A. College Preparation
It is very important that you set aside time with your child to make sure that he or she stays on track with all aspects of preparing of college including developing strong academic skills, study for the ACT/SAT, exploring future career interests, and schedule campus visits.
1. Develop strong academic skills.
Help your teen to determine if he or she needs to improve his or her grades. Grades from junior year of high school are a factor in college admissions. It is important for your child to maintain top grades in all of his or her courses. Don’t be afraid to seek help from teachers or hire a tutor to improve grades.
2. Study for the ACT/SAT.
Many colleges require high school students to take either the ACT or SAT, so your child will need to confirm if the colleges on their list requires one or both exams. Work with your child to strengthen his or her math and reading comprehension skills to score well on the exams. Encourage your child to take the PSAT which provides scholarships to the top scorers in the US.
3. Explore future career interests. Ask your teen about their career interests. Then, help your teen to find people and organizations in your local community working in the same field. Encourage your child to ask about volunteer experience in their desired career interests (starting in your local community).
4. Schedule campus visits.
There is no comparison to visiting a college campus to experience the college environment, dorm rooms, student union, classrooms, and speak with professors and other staff members.
63 iParent Magazine August 2015 www.iparentmagazine.com