The High School to College Playbook

      Understanding what your role is in guiding your student in high school can be very challenging for most parents. My clients often want a guide to better understand the expectations for each year of high school for their child.  As the lead high school counselor and educational coach with 39 years of educational experience, I am glad to share some thoughts to best support parents and students for success.  If your goal is to assist your student to attend college after high school you may find this overview helpful.

     The more that you understand as a parent the curriculum and profile that your child needs to enter college, the easier this journey is.

Freshman year:

• Understand the a-g requirements.  This is the classes that are required not just for graduation from high school but the minimum requirements to enter a four year college. For instance, besides the regular curriculum, your child is required to take a fine arts class. They also needs to take at least two years of a world language, but it is highly recommended that the student takes at least three years.

• Create a 4 year plan for academic success that drives rigor for your child.  This may mean meeting with the high school counselor or a professional academic coach.

• What activities in and out of school will drive your child’s passions.

Sophomore year:

• Research the colleges that promote your child’s interest and major. If possible, start visiting campuses.

• Consider taking either high school or Junior College classes that support the major such as CADD if your student is leaning toward Engineering.

Junior year:

• Be sure that your student has signed up for the PSAT in the Fall for merit scholarship opportunities

• Though the UC system does not accept formal testing, many of the private schools do. Have your child prepare to take the SAT/ACT in the spring.

• Continue to visit and research colleges building a reach, target and anchor list.

• Begin the writing process for the common application and for the UC prompts. Don’t wait!  The essays take time to fully understand what the universities are looking for.

 Senior year:

• Both the common application and the UC application open on August 1.. Start the process immediately.

• Decide which universities the student may want to apply to as early action. There are major differences between early action and early decision. Decide carefully.

• The senior year schedule should still be rigorous for your student to have a competitive edge.

  If all of this still feels daunting, and it should, I will be addressing more specifically in the next few months each of these topics. But, the window of applications have already started. Reach out for your opportunity to have a complimentary  conversation.

EYH drives the process to reduce stress and empower success.