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life-long steps for college success

College is known for difficult exams, but did you know that college is actually a test for parents? The moment you send your teen off to college all the care and effort you’ve invested is put up for judgment. The test is on one subject: Will your teen have the tools to succeed in college? Like any good test taker, a parent shouldn’t cram all of the college preparations into the last few moments before an exam, in this case junior and senior year of high school. In order to make sure that your teen is prepared for college you need to begin early and keep a consistent pace.

Here are some ideas all with the goal of helping to equip your teen with the social, personal and academic skills needed for college.

1. Try and interest your teen in a wide variety of subjects. College is much more enjoyable if you find at least one of your classes stimulating. Now you shouldn’t actually pressure your son or daughter to be interested in a certain path, instead just make the options readily available. A good way to get your teen thinking about college is to apply it to what they are already interested in. Take for example a teen who is obsessed with model rockets and launching them, you could mention that chemical engineers deal with the propellants that launch rockets, or that aeronautical engineers create the body of the rocket to help it sail smoothly through the sky.

The main goal is just to get them thinking about what they are interested in and to expose them to things they might be interested in. I honestly believe that this is best done passively. A good way is to simply some topical magazines lying around. If your child expresses an interest in the magazine, or they magically begin to appear up in their room, get them a few more. Looking back at my own childhood I can’t count how many pages I’ve read from the wall street journal and astronomy daily. I didn’t read it at first because I had any set interest at business or astronomy, but after I while I found myself seeking them out. I think that children learn so much through osmosis, use this to get them thinking about their interests.

2. Be involved in your teens’ education; from the first day of kindergarten to the first day in the dorms. It isn’t unusual for kids to grow up caring about what their parents care about, even if they won’t admit it. It is common sense then that if you show an active interest in their education they might too!

As a parent you should make sure that your kid is developing a solid skill base in reading and writing. These really are the building blocks for college. Solid reading comprehension and the ability to express thoughts on paper will take an individual far. Make sure you are reading your students’ papers throughout their schooling. Offer advice and editing, but always leave the final choice on what they write to them, make suggestions on what to change, don’t change it for them! Whenever you read a piece of their work, especially larger projects you should be careful to encourage them in order to build confidence.

3. Apply the right kind of pressure. Make sure you are honestly in tune with what your teen is interested in and develop these interests. Don’t impress your own interests or dreams on them. Pressuring your child in this manner may lead them to make poor choices in the future. More than one of my classmates isn’t going to college mostly out of a need to defy their parents wishes than any real desire not to attend.

4. Support friendships. There is so much more to succeeding in college then simply a solid GPA. Make sure your child develops interpersonal skills. Don’t allow them to waste away their child hood on a TV or computer. Support your child’s’ friendships and encourage them to invest time with their friends and keep their relationships strong. I’ve seen too many teens arrive in college socially crippled. This is an issue because teens without a strong social self image seem to be more inclined to abuse social crutches - including drinking.

5. Teach your child to make their own choices about drinking and drug use. Talk to them about the prices of drinking and drug use honestly and openly. So many parents do well about talking to their teens about cigarettes but never about drinking, something that shows in college. Drinking is huge amongst college students on almost all college campuses out there, equip your teen to make good choices and tell them that you trust them to make responsible decisions.

Check back soon, this will be constantly updated with new or modified tips.

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