You may be in the middle of dealing with your senior’s college prep list, looking ahead to all the stuff you and your junior will have to handle sooner than you think, or maybe you’re busy putting these (or similar) things off.
We know it can be overwhelming—that’s why we’ve shared some of our favorite resources. They’ll help get you moving in the right direction today.
For all parents
- 3 Reasons Students Procrastinate—and How to Help Them Stop. We know this won’t be relevant for 99% of all parents (ha!) but just in case, check out this excellent research-based article.
- Keeping on that theme, a number of years ago we wrote a book you can download for free: The Curious Person’s Alternative to Time Management.
- Behind The Scenes: How Do You Get Into Amherst? In 2011, NPR sat in on an admissions committee meeting at Amherst College, one of the most selective schools in the country. This fantastic 7-minute listen will give you a sense of how admissions officers think.
For parents of seniors
- How to Stay Admitted, a blog post by Tulane University’s Director of Admissions, is an excellent not-to-do list for seniors who’ve been accepted (or are waiting to be accepted) to college.
- Going Merry is a free scholarship search and application platform providing personalized scholarship matching and (we love this part!) they fill out application forms and bundle scholarships for you. Sorry, they won’t write your kid’s application essay, though.
- February and March college essay checklists for high school seniors from Fastweb, a scholarship, financial aid, and college search website.
For parents of juniors
- In 13 Tips for Parents in the Process, Tulane University’s Director of Admissions shares invaluable words-of-wisdom every parent of kids in the college process should read.
- Not sure what to do when school ends? Here are 14 Summer Activities to Boost Your College Application from the Princeton Review. But don’t do things just because they’ll look good on an application! Find something meaningful, enjoyable, or challenging.
- February and March college checklists for high school juniors from Fastweb, a scholarship, financial aid, and college search website. (Time to start paying attention. Things are going to ramp up fast!)
We hope these are helpful. If so, could you do us a favor by passing this along to parents and teens you know?
Also, we’d love to hear from you. Please reply with your comments, questions and any practical resources you’ve found. We’re always on the lookout for new resources, and your feedback is invaluable in helping us decide what to share in the future.