There are many popular books designed to increase parents’ concerns about the challenges of college admissions. These books remind parents how complicated, competitive, and soul-draining the entire process can be. And nothing about that is helpful.
Enter The College Conversion: A Practical Companion for Parents to Guide Their Children Along the Path to Higher Education by Eric J. Furda, the Dean of Admissions, University of Pennsylvania since 2008 and Jacques Steinberg, for 25 years a journalist at the New York Times and a Bestselling Author. In this very practical guide to helping teens on the path to higher education the two authors turn down the heat on the college admissions and bring sanity and balance to this process.
The book is an essential guide for parents (though your teen will benefit by reading its pages) and it can be useful to anyone who has a student now in high school. At Grown and Flown we are pretty emphatic about our view on the college admissions process.
High school is about high school, in our view, and 9th and 10th graders should focus on their studies, activities and enjoying being a teen. Starting in 11th grade parents can wade into the “College Conversation” and discuss (using a great exploration tool the authors suggest) what their student is looking for in a college and what your family can afford.
This exceptional guide to your family’s college conversation will help you help your teen develop their own ideas about what they want in college and where they might find that, without usurping their high school experience. Eric and Jacques, joined us and 54,000 parents to listen in on a virtual college night. Listen in:
Here are the 5 college conversations they cover:
Discovery: How to look inward, at identity, inspiration, intellect, interests, and ideas for your teen to better understand themselves, before they look outward at colleges.
Search: Giving thought to the qualities of an institution where they might best pursue their goals looking at culture, curriculum, community and conclusions.
Application: Thinking about your professional reader and creating a personal reflection that will allow admissions officers hear your voice and get to know you.
Decision: Once your student is admitted there is a whole new round of exploration that has to happen, taking a fresh list of which schools that are now real possiblites and see which would be the best choice.
Transition: From high school to college as your family begins to change. This carries through the first year of college.
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