Originally published on 4 June 2015 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, Monrovia Weekly, and Sierra Madre Weekly

The road to college

As the school year comes to a close, we will look at what your children have accomplished, and what benchmarks they need to achieve to propel them to the next school year. In the distant past, kids spent their summer just having fun, maybe working summer jobs, and not thinking about school for a while. But in today’s world, that is not what’s happening. First of all, the summer jobs are now being taken by older professionals, who could not have otherwise found gainful employment. Second of all, the race to be the better candidate for a highly selective school does not stop at the end of the school year.   

Today’s kids are constantly trying to fill summer hours with enrichment activities and going to third-world countries to dig up latrines. While I am not advocating that your children just lie inert for three months as a reward for having successfully finished one school year, I would suggest a less frantic pace.  Sometimes, letting their mind and body recharge would do more good than drilling for the PSATs, SATs, SAT IIs, ACTs, APs, and whatever other standardized test acronyms and initials are out there.

Having said that though, there is the reality that the gap between school years is so big that kids forget everything they learned then go back to school totally unprepared for the work. Parents should let their children have a variety of fun, educational, productive activities so they don’t become stale and uninspired. 

FRESHMAN

Ninth grade is behind them! Your children’s grades should indicate that they took high school seriously and that they put all their efforts at getting good marks. They should have already made plans for summer programs, internships and community service work.  They should engage in activities that truly reflect their passion. Instead of joining a group of kids building houses in Guatemala, they might consider an activity that would really mean something to them. Besides, College Admissions Officers see this on all the resumes they receive that your children would not be doing anything memorable. Encourage them to think outside the box, avoid the herd mentality. If your kids enjoy music and performance, for instance, they might consider organizing an original musical to be presented to seniors at your city’s retirement center. 

SOPHOMORE

Your children’s end-of-year marks in 10^th grade should have improved over last year’s if they didn’t do well in their freshman year. College Admissions Officers want to see students who continue to better themselves. 

They need to take whatever standardized tests are required – ACT or June SAT subject tests are the norm. They also need to continue the community service activity they started last summer.  While it is advisable to show consistency for Admissions Officers to know that your kids have a passion for such work, they could do a variation of it; they don’t want to be monotonous.

They can start researching about colleges, specifically looking for the colleges offering the courses they want to major in.

JUNIOR

The school year that just ended was a pivotal one for your children as it would be the last full year that College Admissions Officers will see on your kids’ application. It should reflect your children’s efforts at getting the best marks they could muster, and an improvement over the first two years of high school. 

Make sure your children have their community service work, internship, and enrichment program ready for summer. These activities should be a continuation of the previous years’.   

This is going to be their busiest summer with standardized tests like the ACT, SAT, SAT IIs, and APs.  If they have not seen the colleges they are considering applying to, this would be their last chance to visit college campuses. You might consider making it a fun summer trip for the family (my daughter and I spent two weeks visiting universities as part of our summer vacation).

Your children should start thinking about their essay topic; meeting with their school counselor to make sure they have taken all the required courses for graduation and college (the UCs have their A – G requirements that need to be completed); and lining up teachers they would like to ask for recommendations.   

SENIOR

Well, your children have accomplished a major milestone – successfully completing high school and getting accepted into a college or university! This period in their life will never again be repeated, so let them revel in what they have achieved. Give yourself a pat on the back while you’re at it, you have been a major influence in whatever path they choose to take from here.