Preparing Your Child for College

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An argument could be made that preparation for college begins the day you bring your little bundle
of joy into the world. For your part, you set up a college fund to start saving for his future and you
begin to teach him the basics. Over the course of his childhood you will help him to learn academically,
but you will also instill in him a love of knowledge, a strong work ethic, and a sense of personal
responsibility; all will help him once he is out of the nest and on his own, working towards a future in
which he is independent, confident, capable, and self-sufficient. All those skills required for study in online accredited colleges, which require a different set of personal skills than state universities. At least, that’s the goal. At least, that’s the goal. But if you fail to adequately prepare your child for the rigorous demands of study at the college level, he may never realize these dreams. So here are a few areas you’ll certainly want to look into as a way to get your child ready for residence in the ivory tower of education.

1. AP classes. Advanced prep classes are probably just what you suspect; they are college level
courses meant to prepare your child for what he will face at a university. Often, they come with
bonuses like a higher possible GPA (5.0 as opposed to 4.0) and even college credit (so your child
can get some of his general education out of the way in high school). However, they are quite
difficult, so only advanced students should consider taking them.

2. Testing. The biggest hurdle for most kids looking to get into college is the standardized testing
they must complete. Your child will certainly have to take the SAT (Standardized Admission
Test), the results of which will determine the universities willing to consider him for entrance.
And you may also want him to take the PSAT (Preliminary SAT) in order to get feedback on areas
that need work (both in preparation for the SAT and for college). In addition, the PSAT is linked
to the National Merit Scholarship, which could deliver a significant scholarship if your child ranks
highly. These tests are essential to getting your child ready for (and accepted into) college.

3. Tutoring. There’s only so much you can do to help your child study for classes, tests, and
admissions exams. Then you need to think about professional tutoring services to ensure that
he has the best chance to succeed. You can probably find professors in your area that offer
tutoring or you can look online for tutors in every subject via one service. But you should also
consider The Princeton Review, a company that hires tutors specifically to prepare high-school
kids to take standardized tests.

4. Do your homework. If you want your child to get accepted into the top colleges for business administration, medical training, or legal professions, you need to make sure that you know
which colleges are the cream of the crop and then take measures to ensure that your child
meets all of the requirements (and deadlines).

5. Consider alternatives. Not every child is slated for college, and with stiff competition for
admissions and skyrocketing tuition costs, your child simply might not make it. So consider your
alternative options. Community college can be an inexpensive means to get general education
out of the way, and top grades could allow him to write his ticket to a 4-year university to finish
up a bachelor’s degree. But you should also look into the top colleges online; those that are
accredited will offer transferable units should he choose to shoot for a higher degree later on.