As a parent, you only want what’s best for your child. When it comes to education, most parents probably have dreams and aspirations of them attending college.
Depending on your background, you may envision your son or daughter attending a prestigious institution like Harvard or a service academy. Also, you can be just as proud if they attend a trade school for certification in a specific industry.
If it’s ever crossed your mind what else you can do to better prepare your child for college, you have landed in the right place. Here are three tips to consider when best preparing your child for a future that includes higher education.
Choose the Right School
Of course, there’s the selection of which college to attend during senior year, but this tip predates even applying for college. Nowadays, there are more choices than ever for students to attend school starting from Pre-K all the way through high school.
A few decades ago, the three main options were:
- a public school,
- homeschooling, or
- paying for a private school.
That has changed drastically.
For example, you may live in a state that doesn’t have a great public school ranking. Like New Mexico, which pulls in at #43 according to U.S. News and World Report. However, there are some schools in New Mexico that perform well above standards and on par with schools in higher ranking states.
If you’re flexible, you can consider moving to put your child within the boundaries for a gold medal school in Chicago or New York. You’ll want to take a look at the Chicago real estate market and cost of living to see if that option is one you can afford to make.
Consider Online Schooling
Choosing an online education may give your student a leg up when it comes to their future college application. Virtual schools may offer a more challenging curriculum for your student and offer classes their physical school can’t provide.
This could build a more rewarding experience for your student. Also, it will keep them more engaged in learning as they get closer to the college application years without forcing you to do traditional homeschooling.
They can choose which courses they want to take and when, but still need to follow a course map to get to graduation.
Each year, more students opt to take a variety of physical and online classes to complete their college degrees. A virtual school experience pre-college can set your student up for success.
If virtual schooling is your student’s chosen path to success, be consistent in checking in on them during their first few months. Transitioning from traditional schooling can be a significant adjustment for any student of any age.
Teachers aren’t in the same room, and more self-discipline is required. It can be easy for a student to lose focus when they aren’t in that classroom environment.
Ask Questions
In college, professors might have so much material to go over in one lecture session there’s little time for questions during class. Teaching your student it’s ok to ask questions and when it’s appropriate will bring much value to their college success.
Regardless of their grade, encourage your son or daughter to ask their teacher follow up questions if they don’t understand the material when it’s initially taught. For online schooling, this can provide an opportunity to practice proper email etiquette and writing skills to make sure they ask questions to clarify their understanding effectively.
Good practice in asking questions pre-college can lead to students who take advantage of office hours set by professors and study groups for classes they are taking. In the end, this can help them have a good rapport with teachers and professors that can help them in their career search after college commencement.
In addition to this life-long skill, there are several other non-academic related areas you can engage in to help prepare your student for college. Don’t be surprised when the stack of acceptance letters is up to the ceiling one day if you get behind several of them.
