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5 Ways Parents Can Make College Prep a Family Affair

Posted on Mar 26, 2012 - 06:00 AM | College Prep | Comments (0)

Parents are often frustrated with their student’s efforts to prepare for college, but it turns out that students are often frustrated that their parents are not more involved in their education.
                                                
Parents want their student to prepare for life after high school, although they don’t know how to help them, and students are reluctant to admit they any need guidance at all.
 
Parenting Tips for College Prep
 
  1. Change poor grades and test scores. When a poor grade shows up, whether on a test, assignment, or report card, address it without getting angry. Ask your student how they plan to fix it, then give their plan a try. If it doesn’t work, try a different plan, even if that means getting the teacher involved.
  2. Talk financial planning. How are you going to pay for college? This topic should worry your student as much as you. Let your student know his or her options, and how much you plan to contribute toward their higher education.
  3. Overcome college differences. Find compromises on college choices, career options, college major or any other differences that pop up. Discover why your student feels the way he or she does. If you understand what they’re looking for in college and career, some of your differences might melt away.
  4. Talk about life on campus. Let your student know that life on campus isn’t a weeklong party or a reason to stay a complete shut-in – it’s a chance to experience the world in a new way while taking on more responsibility. Tell them what’s expected of them and how they can achieve it.
  5. Reward your student’s commitment to education. Studies from Harvard and Stanford indicate that students respond better to rewards than punishment, so find a way to reward your student for their deep interest in higher education. Students always want something. Providing it to them for a job well done might be one way to make sure they reach their goals.
 
Family Plans for College Prep
 
Families will sit down to plan everything from a family to vacation to what they’re having for dinner that night, but sometimes delay important topics like college until it’s too late. They wait until their student is a junior in high school and then find they’re scrambling to research colleges, put money away and build an impressive college application.
 
By then, it’s too late.
 
Families who start early, when their student is in 8th or 9th grade, fare much better. Students become more motivated to work toward their education because they have clear-cut goals. They understand the importance of what they’re doing in their early years of high school. They’re not just taking a few necessary classes, they’re working on a plan to ensure a better future for themselves.
 
Which, of course, is what every parent wants for their child. By working together on a common goal, some of that frustration could disappear.
 
For more on planning early, watch our video, College Dreams Today, and get started on your student’s college prep immediately.
 
 

 
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