<p>You have already gotten great advice and mine is not much different. My kids did not start the college search process until the start of junior year. I can't imagine starting much sooner. Already that is a two year process of college stuff and it was plenty. Junior year was for the search process, visiting all the schools on the selected condensed list, doing all the requisite testing, etc. Senior year was for the application process. Nothing was rushed and it all worked out. I can't imagine looking into specific schools much sooner than fall of junior year because kids change, interests may change, etc. </p>
<p>As others said, MAYBE in ninth or tenth grade, if you are traveling somewhere, you could expose your child by a drive by certain types of college campuses...rural, suburban, urban, small, large, private, LAC, state...not even ones on any particular list but simply getting a sense of what colleges even look like and the great variety out there. I don't recall doing this ourselves though I suppose my kids have seen schools in their travels by chance...like Harvard, NYU, our state University, Middlebury....that were places that they saw passing by but there was no intent to do so. I recall when in Boston, driving by to show our girls where we went to college and the spot where we met, at Tufts. But no, we never set out to look into colleges til junior year. </p>
<p>What I think the focus should be on the first few years of high school is WHAT the kid is doing...interests, academics, ECs, summer activities. You COULD talk about long term goals....college...what type...what do I need to do now to stay on track? challenging classes? explore a particular academic interest? how will I spend my summers? what activities do I want to immerse myself in? what do I enjoy doing with my time? Jobs? travel? internships? </p>
<p>My own kids were involved in a myriad of ECs and one of them narrowed the focus and one did not but both were in long term committed ECs they began when quite young. But it is not too late to start anew freshman year. If sports are not what she is going to do, ask what other things she would enjoy getting involved in. Do NOT pick what will "look good for college". She should do what she enjoys and has an interest in and then stick with it (unless she hates it), garner achievements, take initiative, lead, whatever. There may be things connected to her school...you mention literary mag or newspaper, or debate and such...but also look beyond school to offerings in your area....or volunteer work, or a job or lessons in something. Perhaps these interests can be pursued further in summer. It does not matter so much WHAT the interest is, but more that she get involved in more than just academics. But even with academics, perhaps she will develop an interest area that goes beyond the classroom to research, an internship, a volunteer thing, a summer program. You'll have to wait to see what develops but also talk about WHAT she wants to do. Keep the long range goals in mind but not specific colleges. She will be working toward a general goal. I know my kids always had college in their minds and doing their best in high school because of what they might want to do next. One child did an independent study in junior year to explore an academic /career interest and even a two week internship in that field....truly for herself but also to explore something that she might want to take up in college and if so, might narrow her college search. I have another kid whose entire EC life matches what it turns out she is going to go to college for (not that that was the goal when she picked the ECs but that interest turned into a career aspiration). </p>
<p>So, while they had long term goals as to the kind of college they might want to go to someday....D1 wanted to go to a "really good college" and D2 wanted to go to a well regarded BFA program...that was in the back of their minds right along but their focus was on school and ECs but without any certain colleges in mind and they did not do a college search until junior year. </p>
<p>I am not saying this is the way for everyone but I personally cannot imagine starting to do college selection so early in high school because the focus is not developed yet and there is SO much else to concentrate on during that time....actually DOING the academics and the interest areas and so forth....THEN develop focus for a college search. Also, I would get burnt out on this college stuff if I did it for four years. Two years of it per kid is quite enough, lol. </p>
<p>Right now I am running from college to college and I can't imagine doing this for four years straight. I leave today for the 8th college audition in as many weeks. I have been at this college thing for three years straight cause of two kids going to college one year apart (though they are truly two years apart chronologically). I'm practically college'd out though it has been fun. I have learned a LOT! </p>
<p>Good luck to you and enjoy the ride. Don't get too specific with colleges too soon. Focus on school and outside interests for now with a talk of the longer range goal.</p>