Think about any complex process you have to go through in life, whether in work, family, or even a serious hobby. There are two major phases you have to undertake, first in planning, and then in execution. Legend College Preparatory helps you do both of these in your course planning process.
The planning phase involves learning and gathering information, in addition to determining goals and setting benchmarks for performance. When it comes to college admissions, you’ll be facing questions about competencies, majors, matching schools, costs, and other life factors. All of these pour into a decision that affects important first steps in a career, and taking inventory of these factors is definitely a wise move.
But why middle school? Isn’t that early?
No. The fact is, high school has become so competitive and busy that it is a phase of execution and adjustments. Students are loaded with work. It’s immensely difficult to do wise planning for your Course of Study with college admissions in mind while you’re in the thick of things. There’s little margin to mess around with open-ended course selection with limited class spaces in important AP courses. Having a planned trajectory takes the guesswork out and puts guided focuses back into your life without the stress and anxiety of uncertainty.
In short, an early start makes the entire process much more manageable. Consider this resource of Khan Academy to see what a timeline for College Admissions looks like. There are a surprising number of steps.
Remember, planning starts early, but it doesn’t mean you have to make a final choice. That is far too big of a burden to place on a middle schooler. Consider a few actions items you can try:
- Make a short list of interests and domains your student is strong in
- Let your student explore activities relevant to those strengths
- Give your student a chance to understand how things work in the real world in a particular field. Students tend to think of things in terms of a subject in school, not in terms of products and services. You might be surprised at how inspired they become when they get past the knowing and into the doing.
You also don’t have to do your college admissions alone. Course planning and consultation is offered at our school to take the pain away. Reach out to us today if you need help. Good luck!