Application season is in full swing—and the pressure for seniors in the lead up to the November 1 deadline is on.
Parents want to be helpful, and whether you’re watching your child sprint toward submitting their ED or EA apps or just embarking on this journey with your 9th grader, you probably find yourself asking: “How can I best support my child at this important time?”
Lauren, our Director of College Advising (as well as a former therapist and mom of two college students), recently led an excellent webinar with two former LogicPrep parents on parenting through the process. Together they discussed the ways in which, with our help, you can not only support your child, but also help them use this experience to grow into capable, competent, and curious adults.
Understandably, you want the best for your children (we do, too!). The college application process is just one of many situations in which how you get to an end result is often more important than the result itself.
So what can you do?
To empower your child and frame this process positively:
Recognize that you cannot and should not remove every obstacle your child will face. Instead, help them develop good coping skills, learn resilience, and build a healthy tolerance for frustration.
Remember that your child endures more stress than we can possibly imagine. They are working hard to find their place—and their voice—in an uncertain world.
Validate your child’s interests, goals, and dreams while still setting realistic expectations. Your child is watching you for cues about their self-worth, even if it seems like their teenage self is a master at undervaluing you and dismissing your opinion.
Have honest conversations with your child about your fears, hopes, and expectations about the college application process, and give them the courtesy of listening to theirs.
Help your child balance their inner critic by showing them all the wonderful qualities you value about them, focusing on attributes that are intrinsic to their nature and personality.
Designate “college talk” times as needed. Don’t let conversations about college applications dominate every family meal or car ride.
Campus visits are the best way to help your child decide if they can see themselves thriving at a particular college.
To support their school selection:
Encourage your child to focus on the quality of the fit between them and the schools on their list. Students can and will thrive at a range of different colleges, and ranking is rarely the most important factor.
Help coordinate campus visits. At a time when the number of applicants to selective colleges has soared because of test-optional admissions and other factors, making a commitment early (through Early Action or Early Decision) can be very powerful. Campus visits are the best way to get a sense of what life is going to be like at each college.
Encourage your child to pick up several copies of the school newspaper, or read back issues online, to get insight into hot button social and academic issues as well as Greek Life and school traditions. If you can’t make the trip to every school on their list, encourage them to talk to current students that they know, or ask us to help connect them to LP alumni.
Don’t equate prestige with success. Each child’s journey should be different, and what might be a great college fit for one student—allowing them to flourish and grow—might not be for another.
Finally, let us help you. We are experts in this process, and will utilize our collective knowledge and experience to help your child succeed. At LogicPrep, we create an ecosystem to provide your child with the attention, accountability, and strategic guidance they need to succeed and grow through the college process—so you can be the supportive, loving force they need during what is an often stressful process.
We get it. Essays, deadlines, and decisions are some of the things that keep parents up at night. If your child isn't a great communicator, instead of grilling them, call their Advisor; we want to talk to you! This is a family process, and we are here to support the whole family.
Lauren and I are always happy to chat and we look forward to many more discussions in the weeks ahead!