Assignment for Michelle Farmer EDSP 432-O2

1. How Do I Prepare
My High School
Senior for
College?
By: Aubree Roper
EDU 432-O2
Farmer
Fall 2017

2. Rationale
• I think this is a critical parental involvement topic
because it such a big thing for a student and their parent.
When a student goes off to college, they have to do so
many things to prepare that their parents have done in
the past for them. I think it is a really good thing thing for
parents and children to do together.

3. • To give parents ideas of how to be involved while also
letting their child branch out on their own through this
experience.
• To share personal experience to help shed light on the
importance of helping a high school senior navigate the
start of college. To shed light on the difference of doing
and guiding.

4. Steps in Preparation
• Visit schools
• Narrow your college list
• Keep up with grades
• SAT and ACT
• Stay mindful of deadlines
• Letters of recommendation
• Complete applications
• Scholarship search
• FAFSA
• Compare financial aid
• DECIDE!
• Complete enrollment

5. Visit schools
• This is an important time for your child
• Important for students to see the college as there are
classes going on (fall and spring)
• Campus appearance matters, campus layout matters
• Opportunity to meet professors and/or current students
• Parents can assist student in planning visits
• Parents help by attending visits to ask any questions the
student may forget to ask
• Also important that they like the school as well

6. Narrow College List
• After doing some college visits, have your child narrow
the list down
• Keep the ones you haven’t visited and delete those that
have ben visited that weren’t liked as much as some of
the others
• Good for parents to sit down and help student narrow
them down
• Maybe make a list of pros and cons with the student

7. Keep up With Grades
• For a high school senior, your grades are the most
important part of your chances and options of different
schools
• Making sure they are on top of their school work is very
vital to their grades
• Extracurricular activities are great if they are committed
to them, if not, school work should be number one

8. SAT and ACT
• SAT and ACT tests are the tests that colleges will receive
to see your knowledge of certain subjects and has a lot
to do with determining your acceptance or not
• Making sure your child takes these tests is vital to their
college acceptances
• Helping them schedule and prepare is ideal…to the best
of your abilities of course

9. Deadlines
• Deadlines are important when it comes to college
considerations and acceptances
• as much as possible, make yourself aware of certain
deadlines so that you make remind them of their
responsibilities
• Maybe having a big calendar some where in the house
with all of the deadlines would be beneficial for everyone

10. Letters of
Recommendation
• It is important for students to have a list of people in their
life whom they’d like to have write a letter of
recommendation to their schools of choice
o These may make the student look more desirable
o Prior discussions with these chosen people is a good idea
• Making sure your child is organized in this preparation
step is important because this will boost their efforts to
get accepted

11. Complete Applications
• It can be very easy to start an application and save it for
later and never get back to it
o Good example of helping them remember their deadlines and such with a
calendar
• Writing and planning all of the things that need to be accomplished each
day/week/month
• Often, there will be questions on the applications that
students will need help answering
• Prepare students with similar personal application
questions.

12. Scholarship Search
• There are many scholarships out there, for many
different things
o Writing contests
o Photography contests
• This would be a good thing to sit down with your child
and look up together

13. FAFSA
• FAFSA stands for Free Application Federal Student Aid
• FAFSA is government aid with tuition costs
• Your child will most definitely need your help filling this
out their first year
• PAY ATTENTION TO FAFSA DEADLINES

14. Compare Financial Aid
• When your child is accepted to different colleges, they
will receive financial aid information as well
• Each school will offer different scholarships and financial
aid opportunities
• Go through each of these with your child to compare
them all

15. Decision Time!!!
• Time to make a decision based on:
o Campus visit
o Location
o Financial aid
o Scholarships
o Major

16. Complete Enrollment
Paperwork
• Once they have made their decision and have accepted,
it is time for more paperwork
• Enrollment papers often just consist of repeated
information like name, address, date of birth, intended
major, and some times personal living habits

17. Activity 1
• Imagine Billy is your son, he has three college acceptances
and can’t decide on which one to go with. The offers are as
follows:
o Vanguard University of Southern California
• $10,000 scholarship with $30,000 per year tuition
• Great location and distance from home
• Beautiful campus
• Not a great program for desired major
o Hope International University
• $10,000 in scholarship with $20,000 per year tuition
• Not the best location and distance from home
• Subpar campus
• Offers great program for desired major
• What should be the process in helping him decide? What do
you and you group come to the conclusion of?

18. Reflection
• What do you think, as a parent, the most beneficial thing
you can do to help your child through this process?
• What do you think will be the most difficult thing for you
through this process?
• What to think the easiest thing to will be?

19. References
• Beyond Mediocrity - 5 Steps to Getting Everything You Want. (2015,
November 21). Retrieved December 11, 2017, from
http://www.mikistrong.com/beyond-mediocrity-5-steps-to-getting-
everything-you-want/
• FAFSA COMPLETION AVAILABLE OCTOBER 1! (n.d.). Retrieved
December 11, 2017, from https://get2college.org/fafsa/
• Important Dates and Deadlines. (n.d.). Retrieved December 11,
2017, from https://www.dcccd.edu/pc/fa/pages/dates-deadlines.aspx
• Lenson, B. (2010, August 16). Our College List of Lists. Retrieved
December 11, 2017, from https://www.straighterline.com/blog/our-
college-list-of-lists/

20. References
• Li, W. (2017, January 18). How to Live the Student Life AND
Get Good Grades. Retrieved December 11, 2017, from
https://blog.edukasyon.ph/senior-high/live-student-life-get-
good-grades/
• Peterson's Staff . (2016, August 22). 12th Grade: College
Planning Timeline. Retrieved December 11, 2017, from
https://www.petersons.com/articles/college-
admissions/planning-list-twelfth-students
• PSAI Scholarship Program. (n.d.). Retrieved December 11,
2017, from http://psai.org/scholarship-program/
• Richards, T. (2016, April 24). This or That Decision Making.
Retrieved December 11, 2017, from
http://columbiabusinesstimes.com/2016/04/25/this-or-that-
decision-making/

21. References
• Roberts, A. (n.d.). COLLEGE VISITS: ARE YOU
GETTING THE INFORMATION YOU NEED? Retrieved
December 11, 2017, from
http://collegepathwayscounseling.com/college-visits-are-
you-getting-the-information-you-need/
• Treshai's Instructional Design Blog. (n.d.). Retrieved
December 11, 2017, from
http://treshaihudspeth.blogspot.com/2015/09/blog-4-role-
of-objectives-in-id-process.html