5 Reasons to Start Talking About College With Your Kid Before Senior Year of High School
As a parent it may seem like it’s a good idea to avoid talking about college with your high schooler before their senior year in hopes of reducing their stress. Here are 5 reasons to start that conversation earlier!
With college in mind you can help your child make better decisions about the classes they sign-up for as early as 9th grade – whether that is choosing the most challenging classes they can take, or ensuring that they are fulfilling their A-G requirements to be eligible for the University of California (UC) system.
If your child needs to “course correct” in terms of their academic work, their extracurricular commitments, and the ways they demonstrate leadership and curiosity, they will have more time to show their growth if they don’t wait until senior year to make changes.
The college application process is long with multiple parts. Not everything needs to be done senior year. For example, school visits can be done before 12th grade, reducing the stress of fall semester senior year.
Helping your kid to be clear about their academic goals, career goals and life goals and to be clear about how college fits (or does not fit) into those goals will help them understand why college is meaningful to them – rather than feeling like they should go to college because that is “what they are supposed to do.” Early conversations give them the opportunity to reflect over time rather than in the midst of a stressful process.
Talking about how your family will afford college well in advance of application time will mean that you are all on the same page about what is financially possible, what grades your kid will need to qualify for scholarships, and schools they should focus their time applying to.
It seems like every year we wind up having conversations with parents and students in the fall of senior year who say things like “If I had only known earlier I would have…”
Early conversations about college do not need to be stressful. And having short but impactful conversations throughout the first three years of high school means less stressful family conversations when your student is knee deep in completing applications.
At What Comes Next, we specialize in breaking down the college application process in a way that reduces stress and yields results. Reach out for a FREE 20-minute consultation to learn more about how we can support your high schooler (and you) in making the right decisions throughout high school to set them up for college application success.
