When to Start Planning for College
Dear Parents:
The focus this month is college planning for students and when to begin the process. Students need to begin in elementary school with focus, commitment to get involved and try different activities. At this juncture, it is parents who introduce new activities more than the students. The goal being to build on the positive experiences and the positive reinforcement the students receive as they grow and develop through the first six years of school and into middle school. By the time the students are in high school, they hopefully have a few activities and a few organizations/volunteer entities that they enjoy, have a passion for and are committed to continue with throughout their four years in high school. Encouraging students early to try different sports, musical instruments, dance, choir or other outlets, can happen when students are young. Helping students find things to do that are not related to video games or staying inside watching television is critical to finding balance for younger students.
The second article is about effectively using the summer to get ahead as students in high school prepare for college. It focuses mostly on juniors and seniors, but I believe ninth and tenth grade students can start thinking about college. There are so many colleges around north Texas that students can visit just to see what it means when a college says they are “a mid-sized private” university or “a large public institution”.
Enjoy your students because we will all begin the hustle and bustle of the new school year sooner than we realize! Our next newsletter will be in August.
Thank you,
Catherine Marrs, CEP
College Planning: When's Too Early to Begin?
Recent news stories about college and career readiness programs in middle and even elementary schools have intensified the debate about how soon might be too soon to plan for life after high school. Parents ask all the time: When should my child start planning for college?
Source: Stephen M. Smith - Forbes
Use the Summer Wisely: Start Planning for College
As former head counselor in Georgia’s DeKalb County Schools, I saw 95% of my advisees go to college, so I know the difference early college planning can make. It allows students to break the application process into manageable chunks and eliminates the pressure of having to do everything all at once.
Source: Lorraine Hastings - Forbes