9th Grade: It's the Right Time to Think About and Prepare for College

Excitement is still in the air! We're almost in our 6th week of school. Grades are coming in and you still have great hopes of having a good school year...so, what's your next move?

High school is a 4 tiered foundation that your adult options rest on. What I mean by that is what students do in the 4 years of high school will have a big impact on what options they have as an adult. Each tier (high school year) is very important. Making sure students give their best effort all 4 years is the key to having a good position to enter colleges, get scholarships, go to the military, or becoming employed straight from high school.

Here are some tips for parents and students from the Peterson's college publishing and marketing staff:

September/October

Get involved: The initial weeks of high school can be a difficult adjustment, socially and academically. Keep an open dialogue about how classes are going. If your child is struggling, now's the time to get a handle on it. Similarly, you may want to talk to the school about placing your child in a more advanced class if the work seems too easy.

Help your child explore: As classes progress, encourage involvement in meaningful activities in and out of school. Allow your child to feel out what they're comfortable with and how much time they can dedicate without impacting schoolwork negatively.

Heap on the praise: Help your child begin keeping an activities record that lists participation in activities as well as accomplishments, awards, and leadership positions.

January

Provide Support: Keep up regular conversations with your child about his or her academic progress. Grades should be up to par and course levels appropriate. If not, perhaps your child could use your help in establishing better study habits or creating a better study environment.

Be a motivator: Develop an improvement plan together if your child is struggling and remember that the best motivation is encouragement.

Remain open to change: One of the points of high school is for students to explore their interests. Determine if your child is enjoying what they're doing, and if any changes need to be made.

Think summer: You and your child should also start thinking about worthwhile summer plans such as a job, volunteer work, or traveling. Summer is a great time to begin exploring interests that tie in with college or career goals.

May/June

Look to the future: Together, review and evaluate a complete academic program and activities record started earlier in the school year, make any necessary changes, and update accordingly.

Hit the books: As summer approaches, look at your child's summer reading list to help with the academic transition to 10th grade.

High school is an amazing time of new challenges, experiences, opportunities, and growth. Balance your academics and your activities appropriately keeping in mind that all that you do is to prepare you to have a successful future beyond high school.

The tips were extracted from the Peterson.com article: 9th Grade: Help Your Child Prepare for College. https://www.petersons.com/college-search/planning-list-ninth-parents.aspx#/sweeps-modalps-modal. Retrieved September 23, 2017.