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[quote=Anonymous]I was of the opinion that you shouldn't be talking about college early in HS, other than being sure you map out a good course progression, aim for 4-years of all core classes, rigorous but not overwhelming.  Encourage kids to spend time on ECs that interest them. -- not because it "looks good for college apps" but because it makes for more interesting people and a more enjoyable life. But, parents should spend time focusing on educating yourself about the process and particularly financial aid, how merit aid works, etc.

This worked fine for my DS but DD had a huge meltdown in 10th grade about college pressure, feeling like she wasn't doing enough ECs, that she was behind, that she'd not get into a "good" college if she didn't have all As. Basically, by my not talking about it I left a void filled by pressure from peers and her school. So I showed her a bunch of schools that were not the most selective that also have awesome opportunities for what she wants to do and talked with her about the kind of education she wants and she ended up in a good place where she can tune out the race for UVA among her classmates and focus on what will be right for her given her interests and where she ends up in GPA/test scores/etc.

So, recognize that whether the parent says anything or not, these kids are already getting a lot of pressure about college so they likely need someone to broaden their perspective and counter the idea that there is a small group of acceptable colleges.[/quote]

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