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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]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.[/quote]

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.

[/quote]

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.[/quote]

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