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Getting Ready for College a Guide for Parents of Middle School and High School Students

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Getting Ready for College a Guide for Parents of Middle School and High School Students Getting Ready for College A Guide for Parents of Middle School and High School Students Junior High or Middle School Students To Do: Think about college as an important part of your future. Discuss your thoughts and ideas with your family and with people at school. Start saving for college if you haven’t already. Take challenging and interesting classes to prepare for high school. Ask your parent or guardian to help you research which high schools or special programs will most benefit your interests. Develop strong study habits. Do your best in school and on standardized tests. If you are having difficulty, don’t give up—get help from a teacher, tutor, or mentor. Become involved in school- or community-based activities that let you explore your interests and learn new things. Speak with adults, such as your teacher, school counselor or librarian, relatives, or family friends, who you think have interesting jobs. Ask them, “What do you like about your job?” and “What education did you need for your job?” To Explore: Visit www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov/early to find out why you should consider college now and how to pay for it. The Web site also is available in the form of a workbook called My Future, My Way: How to Go, How to Pay. Parents To Do: Use FAFSA4caster at http://www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov to find out how much federal student aid your child might receive. This information will help you plan ahead. Continue saving for your child’s college education. If you have not opened a savings account, you can find information about tax advantages and links to state plans at http://www.collegesavings.org Talk to your child about his or her interests and help match those interests with a college major and career. Help your child develop good study habits such as studying at the same time and place every day and having the necessary materials to complete assignments. Stay in contact with your child’s teachers and counselor so that they can let you know about any changes in your child’s behavior or schoolwork. Keep an eye on your child’s grades on his or her tests and report cards, and help him or her find tutoring assistance, if necessary. HIGH SCHOOL Every Year in High School Students To Do: Work with one of your parents to update your information in FAFSA4caster at http://www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov, and continue to save for college. Take challenging classes in core academic subjects. Most colleges require 4 years of English, at least 3 years of social studies (history, civics, geography, economics, etc.), 3 years of mathematics, and 3 years of science, and many require 2 years of a foreign language. Round out your course load with classes in computer science and the arts. Stay involved in school- or community-based activities that interest you or let you explore career interests. Consider working or volunteering. Remember—it’s quality (not quantity) that counts. Talk to your school counselor and other mentors about education after high school. Your counselor can answer questions about what classes to take in high school, how to sign up for standardized tests, and where to get money for college. To Explore: Check out KnowHow2Go: The Four Steps to College, which suggests some actions you can take as you start thinking about education beyond high school. The online version of the brochure is at http://www.knowhow2go.org. Get answers to common questions about college: Read the “college q&a question of the week” at http://www.college.gov. Learn about managing your money in the “Financial Literacy” section of http://www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov/preparing. Parents To Do: Talk to your child about college plans as if he or she will definitely go to college. Keep an eye on your child’s study habits and grades— stay involved. Encourage your child to take Advanced Placement or other challenging classes. Watch videos for parents on the “News Parents Can Use” page at http://www.ed.gov/parents. Add to your child’s college savings account regularly. To Explore: Address your concerns about whether your child can or should go to college in the “parents/family” section of http://www.college.gov. Explore http://www.federalstudentaid.ed.gov/parent for information on academic preparation, homeschooling, financial literacy, saving, and borrowing for college. 9th Grade Students To Do: Review “Every Year in High School” of this checklist. Talk to your guidance counselor or teachers about Advanced Placement courses. Find out what courses are available, whether you are eligible, and how to enroll in them. Start planning for college and thinking about your career interests. At http://www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov/myfsa you can register with MyFSA and research your career and college options. Make a list of your awards, honors, paid or volunteer work, and extracurricular activities. Consider participating in academic enrichment programs, summer workshops, and camps with specialty focuses such as music, arts, and science. To Explore: Visit http://www.college.gov for some reasons to consider college and ways you can get help. Parents To Do: Review “Every Year in High School” of this checklist. Use the College Savings Calculator at http://www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov/myfsa to determine how much you should be saving to meet college expenses and to find tips on maximizing your savings efforts. Make sure you are fully aware of the provisions of any college savings accounts you have opened for your child. To Explore: Visit http://www.college.gov and click on “parents/family” to learn how to help your child go to college. Read "Challenging High School for All." CHALLENGING HIGH SCHOOL FOR ALL Make Sure Your Child Is Ready High school is the training ground for college and work. You can help prepare your child for college by encouraging him or her to take challenging courses such as English, math (algebra I and II, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, for example), foreign language, science (biology, chemistry, physics, for example) and history or social studies. Taking these challenging courses will not only help your child succeed in college, but may also qualify him or her to receive scholarships available from the U.S. Department of Education, your state, private foundations and colleges. Foster your child's independence, but continue to be aware of your child's studies and after school activities. High school activities, such as sports, band, school plays, internships or community service, will help build skills needed on the job, such as responsibility, time management, confidence and leadership. Continue to stay involved with the school as your child progresses through high school. "Getting every child to graduate high school with a meaningful diploma... is one of the biggest challenges our country faces." —Former Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings One Parent's Story Anthony wanted to be a member of the band. His teacher told him that unless he made good grades, he could no longer participate in the band. Anthony loved music. His mother noticed that she no longer had to tell Anthony to do his schoolwork. Anthony had an incentive to do well. He wanted to remain in the band.* *This anecdote is based on an interview with a parent conducted during the preparation of the Empowering Parents School Box. The story is for illustration only. The child's name has been changed to protect his privacy. Know What Your High School Child Needs to Succeed Look for programs designed to help students succeed in college by teaching study skills, providing tutoring and helping students apply to college. Remember, college is a critical goal for what your child does in high school and for success in life. Those with a four-year college degree may earn more than 40 percent of what high school graduates earn.7 Some high schools offer Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or early college courses that might allow your child to skip some of the beginning-level courses in college, and, perhaps, graduate early. Charter schools or magnet schools, which focus on themes, such as science and technology or the arts, may help to encourage your child's talents and interests. 7 U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers: Fourth Quarter 2005," USDL 06-098, Jan. 19, 2006. Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Programs: (http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/about.html) offered at some public schools, most often at the high school level; coursework is challenging, and students may receive college credit for scoring well on tests offered by the program. Keep on Reading Continue to make sure your child is reading. Maintaining reading levels is important, and there are many ways to ensure your child does not fall behind. Check with the school to see if your child is reading on grade level. There are also programs under No Child Left Behind to help older students maintain their reading levels. The Striving Readers program is available for high school students. The purpose of the program is to raise the reading achievement levels of students in schools with significant numbers of students reading below grade level. Whether or not there is a Striving Readers program in your child's school, continue to encourage reading. Knowing how to read smoothly and quickly and being able to understand facts and ideas are critical skills for all subject areas, including math and science. Partner With Teachers and Counselors Get to know your child's teachers and counselors. Attend school "open houses." Request parent- teacher conferences when needed.
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