Advice for sophomores
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Anonymous
| Any tips of things you wished you had done/had not done as your kid started his college search. Would love to hear perspectives from both parents of seniors and juniors. |
Anonymous
| What can a sophomore really do besides keep his grades up? Beyond that, he should enjoy the age before it passes. Sports, friends and chasing chicks, not obsessing over college. There'll be plenty of time for that. |
Anonymous
| Enjoy this year before the rat race begins. |
Anonymous
| I wish I waited until Oct-Nov junior year to ask the question, where do you want to go to school. |
Anonymous
|
Create a new college only email address. Have student list it when taking PSAT. So nice to have the thousands of college emails all go to one place!
I’d also start talking about what colleges might be interesting and what factors matter (size, location, program). Attend some virtual presentations this summer and develop a list of where to visit. If possible, do some visits this summer. Think about the parts of the application. What activities are most important to your child? Any leadership potential there? Get to know teachers in junior year, will need 1-2 to write a recommendation letter. As parents, look at finances and net price calculators to determine costs, limits, and approach (EA, ED, OOS, merit/financial aid). It’s a big decision for a young person and good to start thinking and planning early. It can be a really fun process to see them grow and mature. Enjoy it! |
Anonymous
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If they have a challenging load in the Fall, and will have finished at least Algebra 2 this year, do SAT/ACT prep in the summer and take the test at the end of summer (there's an SAT on Aug 28).
Plan for time to do some low-key visits to different types of colleges -- big, small, urban, rural. Some kids will come away with a clear type preference and if so that's really helpful in narrowing the search. Don't fixate on any specific schools at this point. Run the numbers and get clear on what your budget is and how much debt, if any, you are willing to take on. Educate yourself about need vs merit aid. |
Anonymous
Roll Tide! |
Anonymous
|
If you can afford it, consider having your child do a residential pre-college program in an area of interest. My senior did a 1-week program the summer before senior year and it helped confirm his interest in a topic and make the idea of going away to college, staying in a dorm with a roommate less mysterious. The experience also helped him with writing some college app supplements about why he was interested in that major. My sophomore will be doing a different 1-week program this summer.
Because of COVID there are fewer options but some are running on campus and places that in normal years would already be closed to registration are still open. For example, Susquehanna has said they are doing their programs in campus but haven't yet opened registration. https://www.susqu.edu/academics/summer-pre-college-programs |
Anonymous
Why do you wish you waited? |
Anonymous
Many students combine study and work. This is a great way to get an internship, which will then be an advantage when looking for a permanent job. |
Anonymous
Our private college counselor seems to think test optional May extend to this year’s sophomores. She advised waiting on Prep and tests until we see how it plays out. YMMV, my kid is dyslexic and has ADHD, so not a great test taker and not aiming for top schools. |
Anonymous
| Thank you all. My kid’s friend group has started talking about the college search. I know nothing about the process expect for what it was like back in the dark ages when I applied. It seems more all consuming now, and kids seem very stressed. I appreciate the all the perspectives. Thank you. |
Anonymous
Roll Tide mom is my favorite person on this site! |
Anonymous
Mine too 
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Anonymous
More like she’s the worst. Why anyone would go on and on about attending Cracker Barrel U is beyond me. |