The path to college success begins in high school

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If your teen is planning to go on to college, here are some eye-opening facts that parents and high school students should be aware of:

• While more students than ever are enrolling in college after high school – many don’t make it past the first year. According to the U.S. Dept. of Education, just half of students at community colleges make it to the second year. At four-year-colleges, one in four drop out by the end of the first year.
  
• Today’s college students are taking a whole lot longer to earn their degrees. In fact, a recent study shows that 6 out of 10 first-time, full-time college freshmen now take more than six years to earn their bachelor’s degree. Factors contributing to this lengthy college stay include the need for remedial courses, uncertainty over their career choice (which leads to switching majors and/or colleges mid-stream) and a lack of organizational skills and self-discipline required for college success.
  
• The annual cost of a college education is rising rapidly. According to the College Board, the average yearly cost of a four-year private school in 2003-04 was $19,710; a four-year public education was about $4,694 a year while two-year public schools averaged $1,905. 

With price tags like this—often financed with loans that need to be repaid by students regardless of whether they finish college or not—parents and students are well-advised to begin paving the way for college success during the high school years. Here’s how:

Work hard and take a challenging course load. There’s simply no substitute for hard work. Students who put in minimal effort in high school should know that they are putting their college success in jeopardy. These are the students who will need to spend valuable college time taking remedial classes before they can tackle the higher-level courses needed for their degree. Encourage them to talk to young adults who’ve “been there” and learned this the hard way.

Take high school courses that lead to college credit. Encourage your son or daughter to take Advanced Placement (AP) and other accelerated high school coursework offered in partnership with area colleges. These courses can lead to college credit (at a much lower cost), positioning them to enter college on the fast track for success.

Explore career interests. Your high school guidance office offers many print and on-line resources to help teens discover where their interests and strengths lie. High school internships, part-time jobs, volunteer work and extracurricular activities are valuable ways for teens to learn about work they like and don’t like—insights that will prove enormously helpful when it comes time to choose a college major.

Nurture organizational skills. Coach your teen on time management and organizational skills — but encourage greater independence now. The more practice high school students get at meeting deadlines and organizing their own time, the better prepared they will be for the rigors of college. If they learn some hard lessons about responsibility and organization while still in high school, they’re less likely to have problems in college — when the stakes are so much higher.

Visit colleges to help your teen find a good “fit.” Visit colleges while classes are in session to give your teen a true flavor for campus life. Suggest that they sit in on a few classes and talk with other students about what college life is really like. As you visit schools together, encourage your teens to make a list of the college characteristics that are most important to them (e.g. large vs. small classes, particular majors, close proximity to home). This information will help your son or daughter choose a school where they’re more likely to feel comfortable and be successful. 

Make sure your teen takes an active role applying for admission and financing aid. Teens who take responsibility for the process of applying for college and help figure out how to pay for it are more likely to develop an appreciation for what they are moving toward and the costs associated with it. This may make them less likely to take the whole experience for granted or waste time while in college. At the Web site for the College Board, www.collegeboard.com, you and your teen can find detailed information about college costs and the complex financial aid process. 

When in doubt, start small. For some students, the leap from high school to living away from home at a four-year school can be overwhelming – both in terms of cost and commitment. In this case a more gradual transition to a two-year school may make sense. There are very good two-year schools in the region within an easy commute for students. This option lets teens start college while living at home a little longer and still holding part-time jobs—arrangements that can significantly defray educational costs.

Expand your horizons 
For more information about finding the perfect part-time or summer job, volunteer opportunities and internships, teens can talk with their guidance counselors. The College Board’s website, at http://www.collegeboard.com/article/0,3868,2-7-0-8913,00.html, is another good place to start.