<p>My girlfriend and I are currently in college and we are starting plans to get our kids into the ivies (I said compulsive planning, ok?)</p>
<p>What are the best strategies?</p>
<p>Is there anything we should be doing to help along the process in their early years , say before 5?</p>
<p>What are the best EC's to do before high school?</p>
<p>Thanks,
dleray</p>
<p>Wow. You should look up a couple articles on this topic (not on CC) because I've seen some articles on the ridiculous competition for highly competitive preschools.</p>
<p>I don't know.. I'm a big fan of letting kids be kids. I would just say get them interested in learning, like taking them to museums and such. And while going to a really good prep/boarding school might make them a little more prepared for college, a lot of kids from regular high schools go to ivies as well.</p>
<p>I don't think there's any specific formula, but that's really just my opinion.</p>
<p>Please read "The Overachievers." There's an interesting chapter on highly competitive preschools.</p>
<p>OMG...<em>faints</em> no offense of anything, but I'm really happy my parents weren't like that...:s</p>
<p>btw in some of my parent's friends says that in Shanghai (where I am from), there actually ARE uber-competitive preschool/kindergardens where 4-6-year-olds all taught multiplying, dividing, writing a couple hundred Chinese characters, as well as reading the English alphabet. And those lil kids have to take piano, ballet, Chinese calligraphy, etc etc on weekends as well...</p>
<p>OP, the most pragmatic way is prolly getting the kid started in smt that needs alot of training when he/she is little in order to be really successful when he/she is ready to apply to college. ie piano, figure skating, kung fu, w.e., see if ur kid is interested...whatever u do, dun force the kid, cuz i've seen TONS of that happening in asian families and its just sad....enroll the kid to in a competitive school with a very rigorous curriculum..ie, algebra by grade 5 or smt, most importantly, get the kid to be socially active, dun make he/she into a bookworm machine-type thing...and rmbr child prodigies often commit suicide...</p>
<p>The best thing you can do right now is to make sure that you and your girlfriend are enrolled in ivies. Two different ivies. That way your kids will have two choices of where to use their legacy preference.</p>
<p>You should have thought of that in high school, huh?</p>
<p>My advice, you and your girlfriend should drop out of college, get minimum-wage job, and move to a ghetto neighborhood. Have one kid only (can you afford anymore?) and raise them under a roof of frugality and austerity. Constantly preach about education as the only way out of poverty. This way, you'll teach your child the value of money, the meaning of hardwork, and the important of education. His/her college application will be full of ethos factors, and since he/she is from a poor family, it enhances his/her status for Ivy admission. </p>
<p>Yep, that's how you get your kid in the ivy. Are you willing to sacrifice?</p>
<p>FIRST, do not tell anyone else that you know you are tracking your kids for hte Ivies, because several things can happen</p>
<p>you could have a child who has not the passion to attend an Ivy</p>
<p>you could have a child that doesn't have the skills to attend an ivy</p>
<p>you could have a child that say, wants to become a fire fighter, and has no interest in going to Yale</p>
<p>to be honest, kind of creeps me out when parents, wait not even parents are thinking about success as only being attainable by attending an Ivy</p>
<p>How wil the child be happy, if what they do is focused on not enjoying it, but on an application 15 years, 10 years away</p>
<p>here is some advice for ALL parents:</p>
<p>read to your child
cook with your child
hang out
be silly
let them be who they are
and emulate how you want them to be- kind, generous, honest, hard working</p>
<p>and please don't start out this way...what if you kid gets some C's in 4th grade, will you freak out</p>
<p>if they get tired of fencing at age ten, will you let them quit</p>
<p>think a bit about the attitude you have</p>
<p>will you like them if they aren't perfect at age 3
will you enjoy them, or will you always be thinking about college even when they are 5 and finger painting</p>
<p>Look up psychology on this subject.</p>
<p>Personally, I would just focus on raising them in an intellectual environment while at the same allowing them to enjoy their childhood. Then when the time is right you could focus on teaching them priorities, proper work ethic, etc.</p>
<p>turn off the TV, talk to them alot as soon as they are born, expose them to many, many different people/situations/places.</p>
<p>Support them as they make mistakes, be honest with them, teach them your values, allow them to explore, give them responsibilities.</p>
<p>let them learn the value of earning something versus being given something, let the grandparents be the ones to spoil them.</p>
<p>try to lessen the toys and experiences that zap the imagination (electronic toys, video games, tv) and increase the toys and experiences that increase the imagination (sandboxes, musical instruments, blocks)</p>
<p>let them be children.</p>
<p>of course -- this is just my opinion, but I think every child should be raised in this fashion. When the time is right, they will find their path -- whether it be the path you want them to take -- and you will see a confident individual.</p>
<p>Get out there and make a boat load of money so you can donate heavily to these institutions (you are at an Ivy now, right?) - a whole lot more kids get in because they have parents who are likely to contribute to the university than those whose parents can not. </p>
<p>You'll also need to be able to pay the over priced tuition, prep schools, tutoring, etc....</p>
<p>Once you get married, get pregnant, have your child and finally get to know who your child is -- you may be delighted to discover what a wonderful, unique person your child is. And s/he may want nothing to do with the Ivies, because she is a fantastic supermodel. Or an awesome violinist. Or an incredible football player. Or just a great, happy, all-round kid.</p>
<p>Daniel Goleman, in a book I don't remember the title of, points out that academic intelligence is just one way to go. There are other types of intelligence -- emotional, musical, physical (as in athletic), and I don't remember what else. This web site is devoted to the college search -- not to people who want to become opera singers, or NBA stars. So this web site is focused on colleges.</p>
<p>Really -- kids (and people) are unique. Don't decide that only one type of "intelligence" is what you want your kid to have. Chance are, s/he'll fail at what you want the most. Do you really want to start your kid off with that kind of pressure??</p>
<p>check out the movie 'gattaca' ;]</p>
<p>I love gattaca!!! Jude Law helped, of course..:)</p>