The College Board hosted a webinar to share information about how parents can help their 8th, 9th, or 10th graders. The webinar was hosted by Farhad Asghar from the College Board and featured Yarbrah Peeples from College Advising Corps and Dawn Mann from the Georgia Department of Education. Learn more at collegeboard.org/parents.

1. College Planning for
Parents of 8th, 9th, and
10th Graders
Farhad Asghar, Executive Director, Strategic Partnerships
Yarbrah Peeples, Director, Georgia College Advising Corps
Dawn Mann, Program Manager for Career Guidance and
Counseling, Georgia Department of Education

2. • Tools and Resources for planning for college
• Searching for college
• What colleges are looking for
• Paying for college
• Q&A
2
What We’ll Cover

3. 3
Tools and
Resources:
BigFuture
• BigFuture™: College Board’s free college
planning website
• Create a plan from high school through
college, keep track of key dates and
deadlines, and track your child’s progress

4. 4
Tools and
Resources:
Action Plans
• Find action plans at: collegeboard.org/parents
• Print out these checklists and keep track of
key things to accomplish each school year to
prepare for college.
• Explore topics in more detail on Big Future
like your high school counselor’s role, the
benefits of extracurriculars, and financial aid
101.

5. 5
Tools and Resources:
College Search
• https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-
search
• Use our interactive tool to explore college
options with your child.
• Search by type, size, location, majors,
cost, and more.
• Create a College Board account to save
your child’s college list. Update it
throughout high school.

6. 6
What Colleges are
Looking For
• https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-
in/applying
• Challenging coursework
• GPA
• SAT scores
• Extracurriculars
• Personal Essay
• Letters of recommendation

7. 7
Financial Aid 101
• https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-
college/financial-aid
• Many families pay for college through a
combination of savings, income,
scholarships, grants, and loans.
• Be sure to check out the net price
calculator to better understand how much
college might cost your family

8. 8
More Tools and
Resources
• College Go app
• Roadmap to Careers

9. • How early should I be talking to my child about college? What if they
seem uninterested?
• When is the right time to meet with a school counselor? What kinds of
questions should I be asking them now?
• When should I take my child on a college visit and how can we make the
most of our time on campus?
• What should my child be thinking about when they are first searching for
colleges and building a college list?
• How can I talk to my child about career interests as part of the college
planning journey?
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Where do I begin?

10. • Do colleges care about the courses my child takes in 9/10th grade?
• Do colleges look at test scores for 9th/10th graders?
• Do colleges look at extracurricular activities in 9/10th grade? Is it better for
my child to be involved in many activities or just a few?
• What advice would you give parents to help their children prepare for
college?
10
What are colleges
looking for?

11. • What is a net price calculator?
• What if I haven’t saved any money for college for my child?
• If we plan to apply for financial aid, is there anything we need to do in
8th/9th/10th grade?
• How can I help my child find scholarships?
11
How am I going to
pay for college for
my child?

12. Please submit your questions in the Q&A
module on the bottom right-hand corner of
your screen.
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Q&A

13. • More Information for Parents
collegeboard.org/parents
• College Search
https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-search
• Financial Aid 101
https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/financial-aid
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More Resources

14. Thank
you.