College Roadmap - Plan ahead and don't stress

Introduction: There is a lot of information about colleges and application process out there. This blog aims to present all the important information in a concise way with useful links. Please feel free to suggest any feedback that will help other parents. 

It is important to have a plan as you enter high school. Often by planning a little ahead of time, you can achieve a lot more and reduce the stress level for kids.

These are the primary areas to focus for college admissions. I am not listing them in any priority as different aspects are important to different colleges.

1. GPA
2. SAT or ACT
3. Subject SATs
4. AP Courses
5. College Essays / College applications
6. Extra curricular activities
7. Recommendation Letters
8. Summer Internships / courses 

Note: Please don't stress about college admissions. There are a lot of colleges out there and your child will go to a college. Try to understand your kid's perspective as well. They face a lot more pressure than what we faced at that age.

College Roadmap - High Level plan for high school

Create a plan as you enter high school. This plan is not set in stone but gives a good framework. Review the plan every six months and update it based on your child's ability. Often you may change the courses based on how your child is able to handle the load each year.

Note: This is a suggested plan, you can modify it based on the kid's interests and ability.

• Freshman (9th grade)
• 4 year course plan 
• Take 1 subject SAT if possible
• Volunteer
• Summer activity

• Sophomore (10th grade)
• Adjust your course plan
• PSAT exam (practice)
• Prepare for SAT/ACT exam. He/she can take the exam if they are ready. 
• Volunteer
• Summer activity
• 1 or 2 AP exam(s)
• 1 or 2 Subject SAT exam(s)

• Junior (11th grade)
• Take PSAT exam
• Volunteer
• SAT/ACT exam (final attempt)
• Remaining Subject SAT exams
• AP exams
• Summer activity
• Start working on college essays during summer

• Senior (12th grade)
• Complete college applications by November or December. 
• Relax

Note: The items in red have deadlines and cannot be moved to a different year. 

College Roadmap : 1. GPA

GPA  is one of the most important criteria for colleges. This metric usually serves as a filter and determines if your child's application is even seen by a college. Each college publishes a GPA range. The higher end of the range is required for the more competitive fields like computer science.

Few points about GPA

• GPA is important for both public and private colleges. Private colleges emphasize other criteria whereas public colleges give more weight to GPA
• UCs use grades from 9th grade summer to 1st semester of 12th grade for the GPA calculation
• Private colleges and other states consider grades from all the four years
• Few colleges use  weighted GPA while others use unweighted GPA. 
• You can improve your GPA by taking courses during summer or online courses from accredited colleges. 

Unweighted GPA

   Here GPA is calculated using an unweighted scale irrespective of how difficult the coursework is. So each class is given 0 to 4 with A being assigned 4. 

Weighted GPA

    Weighted GPA takes into account the rigor of the course work. For instance a honors course or an AP class scale is from 1 to 5. 5 being assigned for an A grade. 

College Roadmap: 2. SAT or ACT

The next most important criteria is the SAT or ACT exam. Colleges usually accept either exam. The kid can take the SAT or ACT depending on their aptitude. Some kids try to take both exams as well.

• Have your child take both the SAT and ACT practice exam during their freshman or sophomore year to to determine which one is more suited to their testing style. Once you identify SAT or ACT, then have them focus their preparation towards it.  
• It is advisable to take the SAT or ACT exam at the most 2 times. Depending on the college both scores are taken into account or the best score. 
• Take these exams by your junior year. Do not push this exam to the senior year as they will be very busy with the applications and essays. 

Useful Links

1. College board administers the SAT exam and this site has some useful information. 
2. ACT  site has useful information about the ACT exam. 
3. TBD: I will provide a link to an additional post about SAT and ACT preparation resources. 

The image below shows a good comparison between the SAT and ACT at a high level. 

Note: This image is from applerouth  and I do not own the copyright for it. If you would like me to remove it from this blog, please contact the editor. 

AP Statistics resources

AP Statistics helps satisfy the math curriculum requirements in high school.

These are some resources to help prepare for AP Statistics.

1. Edx AP Statistics online course (not for credit)

College Roadmap: 3. Subject SAT

Subject SAT is required by the more competitive colleges. Few points to remember

•  It is usually recommended to take at least 2 subject SAT exams. College board administers around 20 subject SAT exams. 
• Take the subject SAT exam relevant to the major you will take in college. For instance if you plan to apply to engineering taking the math subject SAT and a science SAT will help. If you plan to apply to pre-med then taking the biology SAT exam will be more relevant and indicates your interest in the subject. 
• A note about the MATH subject test. If you plan to take Math Level 2 subject test, do not spend time taking MATH level 1 subject test. 

Useful Links:

1. This post has links to the different subject SAT exams.
2. College board administers all the subject SAT exams.

College Roadmap: 4. AP exams

AP exams are college level courses. Several colleges waive their lower level classes if the student does well on the AP exam. While it is beneficial to have these courses waived at the college (usually more expensive) that should not be the criteria for choosing to do an AP course. The kid should choose the AP exam based on their interest and ability.

• AP courses are recommended but not required for college admission
• AP courses usually have a heavier course load. 
• AP courses have an exam administered at the end of the year by the college board. This score is used by colleges to waive a course requirement. 
• AP courses are graded on a 5.0 scale. 
• Kids often take anywhere from 2 AP courses to 12 AP courses during their high school. 

Useful Links:

1. AP Central has a list of all AP exams that are offered and the exam dates. 

College Roadmap: 5. Extra Curricular activities

Extra curricular activities are used to show how well rounded the kid is. Kids spend a lot of time on extra curricular activities however it is important to choose the ones that you enjoy.

• Quality is more important than quantity. Often kids sign up for a lot of activities but it is better to choose one or two activities that you can focus on and excel at it rather than spend time in 10 activities that you are mediocre in. 
• An extra-curricular activity is given a high preference only if they show mastery in an area. For instance a national level player gets admitted to some prestigious colleges even if their scores are lower. 
• Always volunteer. Not only is it an opportunity to show the admissions counselor that you care about your community but it is also quite a rewarding experience. Volunteering is a valuable habit to learn when you are young. 
• One activity does not have a higher value than other. Few examples of extra curricular activities are
• Scouts
• Speech and Debate
• Sports such as swimming, golf, volleyball, basketball etc
• Clubs at school 
• Tutoring
• Most important, choose an activity that you love, enjoy and can stand out!

College Roadmap: 6. Recommendation Letters

Several colleges require one or two recommendation letters. It is usually recommended to get a letter from a subject teacher in the area you intend to major in. Recommendation letters usually help influence an admissions officer when they see two similar candidates and need to make a decision.

• Private schools usually emphasize more on recommendation letters compared to public schools. 
• Some high schools have strict deadlines to request a recommendation letter, please pay attention to them
• Private high schools give better recommendation letters when compared to public high schools

College Roadmap: 7. College Essays and applications

If you are writing your college essays you are now in the last step of your high school journey. College essays play a critical role in your application process. They probably are the most important criteria after your GPA and SAT scores so do not take these lightly.

• Start preparing for your college essay from your junior year summer
• Parents, please DON'T help your children write their essays. Admission officers can easily spot essays where there is parental involvement. 
• Review your essays multiple times and make sure you do not have any grammatical or spelling errors. This will reflect poorly on your application and also indicate to the admission officer that you are probably not very interested in their school. 
• Tailor your college essay to the college you are applying to and the major you are interested in. 
• You have spent all these years preparing for your college, college applications help you show the effort you put in and the passion you have. 

Useful Links:

1. Early Action vs Early Decision
2. CNBC article about early action vs early decision

College Roadmap: 8. Summer activities

Plan for summer activities. Few ideas are

1. Sign up for additional classes
2. Sign up for speech and debate or other extra curricular activities
3. Internships
4. Sign up for SAT / ACT prep classes

College Roadmap: 9. Additional Resources

These are some resources you may find useful

Course Planning template

Course Planner Chart

College Roadmap - List of activities


Link to main page: College Roadmap

Early Action vs Early Decision Application

Summary:

Most colleges offer early action or early decision application deadlines. Students choose to apply as they have the chance to be reviewed ahead of time by a college.

Key differences:

Early decision is binding and the student has to attend the college. Some top colleges fill 50% of their spots through early decision
Early action is non-binding. If not admitted they are rolled over to the regular application pool. Student can make a choice after receiving all admissions.

A good article that explains this further is the article from CNBC "Key differences between early action and early decision"

College Planning for your first child

College planning seems to be a complex process especially when it is your first kid. I guess once you finish doing it for your first kid, it seems easier and perhaps you can even advise other parents in the future :)

Over time I will try to add further information about college planning and perhaps a step by step process as well.

Few Facts:

• Merit aid is quite tough and most schools require very high GPAs and excellent SAT/ACT scores to even be considered. One suggestion is to ask your kid to apply to a school that they will over qualify with their grades and scores. These schools will often try to entice the student with scholarships as every college's goal is to get the best students possible. However your child has to be ready to go this school as well. 

• Loans - There are several loan options available however if your AGI (adjusted gross income) is high then the chances of subsidized loans is quite low. Need based aid options are higher and my blog will not cover those as much. 

• College specific loans - Several schools offer loans for their students. However an important item to remember is that we need to apply for the loans even before the child is accepted to that college. So it is very critical to understand the different deadlines. 

• Best option would be to invest in a 529 account. You can open it at Vanguard. There are several other providers but I found this to be the best.                                                                                 
• Few states offer deductions and more information can be found here at the Saving For College

A year end webcast is available on Dec 6th, 2017 for those of you who interested in learning about this process and various options available to parents. 

High School: Subject SATs [2017]

What are subject SATs and how important are they really?

Subject SATs show proficiency in a subject to colleges. These are different from the regular AP courses. Most students try to take at least two to three subject SATs. Subject SATs are easier to take when the student is in their 10th or 11th grade after they have taken their AP class. The subject tests can be taken several times in a year allowing the kid to prepare ahead. The normal months the subject tests are available are August, September, October, November, April and May.

College Board Subject SAT  : You can register for your subject SAT on this site.

Subject SATs are available for the following subjects but not all subjects are available at all dates.

• Literature
• U.S. History
• World History
• Mathematics Level 1
• Mathematics Level 2
• Biology E/M
• Chemistry
• Physics
• French with Listening
• German with Listening
• Spanish with Listening
• Chinese with Listening
• Japanese with Listening
• Korean with Listening
• French
• German
• Spanish
• Modern Hebrew
• Italian
• Latin

** If you plan to take the Subject SAT for Math level 2, it is usually not necessary to take the subject SAT for Math Level 1. 

Editor's note: I am grateful for the friends who helped me when my kids were going through school. I started this blog to return the favor and help other parents. If you find this blog useful, please do share it with your friends. If you have something useful to share with this community, please send me an email and I will post your article with your name or you can leave a suggestion in the comments below. 

Disclaimer: All of the information is the viewpoint of the author. Please refer to the official site given above for the latest information. If you find any errors please let me know and I will update the post immediately.

K to 8th: English Grammar - Practice [2017]

English Grammar 101

This is a very good site for grammar. This site can be used for all grades.

Students can learn language concepts and experience the language at the same time. The materials establish a tutorial relationship with the student allowing the student to work at his or her own pace. Each exercise is an instructional sequence and is completely self correcting with a numerical score provided.

This site also has tests that can be taken at the end of each section.

Editor's note: I am grateful for the friends who helped me when my kids were going through school. I started this blog to return the favor and help other parents. If you find this blog useful, please do share it with your friends. If you have something useful to share with this community, please send me an email and I will post your article with your name or you can leave a suggestion in the comments below. 

Disclaimer: All of the information is the viewpoint of the author. Please refer to the official site given above for the latest information. If you find any errors please let me know and I will update the post immediately. 

Positive things to say to your children - say what they need to hear not what you think is good for them

My kid's teacher had recommended us to look this up. As parents we all love our kids but rarely do we focus on what they need. We give them what we think is good for them.

Read these articles to see if you can say something positive to your kid and build their confidence.

66 Positive things to say to your child

33 things to say to your child to build their confidence

Grammarly - Grammar check for your essays

Grammarly is an online tool available for doing the final check on your essay. Of course this might mean that your kids are not really learning grammar but given that it is a free tool a lot of high school kids are already using it it might be a good idea to add this to their tool belt. It is especially useful when you are trying to complete your college essays at the last minute.

Grammarly

Few features:

• Helps you fix errors and typos
• Provides synonym suggestions to improve clarity and meaning
• You can use it right from your browser. They have a plugin for Chrome as well. 

The Life of an Entrepreneur in 90 Seconds- Motivational Video

"Inspire/Aspire" is a series for kids to understand that our reach is only limited by our imagination. 
What you dream today can be what you reach tomorrow!

I came across this video, it was made as a motivational tool for Entrepreneurs however the lessons do apply to kids as well.

There is no such thing as random luck but most successes are from hard work and perseverance. It is the ability to say "I will not quit" even during the hardest times that helps them succeed. If as kids, we can learn how to move forward without quitting it is probably better than getting straight "A"s.

Remember failures are just stepping stones to success. Without these steps, you can never make it to the top! It is your "can do and never give up" attitude that gets your dreams fulfilled.

 You can watch the video here:   Life of an entrepreneur

[Inspire / Aspire] Shaan Patel

"Inspire/Aspire" is a series for kids to understand that our reach is only limited by our imagination. 
What you dream today can be what you reach tomorrow!


Please read this business insider article about Shaan Patel who scored a perfect score of 2400 and went on to build his own company for test prep out of college. Shaan did not get a high score initially but continued to practice and analyze and eventually hit the full score. Remember practice, review, practice, review.... gets you to 2400!


Source: Business Insider


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