Early start: How do I prep my child 4 college admissions re: extracurricular projects, initiatives,

[Anonymous]

Op - child care is probably why others signed up.

[Anonymous]

Our son was involved in all sort of ECs prior to HS. Scouting, swim team, Orchestra, volunteering. Then we moved.

It's like starting over again for him because some of the activities mentioned above are not readily available in our new area - his HS doesn't have an orchestra for instance. First priority was to get him used to a brand new school system and make sure that he did o.k. academically and knew some kids at school. Activities are nice but they have had to take a back seat at this time.

I think you should just relax and let your DC pick whatever activity they are interested in trying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Moving to Iowa and signing up for football worked wonders for my kid. Had we stayed in DC, he wouldn't have gotten even a glance from his current college.

I want to hear the rest of this story!

[Anonymous]

allow your child to develop is own interests

[Anonymous]

I think it's funny the number of posters saying "relax!" or acting as though OP is being silly. The same posters have very likely been prepping their kids since birth for AAP and TJ!

Anyway to answer your question OP, I started when my child was in 4th grade by picking an organization we as a family could volunteer at and regularly volunteering. My goal is for my child to one day be more involved in a higher level of volunteering there on her own. This is organization we are committed to and she enjoys. She also has learned a lot of other great skills that will transfer into the real world - dealing with diverse groups of people, time management, etc.

Learning a foreign language in after school club - that's going so so - just started really this year

Plays sports - but nothing very competitive - hoping that this year my child will pick one and stick with it more. Planning to making my child pick in the Spring.

Scouts - my child is involved and has been steadily earning badges

Church-participates in youth group

4H - found out about this through a neighbor - Fairfax county has several 4H clubs, just started this year. They are smaller and they offer more of a chance for leadership.

[Anonymous]

Exposure, exposure, exposure. The kid will find The Things if you provide opportunities.

[Anonymous]

A lot of the suggestions like 4H and other "red state" activities may actually be holding kids back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's funny the number of posters saying "relax!" or acting as though OP is being silly. The same posters have very likely been prepping their kids since birth for AAP and TJ!

Anyway to answer your question OP, I started when my child was in 4th grade by picking an organization we as a family could volunteer at and regularly volunteering. My goal is for my child to one day be more involved in a higher level of volunteering there on her own. This is organization we are committed to and she enjoys. She also has learned a lot of other great skills that will transfer into the real world - dealing with diverse groups of people, time management, etc.

Learning a foreign language in after school club - that's going so so - just started really this year

Plays sports - but nothing very competitive - hoping that this year my child will pick one and stick with it more. Planning to making my child pick in the Spring.

Scouts - my child is involved and has been steadily earning badges

Church-participates in youth group

4H - found out about this through a neighbor - Fairfax county has several 4H clubs, just started this year. They are smaller and they offer more of a chance for leadership.

PP. How old is your child now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A lot of the suggestions like 4H and other "red state" activities may actually be holding kids back.

What do you consider to be "Red State" activities?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot of the suggestions like 4H and other "red state" activities may actually be holding kids back.

What do you consider to be "Red State" activities?

Who cares what I think, Google the admissions bias I am referring to and decide for yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot of the suggestions like 4H and other "red state" activities may actually be holding kids back.

What do you consider to be "Red State" activities?

Who cares what I think, Google the admissions bias I am referring to and decide for yourself.

So basically evangelical conservative Christian bias.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot of the suggestions like 4H and other "red state" activities may actually be holding kids back.

What do you consider to be "Red State" activities?

Who cares what I think, Google the admissions bias I am referring to and decide for yourself.

So basically evangelical conservative Christian bias.

I don't make the rules but pushing church youth group, FFA, and 4H on your kid with your sights set on HYPS is not a winning strategy. Good for your kid, maybe, maybe not, but good for elite admissions, no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's funny the number of posters saying "relax!" or acting as though OP is being silly. The same posters have very likely been prepping their kids since birth for AAP and TJ!

Anyway to answer your question OP, I started when my child was in 4th grade by picking an organization we as a family could volunteer at and regularly volunteering. My goal is for my child to one day be more involved in a higher level of volunteering there on her own. This is organization we are committed to and she enjoys. She also has learned a lot of other great skills that will transfer into the real world - dealing with diverse groups of people, time management, etc.

Learning a foreign language in after school club - that's going so so - just started really this year

Plays sports - but nothing very competitive - hoping that this year my child will pick one and stick with it more. Planning to making my child pick in the Spring.

Scouts - my child is involved and has been steadily earning badges

Church-participates in youth group

4H - found out about this through a neighbor - Fairfax county has several 4H clubs, just started this year. They are smaller and they offer more of a chance for leadership.

PP. How old is your child now?

My child is 13 now. Also, to be clear, we are not looking at a path to Harvard, Yale, etc. To be more honest, when she was younger, yes, we were those parents but over the years we realized that wasn't going to happen.
Now, we are just hoping for admission to a state university in VA and not even W&M or UVA but more like JMU, George Mason, Christopher Newport. Yes, we are doing all this just to get into a basic state school. We saw some of our friends and neighbor's kids who had top grades, top scores who were not getting admitted to even those schools not to mention not getting into uva, Harvard, etc. We can not afford out of state school and my kid is not going to have the top grades and top scores. She does well in school - some As, mostly Bs, luckily nothing lower and she doesn't do well at all on standard tests. I forgot to mention, that yes, we have already started prepping for PSAT and SATs and ACT but are not intense about it at this point.
My Dh and I attended basic state universities and did well in our careers BUT that was over 20 years ago and it was just easier back then.
Those whose kids are older and more familiar might have additional insights.

[Anonymous]

Goal is for them to find something they really enjoy, become good at it, and (here's the only part that's specifically college-related) have some way of demonstrating their talent/achievement. Sometimes that last part happens naturally (e.g. sports, debate/MUN). But with other pursuits, the answer may be to encourage them to seek out opportunities for external validation in HS (e.g. national/international competitions -- Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, Siemens/Intel, USAMO, Gilder Lehrman or National History Day, ABRSM) or to take on/develop/participate in projects that have a tangible outcome (a blog, an app, an organization or event).

The thing to remember about college admissions is (a) there are lots of great schools where admissions aren't brutally competitive and (b) when admissions *are* brutally competitive, it's not a process where number of hours spent or number of activities engaged in matters per se. What matters is standing out in a way that suggests the applicant has something interesting to offer and is a kid who knows how to succeed/do something well. I'd also add (c) -- if paying for college as much or more of a hurdle than admissions, it's important to recognize that early on (beginning of HS) and identify potential sources of funding, including but not limited to scholarships. These days, responsible paid employment (not BS internships with parents' friends) may make a candidate stand out/look poised for success (as well as make a financial contribution toward college costs).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot of the suggestions like 4H and other "red state" activities may actually be holding kids back.

What do you consider to be "Red State" activities?

Who cares what I think, Google the admissions bias I am referring to and decide for yourself.

So basically evangelical conservative Christian bias.

I don't make the rules but pushing church youth group, FFA, and 4H on your kid with your sights set on HYPS is not a winning strategy. Good for your kid, maybe, maybe not, but good for elite admissions, no.

Not all church youth groups are conservative or Christian.