As college admissions continue to get more competitive, it’s understandable (necessary, even) to think about how your student can stand out on paper when it’s finally time for them to apply to college. This is especially important if your student wants (or could want) to apply to selective universities where every facet of a student’s time in high school is weighed by the admissions office before offering an applicant a place at that school.
Just thinking about this reality might make you (or your student) anxious. Are these the right classes to take? Do these extracurricular activities connect to a specific major? Is there enough flexibility for them to grow as a person and student? How will my student find time to just be a high schooler? These questions and many others are more than fair—they’re important.
The good news is that there are ways to help your student prepare for their college admissions while still having a rewarding experience in high school. Early college admissions support starting in the 9th grade can significantly improve your student’s chances of being accepted to the school of their dreams while helping them develop as a student along the way. Below are 4 key benefits of long-term college admissions coaching.
1) It allows your student to purposefully explore their interests
Before your student can figure out which schools might be a good fit for them, before they pick a major, they have to figure out what their interests are and how they might develop them. Being good at math could mean your student is well-suited to engineering, but it could also mean they have a knack for accounting. They’ll likely find out which aligns with them most by exploring their initial interest more.
College admissions coaching can help students discover, identify, and grow their interests through purposefully chosen courses, extracurricular activities, and summer programs. While a worthwhile endeavor on its own, finding and cultivating a student’s passions will also guide their plans for high school. What are their goals related to that interest? A college admissions consultant will help them achieve those goals through a carefully considered four-year plan that will be reassessed and adjusted throughout their time in high school.
2) It helps your student build a strong application profile
In addition to exploring their interests, the classes your student takes, the clubs they’re in, and the summer programs they attend are all considered by university admissions departments. Part of your student’s goal over high school is to incrementally increase the difficulty of their classes until they are taking AP or dual enrollment courses that demonstrate their college readiness (in addition to helping them develop the skills they’ll need to do well on the SAT or ACT). It’s also important to consider how their courses and extracurriculars coalesce to create an application that’s greater than the sum of its parts. What are the competencies your student needs to demonstrate to get into an elite institution like Duke? What kinds of experiences show the University of Miami that your student is serious about Pre-Med? Does your student have a combination of interests and courses that demonstrate their well-roundedness? The four-year plan a college admissions consultant creates for your student can help answer these questions with classes and activities that will make their application stand out.
3) It reduces your student’s senior year stress
Your student’s senior year will almost certainly be stressful, but long-term college admissions consulting can make it substantially easier.
Worrying about the ACT? Your student already took it in their junior year. Making time to visit college campuses? Your family took tours the summer before applying. Getting their materials sent off by the deadline? Their application was submitted the day early enrollment opened. Financial aid? A college admissions consultant already walked you and your student through submitting the FAFSA. Additionally, planning for college starting in the 9th grade can help your student access scholarships based on their competitive grades, test scores, and consistent involvement in the kinds of extracurricular activities that are considered for a scholarship.
More than anything, long-term college admissions consulting helps reduce your student’s stress (and yours) because it provides a plan for spreading the work out to ensure your student can make the best possible impression on an admission representative, along with keeping the process manageable.
4) It improves your student’s preparedness
As much as early college admissions consultation can help your student prepare to finally apply to a university, it can also help them succeed once they arrive at college. Exploring and developing their interests can help them develop the executive functioning skills they’ll need to excel in college coursework.
If you or your student are interested in starting to prepare for college admissions, our expert team is here to help. The Enrichery offers multiple college admissions packages that will help your student prepare to submit their application materials—no matter what year they’re in during high school. Contact us today to learn more!
