College Prep for Middle School Students

A national survey found that while 92% of seventh- and eighth-graders said they were likely to attend college, 68% said they had little or no information about which classes to take to prepare for it.

Why Plan for College Now? Your child needs strong academic preparation in middle school to take challenging high school courses Parents need to do their homework to have a better understanding of what colleges cost and whether or not college is affordable for your family. It takes time to research options: loans, scholarships, or a community college for the first two years.

Talk About College As a parent, your expectations have a huge influence on what your child expects of themselves Talk to your children about their interests, how they might transfer to a college major and career. Talk to other parents/family/friends about college. Encourage your children talk to family and friends about college. Did they go? Where did they go? What did they study in college? What clubs or sports did they participate in?

Make the Middle School your Partner Meet your child’s teachers and let then know that you want to be kept up to date about any changes in your child’s work or behavior Go over your child’s standardized tests to identify strengths and weaknesses Talk to the counselor about your child’s interests to see if there are any extracurricular activities or course electives to help them develop their talents. If your child needs extra help or more challenging assignments, talk to the teachers or counselors

Get Involved in Your Child’s Choice of Classes The research is clear, students who take algebra by eight grade and geometry by ninth grade are much more likely to go to college Take English every year Take as much History and Science as possible Take a Foreign Language if you can Your child will need to satisfy more than basic high school requirements to be prepared to succeed in college, and they will not be prepared for college prep classes in high school unless they take challenging classes in middle school.

Get Savvy About College Costs – Talk to your Financial Advisor Research cost of college FAFSA estimator Net Price Calculator Two types of financial aid Need based aid is based on your income and assets Merit based aid is based on GPA (grade point average), test scores (ACT, SAT), artistic or athletic talent. Important to know that merit based aid may not available at highly selective colleges Savings options like 529 plans Cost cutting measures like getting college credit by taking AP classes in high school and summer classes at the community college while in high school

Encourage your Child to Read, Read, Read Reading is the BEST preparation for standardized tests and college reading assignments The common denominator among the very best test takers is a strong background with books, and this is usually a habit that starts at an early age Why not make vocabulary building a family game by learning a word a day? There are lots of free subscription services that will a word a day

Look Ahead – High School is the Launch Pad for College Does you high school offer AP and Honors classes? Does your student have access to them? Do you need to be recommend by a teacher or have a certain grade point average to take Honors or AP? These classes put students at an advantage when applying to college. Are there electives and extracurricular activities that will motivate and engage your child? If not, you need to find community resources (music groups, sports clubs, tutors) to supplement what the school offers.

Don’t Wait to Get your Child Help with Study Skills Your child will need time-management, organizational and study skills to succeed in high schools and college. It is easier to address these issues during middle school when the work is not as challenging as high school. Make sure your child has a quiet place to do homework and help them establish a regular routine for school work and monitor the results

Encourage Your Student to Get Involved Get involved in extra curricular activities like community service, sports, music, student council, church youth groups, or other hobbies. Run for an office or volunteer to coordinate an event or project. Build on what you start throughout middle school during high school Extracurricular activities and volunteerism are highly valued by college admission committees and scholarship committees

Other Things to Do… Notice what your child enjoys doing, and help them do more of it. Take your hiker on the Appalachian Trail; have the child who loves the Food Network cook or bake something for a local competition; an avid reader might start a book club; a nature lover might enjoy trips to National Parks.

Other Things to Do… Think about careers/majors/jobs your child may be interested in and suggest interviewing someone who does that job, volunteer at a place related to that type of job, or look for summer camps related to what they are interested in (discovery programs on college campuses)

Other Things to Do… Spend time on college campuses. Attend local events on college campuses, or visit colleges as you travel. You and your student will begin to get a feel for the different types of schools and start to form opinions about what is desirable for your student

Other Things to Do… Teach your children some practical household skills. By remembering to do chores and balancing their school and extracurricular responsibilities, you are teaching them time management and life skills. Your children will be self-sufficient enough to juggle a college workload and do the other necessary chores of life.

Taking your child to visit the Top 50 schools on US News and World Report list Don’t let your child become stressed about college in middle school. Having fun is important too. Having constant discussions about college. If your child asks you questions, answer them honestly. Maybe they have heard something that might be confusing to them Things To Avoid During Middle School