Nervous anticipation arising from predicting who’s going to get into which college doesn’t only affect Seniors, community college transfer students and their parents. The sense of foreboding can extend to parents of middle school age students, who are thinking backwards to choose a high school that seems more advantageous to meriting the college acceptances they desire. However, the high school academic experience is only one component of a comprehensive set of criteria that will be considered, when determining admissions. In general, when colleges consider a student for admissions, a comprehensive view of the student’s experience is considered–grades, classes taken in high school, SAT or ACT scores AND extracurricular activities. No one part is weighted greater than the other. Knowing more about the general college admissions process, parents can determine how their child will be most competitive, as well as not miss any opportunities throughout high school. The issue is not one of gaining information; often parents face an overabundance of information about college admissions and are challenged to verify the credibility of the sources of information. After sorting and vetting, THEN parents can begin to guide their children. The learning curve can be steep, but not impassable. Knowing a child’s personality and emerging talents will help parents identify which resources to consult, from counselors to guidebooks to other parents to the variety of websites, Then, parents can apply the college admissions process to their kid, not feel the need to mold their kid to fit the process.
