What to focus on during middle/high school for increasing admission chances for a good collage

[Anonymous]

Foster good mental health above all else. That’s my #1 piece of advice. It’s important to getting into a top college and also to thriving if your kid doesn’t.

[Anonymous]

Your aims should include as follows

Top Grades in the most challenging classes of every subject

ECs - you don't need 10 ECs you need 1 or 2 that your kid is genuinely into and can focus on / consistently take part in over MS and HS

SSL - again, this doesn't have to be a hugely diverse enterprise - but if you accrue many hours, aim to have them for similar charities / organizations.

Joining school clubs or better yet - establishing a new club and running it

[Anonymous]

Do Debate or Fencing. Obviously, get good grades and test scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's extremely difficult to get into the top colleges. Don't view that as the only way to success. I think grad school is the new college.

Totally disagree. Not sure what kind of “grad school” you’re talking about but most master’s degrees and PhDs are a waste of time & money. If you’re independently wealthy, which is the only way you could disregard the discussion of ROI, carry on.

Do undergrad the right way, and you won’t need grad school.

Maybe I am crazy - but a JD quadrupled my salary. I do expect my kids to go to grad school - my oldest is interested in engineering, and both my dad and his dad had engineering master degrees (paid for by their companies, I believe).

Same. Without a JD, my income would've been super low (humanities major). Maybe finance would have been an option, but I would've most likely needed an MBA to get to a place in my career that is similar to what I have with a JD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's extremely difficult to get into the top colleges. Don't view that as the only way to success. I think grad school is the new college.

Totally disagree. Not sure what kind of “grad school” you’re talking about but most master’s degrees and PhDs are a waste of time & money. If you’re independently wealthy, which is the only way you could disregard the discussion of ROI, carry on.

Do undergrad the right way, and you won’t need grad school.

Maybe I am crazy - but a JD quadrupled my salary. I do expect my kids to go to grad school - my oldest is interested in engineering, and both my dad and his dad had engineering master degrees (paid for by their companies, I believe).

Same. Without a JD, my income would've been super low (humanities major). Maybe finance would have been an option, but I would've most likely needed an MBA to get to a place in my career that is similar to what I have with a JD.

See the “do undergrad right” part.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's extremely difficult to get into the top colleges. Don't view that as the only way to success. I think grad school is the new college.

Totally disagree. Not sure what kind of “grad school” you’re talking about but most master’s degrees and PhDs are a waste of time & money. If you’re independently wealthy, which is the only way you could disregard the discussion of ROI, carry on.

Do undergrad the right way, and you won’t need grad school.

Maybe I am crazy - but a JD quadrupled my salary. I do expect my kids to go to grad school - my oldest is interested in engineering, and both my dad and his dad had engineering master degrees (paid for by their companies, I believe).

Same. Without a JD, my income would've been super low (humanities major). Maybe finance would have been an option, but I would've most likely needed an MBA to get to a place in my career that is similar to what I have with a JD.

See the “do undergrad right” part.

Seems like most folks who make it to the top in finance get an MBA at some point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do Debate or Fencing. Obviously, get good grades and test scores.

My high level stats kid did debate. Didn't help with T10 college admissions. But, it does depend on the major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do Debate or Fencing. Obviously, get good grades and test scores.

My high level stats kid did debate. Didn't help with T10 college admissions. But, it does depend on the major.

Debate helps most if you do policy debate and then initiate contact with the debate coach (much like an athlete) at a school that prioritizes policy debate, such as Northwestern, Dartmouth, Emory. It's been a long time, so I'm sure there are others but someone else would have to jump in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At bare minimum, in high school: four years of the same foreign language; math up to & including calculus; and biology, chemistry & physics.

This, so you will need Algebra I in 7th grade. The other important factor, is developing strong writing skills. Most kids are going to have very similar grades (grade inflation) and test scores. Separation will come in the essay portion of the application. Develop writing skills that can tell a story succinctly while still engaging the reader. Look at the schools common data set to see what is most important to that school and meet those requirements.

Focus on extra curriculars that the child enjoys and can speak to with passion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, your kid is in 6th grade.

Let them be a kid.

Let them discover if they like to play music, act or paint.

Let them find out if they like to write, think, do math, solve problems.

Let them learn if they can kick or throw a ball, or climb a wall, or run fast.

Do not foist anything on them.

There is a lot of time to worry about "college"

100%
The end goal is prestige? Make it about what best fits your child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At bare minimum, in high school: four years of the same foreign language; math up to & including calculus; and biology, chemistry & physics.

This, so you will need Algebra I in 7th grade. The other important factor, is developing strong writing skills. Most kids are going to have very similar grades (grade inflation) and test scores. Separation will come in the essay portion of the application. Develop writing skills that can tell a story succinctly while still engaging the reader. Look at the schools common data set to see what is most important to that school and meet those requirements.

Focus on extra curriculars that the child enjoys and can speak to with passion.

I’m PP. This is not true, especially if your child won’t be majoring in STEM. It is completely possible to do Alg 1 in 8th and then take AP Calc BC in 12th.

There are kids that do Alg 1 in 7th & then end up doing Calc in 11th & Statistics in 11th. Many doing so because

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At bare minimum, in high school: four years of the same foreign language; math up to & including calculus; and biology, chemistry & physics.

This, so you will need Algebra I in 7th grade. The other important factor, is developing strong writing skills. Most kids are going to have very similar grades (grade inflation) and test scores. Separation will come in the essay portion of the application. Develop writing skills that can tell a story succinctly while still engaging the reader. Look at the schools common data set to see what is most important to that school and meet those requirements.

Focus on extra curriculars that the child enjoys and can speak to with passion.

I’m PP. This is not true, especially if your child won’t be majoring in STEM. It is completely possible to do Alg 1 in 8th and then take AP Calc BC in 12th.

There are kids that do Alg 1 in 7th & then end up doing Calc in 11th & Statistics in 11th. Many doing so because they’re burned out.

[Anonymous]

I have no idea how OP is defining “good college” but you absolutely do not need to take Algebra in 7th grade to get into an instate flagship.

[Anonymous]

Encourage him to read, pay attention in math class, and explore his interests outside of class.

For you: it is not too early to get an understanding of what college costs, at least in today's dollars, and get a handle on what your budget is likely to be. If you will need financial aid, try using the Net Price Calculators for various colleges to see an estimate of financial aid for your current family financial situation. Lately, top private universities tend to have a full cost of attendance (including room and board) >80k per year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At bare minimum, in high school: four years of the same foreign language; math up to & including calculus; and biology, chemistry & physics.

Thanks - OP