Graduation Is Over
College prep in HIGH SCHOOL?
The shock of the realization that your baby has finished middle school and is now officially a high schooler has just washed over you like a tidal wave. Now, it’s time to start thinking about college. Wait, what?? I know it seems a bit absurd, but it’s true.
Not only do you have to plan out next year’s curriculum and class schedule, but you need to visualize the big picture. Starting your college prep in high school is vital. Just as the last eight years flew by, so will the next four. Put off making a plan now and you will be scrambling to get everything in order for college in the last six months before it starts. I promise.
So instead of looking at the mountain and breaking out in a cold sweat, let’s take this one shovel at a time.
Square One
No better place to start than at the beginning. At its core, planning for ninth grade will be the same as all the previous years. This time, however, you’ll just have to do a bit of research, expand your timeline, and fill more slots.
We all know shit happens, so while you’re essentially planning four years at once, it’s really going to be a skeleton plan that will, no doubt, need to be adjusted. More than once. Or twice. Maybe even three times.
But first things first. The beginning…. College prep in high school starts with research. Look up what the graduation requirements are in your area. Some are state mandated; some are regulated by individual school districts. Each state will provide appropriate guidance.
A 50-state comparison of graduation requirements can be found here. This information was published in February 2019, so it should also be used as a loose guide.
Make a list of the required courses and number of credits for each. It’s a good idea to cross-reference those with college requirements for entry. If you don’t have a specific college/university picked out yet (What? You don’t have one picked out? Eighth grade is over! Get with it for Pete’s sake!), do a quick search of 4-5 to get a general idea. This may seem a little ambitious, but it can come in handy when trying to fill electives into your plan. My article on planning electives will be helpful for that, too.
That being said, don’t forget there is also the option of dual/concurrent enrollment. We can discuss this in detail later but getting a leg up and earning college credit while earning high school credit is something to consider.
So what next?
Now that you’ve hit the ground running and have the fundamentals to start planning, it’s time to go a little deeper.
Research, Research, Research
It seems to be a never-ending task. As much as it makes you want to gouge your eyes out, it will pay off in the end.
You know that slap-in-the-face thought of what college your kid will attend? There are a few easy questions (and research) that can help narrow the list and hone in on the winner (or several winners for applications).
Do you even want to attend college?
Not every student is cut out for a four-year university. There are plenty of other opportunities. Trade schools are becoming an increasingly popular alternative. Weigh the options and make the choice. There is still plenty of prep work to do in the next four years no matter which route is right.
2 Year or 4 Year? Private or Public?
Evaluate your career goals and personal preferences to decide which option will best suit your needs/wants.
What kind of school? Location?
What type of student life/culture are you interested? Are fraternities and sororities important? Do you have a specific field or interest that you’d like to pursue, your dream career? Sports, music, art?
Two great resources for information on demographics, academics, and student life are Unigo and Niche. Each contains statistics and student reviews for numerous topics.
Are you looking for an urban or rural setting?
Set the plan in motion
Happily put a big, fat check mark next to Research on your list. We’re ready to go back to the beginning and use all of that information to start your college prep in high school by setting up your high school plan, by year.
Print a planning sheet with all four years: Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior. Use your graduation requirements and college comparison worksheets to divide courses among the high school years.
Some of these will fit in logically; algebra 1 – freshman year, geometry – sophomore year, and so on. Others, mostly electives, will have to be placed by preference, availability, or need.
Even though they may not be full classes, but I’d argue they could and should be full classes, don’t forget to include other topics such as: SAT/ACT test prep, college application essay writing practice, driver’s ed, and extracurricular activities or community service.
Take the time to thoughtfully plan out electives. Use this opportunity to explore career options (it’s way cheaper this way rather than “exploring” after entering college), expand on interests, hobbies, or passions, or complete college requirements for entry. Another plus to college prep in high school. Just sayin.
Set goals
Another great skill to think about in your planning, is goal setting. You may be struggling to look four years, and beyond, ahead to plan out your child’s future.
Use the opportunity to lead by example and have them set some goals of their own. Short-term goals can be all A’s or a target GPA for each semester or year. An overall GPA goal for graduation gets them thinking long-term.
Not everything has to be school-related. Personal goals are just as important: an amount of money to be saved in a year or over the four years; training and completing a triathlon; designing and creating an heirloom quilt.
And by the way, those goals can all be used to create an elective class or as an extracurricular activity. Win-win in my book!
Prepare to Prepare
Since we are talking about life skills, this is also the time to start focusing on the things that will be vital to college success. There are many, but these are at the core of sinking or swimming.
Study and note taking skills
Lacking on either of these abilities will have your student grounded before they ever have a chance to fly. Teaching how to study and take effective notes may seem like a no-brainer but understanding how to do them productively is easily overlooked.
Time Management
I doubt this one needs any explanation whatsoever. Vital for college, and life.
Discipline
Once the barn doors are open, many kids don’t have the slightest clue what they’re walking into. This type of freedom is a fabulous thing and a huge milestone. But without discipline, there will be an inevitable crash and burn.
Even though the ropes will be getting looser as each year goes by, the shock of complete freedom is sometimes too much for first-time college students.
Discipline is the key to survival and success. Discipline to get enough sleep. Discipline to say no, I have to study. Discipline to do laundry. Discipline to turn in a project on time.
Teach it, instill it, encourage it.
Organization
Organization goes hand-in-hand with time management. One without the other is not likely to lead to success, in school or life.
I know all of this sounds like way too much to accomplish in four short years. It isn’t. You’ve probably been saying, stop, just stop, for the past 10 minutes. Don’t. Use your own time management, organization, and discipline skills to just do it.
I’ve provided several planning sheets to get you started. Now, pick up that shovel and attack that mountain!
