<p>My family and I moved to the U.S. a few years ago, so we were absolutely CLUELESS about how the college application game works here.
My parents still don’t know jack about how to apply to colleges, but I figured it out on my own and thankfully got admitted to my first choice school ED (Rice U.). My parents have always been there for me, mind you, and they still are a great help. I can ask them for help with anything and they will do their best to help me, but they know that I know when to ask for help and when I can do it on my own. In the case of college admissions, they made it clear that they would help with whatever they could (pay for SAT tests, drive me to test site, provide info for finaid apps, fill out FAFSA with me, etc) as long as I did the research and got on top of things. </p>
<p>The best way to learn how to swim is to fall in the lake (granted my parents were nearby with a rope in case I drowned).</p>