Is it ever too early to start thinking about college? Can a middle schooler really start preparing now? The answer is: yes, middle school students can begin to prepare and there are steps that, if taken now, can pay big dividends in the future. In this podcast, I talk about three ways that parents can help their middle school students prepare for college:
- Encourage good study habits. Even if your student can get good grades fairly easily, encourage him/her to look over schoolwork every day. This is ease the transition later when your child becomes more academically challenged.
- Expect academic excellence. Many times students develop their sense of “academic esteem” during middle school. Students who enter high school thinking that “B”s or “C”s are okay when they are capable of “A”s have a hard time making the shift when the high stakes of high school are in play.
- Explore challenging courses. This is the time that families can figure out which subjects are areas of strength and/or challenge for a student. Middle school honors-level courses allow students to have the opportunity to safety to test out a rigorous curriculum without the threat of a possible misstep appearing on a transcript.
The bottom line is that middle school is NOT too early to develop the skills necessary for success in high school and beyond.
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This is excellent advice! Middle school students who have good grades can also quality for the National Junior Honor Society, which encourages volunteerism and keeping grades high. This is a great way to prepare for college and winning scholarship money.