Hi parents…I’m increasingly finding that it’s not too early for me to be on CC after all. It seems I need you already!
My 8th grade daughter said yesterday that everyone in her grade was given out a college survey to fill out and turn in at school. She didn’t know what the survey was really for, or to whom it was being sent. The survey asked the students to name colleges they were interested in attending, what their preferred majors and occupations were, (which she found confusing and dumb, as no one at school had ever given out any information on different college options or the college search.) We live in a town where the great majority of adults don’t have a college degree, so most students were probably even more unprepared than my daughter.
What concerns me, though, is that the survey asked for student names, mailing addresses, birth dates, personal e-mail addresses, parents’ email addresses. I called the school guidance counselor. She said the survey is through mycollegeoptions.org. and that the superintendent had approved it (inferring politely that my concern was, therefore, invalid.) She said that students were not required to turn them in. I still think that most students will generally not question a survey distributed and collected during homeroom at school, and will automatically turn it in (as my daughter did.)
I looked up reviews of mycollegeoptions.org and didn’t come up with a lot except that it is evidently considered safe but low-rated by users. It is, however, a market-research company (for profit?) that is presumably selling student data to different (unknown to me…colleges? businesses of varying stripes?) entities. While I imagine it’s not dangerous, and I don’t think I’m especially paranoid, I found it inappropriate and a little troubling that the school is collecting and sending back these surveys without notifying parents. At least, I would think information about the organization/website/ survey would be sent home as an option. Am I overreacting and helicoptering too much? Is this the usual thing done by schools with regards to the college process? Are schools being paid by market research companies to collect students’ personal data for them? Is this an ethical issue, or just the norm of the world we live in now? I wonder who selling/obtaining student’s personal date and how secure the information is, and is this any of the school system’s business to promote? I do know I just don’t like it. I’m very particular about privacy and who gets our information.
BTW, the guidance counselor said she would shred my daughter’s survey. I thanked her and told her I was already in the process of researching my daughter’s future college options ;0
IMHO - You are correct - it is never too early to start thinking about college - and also correct that your situation seems to be a name-selling operation by someone at your school - we’ll posit that this is with “the best intentions”, not some money-grubbing mercantile endeavor!
My other advice has to do with a simple hint that we used to handle similar situations with our kids. The PSAT Test also asks kids for email, college interests etc, so we suggested that they use parent’s email address - which allowed us to sift through a boat-load of unwanted and unneeded junk email, and forward the info that our kids actually wanted.
We also collected the stacks of snail mail brochures that came every day, and did the same sort. This might take some back and forth until both parent/kid are on same page as to what should be saved - I usually gave kids 2 stacks - 1 “good” and one “recycle”.
For the PSAT, SAT and/or ACT tell your daughter not to check the box to get materials. Believe me.
I am so glad they are shredding your daughter’s survey. I hope others raise this issue with the school as well. Personally, I find it truly awful on so many levels.
We are supporters and users of public schools but some of the big brother tactics are objectionable, at times. Public schools feel it is their duty to introduce the idea of college and career early on with the assumption it will raise the sights of some of the lower income kids or kids whose parents are not well-educated.
When there is a diverse student body, this runs into resistance from those, like many of CC posters, who want to avoid introducing the stress of these concerns too early.
There is a balance needed. I served on a local foundation and always objected to funding middle school college tours, to deaf ears : )
As for any commercial tie-ins, we have run into that too, and many parents objected.
I will say that one of my kids took some kind of career survey and was told she would either be a conductor or a clown! Her female friend was told she would be a football player!
It’s not too early to set up a college-only email address. It makes things much easier down the road when the child and parents can check college related email.
I’d certainly object to my kid’s personal info being passed on to some third party marketing firm.
I think 8th grade is too soon to talk about specific colleges. Much more useful to discuss college readiness in general, what courses will be required for it, possible sequences in math, foreign language, etc., encouraging taking the PSAT a year or two before junior year, some stuff about costs and savings and financial aid…
I’m happy to say that my daughter did have the insight to give out only mom and dad’s email addresses, but not her own. Now it’s a moot point, if her survey did get shredded. IMO, however, 8th grade is not too early for schools to start informing students about college and getting them thinking…but it’s a little early to begin the marketing madness, not to mention the collection/selling of their personal data (under the guidance of the school system.)
I’m off tonight to a meeting about high school scheduling. Wow! Just starting to get over the giving away of little kid toys. Kinda feeling sentimental about all those potty-training decisions, lol. Bam, bam bam! The years do fly…
Any other opinions from parents about these school-endorsed marketing ploys? Is it just me that finds this objectionable or it a good source of information for some students who wouldn’t otherwise find it?
@inthegarden I’m not a parent but I just wanted to give some input. I was in 8th grade last year and I also had to fill out that survey. However, I don’t remember having to give out any personal information other than my email, name, and birthdate. I do get emails from mycollegeoptions.org sometimes. IMO it’s not a bad site for someone who does not know much about the college application process, etc.
That is possibly the same survey my daughter did in 8th grade. I remember she told me she didn’t really know what to put down for colleges so she put Columbia University (father went there), Harvard University (family friend works there and it is fairly local) and UNH - near where my mother lives and her cousin went there so she had visited. At one point she got a letter from them (maybe it was an email - she is in 11th now) that based on her survey they recommended that she look into Syracuse University, Buffalo University and a Minnesota college. I only remember this because I had to ask my daughter who hates cold/snow if she wrote that she loves cold and snowy weather.
While I’m not positive if this is the source my daughter started getting tons of college mail (snail mail and email) from all over starting in 9th grade. She took her PSAT in 10th grade so it wasn’t from that. I do get emails even now that say my daughter would like to attend some school but I can guarantee my daughter never gave those particular schools my email. I will say that even now my daughter has no interest in going somewhere with more cold/snow then we get.
Thanks, @momtogirls, that’s all we need is more junk mail (not!) Thanks to CC I think I will have more than enough options for DD to look into without all the mailings…at the rate I’m learning here I think I will have hundreds of schools in my brain by that point (though whether or not DD will want to listen to me or do her own research will be the question! Now wouldn’t that be the last laugh if she ends up at a school I have never thought of…or our local school…but at least getting on CC is interesting, no matter what the outcome.)
So, is your daughter looking into southern schools, or California schools
