Senior Year Planning for the College-Bound Student

Parents planning for their high school teenager to go off to college can often get behind the eight ball so to speak. This is a great article to help you prepare, or know where your preparation level is at, if your child is entering their senior year of high school.

Read full article here: SeniorYear Planning for the College-Bound Student

The first half of senior year is the last chance to put up a good score on one (or both) of the standardized tests.

Although some of the college admission process has already taken place, including a student’s first try at the SAT/ACT, senior year is really where the rubber meets the road. Going into this pivotal year with the right plan can make the difference in college placement or even whether a student moves on to post-secondary education at all.

Here are the things to focus on as the school year begins.

Extracurriculars

Although it’s too late to make a real impression with extracurriculars, even attempting a late effort is better than nothing. Students can join some groups that diverge from what they’ve taken part in before to show some versatility. At minimum, a student should be willing to stand up for leadership positions in their existing groups during senior year.

Planning the list

Now is the time to narrow down the list of potential colleges, organize the materials needed for those schools, and, if possible, sign up for tours. Focusing on a few schools now makes the process easier. Students can then start working on their essays and finding the right people for recommendation letters. If there is a clear first choice, early decisions periods start in September-October.

Essays

Once the choices have been narrowed down, so have the essay prompts. Starting drafts now offers many advantages:

More free time during the summer to focus

More time to revise

More people can be brought in to help review

Testing

The first half of senior year is the last chance to put up a good score on one (or both) of the standardized tests. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that a sub-standard performance has doomed your child to a lesser school. If you think they are capable of better, they should give it another try. Registration for those early testing dates begins in the summer. They should also make sure that any testing results are going to be sent to that newly-culled college list.

Financial aid

The financial aid process also starts earlier than many families think, especially if that support is coming from any government agency. Those sources and their processes need to be organized and started as soon as possible.

Senior year moves fast, so it’s prudent to use this last part of summer to make sure this final bit of college preparation time is used efficiently.

Give us a call at Athena Learning Center of College Station if you have any questions or just want to discuss “What’s next?” (979) 314-9132 or find us here: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=z-DfWj-XeCMI.kDXNaka2XDmA

Check out our older post to see if your child can benefit from tutoring here: http://bvdigitalinc.blogspot.com/2015/08/three-signs-teen-needs-tutoring.html

Three Signs That Your Teen Needs Tutoring

How To Know When Your Child Needs A Tutor

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.
-Benjamin Franklin

We’ve all heard the term “helicopter parent” and vow to not be one of those! It’s seldom easy making

the hard decisions about your child’s school decisions, especially when they get into high school. They can accuse you of meddling and push you away in those years where it’s so important to gain your child’s trust that you really DO know what’s best for them. When deciding if your child needs tutoring it can be especially tough. Bad grades don’t automatically mean that they need tutoring. It can be a sign they are not putting in their best effort to improve their grades or they just don’t think grades are important. A really good tutor can help motivate, as well as educate. Plus, they usually have years of experience working with kids and can give you an accurate assessment of your child’s motivation level as well as their strengths and weaknesses in their education. If you’re struggling with whether or not your teenager needs tutoring, keep reading and see if your child shows any of these signs.

Source:  http://obridgeacademy.com/online-education/three-signs-that-your-teen-needs-tutoring/

Active Non-Academic Life

Parents are quick to tell their teens if they think that they’re spending too much time with their friends, but aren’t as quick to notice that their teen is spending nearly all of their free time at play rehearsal, band practice, and soccer practice. A lot of parents push their kids into extracurricular activities because they know it’ll make them a more well-rounded individual, but if these activities take up too much of their time it’s easy for them to neglect their school work.  Since most teens have been participating in these activities for years most won’t want to give them up, but tutoring could help you and your teen come to a compromise.  If you sign your teen up for tutoring they’ll be able to get the extra academic help they need, and they won’t have to sacrifice their grades in order to do things that they’re passionate about.

Lack of Motivation

Your teen does okay in school, but you know that their grades would be better if they put more effort into their work.  They coast through most of their classes, and openly admit that they’re doing the minimum amount of work required to pass.  A weekly tutoring session could help your teen become more motivated in the class room.  Sometimes teens coast through classes because they don’t feel like they’re being challenged, but a tutor could help get them excited about learning again.

Busy Parents

When you’re exhausted after work it can be difficult to give your teen the academic attention they need, and tutoring can help fill that gap. Teenagers are at a strange stage in their lives where they’re

almost old enough to make their own decisions and handle themselves, but they still need some help and supervision from their parents.  A tutor can help your child academically, but you should still work on becoming more engaged in your teen’s school work.  When you come in after a long day at work and see your teen sitting at their desk, do you simply ask them if they’re doing their homework, or do you take time to ask about the assignment?  When you see them studying for a test do ask them how it’s going or do you ask them something about the topic they’re studying?  Try making little changes in the way you ask them about work, then you’ll be able to learn more about how they’re doing in school.

We Can Help

Feel free at any time to give us a call here at Athena Learning Center of CollegeStation at   (979) 314-9132. We would count it a privilege to discuss your child’s needs with you. You can find us at 3505 Longmire Drive, College Station TX 77845 and be sure to check out our website or find us on Facebook or our Google Business Page.

Athena Learning Center of College Station - Tutoring College Station Texas

Athena Learning Center of College Station - Tutoring College Station Texas



Premiere tutoring for grades K-12 in the Bryan College Station area.

Call at (979) 314-9132 or you can find them here



Athena Learning Center of College Station

3505 Longmire Drive

College Station, TX  77845