How can parents help their kids get into college?

[suesam Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close suesam]

I agree with the advice to take the act and sat early. My son just got into Notre Dame and they accepted 26% of applicants for this freshman class. He took the act in 7th grade for the first time because of a program he was in. He took it again in 9th, 10th and twice as a junior. We visited with his advisor at ND during freshman orientation. The only thing his advisor had on his advising sheet was my son's act scores. I think since he took the act early he understood how important it was to learn those concepts he was clueless about. I think it is a great eye opener.

Sue

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

Another often overlooked test is the SAT II Subject tests..... These should be taken in the spring of the year your child is taking the class. Finishing Spanish III at the end of Sophomore year? Take the SAT II Spanish subject test NOW when the subject is fresh in your mind. AP Biology, World History, Honors English, Math I & II.

Some schools require 3 of these tests, some specify which ones they want....if my son had taken the Spanish test after sophomore year, he could have avoided 2 semesters of Spanish and several attempts to test out before he finally succeeded.
Since you don't know which ones will be required for the specific school your child ultimately applies to, taking 4 or 5 'core' ones is a good idea.

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

I'm just very curious about what the criteria is that you all are using for a "good university" or "good college"?

My wife and I went to USC for undergrad. If he could get in there or somewhere equivalent, I'd be thrilled. I'm not sure if USC is right for him, we'll have to help him decide that over the next couple of years.

My goal would be for him to be able to attend any University he really wants to attend. Large or small. If he wants to try for Ivy League or Stanford, I'd be thrilled and will help him. But, I'll be very realistic about his chances. If he wants to go to Harvey Mudd or a UC school, that would be great, too.

Today, I think it's as hard to get into USC as it was to get into an Ivy League University when I was applying for college. I know a lot of bright students who didn't get into any of their top 5 choices. And, they had excellent high school backgrounds. That concerns me which is why I am focusing attention on it.

[wackymother Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close wackymother]

Another often overlooked test is the SAT II Subject tests..... These should be taken in the spring of the year your child is taking the class. Finishing Spanish III at the end of Sophomore year? Take the SAT II Spanish subject test NOW when the subject is fresh in your mind. AP Biology, World History, Honors English, Math I & II.

Some schools require 3 of these tests, some specify which ones they want....if my son had taken the Spanish test after sophomore year, he could have avoided 2 semesters of Spanish and several attempts to test out before he finally succeeded.
Since you don't know which ones will be required for the specific school your child ultimately applies to, taking 4 or 5 'core' ones is a good idea.

I would say the SAT IIs are the hardest tests to "manage." For most subjects, the tests should be taken as close to the end of the relevant course as possible, before the student starts to forget what he's learned. The student can only take up to three SAT II tests at a single sitting, and not all the SAT II tests are offered at all testing centers on all SAT test dates. Kind of messy.

You might want to have your son sign up NOW for a College Board account and start looking at the SAT and SAT II dates and planning when he will take what.

BTW, I'm less enthusiastic about taking 4 or 5 core SAT IIs than Pat is. All SAT sittings and all SAT II scores (except if the scores have been canceled) appear on your child's College Board report. SAT II scores are supposed to look pretty good, because they're supposed to be subjects that the student excels in. It doesn't look so nice to have several low scores hanging out on the College Board record.

Many schools want to see a math, a humanities, and a science. Some schools want the science to be chemistry or physics, not biology, so keep an eye on that.

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

My wife and I went to USC for undergrad. If he could get in there or somewhere equivalent, I'd be thrilled. I'm not sure if USC is right for him, we'll have to help him decide that over the next couple of years.

My goal would be for him to be able to attend any University he really wants to attend. Large or small. If he wants to try for Ivy League or Stanford, I'd be thrilled and will help him. But, I'll be very realistic about his chances. If he wants to go to Harvey Mudd or a UC school, that would be great, too.

Today, I think it's as hard to get into USC as it was to get into an Ivy League University when I was applying for college. I know a lot of bright students who didn't get into any of their top 5 choices. And, they had excellent high school backgrounds. That concerns me which is why I am focusing attention on it.

and where does my rocket scientist have his heart set on?

I am in complete agreement with your views Jim. Realistic is good. Making our children see reality is hard. Helping them now is what needs to be done and I am so glad you raised the topic as there have been many suggestions that I will strongly consider.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

I was never a studious student so I am not one to give advice when it comes to Schooling, Thank god my wife pushed him from the start. My son had a 96 AVG out of High School. He has had between a 94 and 98 AVG since the first grade.

[davhu1 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close davhu1]

collegeconfidential.com forum has lots of good information.

Start talking about career options early: how to get there, the importance of getting in a good college, and what is needs to get into a good college. Once the kids have a goal, they can work toward it without us pushing too much. They may slack a little here and there but we try to steer them back in the right direction. All starts with the freshman. Most college we look into consider all four years of high school. Some may not count freshman year or electives. We have a junior in high school and one started college last year.

It’s important to know what colleges are looking for and start developing a resume that would improve the chance of being accepted: gpa, sat, activities, sports, leadership, volunteering, something passionate, application essay, etc. Develop a hook that set you different than other applicants.

Stay on top of things and communicate with the teachers. Help them understand why they are not getting the best grade they can get. When grades slide, most of the time is because the subject is boring, forgot to study, did not get a good night sleep before test, carelessness, did the homework but did not take it to school. Most of these can be fixed. Seldom I hear them complain that the work is too hard or they do not understand the subject. As long as they bring good grade, I stay off. But when grades slide, so do privileges. Help with school work and give guidance but do not do their work. Give suggestions and alternatives but do not force them to change. Remind them to seek help early.

Freshman year – Talk to the counselor to layout the most challenge academic courses and curriculum they can handle. Get involved in clubs and/or sports team. Look for volunteering opportunities. Start thinking what to do next summer. A good year to develop study skills and form good study habits.

[Holly in South Jersey Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Holly in South Jersey]

And it depends on what degree your child is going for. For example, a BSN in nursing can cost a reasonable amount at a state school, or a ridiculous amount at a private school.

And both nurses will make the same salary! Just one will have lots more loans to pay back.

Holly

[jackio Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close jackio]

These are unconventional suggestions I have learned from other parents and teachers at my school:
1) have him learn to play the bassoon. There is a great shortage of bassoon players and they are valued by schools that have bands.

2) have him apply for an unpopular major at a school. I know a girl who could not get into Penn State by applying under her desired major. She was advised to apply as a geology major. Since there were so few people applying for that major, she was accepted. Her first year she took the basic core classes plus one geology class, and at the end of the year she simply changed majors to the one she originally wanted. She was already in, so it was easy.

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

And it depends on what degree your child is going for. For example, a BSN in nursing can cost a reasonable amount at a state school, or a ridiculous amount at a private school.

And both nurses will make the same salary! Just one will have lots more loans to pay back.

Holly

My son wants to be a video game designer. Not sure if that will be what he actually does, but he has been pretty consistent about it over the past few years. Given his personality (a bit introverted and nerdy) and his skill set (very analytical, good at both art and math), it just may be suited for him.
Software/Computer engineering is probably a major he will want to pursue.

[ArtsieAng Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close ArtsieAng]

My son wants to be a video game designer. Not sure if that will be what he actually does, but he has been pretty consistent about it over the past few years. Given his personality (a bit introverted and nerdy) and his skill set (very analytical, good at both art and math), it just may be suited for him.
Software/Computer engineering is probably a major he will want to pursue.

My DD is an art student, and goes to SVA, in Manhattan. She is taking courses on animation, story boarding, cartooning, and video game design. She does drawings for videos games, etc.

Her school has a large concentration on video game design. Most of the boys in her school are involved one way or the other in animation, video game design, photography, or film. Video game design, has become a huge major.

[wackymother Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close wackymother]

My son wants to be a video game designer. Not sure if that will be what he actually does, but he has been pretty consistent about it over the past few years. Given his personality (a bit introverted and nerdy) and his skill set (very analytical, good at both art and math), it just may be suited for him.
Software/Computer engineering is probably a major he will want to pursue.

Oh. That's what my DD wanted to do for a long time...until just after the applications were out to her colleges!

Anyway, I can give you some ideas about which colleges have strong programs in that if you want--on the East Coast anyway.

[calgal Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close calgal]

I second the website College Admissions, Search, and Financial Aid Help from College Confidential. I learned as much from it about college admissions as I did about timeshares OY a few years back. Even though my son started college 2 weeks ago, I still visit cc every day. The emphasis on cc is very much on top tier universities, by the way.
Since your son is a freshman, the main emphasis is on getting good grades and developing good study habits. If he can identify a goal in leadership in his favorite youth organization that is helpful as well. The top schools want a very high GPA, excellent SATs, leadership positions, and varsity sports or other high EC achievement. Visiting colleges junior year may enable your student to choose an early decision school to apply to early senior year, which increases acceptance rates and makes senior year less stressful.

[mshatty Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close mshatty]

My son is a junior this year.

Here's what I've heard. Not sure how much is true.

1. Many colleges actually don't count freshman year in the GPA calc mix.
Mostly false. In fact the GPA used is cut off with fall semester their senior year.


2. For state schools, it's more about the numbers (GPA and SAT or ACT) than anything else. The extracurricular activities, sports, outside job, "unusual skills" are much more important in the private school arena when being considered for acceptance.

I agree that state schools use the numbers because they get so many applicants. They also look at extracurricular activites when they get down to the final groups.


3. I concur with the advice to take the SAT a few times to get used to it. My son took it at age 13 for a program he was in, and then again at age 14 to see if he could also qualify for verbal courses in the program (the first time he only qualified for math). Even between those two years, his scores jumped dramatically, I'm sure based more on test taking experience than an actual increase in knowledge.

It is a learning experience on how to take the test. Most here pay for a SAT prep course. The prep course won't substitute for the inherent knowledge your child knows.

4. Try the ACT too, especially if your kid is into science.
Depends on where you are applying. In Texas, most schools don't want the ACT. It's your money you are spending. It's a completely different test than the SAT. Your child may do better or worse on it.


Sound like everyone is off to a good start this year!

See my comments based on my two children's experience.

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

Oh. That's what my DD wanted to do for a long time...until just after the applications were out to her colleges!

Anyway, I can give you some ideas about which colleges have strong programs in that if you want--on the East Coast anyway.

Please, let me know anything you can. I may take my son to visit some of these schools.