When did you really start college admissions prep?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I considered "college prep" to have officially started the moment there was any class track selection to be made, because in my opinion that decision impacted the next year's classes which would impact options for the next year's classes continuing like a chain of dominoes all the way through high school graduation. In MY mind, therefore, MY job as the parent to guide my children through the "college prep" process began in 2nd grade when I did what I could to support their admittance to the AAP 3rd grade class.

My children were kept fairly unaware of this, however, as I did not believe putting pressure on kids at that age was appropriate. We began discussing college prep -- sort of -- when it was time to choose classes for 6th grade. By this, I mean that we talked with the kids about what a good four-year high school plan might be, in order to ensure that they used the middle school years to obtain the prerequisites they would want for the classes they wanted in ninth grade. It could be considered "college prep" because the main information we used to determine how their high school schedule should be planned was what classes were best to have for college readiness/admissions.

The summer after 8th grade was when we really started planning for their extracurricular activities and volunteer endeavors. We had them do test prep and take their first SAT or ACT (depending on the kid) in 10th grade. We intended that test only for practice, but one of our kids did well enough (34 ACT) that she chose to take no further tests and to just use that score on her applications.

So you decide extra curricular activities to help in college admissions, rather than interests. Volunteer activities based on what you get back (college admissions) rather than what the kid is interested in?

I can only hope the colleges can see though your pathetic attempts to game the admissions.

Wow, that was a bit more venom than I was expecting in response to my post.

Yes, in general in life I believe in doing things for a balance of fun and productivity. So I did ask my kids "pick a few things to try in middle school, plus let's take a look at the list of high school clubs. What seems interesting to you, that you think would also give you opportunities to grow, possibly gain a leadership position, or achieve a personal goal of some sort?" And yes, I gave them some guidance to the effect of picking activities for which they could articulate a reason/benefit.

I was comfortable with this approach and didn't find it unethical at all as it is in line with how I try to live my own life, but yes, I suppose if it counts as gaming the system and is truly inappropriate I do hope that colleges notice. Neither my kids nor I want anything we haven't earned.

[Anonymous]

For the two folks who've asked SAT or ACT - have your student take a timed practice test in each and see which they do better in and feel better about. If there's a significant difference between the two, then pick the better one and then the student can work on preparing for that test.
Pretty much all colleges will take either one. Some kids

[Anonymous]

Elementary - push for advanced track classes (math and ELA), foreign language tutors, and private sports and music lessons. Choose a sport and instrument that is underrepresented.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:7th grade otherwise you will lose the race.

hahaha no. you need to start in prek. Good prek feeder to private k-12.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I considered "college prep" to have officially started the moment there was any class track selection to be made, because in my opinion that decision impacted the next year's classes which would impact options for the next year's classes continuing like a chain of dominoes all the way through high school graduation. In MY mind, therefore, MY job as the parent to guide my children through the "college prep" process began in 2nd grade when I did what I could to support their admittance to the AAP 3rd grade class.

My children were kept fairly unaware of this, however, as I did not believe putting pressure on kids at that age was appropriate. We began discussing college prep -- sort of -- when it was time to choose classes for 6th grade. By this, I mean that we talked with the kids about what a good four-year high school plan might be, in order to ensure that they used the middle school years to obtain the prerequisites they would want for the classes they wanted in ninth grade. It could be considered "college prep" because the main information we used to determine how their high school schedule should be planned was what classes were best to have for college readiness/admissions.

The summer after 8th grade was when we really started planning for their extracurricular activities and volunteer endeavors. We had them do test prep and take their first SAT or ACT (depending on the kid) in 10th grade. We intended that test only for practice, but one of our kids did well enough (34 ACT) that she chose to take no further tests and to just use that score on her applications.

So you decide extra curricular activities to help in college admissions, rather than interests. Volunteer activities based on what you get back (college admissions) rather than what the kid is interested in?

I can only hope the colleges can see though your pathetic attempts to game the admissions.

spoken like a true middle manager destined to languish forever in mediocrity.

[Anonymous]

6th grade

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the two folks who've asked SAT or ACT - have your student take a timed practice test in each and see which they do better in and feel better about. If there's a significant difference between the two, then pick the better one and then the student can work on preparing for that test.
Pretty much all colleges will take either one. Some kids

Thanks for the advise. We will try that with DD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I considered "college prep" to have officially started the moment there was any class track selection to be made, because in my opinion that decision impacted the next year's classes which would impact options for the next year's classes continuing like a chain of dominoes all the way through high school graduation. In MY mind, therefore, MY job as the parent to guide my children through the "college prep" process began in 2nd grade when I did what I could to support their admittance to the AAP 3rd grade class.

My children were kept fairly unaware of this, however, as I did not believe putting pressure on kids at that age was appropriate. We began discussing college prep -- sort of -- when it was time to choose classes for 6th grade. By this, I mean that we talked with the kids about what a good four-year high school plan might be, in order to ensure that they used the middle school years to obtain the prerequisites they would want for the classes they wanted in ninth grade. It could be considered "college prep" because the main information we used to determine how their high school schedule should be planned was what classes were best to have for college readiness/admissions.

The summer after 8th grade was when we really started planning for their extracurricular activities and volunteer endeavors. We had them do test prep and take their first SAT or ACT (depending on the kid) in 10th grade. We intended that test only for practice, but one of our kids did well enough (34 ACT) that she chose to take no further tests and to just use that score on her applications.

So you decide extra curricular activities to help in college admissions, rather than interests. Volunteer activities based on what you get back (college admissions) rather than what the kid is interested in?

I can only hope the colleges can see though your pathetic attempts to game the admissions.

spoken like a true middle manager destined to languish forever in mediocrity.

Which is exactly where you end up when mommy micromanages your whole childhood for you. Her poor children will have zero sense of who they are or what they want.

[Anonymous]

We started, in general, the fall of our DS's junior year. We visited a few schools during the spring of his junior year and have visited a couple this fall (senior year). There have been many emails and phone calls with coaches over the past 8 months or so. Applications were submitted this month.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Since this is anonymous and DCUM... looking for HONEST answers. When did you really start the college admissions prep thought process? What did you do/start with? Activities, sports, tutors, etc. (Parent motivated of course...)

9th grade? 7th grade? In my circle I've heard as early as pre-school..

Let the college hunger games begin!

I am assuming you don't have a true prodigy (DC is not a DCUM prodigy, which of course we all have ). If you had a true prodigy people would already be thinking about this on your and your child's behalf and you wouldn't be asking us.

So, for most kids, it depends on how you define process:

1 -- elementary years: for sports, arts, music, etc., if you are hoping to get recruited, that would be the time to start and still have time to try multiple options -- "I HATE lacrosse!", "No I am not going to practice piano ever again" -- if some things don't take. Most preschoolers who excel in sports burn out, and most musicians/artists haven't yet developed the manual dexterity.
2 -- middle school: this one unfortunately does matter, in that if your DC might care about STEM, or a competitive school (or God forbid both), they really need to be able to take calculus in HS, preferably their junior year. Working backwards from that, you need Algebra I in 7th or no later than 8th grade, but not every middle school does that automatically (and some do but teach it badly so DC has to retake). The rest of middle school is hard enough; don't worry about college.
3 -- before 9th grade: this is when you figure out course selections. If you think DC will need calculus, or 4 years of a language, now is the time to plan ahead to get the prerequisites in place. English and history will take care of themselves.
4 -- fall of 11th grade: (sometimes if you are lucky, fall of 10th grade) -- PSAT test. I am told there are folks who actually pay for tutoring for this. If your kid is good enough to get NMSF, they can game the test with just the test book. If they aren't that good, you've wasted money. However, once you have the PSAT scores, they do give you a lot of feedback, on why DC scored as they did, so if you think tutoring may be needed, this would be a good time to go meet with some possibilities. Many kids take the prep classes over the summer between jr/sr but you need to register for those back in the winter. This year is also a good time to have them go to college campuses as part of sports, activities, etc., and just see what a campus is like. We also took DC to a campus and just walked around for a couple of hours, explaining what things were and why they were important and maybe things she would want to look for or ask about. Otherwise, focus on junior year grades and don't sweat it.
5 -- spring of 11th grade: take SAT or ACT. Or both if you can't decide, don't care, and have the money and the Saturdays. If DC did really well in junior year science (physics? chem?) and wants to take the requisite subject test the June one will still have the subject fresh in their mind. Otherwise I would hold off on SAT Subject Tests until the fall as not everyone requires them. NOTE: no one wants you to send in your AP scores. Those are for AFTER you accept.
6 -- Summer before senior year: go look at colleges. Don't do more than 4-5 in a single trip, and never more than one in a day. Make the first one a place that has nice and friendly tours, so DC can see what tours are like, but after that, start with the least likely school and move up the list; DC will start to circle around to what they want by the 3rd or 4th visit, and that's when you focus. All tours are structured the same (and many campuses look similar) so DC took and geotagged a lot of pictures to keep them straight. Drafting Common App essay now can save time later.

Also, NEW in 2018: SAT and ACT will BOTH offer opportunity to take tests in the summer (August). Good timing, no homework yet, and frees up a fall weekend.

7 -- Fall senior year: DC take SAT/ACT again (if need be), you do the FAFSA (opening this Sunday!), and start applications. Scatter any remaining tours at this point. Regardless of when real application deadline is, set one for DC that will not ruin your holidays.

Then sit back and wait...

HTH

[Anonymous]

First tour - fall of sophomore year. No pressure, just to introduce the process. We did more tours in the spring/summer from sophomore to junior year and a couple more during junior year spring break. After being accepted into schools, we went back senior year and visited some of the local ones.

First standardized test - spring of sophomore year. Yes, it was early, but we were in that graduating year where the SAT was changing and students could take either. Wanted more time with the old SAT. DC did a pretty basic test prep program for the SAT then and also took a subject test that June.

Spring of junior year, same thing, but with the ACT. DC liked and did better on it compared to the SAT. Another subject test as well.

Activities and sports were always unrelated to college applications. We encouraged DC to get involved with what they enjoyed and to look for opportunities as they came - leadership roles, volunteer positions, etc. DC loved getting involved and chose to pursue some activities related to their career goals at the time because it interested them. It all worked out well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:7th grade otherwise you will lose the race.

really? Are people insane? Why you start in pre-k?
Pushing kids so young only destroy the fun of being a kid....nice parenting...

[Anonymous]

In 9th grade--casual visits to various schools that happen to be near someplace that we were visiting anyway (Penn while near Philly for a soccer tournament, BC and BU when we were in Boston for a family event). Paying attention to study habits and reinforcing that better grades now means more options later (not hooking it to college but more to generic opportunities).

10th grade--see where the PSAT scores land. See where the first AP test scores land. Continue doing the 9th Grade stuff.

Summer after 10th grade--more purposeful, but still casual, visits to colleges, especially a number of VA state schools if you're in VA. Start asking the child about preferences on campus v. city school, STEM v. liberal arts, big v. small. Have any necessary difficult conversations about what's financially realistic.

11th grade--emphasize grades and SAT prep. Khan academy probably fine for most kids who are down with the program at this stage. Take SATs. Decide which schools you will apply to and check with Naviance/guidance counselor on the GPA/SAT odds for each of those, which will help child figure out the safety-reach spread using empirical data provided by someone other than the parent (we all know how well parent advice is sometimes received). Because this is when the peer crazy starts, continue to emphasize that everyone gets in somewhere that works out and there is no 'irreplaceable' first-choice school. it's a lot like guiding them through the first serious romantic relationship & breakup thereof . . . .

Summer after 11th grade--98% finish essays. Complete any visits not yet completed. Ensure kid has a summer job, preferably one that's kind of lame, so that they understand the importance of a paycheck and the importance of doing something that you don't hate. Otherwise, enjoy the last high school summer. Depending on how insane your child's peer group is, you may want to advise that it's best not to discuss exactly where the applications are going. I've seen some really serious drama arise in North Arlington from kid A "stealing" kid B's "spot" at school X.

12th--Apply, continue to emphasize that this is not a life or death situation, talk about options if the child gets in nowhere (regardless of the likelihood, them understanding that you are OK with a whiff and the family can tolerate a gap year can be deeply stress-reducing for the teens in the midst of the peer crazy), FAFSA, & wait!!!

All of this is different if you have a top 25 Division 1 recruited athlete, particularly if that athlete is a female. Lots of verbal commitments for popular field sports happen for girls between sophomore & junior year of high school, so much of the above sorting regarding which college to attend is accelerated.

Finally, if a kid is padding an application with extracurriculars that are mere application fodder, and not actual interests, that's clear to the admissions office. Not worth the energy, yours or your child's, to do that kind of cynical padding for several years of childhood, which itself teaches the wrong (IMHO) lessons about journey v. destination.

[Anonymous]

Good grades will give YOU choices. If only I had $1 for every time I said that phase. And the good news: It did give them choices!

[Anonymous]

If you hope to get recruited, elementary school