<p>My Daughter will be entering 9th grade in the fall. What should she focus on this summer and 9th grade to help with preparation for college?</p>
<p>I believe that many colleges look for students to pursue their passions and interests during the summer, and starting as early as eigth grade can’t hurt. What are your daughters’ passions and interests? Is there a sport she likes? Art? A musical instrument she plays? An interest in science or math?</p>
<p>Many colleges have summer programs for middle school and high school students. One of my sons is very intrerested in math and science so the summer between eigth and ninth grade we sent him to a Math and Science Camp at a Big Ten school. This provided him with an activity he enjoyed but also provided exposure to what college is like. The campers stayed in school dorms, ate at a school cafeteria and the courses were taught by school faculty. It addition to having fun he learned a lot, too.</p>
<p>Have fun and don’t,think too much about,what looks good in a college resume. Let her be authentic and explore what really interests her. Of course, provide opportunities that are educational but don’t make her feel pressured. Trust me, there is plenty of time for that in about 3 years! Lol my daughter just finished Jr year and it feels like we are overloaded with stress about college, scores etc…</p>
<p>Make sure she maintains,the highest gpa she,can beginning this fall. I sat down when my D was arranging her freshman schedule and we,basically mapped out,her entire 4 year schedule. That helped a lot. Make sure she has the has 4 plus years of science, math and English. </p>
<p>But for the summer, let her explore what is fun for her. Keep her brain stimulated. By this age she probably has a good idea what she likes to do for EC’s. Now dive in and have fun!</p>
<p>Have her read the book “How to Be A High School Superstar” by Cal Newport. It has a great perspective on how to get the most out of high school without being ridiculously overscheduled. You might want to read it, too :)</p>
<p>Concentrate on letting her be the child she still is. She will change a lot as the next four years go by, let her have a good childhood and not merely be living for the future. Have her plan out the next four HS years but make sure those plans are open to changes as she discovers her strengths and interests. </p>
<p>Start using time spent visiting locations for other reasons that have colleges (or are in places on the way) to check out schools briefly. Seeing what various size schools look like, even from a 5 minute drive through, helps her become familiar with how they are the same and different from HS and each other. Then when junior year comes and she actively thinks about visiting campuses she won’t be overwhelmed by campuses you want her to learn about. Make it a no pressure situation- an “as long as it’s here/on the way let’s see what U of X looks like” sort of thing, never a “you might want to go here” thing. She’ll learn what she does/doesn’t like and will have time to absorb what campuses all have in common and how they differ. Do not be concerned about caliber of the schools- this is to see how campuses look, not to investigate their quality.</p>
<p>There are a few things that you might want to focus on (but she probably doesn’t need to): </p>
<p>She will need to take her SATIIs in up to three subjects. If she is doing the Math I or II, she needs to time it to coincide with completing the relevent math course. S finished the relevent math at the end of 10th grade and didn’t discover until the end of 11th that he should have taken the SAT II the prior year. Reviewing the necessary material a year later can be painful. Likewise, if she’s taking the SAT II in bio, chem or physics, it should be timed for whenever she completes that course. (In our area, some kids have the option of taking AP Chemistry in 9th grade so they plan for the SATII in chem around the same time.) </p>
<p>You and spouse should also talk about what constraints you may want to put on the college search - especially the financial constraints. It may be helpful to start setting D’s expectations early. If the local state U is where she’ll probably end up, barring major scholarships, it may be good to talk it up before her classmates start in about the expensive schools they plan to go to. If you expect her to stay within driving distance, it probably doesn’t hurt to mention it. You’re more likely to get her buy-in if it’s been a given from the very beginning.</p>
<p>Finally, encourage her to develop relationships with her teachers outside of class, especially in areas where she has particular interests or is having difficulty. Using a teacher’s office hours is a healthy habit to cultivate early. The subsequent college-related benefit is that there will be teachers who know her well by the time she needs letters of recommendation at the end of 11th grade.</p>
<p>If my DS could do it over again, he would add more ECs that were not directly connected to the school. He would have worked more with adults and developed relationships with colleg professors in the area. Other than that, he found ECs that he loved (and didn’t do 20 clubs so he could focus on 3 or 4), he had great friends and he developed healthy academic competitions, so that all of them worked harder as a team.</p>
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<p>This is only for very selective schools. We don’t know what kind of student this kid is and whether or not she will be applying for the level of schools that require SATIIs. </p>
<p>While some think (and I agree) that freshman year should be a year of transition, trying to figure things out and getting comfortable in a high school setting, I do believe choosing courses should reflect the abilities of the student. As a parent, you know what kind of student you have (and have likely been told over and over again throughout parent/teacher conferences over the years), what course load will be too easy, and what will be too hard. Were placement tests not given in 8th grade to determine appropriate courses for high school? The kids at our high school take placement tests in February of 8th grade and have the results when they meet with guidance counselors that spring. </p>
<p>However, in my view, the first three years of scheduling are more important than the last three years because, by senior year, most kids have already sent in their college applications, reflecting the level of course work they have embarked upon. Yes, schools will look to see that the senior year course work is on par with the other years, but taking a challenging load freshman year lets the student really tackle more advanced courses sophomore and junior year as they are preparing for PSATs and SATs.</p>
<p>She should spend time being well read! Read! Read!Read! It will help her with so many things (SAT prep is one).</p>
<p>Spend time on things that she enjoys, loves and has a passion for because this will make her a happy, authentic, and interesting person! This shines through when applying to college.</p>
<p>Find a place where she can be of service to her community - giving back in a genuine way is all around good and is a positive on the college application.</p>
<p>Spend a lot of time relaxing and having fun so she can approach her freshman year well rested and ready!</p>
<p>The <em>most</em> important thing you can do is to join us on the thread for <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1086324-parents-hs-class-2015-college-class-2019-a-6.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1086324-parents-hs-class-2015-college-class-2019-a-6.html</a></p>
<p>more advice for you than for your daughter: try to limit your time on this website. the obsessive focus on ‘top’ schools may make you a nervous wreck, and have you needlessly doubting your child’s strengths. or at least take what people say with a “salt lick” (read this earlier, lol!) because 50% of it probably isn’t true, or is highly exaggerated.</p>
<p>^^^mihcal, you crack me up! The 2012 HS thread is so established now (and wonderful, I lurked there since Dec. 2010) but that was way too late. I could never catch up with the friendships from 2009 on.<br>
Glad I got here to CC for my second child! Calimami, it is still early days for us and you give great advice about not taking it too seriously (you are way ahead of me in posts and join date but still). Look forward to making friends over the next few years…esp. on the HS 2015 thread.
About the salt lick comment–that is so true! That is why I have never posted my S’s stats.</p>
<p>Others have given great advice. I think it is way too early to be thinking much about college. As many have said, try to help your daughter enjoy her high school years, without too much thought of resume building, but a healthy focus on what her true interests are - as they develop over time.</p>
<p>When the time comes (we started in Feb. of junior year) there are so many wonderful colleges, for a wide range of student abilities and interests, and people here on CC can be very helpful then.</p>
<p>Stimulate her intellectual development by discussing things with her! Discuss world affairs, local politics, policy, science, sports, literature, art, music, whatever interests her. Solicit her opinion and do not put her down if she disagrees with you - encourage her to think and ask the reasons that she has her opinions. Subscribe to a periodical that would interest her (a news periodical, a science magazine, special interest magazine, or whatever) and leave it around for her to pick up and read. Go to the library with her every week and check out books and read them, then discuss them. Turn off the TV!
Encourage social relationships with peers. Encourage her to speak with adults, and help her with the skill of speaking with adults if she has not yet acquired this. Teach her how to ask questions of other people to get them to talk.</p>
<p>First watch the documentry Race To Nowhere-- then proceed with caution…</p>
<p>^^^ Lvirm–Spot on with that! Talk and question, play and talk, and have fun with opinions! With S12, we started with Time and then moved to the Economist and Lo and Behold our S12 reads Economist regularly. A little too conservative for me but very informative and we all read it. Comes every week and I guess sometimes he is desperate for reading material. D15 reads Reader’s Digest and Time (and, um, Seventeen–she is 13–even that has topics worth talking about), hopefully we will move to Economist or something similar in the next few years. No Cosmo for her, though!
Live in NJ, I need to go check that out, too busy at the moment but it is on my “to do” list. Thanks!</p>
<p>I agree with those who say you/she should not focus much on college at this point. Just let her be who she is, explore what interests her.</p>
<p>The one thing I would urge you to focus on is taking the appropriate curriculum to meet the required/recommended course work for the type of colleges she will be targeting. In a high school with good to great guidance, you might not have to worry about this. But if the guidance is weak or you, as a family, are just not familiar with all of this… now is the time.</p>
<p>Usually, this involves having 4 years of English, 4 of Math, 3+ of a foreign language, 3+ of lab science, 3 History/social studies.</p>
<p>You also want to see that she takes courses at the level appropriate to her/her targeted colleges. If your hs offers AP, Honors, IB… you and she need to think through where she belongs. If she is targeting highly selective colleges, they want to see that applicants have availed themselves of the “most rigorous” course selection. That means she would want to take most courses at the Honors level if available and some AP courses as well.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>