Importance of an Impressive Academic Schedule

 

A key criterion evaluated by college admission officers is the competitiveness of an applicant’s high school transcript. Colleges want to see students stretching to take more rigorous classes over the course of their high school years, typically advancing from the “college prep” level to honors and ultimately to AP (Advanced Placement).

When choosing the particular subject areas in which to take more competitive courses, students should certainly take into account their talents and interests. Students who plan to major in a Science-related field in college should strive to take AP Biology, AP Chemistry, or both while in high school.  It will ultimately boost their college applications and will impart knowledge that will later be helpful in their college studies.

Students planning to major in engineering in college often need to get through calculus in high school in order to have a chance of being accepted to many top tier schools.  Often, this means doubling up in math during one of their high school years.

Exceptional Students Take “Specialist” Approach

The highly acclaimed book, Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell, famously proclaims that it takes 10,000 hours to gain mastery of a skill.  While children don’t have that kind of time to devote to a favorite activity, the premise is certainly thought-provoking.

When parents choose activities for young children, they often seek a well-rounded schedule balanced by sports, music lessons, and an academic activity such as coding or math club.  Early exposure to a wide range of activities is ideal in order for children to identify their natural talents and areas of interest.  But once that’s been determined, a popular school of thought recommends specialization. 

Specialization means choosing an activity where one is committed to putting in the effort required to becoming as proficient as possible. It’s a concept strongly recommended by Dr. Kuman Mehta, author of The Exceptionals: How the Best Become the Best & How You Can Too.

Role of Parents in the College Application Process

Parents walk a fine line when it comes to their children and college applications.  Getting too involved will earn the title of “helicopter parent.” Leaving everything to the student and hoping for the best – well that’s quite risky! There is a healthy middle ground. The ideal role for parents is to help with research, provide informational opportunities, and handle the financials.

Often students feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start the college process, so parents should help identify colleges that may be an ideal match.  The best way to start is by discussing what major might be of interest. Many students don’t know exactly what career they want to pursue, but they will likely know whether or not they are interested in science, business, engineering, education, or the arts, for example.  This knowledge alone will help to narrow down the research process. Together, parents and students can look up potential majors in College Board’s Book of Majors. Or they can visit collegescorecard.ed.gov which will identify every college that offers each major, as well as the average cost of attending the school and the average salary of its graduates in each particular field.

College Decision Day Is Fast Approaching

April 1st has passed. That’s the deadline for most colleges to let students know whether or not they’ve been accepted. Even the few colleges who postponed their response date, due to their overwhelming increase in applications, have now let students know the good or bad news.  The Ivy League schools gave themselves until April 6th to notify applicants, and Stanford pushed back their date to April 9th.Now the ball is in the student’s court!  Many students find themselves with a pile of acceptance letters (or emails).  How should students make this pivotal decision?

First of all, remember the purpose of college.  It’s certainly intended to make students more educated, in general, and more aware of the world and the issues surrounding them.  But, more pragmatically, most students attend college with the goal of preparing for a career that will support them for the rest of their lives.  So the best choice college is often the one with the strongest program in a student’s intended field of study.  A little research will reveal both the early and mid-career salary of alumni from all of the colleges under consideration, as well as the acceptance rate at medical and dental schools, law schools and graduate programs.