"Education Tips: Getting Your Child Ready for
College During Their Senior Year”
As we speak, high school graduations across
the United States are being planned or are waiting to happen. Now, the juniors
are poised to take their place as the mighty seniors. While being a senior is a
cool thing, the question emerges as to whether they are ready to take their
rightful place in the college of their choice in one year’s time.
For parents, they begin to panic early.
For some reason around this time of year, many parents look at their child
across the table and think: “Oh my, he is going to be a senior this coming
year. We aren’t ready for this!”
Parents, don't panic! Here are some
education tips you may want to discuss with your soon-to-be seniors before you
totally panic. Plus, you parents who have students transitioning from 8th grade
to 9th ought to listen up because it would be wise for you to begin thinking
about these things now and begin working on them right away.
Scholarships/Financial
Aid—Most, if not all, parents worry about
financial aid because the cost of a college education increases every single
year. Every college and university has financial aid available to their
students. The key to success is starting out early to make sure you understand
what this all entails. Begin by checking with your child’s high school
counselor. Almost weekly, they receive scholarship updates from a plethora of
sources, including colleges and universities. You may even want your child to
check with the counselor on a weekly basis. Additionally, contact the various
colleges your child is interested in. All colleges now have websites that focus
on scholarships. Be acutely aware of the financial deadlines and meet them.
There is nothing more depressing than missing a deadline for a scholarship that
had your child’s name written all over it. Also, check around your community
for scholarships your child might be eligible for. You might be surprised what
your local credit union, bank, farmer’s organization, community foundations and
clubs, employer, etc. have available for their local students. Check out
websites like fastweb.com and sign up. Be proactive. If your child wants to go
to college, then having the money to go is imperative.
Classes—Visit with the high school counselor to make sure your child
has earned the appropriate credits for the classes he or she may have taken.
Every state and almost every school have varying graduation requirements. If
you have moved from one state to the next, checking with your local school is
imperative. Additionally, if your child is taking dual-credit or
dual-enrollment courses that earn him or her college credit, be sure they
finish these courses and are transcripted. You will be amazed how much money
you will save if your child does not have to take them in college. Encourage
your child to do the best he or she can during the senior year because it
really does count in the long run.
ACT/SAT—By the beginning of a senior year, most high school juniors
have already taken the ACT or SAT. If not, you will need to schedule one as
soon as you can. Most high schools can do the scheduling for you. If a student
feels he or she has not done the best, he or she can take it over again. Be
sure, though, to review the scores of the last ACT/SAT test and study those areas in order
to enhance the score. But if you miss the deadlines, many colleges have
alternative assessments that your child can take to determine whether he or she
is eligible to attend. Check with your college to determine what that
assessment might be.
Four-year, two-year, or technical college—For some, choosing
between a four-and a two-year college may not be an issue. For parents on a
budget, the choice may be more acute. Four-year colleges and universities tend
to cost more in the short and in the long run. Two-year colleges or community
colleges are historically less expensive. Technical colleges have programs that are shorter and more specific to a trade or job and are often less expensive. Your financial aid package may
determine which school to go to. Some parents may believe that community
colleges are inferior to a four-year college. The good news is community
college students do as well as or even better than their four-year counterparts
at the four-year institution once they graduate. Do not rule out community
colleges and technical colleges. But do make sure that you check out the financial aid packages and
the transferability of the credits of all institutions. Bottom line, though, hinges on choosing the best college for your son
or daughter.
Community service—This is a big one. Many scholarships—maybe even most of
them—require students to participate in community service throughout their high
school careers. Thankfully, community service is easy to achieve because there
are numerous community and church organizations that need help from young
people. The best thing to do is start in the 8th or 9th grade and develop a
community service model for your child. Showing a long-term commitment to one
or two organizations is a good thing. Obtaining two or three hours here and
there demonstrates that the child is not too committed to doing consistent
community services. Plus, when young people perform community services, they
usually impress their supervisors of the directors of the project. In the long
run, they will be able to solicit a letter of recommendation from these people
when applying for scholarships or college admissions to the college of their
choice. Maybe even more important, some of these volunteer opportunities may
translate into future jobs, either during the summer months or even when the
student graduates from college. The most important thing is that students
choose community service opportunities for which they have interest.
Grades—The fact of the matter is this: grades are important, no matter what anyone says.
If students do not do well in their classes, they may end up having to enroll
in remedial course in college. These remedial courses still cost money; they do
not apply toward graduation; and they may impede graduating on time. Students
must always attempt to do well in their coursework. If they are struggling,
parents, be sure to obtain a tutor or meet with the teacher to make sure your
student is doing everything possible to earn good grades.
Internships—Even in high school, students can opt for internships,
either paid or unpaid. In fact, more and more high schools are helping their
students capture prime internships. Internships help students experience a
potential career, develop real-life skills, learn how to work with others, and
demonstrate to the organization what skills they do have. Overall, internships
in high school and college can only help students gain greater insight into
themselves and what they might be good at doing.
College visits—It is always a good idea to know something about the college
or university you are going to attend. Often, though, a college visit may not
be feasible because of the distance from your home. Colleges know that. Thus,
they have developed incredible virtual tours and information videos for
students. Take advantage of them. Additionally, colleges and universities can
schedule live chat sessions with counselors, students, and administrators. They
will accommodate your schedules. Ultimately, students need to determine if they
are going to be a good fit.
Overall, parents, it is not too late to
begin the process. Try not to feel stressed or anxious. There are way too many
avenues to obtain the information you need. You may want to start with your
child’s high school counselor or a counselor or admissions representative at
the local college or university. Do not be afraid to ask lots and lots of
questions. If you do, you and your child will be prepared for the senior year
and beyond.
