College Planning - How Early Is Too Early?
Do you need to enroll your child in fencing classes and calculus while they’re in diapers? No. Should you get a 529 started even if you can only sock away $50 a month? Absolutely.
When should I start planning for college?
While there’s no “right” time to start college planning, in our experience, 8th or 9th grade is the time to start establishing the scaffolding to give yourself or your child the best shot at getting into the college of their choice.
How To Start Planning For College
The most important component of early college planning is figuring out the student’s passion. Do they know the words to every Broadway show? Do they spend hours a day playing video games? Do they binge cooking shows and talk about meal planning? Perhaps they are obsessed with stand-up comedy or reading romance novels. It doesn’t matter what their passion is, so long as they have something they really care about and want to spend their free time doing. Research in the field of positive psychology has taught us that passion and an interest in specific activities is especially important for adolescents and teens. Kids without focus risk being bored. Bored kids get into trouble. Passion makes for happier, well adjusted kids with the inner motivation to move themselves forward into adulthood.
Find And Cultivate Your Passion
Cultivating a passion early is increasingly important because many colleges ask that students identify their preferred major as part of the college admissions process. Rarely are students “undeclared” until Junior year. Students now frequently apply to a university with preference for a major, and the extra-curricular activities they participate in should relate to that major and their career goals.
For instance, if a student’s passion is art, ideally, they will be taking advanced level art classes in or outside of school. They’ll participate in a summer enrichment program focusing on art history or learning a new design technique. For an after-school job or summer position, they’ll work at an art gallery or teach a toddler art class. You need a theme, and it needs to be consistent.
Start Planning Early
It takes a lot of time and consideration to develop that thru line. Starting at age 14 gives a student enough time to try lots of activities and see what they authentically connect with. Sometimes this happens organically, but often, it requires a push on the part of a parent or advisor. Much of my work as a pre-college life coach and college admissions counselor involves helping middle and high school students find their passion. You’ve got to throw a bunch of stuff at the wall and see what sticks. Kids need to be encouraged to try different things and be true to who they are. Not everyone is going to take Advanced Placement classes and be President of the Student Council. The goal isn’t to fit into some artificial box to get into whatever the popular college is. Early planning for college involves figuring out who you are, engaging in activities that support your passion, and targeting the colleges that fit who you are now and who you want to be.
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