How And When To Help Your Child Prepare For College #HonorYourFutureNow

We'd love it if you shared it!

This post is brought to you by the NHS, NJHS, and The Motherhood. As always, any personal opinions experessed are my own.

My Mom was a 7th and 8th grade teacher for over 35 years. I was somewhere in the area of 10 or 11 years old when I learned about an organization for middle school students called the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS). My Mom was the mentor for the chapter in the school where she taught. I didn’t realize that the organization was much more than an honor roll until I got to high school, when I learned about the National Honor Society (NHS), the counterpart organization for high school students. Both organizations honor students who have demonstrated academic excellence, along with outstanding leadership, service, citizenship, and character.

In a number of honors level classes in high school, I watched other students contemplate college. Back in those days students didn’t think about college too much before their junior year. In today’s environment, waiting until junior year of high school to start planning for college is too late. Far too late.

A new NHS national survey shows that the majority of college-seeking students and college admissions officers surveyed may not see eye-to-eye on critical skills and experience needed to get into college and have future success. The majority of college admissions officers (72 percent) recommend students start preparing for college before or by ninth grade. Yet, according to the survey, more than half of junior high students (52 percent) haven’t started prepping. While admissions officers agree that participating in extra- and co-curricular activities are an important attribute, only 25 percent of students think showcasing that they are well-rounded is one of the most important parts of their college application.

So what can we do to help our children (and ourselves) realize that there is no time like the present to start preparing for the future? We can help teach and encourage our children to take an active part in contributing to their own success. I really can’t stress to you enough the importance of conversation. I assumed (yes I know what that means) that my oldest son and I shared similar thoughts for college. I was mistaken. Had I pushed harder for open conversation while my son was still in high school maybe he would have truly understood the importance of his high school education. He learned the hard way that your grades and actions in high school play a very real  part in what college you can go to.

The National Honor Societies encourages all students to build skills exhibiting scholarship, leadership, character, service, and citizenship.  They offer the following advice to students as part of their “Honor Your Future Now” campaign.

• Don’t Wait!: It’s never too early to start focusing on the future. No matter what grade you are in, start looking for opportunities to develop skills and experience that will help you grow and be well-rounded.
• Make the Grade: Strive for academic success. It will not only play a critical role in helping you get into college, but will ensure you learn important lessons that can guide you throughout your life.
• Be a Leader: Participate in leadership programs and learn important skills like resourcefulness, problem solving and how to work well with others. Learning how to be a strong leader early can help you throughout college and your career.
• Build Your Character: Learn about the importance of demonstrating high standards of honesty, integrity and showing courtesy and respect toward others. Building a strong character can serve as the foundation for future success.
• Give Back: Join volunteer projects that you are passionate about, and learn about the importance of being active in and giving back to your community.
• Find Your Voice: Understand your role and rights as a citizen in our country so you can become an active member who lets your voice be heard.

By taking action now, students will be better prepared for college and life afterwards. To help empower students NHS is rolling out a number of new resources for student members during 2015/2016 academic year. These resources include:

• NHS Scholarship Program: The current NHS Scholarship Program will double the amount of total money awarded to $500,000 in 2015 and reach more students than in previous years for a total fund of up to $2 million within the next four years. NHS will begin accepting applications for scholarships in November 2015.
• NJHS Outstanding Achievement Award: The new NJHS Outstanding Achievement Award provides 500 middle-level students with $500 each to start their college savings and will begin accepting nominations in January 2016.
• College Admissions and Financial Aid Planning Support: A series of webinars and Twitter Town Halls will give students, parents and advisers the chance to learn directly from college admission officers and get their questions answered on topics including the application process, financial aid and college fit. The first webinar will take place on November 14, 2015.
• Scholarship Search Tool: An NHS members-only online tool that is customized around the four pillars of NHS and will be available in January 2016 to help students in their college scholarship search. The tool was created in partnership with Get Schooled, a national education nonprofit that aims to inspire, motivate and empower students to graduate high school and go to and succeed in college.
• State Summits: One-day events bringing together NHS and NJHS students and advisers for empowerment and leadership development beginning in early 2016.
• Preparing for College Checklist: List of steps to help students navigate the college preparation process.

If you have a child that will be going to college in upcoming years, you will appreciate the Parent’s College Checklist, which contains great tips that parents can follow to help students prepare for college and a lifetime of success. It even suggests topics that are important to discuss in advance.

To hear even more tips, or to ask questions, I hope you’ll join me at the #HonorYourFutureNow Twitter Party on Wednesday, December 9th, from 2 pm to 3pm EST. Five prizes of $50 Visa gift cards will be given to randomly selected participants who answer trivia questions correctly. Click here to RSVP for the party and register to win one of the prizes.

Are you helping or have you in the past helped your child prepare for college? If so, do you have a tip that might help other parents?