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Parents' Guide to College Planning for Gifted Kids

Gifted Kids Need More Time, Not Less

Parents' Guide to College Planning for Gifted Kids I always thought that college planning would be easier for gifted students -- until my own gifted children started the process. I found out that, contrary to myths, planning for college is actually more difficult for the gifted:

Many gifted kids are good at everything and interested in everything. With more than 3,500 colleges and an infinite number of college majors, decision-making may seem overwhelming.

Most gifted kids are very sensitive to family expectations. When children grow up hearing stories about a particular college, they may pick up the underlying message that they'll simply go to that same school and don't need to plan alternatives.

Believing that there is lots of time while they're young, many gifted kids avoid the topic for as long as possible. The decisions made in last-minute planning are not likely to be based on self-exploration.

Every student needs an optimal match between his needs and a college's offerings. Your gifted student -- who's good at and likes everything -- needs more time to plan this match, not less. Beyond the SAT and before the acceptance letter, college planning means learning about strengths, discovering talents and interests, exploring careers, understanding what colleges offer, and deciding how to match this unique mix with a college experience.

Middle School, and Starting High School
Seventh and Eighth Grades
This is the time to explore new activities. Your child should look for summer programs or clubs that will allow her to explore her interests and try out new activities. If the program costs too much, find out if scholarships are available. Some state advocacy groups offer scholarships for summer programs. Gifted seventh- and eighth- graders need time to learn about themselves, their strengths, and their favorite subjects and activities.

This is also a crucial time to acquire good study and time-management skills. While some courses from these early years will appear on the high-school transcript, the grades earned now will be far less important to colleges than the grades earned by junior year.

Traps to Avoid for High School
Entering high school, your college-bound teen might be tempted to:

Focus on getting into college instead of on having the experiences she'll need to succeed once she's there. During high school, students are in the process of "becoming." Trying a variety of experiences and identifying interests and strengths is an important part of becoming an adult.

Join extracurricular activities only to impress colleges instead of participating in activities that will help him grow as a person. It's true that colleges look at extracurricular activities. However, they really want to know who the applicant is, what activities he enjoys, and how he'll contribute to campus life.

Avoid rigorous courses because she might not get an A. Colleges need to know if students can succeed in college-level work. They would rather see a lower grade in a rigorous course like calculus than an A in a course like consumer math.

The High-School Grades, and College TrapsNinth and Tenth Grades
By ninth grade, your child should develop a four-year plan to guide her academic courses and extracurricular activities. You can help her shape a flexible schedule that will accommodate time for studying, extracurricular activities, working out, spending time with friends, relaxing, and volunteering her talents in the community.

This is the time to start thinking about SATs and ACTs. If your school offers the PSAT to students in ninth or tenth grade, it's great for practice. If your child's scores are lower than expected, talk with him about a prep course. Instructors can analyze his answer sheets and tell him how to raise scores.

At the end of ninth and tenth grades, your child should review her four-year plan with you and her school counselor. If her grades need a boost, she should think about eliminating some activities in order to focus on classes. Colleges look for level of commitment in -- not the number of -- school and extracurricular activities. Can your gifted child take up a leadership role in something she's interested in?

Your child is probably already thinking about careers. Why not consider an internship program that might clarify career possibilities? Most high schools offer vocational aptitude tests, interest inventories, learning style inventories, or personality tests to help students begin exploring career fields. Talk about the topic of careers as a family.

Find tips just for ninth- and tenth-graders!

Eleventh and Twelfth Grades
These are the years when study skills and time management really count. Your child should take the most rigorous courses he can manage.

Networking counts! Your teen should take advantage of career-planning activities, shadowing, and other ways of looking closely at the connection between academics and the world of work.

Your child should make sure he is on track for ACTs, SAT I and II, Advanced Placement tests, and any other standardized tests that colleges use to compare students from different parts of the country.

The ABCs of selecting colleges becomes a priority. Kids experience a lot of anxiety around the college admissions process and often think that they have no control over the outcome. In your role as a guide, you can offer your child this advice: "There are three decisions in going to college, and the student gets to make two of them -- where to apply and where to attend. The college makes the decision in the middle -- whom to accept." But even in the acceptance game, the student controls a lot -- in the careful attention to the application's details, in the form of her essay, her interview, and in how she presents her extracurriculars. All in all, it would be better to say that there are three decisions, and your child gets to make two-and-a-half of them!

Find tips just for eleventh- and twelfth-graders!

Traps to Avoid for College
Your college-bound child might be thinking:

"I'm going to college X because my family wants me to go there.'' Selecting a college should be a match between your child's strengths and interests and the school's offerings.

"College X is too expensive for me.'' Parents can put together a financial-aid plan that takes their child through all four years. After a student has completed one year successfully, there are often more opportunities for scholarships and work-study.

"I'm not applying there because I'll be rejected.'' Encourage your child to select a range of schools: those that match his credentials, safety schools that are "easy-ins," and one or two longshots that will provide a variety of options. You both might be surprised.

"If college X doesn't want me, I'll be unhappy for the next four years.'' Your child might not have the identical experience; however, she will probably enjoy any school that is a good match for her interests and talents.

What You Look ForColleges spend huge sums creating idyllic images of campus life. With more than 3,500 colleges all vying for students, how does your child decide where to spend the next four years? When your child learns about colleges, she should:

Read about, visit, and talk with people from about 10 to 12 colleges.

Narrow down her list to 5 or 6 choices: one long shot, one safety, and four good matches.

Consider her personal values, interests, and needs.

Consider the variety and range of each college's opportunities.

Be realistic about cost and the distance away from home.

Try to determine the method colleges use to select a freshman.

What Colleges Look For
Many gifted teens are drawn to the most competitive schools, those that receive more than 20 applications for every freshman vacancy. The way your teen addresses the application process will be critical. Applications require both objective information (like test scores, biographical data, and academic information) and subjective information (including recommendations, extracurricular activities, an essay, and a personal interview). It's his job to help the college recognize him as a match. They examine:

1. Academic performance: GPA (grade point average) and class rank.

2. Academic rigor: A student who shows superior ability (honors, AP courses, and GT classes).

3. Depth of study in areas like foreign languages and math.

4. Quality: Four or five solid, academic courses taken each year in English, math, science, history, and language.

5. Balance: Evidence that the student studied broadly and intensively.

6. Trends: Do grades improve each year? Recent performance is the most important indicator of ability and motivation. Senior sliding hurts!

7. Consistency: All parts should equal the whole. If a discrepancy appears (a C- in freshman year in physics, for instance) it should be addressed and clarified in an essay or personal statement.

8. Standardized tests: It's helpful to know that many colleges combine test scores (SAT, ACT, SAT IIs) with GPA and class rank. If your child is not a good test-taker, avoid colleges that do this or be sure test scores aren't so low that she'll be out of the running.

9. Extracurricular activities: If two students are equal academically, the highly selective schools make their decisions on the creative presentation of extracurricular activities, leadership, quality recommendations, the essay/personal statement, and the interview.

10. Community service: Colleges look for students who share their time and talents with the community by helping others. Giving to the community tells admissions officers that your child will be an asset to the college and will, more than likely, form a close, long-term attachment there.

11. Recommendations: Teachers writing these all-important letters should be positive and point out the ways your child distinguishes himself from others.

12. The essay: Many gifted students have trouble dealing with open-ended questions. Colleges are looking to see if the prospective student is capable of college-level work. If your child writes beautiful, creative prose, be sure she also documents sources and presents genuine information.

Remember: When those letters of acceptance start rolling in, you should anticipate that your gifted teen may have problems "breaking away." Friendships and relationships have been nurtured through the years -- these kids all know their lives will be changing. However, with planning and a spirit of cooperation, this time can also become a learning experience that will empower your child. Give him the map. Show her the way.

This article was adapted from the book, College Planning for Gifted Students, by Sandra Berger, of The Council for Exceptional Children.