When I asked Jeremy Spencer, Director of Admissions at Alfred University, to identify the biggest blunders made by college applicants, "failing to limit parents' involvement" made his list of top mistakes.
Today we get some great advice for parents from Mike Sexton, the Vice President of Enrollment Management at Santa Clara University. When asked what he thinks every applicant's parent should know, Mike offered these five tips:
- Take out the "we" and let YOUR child choose and apply to the college he/she wants to attend. This is not a do-over for you; you're not going to your dream college through your child.
- Take the coach role rather than the agent. Ultimately, it's the student that goes out on the floor, so give them advice when they ask for it.
- Know your child's organizational skills. If your teen has trouble managing time, be there to remind him/her of deadlines.
- Don't let the college application process consume your teen's attention span. But at the same time let him/her know that you care and that you're there.
- Never assume the process is the same today as it was when you and/or your older child applied to college.
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