Starting the College Journey

Parents,

Does your family have a clear roadmap for the next steps in your high school student’s educational journey? Great! You’re ahead of the game!

Or, are you all running around in circles? Maybe just you’ve buried your heads in the sand? You might need to stop and get directions!

Parents can indeed play a big role in helping their students successfully navigate the journey to higher education and to a university where they will thrive. As in all journeys, it starts with the first steps:

Set aside some quiet time to talk about options. No kid wants to hear: “We need to talk!” This is an exciting stage of life, so be upbeat and say something like, “Your dad and I want to talk about life after high school.” If pizza is involved, even better!

Leave the siblings at home! This conversation is just for your graduating student who will appreciate the individual attention.

Listen, really listen, to what your student is thinking about. What is he (or she) interested in studying? Where does he want to go and why?

The names of universities aren’t so important in this initial conversation, but the type of experience that he wants is. Does he want to be at a large university? In warm weather? Play on a sports team? What does his college vision entail?

Understanding your student’s interests will help identify the learning environment your child will thrive in.

Consider other options. Ask your student—and yourself—if he might benefit from a gap year or an apprenticeship. And, if your son is Swiss, think about how his military service fits into the equation.

Talk about your family’s parameters. Is the world really his oyster? Or, would you rather him stay closer to home or within a two-hour plane ride?

Discuss what you all are comfortable with. What limitations are you willing and comfortable imposing on his university search?

Think about what your family can afford and is willing to spend. Be realistic! Discuss your budget as a family.

It might be terrific to tell your kid that he can go anywhere in the world until you get that US$80K bill from his dream school—every year. Are you going to break his heart or put your family in financial jeopardy by going heavily into debt?

Be honest with yourself. Is your student ready for university? He may be brilliant, but does he have the executive function or life skills to succeed at university or in life?

If your student can’t get on a train without missing it, can you safely put him on the three flights to get to Vancouver to go to UBC?

If he can’t make toast without setting off the fire alarm, how is he going to feed himself at Imperial?

If he runs through money like water, how is he going to manage the temptations of NYC when he’s at NYU?

Now is the time for him to start “adulting”. Teach him to travel alone, cook his favorite meals, manage a budget, make his own doctor’s appointments, etc. Your kid is more capable than he lets on, so stop doing everything for him!

Get help to manage the process. Applying to university can be an especially fraught time for families. Many families work with an educational consultant who can help them reduce stress, identify the best-fit universities for their students, and coach them to write engaging essays and successful applications.

To learn how The Application Coach can help your family, schedule a free 30-minute Discovery Call.