Higher Education: College Planning Begins at Birth

by Kendra Preer

Preparing for your child’s education means more than just saving money. It means getting children ready, academically and socially, for college life. Parents hold the key to a child’s college future, and if you want your child to go to college – say so! Begin that conversation as soon as your child can talk. Time and effort spent during the preschool and elementary years will result in later success.

If you do only one thing to help your child prepare for higher education, emphasize good reading, writing and communication skills. When parents help their children become lifelong readers and effective communicators, they provide unlimited opportunities for growth and learning. Reading enhances imagination and vocabulary and helps children increase their awareness of the world. Above average writing skills and the ability to express thoughts and opinions will prove useful over the course of a child’s academic career – from kindergarten to graduate school.

Allow kids to dabble in a variety of activities. Encourage them to participate in athletics, arts, summer camps, after school activities and supplemental instruction programs. These activities will provide opportunities for personal exploration and greater self-awareness. With a variety of involvements, kids will begin to learn the things they do well and areas where they need improvement. Diane Munson, assistant dean of undergraduate studies at Kent State University says, "On a personal level, students need a realistic picture of their strengths and weaknesses because they need that information to make important decisions." Personal and academic self-awareness will help children to begin thinking about a field of study and ultimately a career path. Keep in mind that students don’t need to have a rigid career plan at age 10. But they do need to have an idea of three or four areas of interest they would like to explore as a future profession.

Parents should encourage students to pursue meaningful internships, work-study programs, and job shadowing opportunities during spring and summer breaks. While a summer at the pool and a part-time job might sound enticing to a teen, they’ll appreciate you later for the career experience and valuable workplace skills they’ll learn during a meaningful summer opportunity. Many students enter their freshman year of college undecided on a major and with little real-world knowledge of the multitude of career choices available. Pre-college career exposure can offset some of this indecisiveness and give students sound experiences to draw from as they choose a course of study.

It’s never too soon to involve students in academic problem solving. If your second grader is having trouble in math, involve him in mapping out a plan for improvement that may include after-school tutoring, extra math assignments or online math tutorials each night. Once in college, finding solutions to academic dilemmas will be par for the course. It’s important that students practice accepting the rigors of challenging classes, working through subjects they don’t like, and growing accustomed to developing a game plan for academic success. Munson adds, "Schoolwork and classes should be challenging. Preparing students to work for grades is a good thing. There shouldn’t be a sense of entitlement about good grades."

Students who are accustomed to taking higher level math and science classes in high school – and facing some of the challenges they may present – are the same students who will be better prepared to pursue more difficult majors in college. Too often, college students choose academic majors and ultimately careers by avoiding majors that include a heavy math or science curriculum. Encourage students to excel in subjects they enjoy, but learn to succeed in ones that prove difficult.

Involving kids in discussions about college costs and savings plans is an excellent way to teach them to save and budget money. This gives them a very real and tangible expense to think about. Try offering children fun saving incentives like movie tickets or outings with friends if they save a portion of their weekly allowance as part of their college savings plan. Design a reward system for good grades and encourage healthy competition between siblings. This will make students aware of the correlation between good grades and positive recognition. Later on this recognition will come in the valuable form of tuition dollars, scholarships, study abroad and research opportunities.

Include children in establishing a calendar of school projects, club commitments, play dates and other social activities. Increase their role and responsibility in juggling their commitments as they reach middle school. These are the building blocks of time management skills that will be crucial to high school and college success. Even the brightest college students are faced with balancing academics and the many activities available to them on a college campus.

Plenty of experiences will influence your child’s choice of university, major and career. As with any road map, there is more than one way to get there. Our job as parents is to make sure they are prepared. Parents will find there are very few shortcuts on the road to college. Planning early and staying the course will ensure that children reach their destination.

Kendra Preer, M.A. is an assistant director at Kent State University’s department of pre-college programs.