How To Help Your Child Choose The Right Career Path
One of the goals of high school is to prepare students for the “next level” of education, but the reality is that the "next level" is different for everyone. Not all careers begin with a 4-year degree. Some require a post-graduate degree (which means more than 4 years!), or maybe a 2-year degree, technical or trade school, apprenticeships, or none of the above! The question becomes, how do you decide what kind of school or training you should pursue?
You work backwards!
So many students assume that the next step for them is applying to college at a 4-year school, when they should really be thinking about what they ultimately want to do with their lives. By choosing a career end goal, a student can piece out what steps they need to take in between where they are now and where they want to be.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
Your child has been asked this question since they could talk. And while their answers may have changed from the princess, dinosaur,...
How To Start Your College Planning
Making a plan EARLY makes a difference!
When you child's senior year rolls around and they have to sit down to list out their activities and achievements, what are they going to put down? What will their grades look like? What will they write their admissions essays about? These are all questions to consider early, before the last-minute crunch time stress sets in. Knowing what information to keep track of and look for early can save heaps of stress and set your child apart from the rest.
9th Grade College Planning Timeline
- Get Involved. Try new things. No one is asking you to commit to something for four
years, just try it.
Clubs, sports, music, drama, yearbook, student council are all valuable on your college application. Don't see something that interests you? Create a club or activity! I know students that have organized a 5k fundraiser for a family that suffered a loss. Think outside the box. If you have the opportunity to take a leadership role, do it. Participation...
The 6 Key Tips to Starting Virtual School Effectively
Setting your child up for success this year is less about the trip to Target or Walmart and securing the box of Kleenex for the teacher and checking off the rest of the supply list! Instead, creating an environment that is conducive to learning is what you need to focus on.
- The first question you need to ask yourself is, where is your kid going to attend class? This becomes really difficult if you are also working at home, or if you have multiple kids, but don’t make these mistakes:
- The Kitchen: This is a hard NO. Parents think that this location will allow them to help with questions, oversee their work, and make sure that their child is staying on task, but the reality of the situation is different. Your kid will sit down at the island or kitchen table and their brain immediately thinks, “I am hungry”, “Can I have a snack?”, “What’s for dinner?”, or it could be, “Mom, what are you doing?”, “Mom, who are you...
Back to School Looks a Little Different This Year
The last time I walked into Target, I knew something was different. Gone were the displays touting fun in the sun and red-white-and-blue. The pool toys were on clearance, and there was not a bathing suit to be found. It's the most wonderful time of year for an educator: back to school season.
But what does that mean this year? What does back to school mean in the era of COVID-19? Should you be factoring new masks and hand sanitizer into your school supply lists, or should you be getting ready for a new round of home schooling? We've taken the most common options that schools are exploring for next year and broken down what they might mean for your kid.
Virtual, In-Person, Hybrid, A-Day/B-Day, Option for In-Person or Virtual, etc... The options discussed have been all over the board, but why is there no consensus? Potential health risk to students, teachers, and the community, number of teachers on staff, quality of education, and cost all have a role in what administrators...
Questions: Cancellations, College, COVID, & You
Questions: Cancellations, College, COVID, & You
On New Years' Day, I don't think that any of us expected to be where we are. I don't think that any of us expected to become mask-wearing, social distancing experts. I don't think parents expected to become homeschooling experts. I don't think our students expected to miss out on so many high school memories. But here we are, with more questions than answers and a lot of uncertainty in front of us.
Luckily, you have me.
In this issue, we are going to discuss what you should focus on as your child approaches their senior year and how you can ensure that your child has every possible opportunity moving forward while keeping in mind the goal of reducing their future cost of college. My goal is to inform parents so that they can feel a sense of control around the critical decisions that will affect both them and their child for the next several years.
First thing's first: We need to have a plan
Does My 17-Year-Old Really Need a Career Plan Before College?
ASK THE QUESTION: HOW WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR LIFE TO LOOK?
Your child needs to think about how they want their life to look after college. What values are important to them? What skills do they have? What’s their vision? We really encourage students to think about what their days will look like in a chosen career path.
Let’s say you want to help people and think you want to be a nurse. Are you up for night shifts or missing holidays? Are you ready to do what nurses are required to do? Is that the life you envisioned? If not, there are many other ways to help people.
EARLY EXPERIENCE & EXPOSURE SAVES MONEY
Being able to experience careers before choosing a path and going to college is the best way to know. Due to budget cuts, a lot of high schools don’t have this opportunity in their everyday high school classes. There are so many options, but without exposure, children usually know the big careers (doctor, lawyer, etc.) and the ones held by those around...
The Importance of Grades in College Placement
WHY IS THERE SO MUCH PRESSURE TO GET GOOD GRADES?
When it comes to college, grades are on everyone’s minds – from the parents to the students. And there’s good reason for this because grades are the number one thing that the colleges look at prior to making any decisions on whether or not you can attend their school. This is why there is so much pressure when it comes to getting good grades.
Saying “I get good grades" isn’t good enough because the standard is going to be different per person. For example, is a good grade all straight A’s or is it A’s, B’s and C’s? Let’s help clear up what really constitutes good grades based on college standards. If you visit any college website, you will find what they will consider good grades based on their GPA standard. This can be a useful tool as you are going through high school.
IS A B IN AN HONORS CLASS THE SAME AS AN A IN A REGULAR CLASS?
You...
ACT vs. SAT: What to Know and Why It Matters
DO YOU GET GOOD GRADES BUT STINK AT TESTING?
This is something we hear a lot from parents. They worry a lot about standardized tests because their kid isn’t a great test taker, even though their grades may be great. Kelly says bad test takers are really our own fault.
Currently, our school system is set up to rigorously test students throughout the year. Students are expected to recall the information from certain chapters or topics on a test. However, standardized tests aren’t built like this, they’re built around problem-solving.
DEVELOPING PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS FOR STANDARDIZED TESTING
Here’s a great example that shows how this testing method is problematic. There’re third-grade level math questions on the ACT, and what we often see happen is students try to attach some complex formula they learned in high school to that problem. They try to recall their information rather than problem solve.
Standardized testing is a skill that is vital...
AP vs. CCP - What Should You Choose?
College Recruiting Specialists has partnered with Virteom to engage future college students, trade students, parents, and anybody looking to learn more about getting into the college or university of their dreams. In this video, Jacqui and Kelly talk about AP and CCP classes and how they help fast-track your college education.
AP and CCP classes are great options for students who want to get a jump start on their college education. These types of courses allow you to get ahead with your college credit, and potentially even earn an Associate’s degree before finishing high school. But before you start enrolling in AP and CCP classes, watch the video or read on to learn which option would work best for your situation.
WHAT ARE CCP CLASSES?
CCP classes are also known as College Credit Plus classes. CCP classes are often offered by local colleges, like a community college. These classes count for both high school credit and college credit.
ARE CCP CLASSES...
Is your son or daughter a fall athlete?
WHY YOUR STUDENT SHOULD CONSIDER TAKING THE JUNE ACT EXAM.
Fall takes a lot out of kids. They have just spent some (or all) of their time relaxing, kicking back, going at their own pace. Suddenly, August 1 rolls around and they have two-a-day practices, captain’s practices, conditioning, weight lifting and team-bonding activities. In addition to the physical aspects, there are also the mental demands of trying to be the player the coach wants them to be, maintaining friendships while competing for a spot, learning new plays, drills, or even a new position. Less than three weeks later, they are thrust back into school. New classes, subjects, teachers and even lunch periods can throw a teenager into fits of angst.
Trying to earn playing time, understand a new teacher’s expectations and grading methods, and learning new material is not conducive to scoring well on the ACT. I often hear high schools recommend the June ACT to high...
