<p>I’m new to CC & posted this on the HS site; maybe the wrong place since there’s been no reply (or maybe the post is not that interesting). In any event, does any one have input about what would high achieving HS Sr’s have done differently early in their HS years? I’ve been blessed with an intelligent, athletic daughter with a great personality. Things have come way too easy for her, and I know that while she can do above average in HS without too much effort, her study habits/focus will have to change if she is to meet her (not my) goal of getting in to a high profile college (Ivy, Patriot, top LAC). She’s not a “brain”; she’ll have to work hard to do well on the SAT’s/ACT’s/etc. I’m very interested on how graduating CC’ers would do things “knowing what you know now” (ie) study habits, summer school, developing a “passion” for ec’s, course selection (she most likely will not be in a science/math career), timing of standardized tests, etc. Also, what would you have liked your parents to do/not do, that would have made life happier for you. Thank you in advance & good luck.
PS She’s starting 8th grade in a middle school set-up (also 9th grade at MS then 10-12 at the HS); I was at Staples and saw software that supposedly assists students as they enter elem, MS, and/or HS (probably college too). Waste of $ or worth the investment? When would you start the PSAT/SAT prep? Use software, self-study, course?? Thanks again!</p>
<p>My suggestion would be to read alot of the past threads on college confidential. Every child is different, but by reading what problems others have had, their accomplishments and what they do will give you ideas on what the possibilities are for your daughter. that will give you a good starting point. Read the stats of kids admitted to top schools and what their EC’s were. Read about the different “hooks” that kids have.</p>
<p>best of luck!</p>
<p>Encourage reading of lots of different genres, they will help with the tests, help with papers, etc</p>
<p>Do ECs she loves and make sure she tries new things</p>
<p>Do not let her fear messing up, if you don’t try, you always lose</p>
<p>Don’t procrastinate- in HS you get long projects and the teachers don’t say, here is your schedule</p>
<p>Learn to take notes and learn what works best- some kids read and it sticks, others need to write things down</p>
<p>Keep exercising</p>
<p>Have a good study area</p>
<p>No TV in the bedroom</p>
<p>If she gets behind, ask for help ASAP, do not wait, HS teacher generally love to help, and if your teacher is not great, it is just fine to ask another teacher for help (my Ds Alg teacher was not great, so she went to another one whenver she was stuck)</p>
<p>Clean out backpack at least once a week and file papers- But I Turned it In…and its at the bottom of the backpack</p>
<p>Just some starting ideas</p>
<p>Thank you for your ideas!</p>
<p>But you also want to be sure that she enjoys school, friends and activities. Prod but don’t push. Way too soon in my opinion to deal with PSAT and SAT prep. My daughter did a bit of prep for PSAT since those scores qualify for NMS. At her high school everyone takes PSATs in 9th and 10th for practice.</p>
<p>Her goal for a college could very well change, so don’t worry too much at this point. She may fall in love with a big state university (better yet-maybe the one in your own state!). She may hone in on a major where a certain less-competitive college has an awesome program. Let her enjoy her high school years and her ECs.</p>
<p>I agree with all the above… welcome ! I lurked for sometime learning from getting tips from many of the experienced parents here…so good start.
At 8 gr I was still seeing my D as she was in the 4th gr and soon enough we were facing 9th… Is she a self motivated, focused girl? then relax, have her enjoy a camp or two this summer and READ- READ READ!! somewhere online is a list of the top 100 books a kid should read and through high sch graduation… its a winner, </p>
<p>If your daughter is not accustomed to standerdized testing… and you can afford it it wouldn’t hurt to take the PSAT in 9th… from there you can determine if a prep class would be helpful. (trust me every parent who can afford them does) !
About athletics, I once spoke with a friend, in the business of admission, who said a child does not need to have 4 sports, but just show be working hard and committed to one. Then there is the big ‘well-rounded’
Balance life with friends, community service, help her with time management, organization and prioritizing, and as a parent offer her all the encouragement you can.
When the time arrives to focus on the college process, help her to make it her process, and not go crazy from the buzz.</p>
<p>I don’t want to push to the point of being overbearing, but I do want to “lead” her and always be there for support. CC’ers are a great resource; thank you for your time.</p>
<p>My son says the only thing he would differently in high school would be to have better grades his freshman year. </p>
<p>I’m worried about the Staples software thing. Stop now! Give her time, space, books, limits, and ENJOY your time with her. She’ll be gone before you know it! </p>
<p>Try not to bug her about school. One of the main things they need to learn in high school is that they are responsible for their own accomplishments and failures. I just think that is so important.</p>
<p>Don’t forget it’s more important in the long run that you love each other and have fun together and that she wants to be with you, than whether she gets into a top college.</p>
<p>Welcome to CC. By the time her college process starts you’ll be good to go.</p>
<p>Bigdaddy:</p>
<p>You’ve gotten a lot of good advice. What I did with my own children was to encourage them to read. I did not push a must-read list at them; it would have been the kiss of death. Instead, I identified books or articles that I knew matched their interests. They usually took lots of books on vacation. Reading is the best way to build good vocabulary. I also encouraged them to tell us what they were reading; or, if they’d watched a movie, to tell me what it was about (I seldom accompanied my boys to movies).</p>
<p>I also encouraged them to challenge themselves, to do the best they could, but not to worry unduly about grades (otherwise at least one of them would have been concerned about taking too hard courses). </p>
<p>I was lucky that both kids had good work ethics, so I did not have to nag about homework. Still, having good study skills is important. Some highly conscientious students do not know how to use their time efficiently or work productively. If the school does not provide guidance in these areas, parents may want to help out.</p>
<p>It is important for students to have a good balance between work and play. Building on the experience with my first child who wished he had joined school clubs earlier, I encouraged the second to join clubs beginning in 9th grade. For him, it turned out to be an academic team but it also provided a very strong network of friends. It’s good that your D is athletic and has a great personality. She should be able to make friends easily and do well in sports. She should not fritter her energies among too many ECs but concentrate on those she enjoys.</p>
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<p>Marite’s last sentence is worth reading again, especially for talented kids with many interests. Top schools would rather see a few activities where you contributed a lot rather than a lot of activities where you contributed little. This is good advice regardless of what colleges think, because kids get much more out of activities that allow them to stretch and grow, and this usually requires a bit of committment. </p>
<p>A peaceful home that is filled with good books and lively family discussion and debate, and parents who are interested in the world beyond their own neighborhood will go along way in bringing out intellectual curiosity and worldliness in their children. </p>
<p>Study skills are something that students need to see the value of before they will make big changes. If they get by being sloppy and handing in less than their best, they’ll continue to do that. One reason we changed from our public to a more rigorous private school with my son is that the teachers were expecting much less than he was capable of, and still giving him As. What made him work to his potential were teacher expectations, not parental ones - especially in those early 8th-9th grade years before their own pride of ownership kicks in.
Encourage her to take the most challlenging courses available.</p>
<p>How athletic is she? Does she potentially have the talent to play her sport at the collegiate level? Does she want to? The right sport can be a great hook when combined with pretty good but not the elite of academic stats.</p>
<p>She’ll still need good academic stats … challenging courses, good grades etc. For my son, the lure of playing lacrosse at a top college was incentive enough to buckle down to the books and test prep.</p>
<p>and plays at a very high level (ODP/regional camp/started in 7-9 as 7th grader). And yes, it does seem to be a major motivation right now that soccer might “get her over the hump” to an Ivy/Patriot/Duke/UVa/W&M/etc. I try to downplay it only because I’ve seen many “all-stars” at her age that either tire of the sport and/or reach their peak at an early age. Also, around here soccer can be be 12 mo commitment (if we allow it). I want her to be dedicated, but also well-rounded and not obsessive (about school or ec’s).
Everyone’s experience on this matter is appreciated.</p>