Research College Early in High School Years

I recently wrote a blog for a new site called “The Campus Visit” about researching colleges. It is a timely topic for high school seniors who are applying and making choices, but it also is important for parents to steer their teenagers toward college research long before the senior year.

All across the country, there are high school seniors and their parents who discover a bit late that the requirements for a high school diploma are not automatically equivalent to those for admission to college, not even to the more inclusive state schools where they assumed a relatively easy admittance. High schools focus on state high school graduation requirements while trying to guide “college track” students to courses they most likely will need. That means you and your teenager need to determine at the beginning of his or her high school career which courses will meet admission requirements to colleges of interest.

Here’s an example of why this is important. Say your teenager’s school district requires four years of English, four of social students, three of math, two of science, and none of foreign language to graduate. If your student only completes those graduation requirements, she probably will come up short for college admittance. There are many colleges that require four years each of English, social studies, and math; three of science; and three of the same foreign language. Hopefully your teenager’s high school counselor will guide your student toward more than the district requirements, but don’t assume that. You and your student should do some research on your own—at least to in-state colleges—so that you know what is required for admission.

Doing that research can be daunting. The first place to start is the high school counselor’s office. You and your teenager should meet with his counselor and discuss what classes he should take to meet college admissions requirements. Then do some research on your own. Search individual college Web sites if your student has a strong preference, but if not, there are some sites that offer good solid advice for any college-bound teenager.

Www.CollegeinColorado.org is a “free Web site to explore career and education opportunities, plan your strategies to achieve them, and advance your possibilities.” While it focuses on Colorado students, it offers great information for students in any state. It features high school planning time lines from 7th grade on. It not only lets you research Colorado colleges, but connects you to schools in any state. It includes information on admissions, academics, costs and financial aid, student life, applications fees, special programs, and more.

Another one-in-all college prep Web site is www.universityvisitorsnetwork.com. This site offers a “Prepare me for College” section for high school students as well student blogs, online campus visits, and profiles of 1,600 four-year colleges.

Take a look at these sites to start your college research. Start early in your teenager’s high school years and he or she will be much better prepared to gain admission to the school of choice.

Also check out http://thecampusvisit.wordpress.com!