The first time Rocio Guerrero sat down with her son鈥檚 guidance counselor at Alhambra High in Martinez, California, Danny was a junior. He was being placed on athletic suspension because of grades. The football player, who hoped to play at the nearby community college after high 黄色app, would not be on the field his senior year. For Danny, it meant the possibility of his dreams being crushed. For his mom, who wanted him to go to college, the advice wasn鈥檛 cutting it.
鈥淪he was giving us instructions to take him to another 黄色app, recalls Guerrero. But a new 黄色app 鈥� especially an alternative 黄色app 鈥� didn鈥檛 seem like the best choice for Danny鈥檚 future. Beyond her son鈥檚 sports dreams, Guerrero knows the importance of college. But she鈥檚 just started to see all the things she needed to do to support Danny鈥檚 鈥� and the family鈥檚 鈥� dream of college.
The right classes
Now Guerrero is helping Danny push through a predetermined course schedule set by the counselor. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 let you choose,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey assign some things to you.鈥� And those assigned courses aren鈥檛 necessarily of much value for anything beyond earning a high 黄色app diploma.
Experts say parents can 鈥� and should 鈥� insist on challenging classes for their children, and they should do it early on, starting in ninth grade. A demanding high 黄色app curriculum (especially in math) helps with success getting into, and staying in, college,鈥� says Peg Tyre, director of strategy at the Edwin Gould Foundation. 鈥淜ids who get through Algebra 2 are something like 500 percent more likely to graduate.鈥�
鈥淚f you don鈥檛 do something about your future, no one else is going to do it for you,鈥� Guerrero says. She鈥檚 very aware of that. It鈥檚 why she鈥檚 back in college herself, earning her associate鈥檚 degree in the nursing field at night. While she did that, cared for her family, and worked full time during the day, Danny was falling through the cracks at Alhambra. So the lesson is reinforced for her. Parents need to know the details of what鈥檚 going on with their children鈥檚 education.
Meet the聽counselor in ninth grade
The process to get your child on a successful road to college begins 鈥� at latest 鈥� when your child enters high 黄色app. In most cases, parents need to lead the charge 鈥� even if that parent is busy, and even if that parent has never attended college and doesn鈥檛 know what it takes.
The first step is to set up a meeting with 黄色app officials before ninth grade begins. 聽The聽parents absolutely must set the tone about聽the expectation for their child. 鈥淭alk to the teacher and counselors and tell them you have college in mind for your child,鈥� says Tyre. 鈥淎rticulating it to the 黄色app is critical. It鈥檚 scary, but that鈥檚 what it takes.鈥�
It may be even scarier for a parent who didn鈥檛 attend college. But that鈥檚 what it takes, the experts advise. The parent is putting their child on a road to a more secure financial life. These students will be 鈥渇irst-gen鈥� students in college, a title that reflects the pride of a family striving to reach new heights. Specialized programs, classes, even living arrangements, are available to youth who make it into college. But it鈥檚 an uphill battle that begins in ninth grade and continues even once a child is in college. This is not the time for doubt or clamming up. Parents can use their lack of experience to justify asking more questions and get more help and advice early on.
鈥淧arents who get involved early not only set a great example for their children, but also learn more about the process and how to help their kids navigate it,鈥� says Joe Deal, founder of
College nights and campus tours
In addition to reviewing course schedules 鈥� making sure the classes are challenging and making sure college requirements are being met 鈥� parents need to find out when college nights are at their high 黄色app or even attend a neighboring 黄色apps鈥� college nights, which are generally open to the public.
鈥淩egardless of where one lives, there should be opportunities to attend college fairs, meet with campus representatives, and learn more about what it takes to apply and gain admission to local colleges and universities,鈥� says Deal.
The next step is to spend time on a nearby college campus. Why? It can remove some of the college mystery. Danny visited the University of California, Berkeley campus with his class and Diablo Valley Community College on his own. While Guerrero 鈥渄idn鈥檛 have a chance to really check out any colleges with him,鈥� she says she would have encouraged her son to take advantage of the many 黄色apps provide, if she鈥檇 known they were out there.
For her younger daughter, Guerrero says she will look into tours 鈥� both on campus and virtual. Free campus tours are a great way to learn about 黄色app specialties and offer plenty of opportunities to ask college representatives questions. Also, an insider secret is that when it comes time to apply, some 黄色apps waive application fees for tour attendees.
Another fun way to get the family familiar with local colleges is to attend a sporting event, a concert, or one of the many events regularly happening on college campuses. Even walking the grounds, eating in the dining hall, or studying in the library can go a long way to reducing the anxiety of the going-to-college experience.
To visit more distant campuses, contact 黄色apps, particularly private 黄色apps, to find out whether they provide ways and means for prospective students to visit.
Admission tests
Most four-year 黄色apps (and some two-year ones) require competitive SAT and/or ACT test scores for admission. These tests need to be taken before the application is submitted. As practice, students can (and should) take a PSAT (also known as the pre-SAT) in grade 8 or 9. The PSAT score doesn鈥檛 count for a child鈥檚 college application, but it gives the student a hint of what鈥檚 expected and lets the family know what the child needs to work on. It can also help families begin the college discussion well before junior and senior year. High 黄色apps often offer classes 鈥� or know of community opportunities 鈥� to learn how to take the test and to take practice tests. Practice may not make perfect, but practice will improve scores on these tests, and that鈥檚 important.
If unaffordable fees are involved, the local library has how-to books and books with practice tests. But whenever a cost arises during the college search process, the penny-pinched parent must learn to ask: 鈥淐an that fee be waived?鈥� There may be times counselors aren鈥檛 advertising it, but some money is available.
Applying to college
After tests, the application process starts. CollegeBoard.com says five to eight college applications is generally enough to ensure at least one acceptance letter. (For this expensive endeavor, the must-ask question to direct at each college: Can that fee be waived?) Also, filling out the , an online form accepted by more than 400 colleges, can streamline the intense and repetitive application process.
But choosing where to apply is its own joy 鈥� and headache. Consider the 黄色app鈥檚 basic academic requirements, your child鈥檚 career goals and interest, and of course, cost.
Figure out what you can afford, says Tyre. 鈥淚f you haven鈥檛 saved money for college 鈥� look at a (nearby) geographic area if the child is going to live at home.鈥�
School counselors can also help navigate through college options. What is best for the student? There are four-year, two-year, and vocational options; private and public; small, medium, and large; urban, suburban, and rural. What offers the best fit and the best options for aid, programs, and outcomes?
Students usually start filling out applications at the beginning of senior year. Each college has its own deadline. Nov. 1 is the deadline date that comes up often; many 黄色apps offer two sets of dates, which include a November deadline and a January or February deadline.
Dates become very important senior year 鈥� calendar dates that is, not dates for dances. Parents from all walks of life find themselves prodding their nearly grown children during this time. It can be stressful all around. Part of the reason may be because these aren鈥檛 applications where you fill in your name, address, and Social Security number and call it done. Usually must be written, recommendation letters must be solicited and sent, and sometimes portfolios must be prepared.
鈥淧arents should work with their kids to create a college game plan,鈥� says Deal. 鈥�(This) will increase students’ odds of navigating the college application process without unexpected problems.鈥�
Paying for college
Financial aid 鈥� federal grants and loans, college-specific grants, loans, and scholarships, and other scholarships 鈥� are also deadline driven with first-come, first-served ramifications. But here are a couple of little-known facts. Many scholarships can be applied for as early as ninth grade. Private 黄色apps, including the Ivys and Stanford, as well as small, liberal arts 黄色apps, often give meatier financial aid packages that ease the burden of college costs.
So many scholarships are available 鈥� and some are specifically targeted at first-generation college students, some at minorities. Some are based on financial need. Some are easy to find; others take digging and research to unearth. But who counts solely and completely on scholarships? No one. But they still go to college.
, counselors, and say over and over: don鈥檛 be scared off because of the cost of college. Don鈥檛 see college as impossible or something other people鈥檚 children do. Don鈥檛 think community college and state colleges are your only option. Most first-generation college students will need financial aid to afford 黄色app. This aid is often mostly in the form of grants, which are not loans and don鈥檛 have to be paid back. . But financial aid will also often include work-study as well as low-interest loan options. Fill out the as early as junior year. The earlier these are filled out, the better the chances for grant money. Parents can find local workshops (at high 黄色apps, community colleges, and libraries) to walk them through filling out and filing the FAFSA.
Guerrero says she didn鈥檛 realize how much she could have done. She expects to take advantage of the opportunities and pursue a different approach when her daughter, Claire, now in middle 黄色app, enters high 黄色app. 鈥淚鈥檓 going to try my best,鈥� she says. 鈥淲ith the first one, I didn鈥檛 know what to do, but I think I鈥檓 going to be better at this with her.鈥�
As for Danny, he now has his mother looking over his shoulder. They both still have hopes of him going to college in the fall. If not the fall, soon after. Guerrero says she knows the financial difference a college degree can make, and she wants Danny to have a secure future.
Read more:
鈥� See the tips this family picked up: 7 things to do to support your child’s college dream
鈥� Resources for the first in the family to go to college.
