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<p>It isn’t too early for parents to be thinking about it, though. Especially the cost aspects. But I agree that filtering that down to minimize stress on your kids is good. We did start D2’s (last kid) search in sophomore year. Visited a couple of colleges while on a vacation in another part of the country. There is something to be said for giving the kid a taste of it around that time – often it acts as a motivator to higher grades for them to see what they are actually working toward, and junior year grades are the most critical to the US admissions process. It worked as a motivator for both of my kids. Otherwise college is just this abstract thing that adults keep talking about, but they feel pretty disconnected from.</p>
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<p>Don’t underestimate the value of high test scores if your kid is capable of achieving them. My kid with an unweighted 3.6 GPA but very strong test scores got into every college she applied to last year, including three highly ranked reaches. Colleges know that applicants compare them to other schools based on those 25th-75th % test score ranges, and they like to beef that statistic up when they can. So prepping for the tests AND planning the schedule so they have a chance to take a second shot at them if the first scores aren’t quite what they wanted is worth the effort.</p>