For many parents, the process of college applications can seem overwhelming. Many parents would do just about anything to make sure their child can gain acceptance to the school of their dreams. While flashy illegal schemes often make headlines, here are three ways regular law-abiding citizens can help give their child an edge.Invest In Your Child’s Education Early
It is important to invest in your child’s education well before it comes time to apply for colleges. Enrolling pre-school and elementary aged students into programs like Genie Academy helps them to build valuable skills that they carry with them throughout their lives. At Genie Academy, children learn enriched math, reading, writing, and coding content and learn effective study skills. Reading Genie’s writing program helps prepare students to become excellent writers, a skill that certainly comes in handy when it is time to write a college essay. Attendance in these programs also helps students develop strong study habits such as organization, time management, and focus.
Make Your Child A Self-Advocate
Colleges want to admit students who are capable of both the academic and emotional demands of higher education. Students who rely on their parents to speak up for them are not able to speak up for themselves during college interviews. Parents need to allow students the time to build their self-advocacy skills. The Reading Genie public speaking curriculum prepares students to speak publicly and confidently, skills that are vital for students who advocate for their own needs to possess. Genie Academy teachers often encourage self-advocacy skills in their classes, encouraging students to ask for help and articulate their concerns clearly.
Develop Strong Character
Colleges want students that will be an asset to their school. While academics are always a top priority, letters of recommendation and personal essays often help students stand out. While students and parents cannot control what teachers and counselors put into letters of recommendation, acting with strong character is one way to ensure the recommender will have nothing but kind words to say about your student. These strong character traits, such as respect, responsibility, kindness, integrity, determination, and enthusiasm are directly in line with Genie Academy’s core values and can help your child stand out.
And in the end...
There’s a lot that is out of your control when it comes to the college application process. It can be stressful. Before doing anything that could later prove regrettable, parents can taker these three steps and rest a bit easier that they’ve done what they could to give their child an ede without breaking the law.
