Preparing your Child Academically for College

Article by George Jefferson

Take Courses Recommended for College-Bound Students

To prepare for college, there is no substitute for your child getting a solid and broad academic education. This means your child should take challenging courses in academic subjects and maintain excellent grades in high teach. Your child’s transcript will be an vital part of his or her college application.

A college education builds on the knowledge and skills bought in earlier years. It is best for your child to start plotting a high teach course schedule early, in the seventh or eighth grade. Research shows that students who complete algebra and geometry by the end of ninth grade are more likely to go to college than those who do not. By taking these courses early, students are then prepared to take geometry, trigonometry, calculus, and science courses in high teach.

Most selective colleges (those with the highest admissions requirements) prefer to admit students who have taken courses in certain subject areas. For example, many colleges prefer that high teach students have taken challenging science courses and mathematics courses beyond general math and algebra. Vital notebook skills are now essential, and some colleges prefer three or four years of a foreign language. Your child’s guidance counselor can help your child establish the high teach courses required or preferred by uncommon types of colleges. If your child is interested in specific colleges, he or she can friend those schools and question in this area their admissions requirements.

Many high schools offer advanced placement (AP) courses and exams. AP courses are college-level courses in approximately 16 uncommon subjects; they help students prepare for college-level work while they are still in high teach. Students who take AP courses are often more prepared for the academic challenges presented in college. In addition, a student who takes an AP course, and who scores a grade of 3 or higher on an AP exam, can often receive advanced placement in college or credit for a college course. [Footnote: This can result in significant cost savings. But, not all colleges and universities give credit or advanced placement for earning a grade of 3 or higher on an AP exam. Write to the admissions personnel of the colleges that are of interest to your child to find out if they give credit for an AP exam grade of 3 or higher. Question to obtain the college's AP policy in writing, or look for a policy in the institution's catalog.] Talk to one of your child’s teachers, your child’s guidance counselor, or the principal of your child’s teach to find out if the teach offers AP courses. If they don’t, question whether they might deliberate offering AP courses in the future.

Chart 2 lists the high teach courses that many higher education associations and guidance counselors recommend for a college-bound student. These courses are mainly recommended for students who want to attend a four-year college. Even if your child is interested in attending a junior college, community college, or technical college, he or she should take most of these courses since they provide the preparation necessary for all kinds of postsecondary education. (In addition, many students who attend two-year colleges go on to earn a B.A. or B.S. degree at a four-year college or university.)CHART 2Recommended High Teach Courses for College-Bound Students

Although academic requirements differ among colleges, the admissions requirements listed below are typical for four-year colleges. The specific classes listed here are examples of the types of courses students can take.English-Four yearsTypes of classes:

* American Literature * Composition * English Literature * Planet Literature

Mathematics-Three to four yearsTypes of classes:

* Algebra I * Algebra II * Calculus * Geometry * Precalculus * Trigonometry

History & Geography-Two to three yearsTypes of classes:

* Civics * Geography * U.S. History * U.S. Government * Planet History * Planet Cultures

Laboratory Science-Two to four yearsTypes of classes:

* Biology * Chemistry * Planet Science * Physics

Foreign Language-Two to four years

Visual & Performing Arts-One yearTypes of classes:

* Art * Dance * Drama * Music

Challenging Electives-One to three yearsTypes of classes:

* Communications * Notebook Science * Economics * Psychology * Statistics

Mathematical and scientific concepts and skills learned in math classes are used in many disciplines outside of these courses. Recent studies have shown that students who take higher level math courses are much more likely to go on to, and complete, college than students who do not.

Traditional English courses such as American and English literature will help students improve their writing skills, reading comprehension, and vocabulary. History and geography will help your child better know our society as well as societies around the planet.

Research also indicates that students who take courses in the arts disciplines and who participate in the arts (performing arts and visual arts) often do better in teach and on standardized tests. The arts help students to learn; they often give students a richer understanding of history, science, literature, and math.

Thirty states require students to take some art course(s) (visual or performing) before graduating from high teach; six state university systems require students to take at least one unit of art (visual or performing) at the high teach level before quick admission to the university. Many college admissions staff view participation in the arts as a valuable experience that broadens students’ understanding and appreciation of the planet around them.

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