When to start planning for college

 

The overwhelm is real. 

For parents and students alike, the sense that college is both far on the distant horizon, and coming at you too close for comfort is all too real. In our experience, overwhelm dissipates when we have a plan, and have some comfort navigating the topic, whether that’s finances, college fit, activities, or academics.

Read on for our insights on when to start the planning process, and what it really means to plan for college at every stage without drama or stress– 

When is it too soon to plan for college? 

I am the parent of an elementary school child and a newly minted early middle schooler. This is far too soon to be making a college list, to be thinking about standardized testing or ‘resume building.’ That said, I talk to my girls about college. Let me tell you what I mean – 

As college advisors, one of the most heartrending parts of our work is meeting students in junior and even senior year of high school who feel that they don’t know who they are, what they want, or where their interests lie. In short they are wildly overwhelmed with trying to examine these questions, choose colleges, select majors, and tell their story in a compressed timeline of months rather than years. I never want that for my kids or yours, so there are ways that we can disregard ‘strategy’ and support our kids in knowing themselves well, gaining exposure to the world of college, and feeling excited to pursue their interests and seek the experiences that empower them to thrive in middle school, high school, and beyond.

Just this week, when my seven year old brought up her worries about the climate, we talked about what small actions she can take in her life right now. I shared with her some of the accomplishments of teens who acted on their convictions. Will she study environmental science? Who knows! The point of this is not to shape her into a series of items on a resume, but to empower her, even now, with the developing confidence that her interests are valuable, and that they are connected to the ways she can have agency and impact in the broader world. A kid who grows up with that ideal just might feel empowered to take initiative and step into leadership in her high school years.

When my ten year old asks me questions about college, I answer them honestly. Even in 5th grade she is starting to understand the idea of a liberal arts college as a place where you study lots of different things, and she knows that some colleges have campuses, while others are integrated into the city. Does she need to memorize these facts or make a decision right now about the right fit for her? Absolutely not! But it will be way less daunting to have a vocabulary and some familiarity with the options when it’s time to check out colleges for herself. 

This approach applies at every age and stage. As kids move into later middle school and especially early high school, our goal should not be checklists, but demystifying colleges and inviting curiosity about majors and careers. The more time is offered for exploration, the more confident high school juniors and seniors feel in making their choices.

The biggest gap we see in students’ readiness to develop strong college applications is that they have not clarified, explored, and engaged their interests in depth prior to starting the application process. Kids don’t have to have all of their career plans figured out in high school, but they have to have a sense of their strengths, interests, and contributions and where their curiosity is leading them as they look ahead to college. Plans can change, but knowing who they are, what they are curious about, and what they have to contribute is essential in moving to and through the college process journey with more joy than stress. 

How late is too late? 

It’s never too late. If your student is a senior right now, the timeline will be expedited, but the approach can still be intentional. Center the conversation on the essentials: what are three things you can identify together will be essential for your child to thrive in college? Name those things together and make those the center of the search. Right there, that’s the start of an intentional college list. What are three core values and a few examples of how they have embodied those values during their time in high school? That alone is the foundation for a strong personal essay.

It’s not too early or too late to engage the support of a TBU Advisor. We are experienced in supporting students to understand themselves, navigate their college choices and clarify their personal best fit; our passion is helping you make a plan that takes the overwhelm out of the process and empowers you to become your own best you.

If you’d like to explore working with a TBU Advisor from 8th grade through transfer admissions, get in touch here and we will look forward to connecting with you.

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