If you are in the midst of college applications with your teen right now, or are just waiting to hear back, then it can be a pretty stressful time. Not only are you wanting to hear where they will be off and moving to, but you will also be wondering about how they are going to manage and if they will be able to manage it all; it can feel like an overwhelming process for all. But there are plenty of different things that you can do to help your child to prepare for the rigor that is college life.
Enroll Early in College Courses
If you want your child to be a little ahead of the game, then enrolling in some college classes whilst still in high school can be a good idea. There could be AP classes that they could take at school, but there are still options to do those online, especially over the summer before school starts. This will help them to not have as heavy of a load as they start at college and mean that their freshman year can be not too overwhelming and stressful, at least from the school work point of view.
Study Groups
As parents, you are likely to have different strengths when it comes to helping your children with different school subjects. If there areas that you can help them in, then great. But if there are areas that you are both lacking in expert knowledge, then it can be a good idea to get help in that subject from teachers, or tutors, or even with their friends that know more, in the form of study groups. There is no shame in telling your children you don’t have the answers and then being able to get them help from elsewhere; this is something that they can take with them as they go through their college life.
Get them extra help
Grades are a huge part of the college application process. If your teen’s grades are suffering, and you know they need to raise their grades before applying to college, then make sure to get them extra help early on. Getting your teen extra help in school could be the difference in becoming a C student versus and A student.
When looking for extra help, you can either find a pricey tutor and pay thousands, or teach them the right skills they need to school success.
Focus on Social and Emotional Aspects
School is something that is going to prepare your child for life. And as a result, it can teach our children for better or for worse, how they will interact and get along with friends and even authority figures. And when children don’t learn how to effectively manage or navigate the emotional and social aspects of school, no matter what school level, how well they do at school can certainly suffer. If you find that your children need help with things, then don’t hesitate to be proactive and get them that help that they need. Be proactive as a parent and help them deal with what is going on and it will stand them in good stead for when they are out on their own.
School Love
If you know what college that your child is going to, then it can be really fun to get excited about it with them and get some love for the school going in your home, especially if it wasn’t necessarily their first choice. It could be that you want to get them track jerseys in the school colors or just want to have flags and posters up around the home. Visit the school as much as you can so that you can all get familiar with it and get excited about this part of their life.
Hey there! My name is Rachael and I have been a private tutor for over 10 years. I earned my undergraduate degree in 2 and a half years and earned my graduate degree by age 22. I have tutored dozens of high school students, college students, and graduate students. I offer support, encouragement, and resources to help parents learn how to best help their teen or child that is struggling in school.
