How can I start preparing son to join 'top dog' schools?

[Niels Bohr 72]

Interesting.

[Caladan 19]

Anyhow, to the OP: sorry for the digression. PM me if you feel the need for my c.v. ; but you really shouldn't, because nothing I am saying here is presented as an argument from authority. (And where I am going to school doesn't entail anything about how best to get there.)

If you look at the yearly "college issue" of Newsweek, they'll say the same things; there was an article in last week's NYT about elite high school girls and the stresses they face. But for your purposes, that article is a good window into what the top kids are doing: hard coursework, lots of activities, very busy kids. But, they're girls with friends and views on fashion.

You don't have to make your kid a freak to get him into Harvard. They don't want kids who are all study and nothing else. Valedictorians are a dime a dozen.

[Niels Bohr 72]

US News also put out a yearly review of all colleges, and for what majors.

It's called US News College Report. It lists all public and private college reviews. Plus, it lists what school is suited for what particular major.

And, you may PM me if you like. If you're interested in your child's future in attending the Harvard's Summer Program where they can earn college credits while still in high school. And, there's the SATs for 7th graders. If they do well on it, there's a John Hopkin's scholarship for them.

Edited April 9, 2007 by Are you l33t?

[Caladan 19]

Beware the joke programs. College classes for credit are one thing, and worthwhile if your kid has exhausted the curriculum at her high school. (There isn't usually an admissions or financial aid for those.)

But EXPLO at Yale, CTY at Johns Hopkins, and the like are fun, if you can afford it, but they don't give your child a better chance of getting into the top schools. They're money makers. No one cares if your kid took the SATs in 7th grade.

[Niels Bohr 72]

No one cares if your kid took the SATs in 7th grade.

Yes, they do. The John Hopkins' Talent Search Program records everything. He/She will be guaranteed admission upon successful of high school.

Edited April 9, 2007 by Are you l33t?

[Caladan 19]

And no college outside of JHU cares about it. It's recorded, but no one else gives a damn. I took the SATs in 7th grade through that program. It was fun. I did well. It did not go in my application package, and kids who didn't take it do get into Yale and Harvard and M.I.T.

Edited April 9, 2007 by Caladan

[CarolineM 0]

Well. I am not ONLY an IVY League graduate, BUT ALSO a high school guidance counselor at a college prep school...sooooo I'd say I have a bit of experience with this.

However, if you want to prepare you child to be the best, then the idea is to motivate your child by providing him/her with NO TV, VIDEO GAMES, NO LIFE. Let the child stay inside, and read all day long. If you find that it's non-sense, and that it can never happen where the child will not tolerate such an environment, then your hopes of obtaining a good chance of entering one of these IVY LEAGUE colleges will be compromised. This is my suggestion

The above quote is RUBBISH. Absolute Rubbish.

If you pressure your child too much, especially early, you'll make you and your child miserable. The best things you can do at THIS EARLY AGE is to encourage reading and academics while making sure your child has an actual childhood...make friends, gain social skills...

The thing about these "ivy league schools" is that they are wonderful schools, sure, but they are NOT the be-all-end-all of education. The US News and World Report rankings are to be taken with a grain of salt. Often schools are ranked on things that have NOTHING to do with education at all - like % of alumni that donate money to the school, or amount of funding rec'd from the state. IF you force your child into an ivy league school - rather than a GOOD school that is a perfect fit for your child, you're setting him/her up for disappointment, in my mind. Why have your child spend four years and thousands of dollars if he or she is just going to resent you and be miserable. Find a good school that is a good fit...and go from there.

Addressing summer programs...I have had NUMEROUS admissions reps tell me (and yes, some were Ivy League) that those summer programs mean NOTHING. It shows that you can get in and pay lots of money to go to a summer program. If the one at JHU GUARANTEES admission, fine, but if you want to go somewhere other than JHU, it's different. The dean of admissions from Columbia was one of the main ones saying this, as well as Univ of Virginia. They'd just as well see your child take the summer to start a community service project than go to a "Summer school".

This is my advice from my own experience. We have one junior who had a heart attack last summer because of the pressure put on him from his parents to get into the "right" school....so beware of too much pressure. Not going to a "top dog" school is NOT the end of the world...and besides - those rankings are rubbish for the most part.

/end soapbox.

And no college outside of JHU cares about it. It's recorded, but no one else gives a damn. I took the SATs in 7th grade through that program. It was fun. I did well. It did not go in my application package, and kids who didn't take it do get into Yale and Harvard and M.I.T.

and kids that DID do it did NOT get into Yale, Harvard and MIT....

[almaty 19]

advice... don't pressure the kid...let him learn at his own speed and maybe, he will want to go to a state college...in the end, the choice will be his/hers and not yours.

[Niels Bohr 72]

Well. I am not ONLY an IVY League graduate, BUT ALSO a high school guidance counselor at a college prep school...sooooo I'd say I have a bit of experience with this.

However, if you want to prepare you child to be the best, then the idea is to motivate your child by providing him/her with NO TV, VIDEO GAMES, NO LIFE. Let the child stay inside, and read all day long. If you find that it's non-sense, and that it can never happen where the child will not tolerate such an environment, then your hopes of obtaining a good chance of entering one of these IVY LEAGUE colleges will be compromised. This is my suggestion

The above quote is RUBBISH. Absolute Rubbish.

If you pressure your child too much, especially early, you'll make you and your child miserable. The best things you can do at THIS EARLY AGE is to encourage reading and academics while making sure your child has an actual childhood...make friends, gain social skills...

The thing about these "ivy league schools" is that they are wonderful schools, sure, but they are NOT the be-all-end-all of education. The US News and World Report rankings are to be taken with a grain of salt. Often schools are ranked on things that have NOTHING to do with education at all - like % of alumni that donate money to the school, or amount of funding rec'd from the state. IF you force your child into an ivy league school - rather than a GOOD school that is a perfect fit for your child, you're setting him/her up for disappointment, in my mind. Why have your child spend four years and thousands of dollars if he or she is just going to resent you and be miserable. Find a good school that is a good fit...and go from there.

Addressing summer programs...I have had NUMEROUS admissions reps tell me (and yes, some were Ivy League) that those summer programs mean NOTHING. It shows that you can get in and pay lots of money to go to a summer program. If the one at JHU GUARANTEES admission, fine, but if you want to go somewhere other than JHU, it's different. The dean of admissions from Columbia was one of the main ones saying this, as well as Univ of Virginia. They'd just as well see your child take the summer to start a community service project than go to a "Summer school".

This is my advice from my own experience. We have one junior who had a heart attack last summer because of the pressure put on him from his parents to get into the "right" school....so beware of too much pressure. Not going to a "top dog" school is NOT the end of the world...and besides - those rankings are rubbish for the most part.

/end soapbox.

And no college outside of JHU cares about it. It's recorded, but no one else gives a damn. I took the SATs in 7th grade through that program. It was fun. I did well. It did not go in my application package, and kids who didn't take it do get into Yale and Harvard and M.I.T.

and kids that DID do it did NOT get into Yale, Harvard and MIT....

No wonder we have high schools that are low in aptitude. More Asians succeeding in schools than any other race. Clearly a culture thing, and not a rascist thing like many people perceive.

[MHandMB 0]

The most important thing, I think, is to get your child to enjoy reading. Reading improves vocabulary, spelling, writing skills, and analytical reasoning. In addition, if your child has a particular interest in something (animals, computers, drawing, music, etc), help him develop those interests. See about getting private lessons. Buy him books on the subject.

Another thing I can recommend is starting foreign languages early. If he's not already taking another language, start him with one immediately. If you have the money, use a trip to Spain or Italy as a reward if he works on learning Spanish or Italian. When he gets to high school, see if he can get involved with an exchange program and spend a semester abroad. If you have the opportunity to take him traveling, please do so.

Another thing I would recommend is volunteering. If he can get involved at an early age voluteering at a children's hospital or with the SPCA, it will teach him social responsibility, and it will be a really good experience to draw from later in life. It will also look good on a college application.

In high school, encourage him to join clubs and associations. Key club, Spanish club, the honor society, etc. It will provide him with networking contacts and help him with socialization.

Don't pressure him too much, or he might rebel. Make learning enjoyable, not a punishment, and give a reward for a job well done.

There are many people who have not gone to top tier schools who have been QUITE successful at their chosen careers. There are also many excellent schools which are not considered "Ivy League."

Good luck, but remember: he could always surprise you and decide he wants to be a chef, or a mechanic, and may not need or want to go to college at all, and can still be successful.

[CarolineM 0]

No wonder we have high schools that are low in aptitude. More Asians succeeding in schools than any other race. Clearly a culture thing, and not a rascist thing like many people perceive.

Since you are OH SO KNOWLEDGABLE can you please explain this statement??

[CarolineM 0]

Just a snippet from a college board report on sucess of different races...

Camara and Schmidt (1999) also found that Asian American students’ test performance was nearly identical to that of white students, with two exceptions: (1) Asian American students scored about one-quarter standard deviation unit lower than white students on the SAT verbal section, and (2) Asian American students scored nearly one-half a standard deviation unit higher than white students on the GRE Quantitative test.

You can find the whole report here http://www.collegeboard.com/research/pdf/0...06-5_070105.pdf

[almaty 19]

i always laugh when i see parents in my office, who have their kids future planned out for them..and the kid ends up majoring in pottery

[derekkj 0]

advice... don't pressure the kid...let him learn at his own speed and maybe, he will want to go to a state college...in the end, the choice will be his/hers and not yours.

i always laugh when i see parents in my office, who have their kids future planned out for them..and the kid ends up majoring in pottery

Once again, wise words from Brother Dean.

[Nikita2Charles 33]

Look at the school system as a supplement to your child education. When i was younger in elementary school, While I was studying chapter 3 in school, at home my mother would have me already on chapter5, so it was almost like a revision, read a lot to your child, build his selft confidence, early on as a child I was fearless, I felt i could take on the world, anybody, all of that was due to my mother insisting you can be whatever you wana be. There will be plenty of people at time trying to put you down, you should use that negative energy people throw at you and use it as a fuel to go even higher