Getting to College

What should my child be doing in middle school?

The Federal Student Aid office offers a middle school checklist for students AND parents on planning for and thinking about college. At the middle school level, a lot of preparing for college involves building strong study habits, exploring careers and other areas of interest, and thinking about which high school classes and extracurricular activities will best to help you be ready for college. Strong grades in middle school indicate a student who is ready to take accelerated and challenging classes in high school--both of which better prepare you to be ready for college and a competitive college applicant. Parents, the best thing you can do at this point is support your students in doing well in school. It also helps to have an understanding of the steps your child will take between now and high school graduation so that you can keep them focused on the end goal.

What should my child be doing in high school?

While there are many websites to help high school students plan for college, My Student Path allows students to create an account and map out their individual path to college. In addition to the planning tool, My Student Path has loads of articles on general life questions and concerns students have may have as they work to make the best decisions for the four years leading up to college.