<p>I am a mom just wondering. My 16 yr old son ( going into his jr yr this fall)is still not interesteted and thinks he has plenty of time.</p>
<p>My daughter did the same thing until the spring/summer before senior year. ( she did fine once she got started and ended up accepted to a school she is happy with. She will be a freshman this fall.)</p>
<p>But I'm just wondering how many of you needed a push to get started or if you were motivated on your own?</p>
<p>Should a parent sit back and wait till the student is ready to begin taking a college search seriously or should they help motivate them? And how do you motivate a 16 yr old not ready without being too pushy and maybe turning them off all together?</p>
<p>When or at what age is the norm for getting started? I thought the jubior yr? How many of you took the SAT test more than once and how early?</p>
<p>I personally began my college search the fall of my freshman year. I simply picked up a copy of Princeton Review's Best Colleges and read through it. I did a good amount of research up until this year (junior year), when I began narrowing my colleges down to about 10. To tell you the truth, he doesn't need to start researching until the winter or spring of his junior year. He will have plenty of time to research/visit schools he may be interested in. Although, as soon as he receives his SAT scores, he will probably be self-motivated to do some research on where he stands.</p>
<p>Which brings me to SATs...</p>
<p>I began taking the SATs the winter of my junior year. I took them in December, April, and June, all of my junior year. They went up after each time.</p>
<p>I had spurts. Frosh year I had to study colleges for a class. Soph year, I nearly forgot college existed. Jr year my serach began again, and then took a temporary hiatus. Senior year it was back to normal.</p>
<p>I was always motivated to get good grades, but during this past year, it fully hit me that perfect numbers would only open the doors to the college of my dreams, but they wouldn't get me in. Thus, I was inspired to be proactive in the activities I already did, such as running for and becoming key club president. In addition to key club duties (which take up a bulk of my time) I also began dedicating myself to the activites I have passion for such as the school paper, yearbook, and community service outside of school.
And visiting all those Ivy Leagues (i.e. Columbia, Yale, Harvard etc) and other top-notch colleges this past spring definitely made me very serious and motivated about the college "game." I'm going to be a junior this fall, and it's important to me that I'm spending this summer preparing for the SATs, doing more service, working part-time, and getting my driver's permit. Now, when I do procrastinate, it's usually on CC!</p>
<p>Towards the spring semester of my sophomore year was when I realized that everything I do now could help or harm my chances of getting into my top college choices.
Also going to be a junior in fall.
Also working on driver's permit, SAT's, community service, and working part time!</p>
<p>i remember becoming very obsessed with the college search during freshman year. then i realized that i better do well in school first.</p>
<p>so i got involved in activities i liked and studied. ill be a junior in the fall and i started searching at the beginning of this summer. but i agree with what other people said, your son should probably start looking at some no later than this winter, although, people go at their own pace. hope that helps.</p>
<p>I didn't care much for the college search even on my senior year. Of course I had already talked to my parents about which colleges I liked etc... I guess I am just laid back.</p>
<p>Another mom here.... we hadn't really thought about anything, but Spring of Soph year, my son's GC suggested that we take him to see GW in DC over the summer (and American while we were in the area). She knew my son pretty well, had spent a tremendous amount of time with him, knew his likes, dislikes, and needs... and his future goals. She felt that if he saw GW before junior year, the motivation would set in, and he'd rally apply himself for Junior year. She was right. He fell in love with the school the moment he saw it. He knew immediately that this was the only place he wanted to be... he made getting in to GW his goal. He visited, wrote emails, went to college fairs just to say hi to the adcom rep for our area. All the while, I dragged him to see 2 other schools.... NYU (1/2 hour drive from our home) and Syracuse. He'd seen other schools on summer programs he'd attended, and they were on his backup list as well. As luck would have it, it was accepted to GW ED1, and we were done.</p>
<p>I started in like 8th grade because I'm just a big stresser and I've always been about school and doing good in school... the straight A's type of person and frankly, my mom gets annoyed with all the talks about college we've had. I guess it varies from person to person, but I needed no motivation at all.</p>
<p>Hahah wow you probably think I'm a nerd. I think about other things too.. but idk.. I know you're right but I can't help it. && I'm not a freak.</p>
<p>When I was 17, borderline 18. Basically beginning of grade 12. I am a competitive student, and had an idea of where I wanted to go. But then again, I also believe in going with the flow... When I began spewing plans NOTHING in the end turned out the way that I had expected it to. I don't really regret it, I wish I had done my SATs earlier than october/december/Jan though, but at the same time some of my friends did theirs in June [when I really became aware of ehhh I should probably do them too] and re-did them with me, and in the end their dreams didn't really turn out the way they wanted it too.</p>
<p>Life is just so--- unpreditable--- at least for me. But it's all good. I got accepted/waitlisted to some pretty extraordinary places, and I love the place I am going to. I didn't visit anywhere though, it wasn't a question of disinterest. I didn't haev the means and also I believe in being flexible is the key to survival, and I didn't believe that any of the universities I had selected could be --THAT-- horrible and at the same time keep students. [And hey I might fall in love with one place, and not be able to go there... and then go elsewhere disappointed :p]</p>
<p>It really depends on the kid, I think. My parents were not involved in the college process at all -Jan 1- "so, yeah, in thee end I applied to..." "good luck :)" but I liked it that way. I got my own things together.</p>
<p>I became serious about it this summer (I'm a rising senior), so basically very late in the game. </p>
<p>I did my SAT Is at the end of my soph year and my SAT IIs at the end of my junior year. My scores were decent, so I didn't have to worry about retakes. My college list is nowhere near finalized, but my parents aren't concerned.</p>
<p>If you're really worried about your son, I'd say at least prod him to start readying himself for the SATs, especially if he may end up applying to schools that require SAT IIs. It's nice to have those out of the way. Otherwise, I would say to not worry so much. Most of my friends haven't gotten serious about the college search until the summer/spring before senior year and they've been accepted to some really great schools (a few HYPS, too).</p>
<p>around the end of frosh year to beginning of soph. i became obsessed and then i finally realized i was thinking way too much about the future and forgetting about the present...end of soph. year is a good time IMO</p>
<p>Didnt really care about college too much till the age of 17. Always wanted to go to MSU wasnt sure if my ACT would be high enough and I might have to go to Central or Western Michigan. Got a 27 and started looking at scholarships. Decided MSU was the best place for me for many reasons.</p>