What we covered during the first session last month (May):
- The importance of starting college visits early on
- The earlier students visit colleges the sooner they get an idea of what they like and don’t like in a college.
- This will also allow the student to get a true perspective on how selective colleges are and the strength they have in different programs.
- This provides them with a better understanding of the academic and social attributes of the school and will hopefully minimize the impact of comments and opinions coming from external influences (friends).
- How to choose which schools to visit.
- Answers questions and curiosity that the student may have regarding seeing colleges.
- Conduct formal visits meaning attend the Information Session, Tour and speak to as many students (in addition to the tour guide).
- See big school, small school, state school, private school, city school and rural school to get a better idea of what characteristics are important to your student.
- Don’t let selectivity and assumed competitiveness drive which colleges you see. See different competitive level colleges so your student understands that there are many great schools out there.
Things to consider to get ready for standardized testing:
- If your student will be finishing Algebra 2 this school year (sophomore year) have your student take a practice SAT and ACT before July 4th while they are still in school mode.
- Most tutoring centers will offer free or nominally priced SATs and ACTs for your student to take.
- Your student is taking these practice tests to see which one is best for them and to identify if they are “ready” to test early or potentially qualify for National Merit (SAT only).
- Get opinions based upon your student’s results which test is best and when they should take them.
- Make sure you take into account your student’s sports, music or other interests that may impact the time available to participate in standardized test preparation.
- Don’t rush the process. If your student is not ready, it’s not a big deal. Most students take their first SAT or ACT In December (earliest).
- Taking their first test in February of March of their junior year is absolutely acceptable (this is the current schedule of my own sophomore daughter).
- You want your student to take the test(s) when they are properly prepared and in a position to do as well as they possibly can.
- Start researching tutoring options available in your area but don’t commit or get talked into spending more than you should.
What we covered during the first session this month:
- Steps on how to build your first college list.
- Tips on how to create your family criteria to properly evaluate colleges.
- An introduction to financial aid.
Action items to be aware of in June:
- Plan summer college visits.
- Find practice SAT and ACT for your student to try.
- Sophomores: review your results to decide if you will take the SAT or the ACT, which method you will use to study for the test, and research potential tutoring centers.
- Find a resource to get an estimate of your EFC (Expected Family Contribution) so you start becoming aware of your financial responsibilities regarding your student’s college list.
Reminder for how to get the most out of the concierge service:
- The 1st Wednesday of every month will be the monthly coaching session. Office hours vary so check the google sheet.
- During office hours, we’ll answer any general questions that we’ve received via emails or posted in the FB groups.
- Use the Facebook group to share information with one another, and ask questions on your mind (we’ll look here before office hours).
- We send reminder emails the day of monthly sessions and office hours. Please add "debbie@road2college.com" to your email address book if you aren't receiving our emails.
- We've created a google sheet with the calendar of all the sessions and topics. In addition, there is a tab in the google sheet labeled "Videos" that has links to all the recorded sessions.
- We really want your feedback and will be sending a survey after each session to hear what you have to say. It's very short (4 questions). We want to make sure you are getting what you need out of the service and your feedback will help us continue to improve things.
Mark your calendar, the next Office Hours will be Wednesday, June 19th at 7pm EST.
Best,
Russ, Marisa & Debbie
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