three or four.
When a college says they " recommend" something, they really mean they expect it.</p>
<p>Students may have to be quite creative to optimize their transcript for colleges.
Our city schools require more PE & vocational requirements to graduate than colleges do for admittance.
In order to fulfill both graduation and entrance requirements, our daughter had to use her participation on a school sports team to count for her PE requirement. Otherwise she would not have been able to take enough classes to do both.</p>
<p>Sit down with your child’s other parent(s) and anyone else who has committed to help pay for your child’s education, and sort out any money issues that you have between yourselves now. Know how much all of you will be ready, willing, and able to scrape together each year. Know how many years/semesters/quarters you are ready, willing, and able to pay for. Know how you feel about the student working during the summer and/or school year to help cover the costs of his education. Know how you feel about student loans.</p>
<p>Then, run the Net Price Calculator at the website of your home-state public U, your local community college, and anywhere else you think your kid might like to attend. Provide adult beverages and boxes of tissues as needed. If what you can pay is nowhere near what the colleges/universities expect you to pay, stroll on over to the Financial Aid Forum and start reading up on how other families have made it work.</p>
<p>Truly, for most families, the money issue is the worst part of the whole thing.</p>
<p>Know that every grade counts from now on. If your S is graded unfairly, fight it. Don’t let it slide. It may matter as happened with my D. A group project in 9th grade counted as the final exam grade, 20% of the total class grade. One boy didn’t do his part. She received a B in the class, costing her Val. spot as well as other goodies for having the 4.0. I didn’t complain, because I didn’t know better at the time. </p>
<p>Do informal campus visits occasionally. Just walk around. Let him get a feel for different sizes and locations. Don’t you get attached to any one college. Let it be his decision within your financial parameters. Ask questions here. The parents will definitely be able to guide you.</p>
<p>Great advice so far. The day after 8th grade ends, you can track every one of your child’s volunteer hours. That number, the type and depth of the various volunteer projects, and any leadership position, will matter to colleges. It will matter more to some than others. Church mission trips, tutoring at risk kids, etc. You can mark the hours on a calendar and total them up later, or mark them on index cards, or as my D did, keep up with them on her phone. It can also be used on scholarship applications.</p>
<p>In fact, my daughter was “forced” into writing a resume of her high school “career” as part of an early scholarship application. It was the best thing she did. It got her hired on the spot at her first fast food job, and she kept it updated and turned it in for admissions and scholarship purposes.</p>
<p>A common theme throughout my D’s college search was Leadership. Help encourage your child to find a passion, and to engage in it. Every college wanted to find out who the Leaders were and convince them to attend their college.</p>
<p>Head to your local bookstore and spend some time flipping through all the college books to see what clicks with you. (Or your local library.)</p>
<p>CC can be a great resource, but it can be overwhelming seeing all the stats posted, top schools admitted to, full ride scholarships earned, etc. Try to glean the good info without obsessing over what another student accomplished.</p>
<p>Good luck to you!</p>
<p>I’ve spent many dollars trying to learn what you seek. Save the money and buy “The College Solution” by Lynn O’Shaunessy and you’ll be WAY ahead of the game.</p>
<p>Agreeing with powercropper to keep track of volunteer hours. </p>
<p>In addition, we have tracked ECs both inside and outside of school along with any leadership positions related to those ECs, school awards, outside awards (awards for ECs your child does apart from school) work, and books read that were required and for pleasure. Also when standardized tests were taken and scores earned for each testing date. Yes, those will be available on-line, but it’s nice to have everything right at your fingertips. Record of courses taken and grades earned and GPA. Again, on the transcript, but it’s nice to have everything in one place. We have done this as each school year has progressed and just kept all the information in a spiral notebook (I am old and like paper 
). The GC has instructed students who will be rising seniors to construct their resumes over the summer. This task will be so much easier because everything is all together all in one place. </p>
<p>Enjoy the journey!</p>
<p>Take advantage of any resources offered by your high school, and if you find that there isn’t much, or that it isn’t available to freshmen, don’t be shy about asking others for help.</p>
<p>Great information from everyone, and it came from many different perspectives which is great! Thank you very much for all of your input! Any other input out there? This is a cool website/blog thing or whatever you call it :-)</p>
<p>I have to reinforce what happymomof1 said. Sit down RIGHT NOW and set your budget for college. If you have more than one kid, consider them all. </p>
<p>Do you have any college savings? Not general savings. But, savings specifically earmarked for college.
Do you have any discretionary income that can be used for making monthly tuition payments to the college?
Are you willing to borrow? If so, how much?
Do you expect your kid(s) to borrow? If so, how much?
Do you anticipate any windfalls in the next 8 - 10 years? Inheritance, real estate, etc. If so, consider if it’s available for college.<br>
Does your kid have any potential for academic or athletic scholarship?</p>
<p>Then, once you know what your financial position and expectations are, plan to discuss them with the kid around the end of 10th grade. A college education costs as much as a house. But it (usually) comes with a 10 year loan, not a 30 year loan. Treat it like the huge financial decision it is. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Love the advice on keeping track of ECs, accomplishments, and volunteer hours. I also second the advice about having the financial aid talk now.</p>
<p>There is something to be said for passion, but there’s also something to be said for picking your ECs, foreign languages, etc., with an eye towards college admissions. If your kid is a golfer who loves to run, have him run for two seasons and golf during one season or over the summer. As I keep pointing out, colleges need people to play the French horn, edit the school paper, be a shortstop on the baseball team, and sing in the a cappella groups. Colleges will take the most academically strong squash players who apply - even if that means rejecting yet another super-smart cross-country runner when they already have more XC runners than they need.</p>
<p>OP - there is a lot of good advice here. I did not keep track of EC hours for my son, but I am a “packrat” and had kept lots of paper relating to his ECs. So the information was there when he needed it. I did find that when I would ask my son about how many hours/week or weeks/year that he spent on an particular EC that he grossly underestimated the time. Like the IRS, its nice to have the receipts.</p>
<p>Hopefully you have some idea what his ambitions are for college. Is he likely to just want to go to the State Flagship or will he want to go OOS. (This is where the $$ subject comes in). I always looked at my son’s course selection and difficulty level (AP, Honors, IB, etc.) as preserving his options. Every college is different, but no school requires more than four years of a subject. So my son was perfectly happy to take four years of math, science, English, foreign language, and some history. The school district required that he take some PE, Health, a vocational course, and an “Introduction to HS course”. Music was one of his passions, so he took all of the choir courses available to him each year. He also was very interested in languages and took a second foreign language each year. He had courses every period, which meant that he had no “lunch period” and he wouldn’t have had it any other way. You know your kid and you know how much “down time” he needs, but in my opinion, if he can take a class which furthers his general knowledge or allows him to expand his knowledge of a particular subject that is of interest to him, go for it.</p>
<p>Look at the higher difficulty classes - AP, Honor, IB, etc. - and see if he can handle the toughest courses. All colleges respect these classes and the best colleges will expect him to have taken them. It gives him options which the students who took the easiest classes will not have. But, don’t have him shy away from classes that he is genuinely interested in because it will affect his class standing. None of my son’s choir classes were honors level classes, nor was his first year Latin class, but those were classes that he really wanted to take. He graduated with a 4.0 UW, but was just outside of the top 5% because of the unweighted classes. It did not hurt his admissions of top level colleges at all.</p>
<p>By freshman year, your son should have some ideas on what ECs he wants to pursue. With ECs it is better to be a specialist than a generalist. One or two that he devotes a lot of effort (not necessarily time) to be a good as he can be, and perhaps one or two more that he likes to do but without the concentration of effort. If he is doing something that he likes, the EC is almost like “down time”. For instance, my son was in Scouts, but it was more for the fun and camping and less about the rank, awards and leadership. But he did make it his personal goal to reach Eagle, which he did shortly before going to college. Singing was a major EC, but he got a lot of it in school and didn’t even start private lessons until the end of freshman year. Again, this was something that was fun for him, so practice was usually relaxing. There are few ECs that are “magic” in the admissions process unless you are good enough to reach national renown, so let him pick things that he likes and will self-motivate him to be better.</p>
<p>This is all great advice, and I agree with just about every bit of it. But I’d also say, remember that it does work out. Don’t sweat the small stuff, don’t worry over every grade, every choice of EC or class.</p>
<p>These 4 years are important in so many ways other than college preparation…they are a time of trial and error in all kinds of things. I’ve seen kids get fixated on being Valedictorian, spend all their time working to get perfect scores, lose out on other opportunities, and be shocked and hurt that others do better in the college process.</p>
<p>A kid who is living fully, following his or her own interests, trying new things, etc., etc…is someone who’s prepared to do well in life and will probably do better in the college process too.</p>
<p>All great advice, I give you all A’s, Gwen Fairfax gets an A+ 
It is important to remember they have to be well rounded and ready to deal with life on their own. </p>
<p>I love hearing about all of your learning experiences - good for us new parents. Keep 'em coming please.</p>
<p>At this stage in the process, financial planning is probably the most important thing you could do. Over the next two tax cycles, there is a lot that can be done in terms of sheltering and restructuring assets and income to make yourself eligible for financial aid. </p>
<p>Two good resources include [FinAid</a>! Financial Aid, College Scholarships and Student Loans](<a href=“Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid”>http://www.finaid.org/) and [Coupons</a> and Deals: The hottest coupon codes and cash back](<a href=“http://www.fatwallet.com%5DCoupons”>http://www.fatwallet.com). The latter may require some digging through the finance section to get the information you want. An alternative is the bogleheads forum.</p>
<p>On college applications - I highly recommend Harry Bauld’s On Writing the College Application Essay. Alternatively, you can check out my blog/guide at [The</a> App Style - A College Application Guide](<a href=“http://www.theappstyle.com%5DThe”>http://www.theappstyle.com) .</p>
<p>I would caution against sources that suggest formulaic and overly planned approaches to your son’s high school experience. He is still young, and there is plenty of time for him to figure out things on his own and determine where his interests lie.</p>
<p>The first big item will be the PSAT fall of junior year. It is a good idea to be prepared for this. It’s not make or break - but can create some scholarship opportunities with one test. If you receive a certain score in your state are named National Merit Finalist (have to submit some paperwork and get an SAT score that is comparable) - you automatically qualify for a host of scholarships. Also a respected line on your resume. So - if your school does not do these things, or take this seriously, consider the following:</p>
<p>Take the PSAT as a freshman and sophomore - might have to pay to take at your school -but take it for the practice.</p>
<p>Get some tutoring prep. Either one-on-one- or some summer prep classes offered at your school, other schools in your community, or your local colleges. ACT, SAT, PSAT, prep classes all help. The tests are somewhat different, but the prep help … helps.
Or do both.</p>
<p>Be prepared and in the loop for the PSAT test fall of Junior year. Some schools do this well, some don’t. Find out which one your school is.</p>
<p>About the PSAT: If your kid has never, ever, ever done particularly well on standardized exams, then the likelihood that your kid will be able to hit the score on the PSAT that will lead to National Merit Scholarship Finalist status is pretty small. That test is designed to identify the top 2% of students in each state. Your kid may never need to take the PSAT, and you can save your emotional energy for helping your kid get through the ACT and/or SAT if the places on your kid’s application list do require a college exam. Some places don’t. See the current list at [The</a> National Center for Fair & Open Testing | FairTest](<a href=“http://www.fairtest.org%5DThe”>http://www.fairtest.org) I have a smart, hardworking, creative kid who has never performed well on a standardized exam. We slept late and went out to brunch on PSAT day every year.</p>
<p>I totally agree with the comments about the PSAT. It’s the somewhat hidden secret of the whole process. If there is ANY way to get a PSAT prep class, just practice with the specific test format, not cramming or fake learning, have your child take it. Seriously, especially if your child is more of an AP-class young person. If a class helps your child get, say, 3 points higher on the PSAT, it could be the difference between being above or below your state’s threshold for the National Merit program. There certainly is no silver bullet, in the end it’s about your child and what they’re able to do, but let me tell you, the only way onto the NM track is through the PSAT. From a practical parents standpoint, there are dozens - dozens - of colleges that are free (not a typo) for your child if they’re a National Merit Finalist. They’re mostly state schools in the south or southwest, but they include names you’ve heard of. If location isn’t as critical as the Being Able To Pay For It part of college, those 3 points can be gold - literally. This is an old list but it will give you an idea: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/113-schools-full-tuition-national-merit-finalist.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/113-schools-full-tuition-national-merit-finalist.html</a></p>
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<p>On the other hand, not are “requirements” are true requirements. For instance, I go to a school which “required” 4 years of high school English and I only took 3 (my high school only required 3 at the time), yet I still got in. Basically put, anything can be considered expected and practically nothing can be considered truly required. There will always be exceptions. </p>
<p>I recommend starting a resume as soon as possible. Even if everything seems inconsequential, the earlier he makes the first one the more value it will provide him, and he will always have a leg up on people who don’t create one until they start college (I didn’t create a resume at all until Freshman year of college). </p>
<p>Don’t focus only on “top” schools. I go to the college across the street from my high school, and I’m currently interning with at the same place with people from (literally) Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. If he’s likely to be a top student anyway, encourage him that he should be happy with a local school or the state flagship.</p>
<p>Pay attention to your own kid’s interests. They will probably change over the course of high school. This can mean that an old activity or academic focus will be dropped in favor of a new one. Provided that the thing being dropped is not something that your family considers non-negotiable (I know families that required band/orchestra for all four years, scouting through Eagle, summer church camp, etc.) let your kid drop it, and try the new thing.</p>
<p>College is expensive. It is a good thing for your kid to get a part-time job that doesn’t interfere too much (however it is that you would define “too much”) with school and/or summer jobs. Not only might your kid save a bit of money toward his education, but he will also develop the get-to-work-every-day and get-along-with-crazy-coworker skills that will help him find and keep the jobs he needs in the future. Volunteer positions are also good for those skills too.</p>