"Lessons Learned from a College Counselor"
http://blog.teenlife.com/2011/07/lessons-learned-from-a-college-guidance-counselor-that-parents-should-study/#more-162
Excerpt:
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Excerpt:
1. Help your kids live their own dreams. If majoring in Economics at Princeton is mom’s ambition, that’s fine. But if art school is the kid’s dream, help him or her do great work. Smitty worked with each student seeing what was unique about him or herself—and cast a light on that.
2. Kids need to slow down and savor the opportunities of middle and high school—in the classroom, in museums, in clubs. Don’t join a group or take on community service because it looks good on an application; do it to make a difference. Let’s stop gazing at the next step on the path to success. High school is not about collecting merit badges to impress colleges, and college is not about wowing grad schools.
3. Realize that a 16- or 17-year-old is far from formed, and so personalities and goals change. In this country, adolescence is prolonged. A high school student who is determined to go to med school might change dramatically after confronting organic chemistry in college. Smitty shows families that it’s critical to have a range of experiences. Learn another language. Get a summer job, even bussing tables in a restaurant. Mingle with people you wouldn’t usually talk to. Make sure you can do practical things, like cooking a meal and balancing a checkbook.
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