"Don’t neglect the non-prep school portion (the majority) of College Confidential. "
Ha! Thank you for pointing this out. I recently started clicking on ‘Latest Posts’ and saw @Happytimes2001 thread.
I had no idea I had meandered into the Prep School Admissions area by accident!
If the early start is for the parent (which actually does make good sense if you are a planner), you can use the year to learn about how athletic recruiting works in your kid’s sport if you might head down that path (because the timeline will be accelerated.) If your kid might need to submit a portfolio, look at several schools that might be considered to see what exactly is needed (especially if it had to have been in a show). If there will be an audition, what will be needed?
Looking at college websites and their common data sets can be informative as can their Instagram of FB pages (just to see what is going on.) Sites like niche are interesting but crowd-sourced, so often skewed (especially by those who are unhappy.)
I can say that my kid’s CC at BS was the BEST! She suggested schools we weren’t considering and that he liked, she coaxed an amazing essay out of him (on the third try), reached out to BS coaches to help figure out where he might be a walk-on, managed through an ED deferral that came in over the holidays, and hung in there through the WL process. All without the parents ever seeing an application or essay. With that said, I had picked the schools for the first (junior spring break) tour and deliberately put a few different "flavors " in there so DS would have some reference points for the CC in likes and dislikes. So yymv will depend on the school and the person assigned to you. We all learned a lot going through the process but her guidance was invaluable.
It could be worthwhile to find out from senior parents how well supported they feel with the school staff. Our school strongly discouraged parents from talking about the college thing with each other, but asking “what do you wish you’d known or done?” can be informative.
And follow discussions on the other side of CC. You’ll learn a lot for sure.
@Calimex thanks for asking. She seems to be settling in a little more. Loves her classes and professors, clubs and job. Still not in love with the drinking culture. Time will tell if she decides to transfer.
I think the road map will be different for each family and what they feel comfortable with.
For us, I always wanted my kid to devote her full energies to school while school was in session so she could get the most out of that experience that she could. I’m not just talking about academics, but also the extra curriculars and the social aspects too.
So that meant that I tried to get her to do all of the college related work during the summers or other breaks, which meant that we started very early. For some families, starting early results in a pressure cooker, but for our family, this actually took pressure off and let her enjoy HS more.
What this looked like for us is that our D studied for the ACT during the summer after Sophmore Year, and took the September (October?) test Junior Year. Luckily she only had to take it once, but if she had to take it again, I would have had her study over winter break and retake then, and then study over the summer and retake early Senior Fall. For the SAT2s, our family’s experience was that it was fine to take it after bio1 after freshman year. Your boarding school GC should be able to tell you if the kids at your school typically take this test after freshmen year and how they do. Also, I’m sure somewhere on your boarding school’s website there is a link to a pamphlet about your BS’ profile, and in there it will show how many kids took which subject tests last year, and how they scored. For example, in our school the physics teacher was phenomenal so a high percentage of the kids at our school took the physics SAT2, and the average score at our school was a 780. Well, this gave us a pretty good idea that if our kid wanted to take physics, this was probably a good SAT2 for her to take. Likewise, we saw that the average for the Spanish SAT2 was relatively low, so absent other considerations it was probably a good idea not to take that one. Also, with regard to the SAT2 timing, most kids take it Junior Year right after the APs in May. My D waited until June, and I think that helped a lot. The kids are just too tired in May with the AP and all the year-end performances and games etc. Most SAT2s (particularly US History) are slightly different than the AP, and your kid should spend a little time looking at the format and studying for it, and the extra couple of weeks really helps IMO.
As part of preparing early, you need to make yourself aware of what the current admissions situation is. Even though grandpa thinks your kid should go to XYZ school, the admissions chances are so much less now than they were even a few years ago. Start preparing yourself and your family for this new reality, so they won’t pressure your kid with unrealistic expectations. Also, you may have chosen your BS in part because they send X # of kids a year to Ivy League schools. Well, you need to look behind those numbers to see if your kid really has the same chance as the kids who got in. For example, if 3 kids from this year’s Senior class go to Yale, and 2 are athletic recruits and 1 is a legacy, and your kid is neither, well, how many other kids from your BS applied to Yale, who were they, and what were their results? I’m making this a bit too simplistic, because there are nuances for everything, but I do think it’s safe to say some kids will have an admissions advantage over others because they fulfill an institutional need, and you should look to see if your kid will also fulfill an institutional need or falls in the general population of applicants. Your GC should know all this information and should be able to really help your child pick appropriate schools, so if you’re not able to figure out the story behind your BS’s college admissions that should be fine; I just know that I really appreciated seeing this information for myself.
And, you need to look beyond the same old schools that everyone from your BS applies to. There are some truly excellent schools that aren’t on your radar yet. A little reading now will help you know which ones might be good for your child to visit.
About visits, our family started college visits during our D’s sophmore year when she had school breaks. We were glad we did, because Junior Year was too busy to take time off during the school year, and same with Senior Year. Senior Year Fall my D did take a second visit to two colleges in order to verify she was ready to apply ED to one of them, but she had to miss an important EC, thereby reaffirming how happy we were that she did her other visits during non-school times. Also, while a lot of families will say that summer visits aren’t good, we still found value in them because there were nuances in the info sessions that helped us realize what that school valued.
Besides all the above, our 4 year plan included having our D do things over the summer that would help make her an interesting person. This was for her own growth as a person, and not directed at what would look good for a college application. While these experiences can be an expensive science camp if that leads to something interesting and of value, or it can be studying abroad to learn a language, it can also be volunteering in a science museum and getting involved with something they are doing, or volunteering to teach English at a church or library ESL program. It just has to be something that interests your kid and speaks to them, and is something that they can make theirs and do something with. Our GC actually recommended against expensive experiences because it smells of privilege that isn’t available to everyone, but I think it’s OK as long as your kid is undertaking the experience with a specific goal in mind and does something with the experience, rather than just being a spectator going from one expensive thing to the next.
@melvin123 Good advice esp. the info about how much the landscape has changed. Fortunately, my kid isn’t really that interested in applying to the same schools that many apply to at this particular BS. My kids interests in STEM are really deep and so it’s likely that the major/concentration will be something that not many pursue. Or a combination of a couple of different things. It’s funny if kids have a deep interest in something there seem to be lots of “unknown” schools which are great. The issue for this kid is likely that there will be too many interests so it will be hard to narrow down the choices. That’s fine though.
The other thing with NE BS’s is, once you go outside of NE you are applying to many schools which no one else will bother applying to. Strangely all seem to want to stay in the same area. And many seem to apply to strong LAC’s and big well known names.
That’s an excellent piece of advice: Looking at the scores of kids subject tests to see which are strongest. It seems like a waste to take more tests than a kid needs.
I was thinking along the same lines about visiting Sophomore year. I can see Junior year being very very busy. So anything that can be done early is helpful.
Summer is a great time to do things that kids like. Our kids used to do a sporty thing, an academic thing and something new. Now they need more down time during the Summer. Last year, my kid did a really intense academic camp (2 weeks only) that turned out great. And some sports camps.
My kid does a lot of volunteering during the school year since grade school so needs some downtime there too. I think a language study is something that might be in the cards. And maybe working at a local store/shop. Some of those expensive programs are great, but honestly I think we’ll hold back on those given that our kids are in private school ($$) and that might give the appearance that there is too much ease. I like the programs where the kid has to apply and get in. Plus they are usually cheaper. The school program where they visit X ( a poor nation) and do “service” isn’t something that appeals to this student. Kid recently said no to a school project like this since it wasn’t really doing that much service. On a trip a couple of years ago, my kid laughed at the service component of our trip. Said there was no way, s/he could say with a straight face that we did a service trip when we spent 3 hours of 1 week planting trees. I have to agree. But I know that many kids said it was a service trip.
This is an interesting thread. About 5 months ago I asked the question about starting to think about the college process on a different thread and was told I was acting a bit premature. (I am a huge planner-most who know me here, know this already…DS is a junior now).
As far as classes to take, DS took the reins & has been gently guided by his advisor since freshman year. Originally he chose the classics diploma route, until he realized that limited his math/science choices later in BS. He started out thinking he would go into humanities of some sort…he has now decided engineering. His advisor asked the poignant questions along the way, encouraging him to stretch himself while maintaining interests in what he was currently pursuing. Was there an underlying “end result goal”? I think so…but it was subtle. He tried new courses, new sports, new ECs and pushed himself with the toughest schedule available to him each semester. And together they mapped out his BS curriculum.
The CC office scheduled PSATs and practice ACTs for all III/IV forms to give them practice and an idea of what test would be best suited for each kid when the time came.
DS and I sat down this past spring to determine what would work best in his schedule for taking the standardized tests. The CC office said December/January. But these were on Saturdays when he’d be traveling home or back to BS. Plus he’s taking a very rigorous schedule this year. So, we bucked the system- he studied over the summer (of his own accord) and he took the ACT in October. We have a college visit planned over thanksgiving week (students will be there) and Spring break is packed with visits. Spring will be reserved for subject tests and APs (and God forbid, retake of ACT).
I can’t handle the stress that is embedded in the other side of the forum regarding this very subject. There are several parts of this thread that completely stressed me out…so,
I’m leaving the rest up to him and the CC office. Do I have a spreadsheet with the schools he’s interested in and their stats? Yes. Do I update it when he mentions a new one? Yes. Do I make suggestions of similar schools? Yes. But that is the extent of it. I figure he’ll know what he wants…the CC office will be a guide…I’ll be a checkbook and chauffeur with the occasional witty comment or question thrown in.
Everyone is different and needs to approach things differently. But I hope in doing so, we are letting our kids take their best approach so it is as enjoyable a process to them as possible.
@Happytimes2001 Kiddo’s CC’s said emphatically that Whatever you do in the summer, don’t do one of those “service trips”. Also, those colleges’ summer camps are a money-making marketing ploy for the schools. If your kid is into the topic, go for it, otherwise skip.
Her advice was to get a good, old-fashioned Summer Job.
Mine, to steal from Michael Pollan: Do something, not too much, mostly something you enjoy.
@CateCAParent Yep, agreed. IMP those trips don’t make kids look good. Better to do something like scoop ice cream.
FWIW, my kid had a summer job - same one- every year after sophomore year. Combo of customer interaction and manual labor.
AOs at colleges were very always interested in it. (A common question in late junior/summer interviews is “What are you doing this summer?”)
And lo and behold, he was able to translate his experience into not one, but two of his college summer internships (decently paid).
Working, even - or especially- at a menial job is great, especially if a kid is curious. A landscaping job in our neck of the woods guarantees undocumented co-workers. What better way to get an insight into immigration issues? Climate issues? Local politics and zoning?
Bagging groceries? Learn about everything from food waste to nutrition to food insecurity.
Waiting tables not only teaches amazing lessons on dealing with people but insights into minimum wage issues, etc.
And of course all teach the importance of showing up on time and doing what is asked of you. No wonder college admissions folks see value in this!
@Happytimes2001, I think it’s safe to say that pretty much everyone is looking for their child to find an “awesome fit” and “consider various paths.” My point was simply that you can achieve that goal in ways that don’t necessary require visiting numerous colleges, starting in 9th grade. As @roycroftmom says, what looks like a fit when your kid is in 9th grade may not be a fit at all 3 or 4 years later. But I think you may have been more literal than I thought when you asked for a “roadmap” for looking at colleges. If you go to the parent forums in the college section, and look at some of the Class of xxxx posts, you’ll find lots of ideas about what colleges can conveniently be visited on the same trip.
@soxmom. Definitely heard all the minuses. Lol. But honestly, I wasn’t asking IF I should do it, I was looking for info from folks who have done it to share info. The thread went a little sideways at one point but I got a lot of info. As you can see, many shared great ideas and best practices. And it looks like there are many who start early for lots of different reasons.
Looks like many people have learned a lot in their BS and college search process.
Thanks to all who shared.
This has turned into very helpful thread so I will add one more thing I learned, about summer programs. While colleges certainly don’t seem to care about you going on a fancy service trip to Africa, college programs at your school of choice do seem to help a decent amount, so if you have a serious frontrunner it is worth looking into. My daughter was really surprised how many of her friends/classmates had done the summer program at the college they all now attend. Same for her BFF at Yale, it definitely seems doing the Global Scholars program there is a nice boost for the application. Obviously does not help all or even most, but it certainly seems to be a summer activity that goes solidly in the positive column, unlike many other summer pursuits.
@417WHB Based on our 9 nephews, I have heard the same regarding Summer programs and ultimate school. Hey, at least the kids can say they took a class and liked a couple of specific things about the school.
I think attending a college-based program only helps in two ways:
But most college admissions staff I know will tell you those summer programs are generally for generating revenue and do not influence admissions. (The exception: Free programs with very competitive admissions. Some programs are as hard to be admitted to as top colleges. However, it is possible that it is the credentials that allowed for admission to the summer program that made college acceptance likely, not participation in the program.)
FWIW - my kiddo is applying to a college summer program that is FREE and it is way tougher than the BS application - Very competitive. In addition to top grades (there is a 3.75 unweighted cut off), you need to have taken the SAT/ACT for the application before February - so we have to scramble…this is very anxiety-inducing for the high school kids. I am feeling very depressed already - and it’s not even the middle of sophomore year!
BTW - DH is not stressing at all…as he pours lime over the ice…
@Golfgr8 Sounds great. Some of the Summer programs sound amazing and not all cost $$$. My kid did one last year, same thing, 3.75 GPA and test scores. And a written recommendation. Still there were many kids who applied and the program was really solid.
While, I think kids to relax in the Summer, doing a program that lasts a week or two can be a great way to explore a subject they like. If they like the college even better.
Will they let you use the PSAT? That way your kiddo could kick the tires on the PSAT without reporting the scores.
Looking ahead to next year, ACT will be changing it’s format and will allow sections for retake and taking the test via computer? Here is a recent article. I never go over to the “college” (too comfy in prep school land) section of CC, so I missed this news. In case you did as well, here it is…
My kids would have really benefitted from those changes - I’m sure a lot of students will.
Thinking about it more, however, it might push even more kids to be perfectionists when it comes to test taking, retaking and retaking to produce the “best” scores. My kids didn’t overly prepare for and worry about standardized testing and did just fine in college admissions. One was very lopsided on testing. That’s just who this child is.
It’s funny that someone mentioned Yale Global Scholars as one of the programs that is helpful to take in order to get into the school. I only know 1 kid who went there, but she said that her impression was that this would not help at all. And, knowing the kid, she did not have the scores to even come close to getting into Yale, yet they were happy to have her as part of their summer program. She also said that a lot of the kids did not take this opportunity seriously and goofed off.
Another kid that I know who was helped by their summer program (at another school) went to a relatively small program that was taught by the professors in the department that she was interested in. She went 2 summers in a row and got to know the department well and they got to know her well. She had the stats to get in, but besides getting in, they gave her a strong merit scholarship even though her stats would not have otherwise entitled her to one. She also said that the majority of kids from that program did not get accepted to that school.
IMHO these programs (run by the departments at the colleges) are a great opportunity for the school to have what amounts to a multi-week interview of the kids and to pick the cream of the crop. For those programs at colleges that are run by private companies or are just large lectures, those are fine if your kid is interested in the subject matter, but it has nothing to do with helping them get into that school.