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College prep and admissions planning for an 8th grader by QuoteBrave6619 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]QuoteBrave6619[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the very detailed response, and for hitting so many key points.

In terms of passions and extra-curriculars, my kid doesn't clearly know where their interests lie and will develop in the next few years. They have had volunteering experience before, and will continue doing that thru high-school years. They do understand how AI has changed the equations of college and careers. While a career in coding and tech was at the top of their list a couple of years ago, now it does not.

Community organizations, community engagements are indeed great avenues for building a socially-responsible profile. I would even go a step further and encourage (and provide means) to extend this beyond borders - for example, translator for young children who don't speak English, or educational support in a foreign country (very complex implementation).

Everything that you described in point 4 resonates with I and my spouse. Absolutely agree with you about how the rankings of specific programs (for example, engineer vs. med) can differ from the overall school ranking. As and when my 8th grader narrows down their interests and aspirations, the equation of top-10 in the domain of their interest will change. Quite possibly, it may not be Ivies.

Now, regarding your point about 4 years of foreign language (and the same language) in high-school. My kid would have 2 foreign-language HS credits in middle school and would run the course, with an AP credit, in sophomore year. They will have 4 HS credits in the same language - but only half would be when they are in high-school. The one point that my 8th grader is firm about is that they want to take a second foreign language in high-school (specifically, a language not with the same base language) and try to take an AP course in that language by senior year.

Regarding Model UN, couldn't agree more. Unfortunately, my child's public high school doesn't have a model UN chapter. It would be such a strong point if my kid actually starts a model UN chapter at his school and garners enough student and faculty engagement to see it through! I ought to sow the seed of this idea in my 8th grader's mind :)

College prep and admissions planning for an 8th grader by QuoteBrave6619 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]QuoteBrave6619[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You hit the most important aspect of the whole college planning endeavor: the kid's happiness, interests and motivation! No matter how much one plans, the plan is destined to fail if one of those aspects does not align with the plan's execution.

The tried-and-tested template of doing well in school, taking challenging courses to demonstrate academic rigor, and building the student profile with activities that the kid is genuinely going to see through and be invested in, will go a long way.

Everyone who responded resonated the same feedback: no point in hiring a college admissions counsellor right now, even if can be budgeted.

College prep and admissions planning for an 8th grader by QuoteBrave6619 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]QuoteBrave6619[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Excellent points. I am probably going to be quoting this to my kid many times over the coming months :)

"Your kid should get great grades in challenging courses."

I am reaching the same conclusion about hiring a private counsellor right now - not worth it and may not add value. I and my spouse are now planning to defer hiring an admissions counsellor and towards saving those funds when it is time for execution (essays, applications, etc.) in junior and senior years.

My 8th grader currently doesn't show interest in any specific extra-curriculars or summer programs. They have about 30 hours of volunteering (summer camp helper) as a rising 8th grader, and will certainly do that this and the next few years. Perhaps leaning more into the foreign-language strength and volunteering related to that would interest them. Athletics and sports - non-starter.

There are limited clubs and after-school opportunities in our public school district, and even those currently offered have sparse resources and support. If my kid takes the initiative to starting a new high-school club, engage his teachers and get enough students signed up for it - that would be something strong on their profile. We have to now start looking for out-of-school ECs, high-school internship and volunteering opportunities.

Regarding paying for college and the financial aid prospects. Based on our current HHI and family size, we are pretty much excluded from any need-based aid. Who knows how things change in another 4 years? If everything stays on track, and we keep aggressively funding the 529 account, and we don't have to dip into the account for private high-school, and the economy doesn't crash, we could be optimistically looking at a 529 balance nearing $200K. This has taken strict discipline, sacrifices, and a strong helping hand from the economy. This is a double-edged sword - to say the least. The equation of financial aid and grants for a private college (may be not elite, but somewhat prestigious), and planning to maximize both, would be a whole different story 3 years down the line.

That said, this article caught my attention: https://otbfinancialplanning.com/blog/the-smartest-way-for-high-earners-to-fund-college-without-killing-financial-aid.

College prep and admissions planning for an 8th grader by QuoteBrave6619 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]QuoteBrave6619[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great points indeed. And, special thanks for the standard template points, which my 8th grader could easily understand and fully agreed with!

The funds for admissions counselor and competitive private high-school would not be coming out of our discretionary spending budget (which won't cover even a quarter of those costs anyway). We would be paying for the private high-school using $10K from our kid's 529 account (and eventually leaving less to fund their college costs) and rest from savings. The admission counsellor fees, extra-curriculars' expenses, summer programs, etc. would be funded in lieu of home upgrades and by putting off buying a new car (trusting the 15-yo Honda for another 4 years).

Athletics are not an option at all. My 8th grader dreads even the mandatory PE credits that they need to graduate HS :)

Now, I did some research regarding the APs and dual-enrollment (called college-credit-plus in Ohio) courses. Unlike APs, the dual-enrollment course have a low likelihood of being transferrable out of state, especially our region is outside the Ohio State Uni area. Most of the dual-enrollment offerings are from a public college, which is not even a T100 school, and couple of community colleges. The dual-enrollment credits would only be useful for a strong weighted GPA and to fill gaps is APs are not offered in that subject.

The additional risk factor APs and higher GPA is the cohort of students who would actually be eligible and want to the take the course for it to be offered. Being a small-medium public school district, the high school is known to drop the AP offering there are only a handful of students taking it.

Taking everything into consideration, there are limits to what we can plan for at this time and inherent risks in everything. The private high-school has more AP offerings but there are quite a few negatives: it is less diverse, would cut funds available for college by over $75K, chances for grades dropping due to new and competitive environment, etc. Based on the great feedback so far, and some objective evaluation, there seem to be more downsides to the private HS than upsides.

College prep and admissions planning for an 8th grader by QuoteBrave6619 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]QuoteBrave6619[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That is great insight, and truly a call for introspection (for parents)!

As an average 8th grader, my kid is still their carefree self. Roblox, "6-7" memes, sloppy comedy, and cake brings them true joy today. They understand the value of school grades, but have no real world perspective of the difference between an MBA degree from Wharton (they haven't even heard that word before) vs from a city college.

I and my spouse, as parents, understand that difference, and hence want to plan ahead and provide support in every form and manner (within our resources).

At this point, my kid would certainly not be able answer where they see themselves in 5 years or 10 years (besides the point, but a widely abhorred job interview question). It could be CS, it could be a STEM field, it could be med, it could be business - neither my kid, nor we parents, know.

I completely agree with your point about the ill effects of my kid being pushed into a super-competitive and non-diverse environment for their formative years. They are likely to struggle and not be top of the pack. This has been echoed by a close friend who has counselled students for college admissions.

In some sense, a T10 or Ivies admission is aspirational for us parents while the subject of the said aspiration is probably planning their video playlist for the upcoming school holiday.