PublicEdTN: College Prep

Side Note:
Does your teen have a hard time waking up in the morning? Would a wake up call from their favorite celebrity help? http://getschooled.com/wakeup. Get schooled is a great organization. Its mission is to increase graduation rates across the Nation. They partner with a variety of celebreties to include Nicki Minaj, One Direction, Tyra Banks, Victoria Justice, Wiz Khalifa, Trey Songz, Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade, Keri Hilson, Mindless Behavior, Alec Baldwin, Chris Pine, Hugh Jackman and Jennifer Hudson.

Explore Your Options

Check out the College Affordability and Transparency Center. It is a great tool for college-planning. Parents, get your child to sit down with you and explore college options by afforability, location, degree and major, campus setting and more. Make a listof your top three and start planning your college tours!

http://collegecost.ed.gov/catc/

Starting Highschool

So it's that time.Your child is entering High School and you need to make sure they are on the right track for college. Where do you start? The answer used to be simple, your child's guidance counselor. Although they are still invaluable with their knowledge and experience, the days of waiting to be fed what another person thinks is best for child are over. The resources available to parents via the internet are endless! You now have the opportunity to explore ALL available educational options for your child and approach the guidance counselor with "how can we make this happen." Information is power yet can be overwhelming, organizing your efforts over the next few years is key.

9th Graders

It is important to explain to your ninth grader the importance of the next 4 years. Don't pressure them, (even though this information is intrinsically scary!), just reiterate the importance of the years to come and that you are behind them 100% on whatever path they have chosen.

Get good grades - Do as well as you can as early as you can. 9th grade is a great time to slightly scale back that hecitc social/extraciricular schedule you all have been dredging through since elementary school. Focusing on grades this year may be helpful to your child for several reasons

Your child needs to attempt to take as many advanced mathematics courses as they can in their sophomore through senior years. Studies show that "exposure" to advanced mathematics, Physics, Triginometry and Calculus garnered higher marks in College, overall, than that of children not exposed. These studies show this is true even with children who only made C's in these advanced mathematics courses in highschool. The theory is, expose them, yet give them some wiggle room with their GPA by setting a solid foundation with their grades in 9th grade.

Volunteering is also an important addition to college applications. Although you do not want this to interfere with their school work, in some cases it could. Again, a good GPA going into10th grade will help shield them from any unforseen volunteer/work intereferences that may arise.

Building confidence. High School is daunting, ensuring your child is successful the first year could give them the confidence they need to become independently successful in the later years in High School.

It is always a good idea to have a positive relationship with school teachers and staff. Encourage your child to participate in class and parents should pursue an positive teacher parent relationship.

Make sure your child is enrolled in all the necessary college prepatory track courses. The Tennessee Scholars program is a great point of reference. The Scholars program endows students from all over the state with an additional honor on their High School diploma, as well as eligibility for additional scholarships at Tennessee Universities.