S/o: what are you doing to prepare your kids for college?

[gatorsmom]

So the other thread got me thinking about how well my kids will be prepared to "compete" for a space at whatever college they want to attend. Are you doing anything extra now (in elementary and middle school) to make sure your child is attractive to the college they ultimately choose to attend? I'd like my kids to be able to go to whatever school they decide is best for them. Am I the only one thinking about this? The other thread makes me concerned that we as parents are totally unprepared for how hard it will be for out kids to get into school. Maybe I'm overreacting?

eta: I don't plan to send my kids to Ivy but it sounds like many universities are now much harder to get into and takes a bit more planning.

Also so want to clarify that I didn't intend this thread to be a competition and I don't intend to push my kids to the point of suicide. But I'm planning financially for college, why not plan in other ways too? Just wanted to see what other parents were doing. Or not.

[cilantromapuche]

My kids are 8 and 11 and I plan on hiring a college counselor when they get to HS. They already do community service and have their hobbies/sports. That being said, I am not planning on them going ivy.

[Green_Tea]

Beyond cultivating a strong work ethic and giving them the opportunity to explore extracurricular activities they love (music, sports, drama) - absolutely nothing. I want my kids to be well rounded and hardworking. I am confident that they will be successful, and will have no problem getting into college.

[icunurse]

I see it as I am not grooming a hopeful entrant to an elite college, I am raising a child. I am not going to push my child to play an instrument/sport that they don't want simply because it *might* help them get into some college that isn't even on their radar right now. Signing them up for clubs and activities before high school simply for hopes of increasing their likelihood of college entrance? Seems like that is more for me than for my child. If good grades, a few activities and being a solid, well-rounded person doesn't get my child into a college, then that college doesn't deserve them. My kids will get into college. They will get jobs. Hopefully they will have some financial success and have a family and be happy. I don't think 12 years of me planning their application and/or a big name college will guarantee that or that a state school will ruin their chances for that. Life is more than money and prestige and names and many, many people live full lives without them.

So, for me, I am doing nothing extra. I let my kids find their passions and encourage them, but not for collegiate reasons. I do encourage good grades, as that will do more for them in life and for college than anything else. If they don't go to ivy or big name, I'm fine with that (actually not expecting or encouraging it). Really hoping they go to my college, which is competitive and highly rated, yet not cutthroat in admissions (or tuition!).

[AnnieW625]

Beyond cultivating a strong work ethic and giving them the opportunity to explore extra curricular activities they love (music, sports, drama) - absolutely nothing. I want my kids to be well rounded and hardworking. I am confident that they will be successful, and will have no problem getting into college.

I honestly haven't given it that much thought. My 8/1/2 yr. old (3rd grade) is just starting to think about high school, which I think is silly (and I have told her that )but she idolizes her teacher who went to the all girls Catholic high school up the street from our house, and her best friend's sister is in the 8th grade and in the process of looking at high schools as well so I think that is why it is even on her radar. Like I said in the other posts I have no idea what type of college my kids will want to go and #1 is that I want them to study what they want to study, I want them to be happy doing it and I want them to chose a field they think they will be successful at.

My aunt and uncle did hire a college selection advisor for my 17 yr. old cousin this past fall because my aunt thought an independent person was good because it would be easier for him to have a non parent sounding board in that process.

[anonomom]

Beyond cultivating a strong work ethic and giving them the opportunity to explore extracurricular activities they love (music, sports, drama) - absolutely nothing. I want my kids to be well rounded and hardworking. I am confident that they will be successful, and will have no problem getting into college.

This. My job, as I see it, is to raise my kids to lead happy, productive lives. So I try to help them develop good work habits and a strong sense of ethics, and I support whatever interests they want to pursue. It's their job is to get into college and figure out what careers will make them happy and self-sufficient.

[SummerBaby]

[QUOTE=Green_Tea;4081191]Beyond cultivating a strong work ethic and giving them the opportunity to explore extracurricular activities they love (music, sports, drama) - absolutely nothing. I want my kids to be well rounded and hardworking. I am confident that they will be successful, and will have no problem getting into college.[/QUOT

Totally agree with this. I want my kids to go to a good college, but it doesn't have to be Ivy. I went to a small Jesuit college that suited my personality and feel I got a wonderful, well rounded education that has served me well.

[anonomom]

Oh, I should add: that's how I feel now, with college many years away. Check with me in five years, I may be clutching a college guide and babbling incoherently.

[gatorsmom]

I see it as I am not grooming a hopeful entrant to an elite college, I am raising a child. I am not going to push my child to play an instrument/sport that they don't want simply because it *might* help them get into some college that isn't even on their radar right now. Signing them up for clubs and activities before high school simply for hopes of increasing their likelihood of college entrance? Seems like that is more for me than for my child. If good grades, a few activities and being a solid, well-rounded person doesn't get my child into a college, then that college doesn't deserve them. My kids will get into college. They will get jobs. Hopefully they will have some financial success and have a family and be happy. I don't think 12 years of me planning their application and/or a big name college will guarantee that or that a state school will ruin their chances for that. Life is more than money and prestige and names and many, many people live full lives without them.

So, for me, I am doing nothing extra. I let my kids find their passions and encourage them, but not for collegiate reasons. I do encourage good grades, as that will do more for them in life and for college than anything else. If they don't go to ivy or big name, I'm fine with that (actually not expecting or encouraging it). Really hoping they go to my college, which is competitive and highly rated, yet not cutthroat in admissions (or tuition!).

i was afraid that if I began this thread that some posters might take it to mean that I'm planning on shoving my kids into every activity under the sun and putting ridiculous stress on them. I almost didn't post for that reason.

I don't think it's a completely ridiculous question to ask. If we are already investing for our kids' college educations, then there is some hope and financial preparation there. It seems logical that if other preparation needs to be done, then parents would do that too. It doesn't have to automatically mean we are overdoing it. I don't plan to make my kids' lives miserable but I do encourage them to try new things, work past their fears, make new friends, etc. And if I can steer them in one direction that will help them achieve their career goals, why let that opportunity pass for fear of pushing them a tad too much?

[brittone2]

We homeschool in part to be able to customize our children's education. We've been able to choose curricula that meet their needs, and as they get older we'll have the flexibility to employ tutors or dual enroll. My goal isn't to get them into an ivy, but I would like them to have the flexibility in their schedules to allow them to form relationships with mentors, "intern," volunteer extensively, or specialize in fields that inspire them (spending extra time studying areas of interest, etc.). My kids are interested in electronics, and DH's employer has hired high school aged kids of fellow employees to do some work under the mentorship of an incredible electronics engineer. I don't plan to push these options, but I want to have a schedule that allows the space for those types of unique opportunities. Even with a flexible schedule, it seems like it is incredibly challenging to find a balance between academic and extracurricular pursuits and downtime. For our family, I feel like the flexibility HSing affords is the most attainable way to free up their time to explore and do interesting things during their high school years.

I don't want kids that are burned out and overscheduled before they set foot on a college campus. I hope they'll find something they are passionate about exploring because that's where their heart is, not because it looks good on an application. eta: I have no desire to put them into a pressure cooker situation, but want to allow room for them to develop and cultivate their interests.