Planning Ahead

Three times a month, I spend time volunteering in the "College Connection" office at my son Eric's Catholic high school. Eric is a freshman this year and while college seems very far away, I know that it will be upon us in the blink of an eye. Volunteering with the counselors is helping me greatly understand some of the nuances in helping a student be prepared to apply to good colleges.

Today, as I was doing my work in the background, one of the counselors was reviewing the recently taken ACT-PLAN test results with a group of sophomores. This test is an early prediction of performance on other tests the student will take when applying for college. With one eye on my work, I was listening carefully to the information the counselor was sharing with the students about requirements for our local California colleges.

Times have certainly changed since I was accepted at and attended the University of Notre Dame. Students really do need to be planning as early as their first year of high school to ensure that they are taking all necessary courses. If you have a student in high school or junior high, consider making regular visits to the College Board web site , which offers many helpful resources. Also, volunteering at your child's school may be a great source of information and inspiration. I hope that both of my sons will have the opportunity to attend great universities. That being said, I consider it part of my job as a mom to help them prepare now to keep all of their options open. Just as we "grown ups" need to assess and work towards goals and personal aspirations, so do our young men and women. I feel fortunate that I have a very close relationship with our fifteen year old. On a recent walk, we spent thirty minutes discussing his possible future vocation (which seems to change once a month) and the steps he needs to be taking now to prepare himself. I don't want to put too much pressure on my son, but I do want him to know the sky is the limit if he works up to his potential.

Perhaps your child is the type who comes home from school each day and tells you everything that happened. That doesn't happen in my house. So volunteering at high school is a bridge for great conversations!