The absolute ‘best time’ to get started preparing for College…is at the beginning of the 9th Grade …or even before!

As a Parent of an 8th- or 9th-Grader…here are a few important things for you to consider carefully:

• Is it possible that your student doesn’t study as much as he or she should?
• Do you think that his or her Time-Management &/or Study Skills could be improved just a little bit?
• Students (and parents) need to understand that each student has control over his or her academic performance in high school. It’s not just luck!
• Goals & strategies need to be developed to ‘push’ students academically…even if they’re not sure what they want to study when they get into college.
• The earlier students start getting serious about their academic performance, the greater the likelihood of their getting accepted into the college of their choice.
• …And getting started early will make senior year much less stressful…even for you!

…And here are some of the ‘cold, hard facts’ about Getting into College…that you really should know:

• College Admission is very competitive!
• In 2005, more than 3 million students graduated from high school in the U.S.…and more than 60% of them were trying to get into various colleges & universities.
• High School Guidance Counselors only spend an average of 25% of their time on college counseling. How much time do you think they’ll invest in your son or daughter?
• For most parents, searching for a college, filling out all the paperwork, meeting all the deadlines, and wondering how you’re going to pay for it…is all pretty overwhelming!

Therefore…here are some of the key elements of College Vision’s ’College Admissions Planning Process’…for 9th-Grade Freshmen:

• We’ll help your son or daughter establish good Study Habits.
• We’ll review with your student the impact of Grades & Course Selection on college admissions.
• We’ll help you check the high school Curriculum Requirements for your ‘target’ colleges.
• We’ll encourage involvement in Extracurricular Activities & Community Service.
• We’ll help engage your student in the decision-making process, so that they’ll learn to look at their options more carefully; to act more deliberately; and to take responsibility for their decisions, behavior, and performance.
• We’ll encourage your student to get to know his or her high school counselor…and vice versa.
• We’ll help identify any special talents--like Athletics or Music--that may be an important factor in the Admissions (and Scholarship!) process.
• We’ll help you map out a plan for meeting your future College Expenses.