Sprinting at the end of a 13-year marathon

Is there a raging case of senioritis in your house? Do you have a teenager slumping or slacking? It's a time-honored tradition at the end of our basic education: relax the last few months. While that hasn't changed, colleges and universities keep close tabs on their incoming freshmen in the last few months of high school.

Colleges and universities accept students based on their demonstrated ability to be successful at school, and have been known to withdraw offers of acceptance based on a high school senior's performance within the last semester. Students who don't demonstrate discipline and focus may not succeed within a school's curriculum.

Once they are at school, that ability to stay focused and work diligently also is good preparation for dealing with the constant expectations of college-level work. ACT's research shows that about one-third of college students don't return for their second year at their original school. In the spirit of finishing what you started, getting through a full-blown case of senioritis shows an ability to see projects to fruition.

So how do you keep your child motivated? Here are a few suggestions:

• Ensure your teen goes to class every day. Don't let your child skip classes because he "deserves" it.
• Encourage your child to press on with challenging classes to demonstrate the ability to stay focused.
• Help your child find an engaging community service or research project to complement his or her career interests if his or her schedule allows. Remember that a student can become as overwhelmed or even over-engaged in a "fun" project as in a part-time job. Be sure to help your student manage time effectively.
• Encourage your student to include some downtime and fun activities in his or her schedule to avoid burnout.

Encourage your student to work hard through the end of the year.

Summertime can be learning time

Summer is a great time to continue learning. If your high school junior has already taken the ACT test and would like to strengthen his or her score, summer is a great time to build that knowledge. Here are some tips to enhance your teen's learning throughout summer:

• Visit your local library. Public libraries are great resources for additional learning materials. A librarian can help your student locate items targeted to his or her needs. What is not available locally often can be retrieved through interlibrary loan programs.
• Seek out tutors. Talk with teachers and the school counselor for help locating individual coaching in areas in which your child wants to improve or even enhance their skills.
• Use every opportunity to learn. Taking a family vacation? Encourage your teen to learn about the area you'll visit, its history and demographics. Painting your house? With your child, learn about the chemistry of paint or have your child calculate the amount of paint needed to cover the desired square footage.
• Read, read, read. Summer is a great time to read a book without a deadline. Encourage your student to become immersed in each story, researching the author and relevant history.
• Take a trip around the world in 80 days. Since summer break typically lasts about 80 days, work with your teen to map a journey around the globe by studying different areas each week.

By taking advantage of every opportunity, you'll have fun and learn at the same time.

What courses does your child need for college?

ACT has suggested a Core Curriculum to prepare for college-level work. Make sure your child checks the requirements for the colleges and programs in which he or she is interested to see if additional classes are needed.

ACT recommends that students take a Core Curriculum of at least:

• Four years of English.
• Three years of mathematics, including rigorous courses in Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II.
• Three years of science, including rigorous courses in Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
• Three years of social studies coursework.

The number one reason to take the right courses is to prepare to do college work and avoid the need to take remedial courses in college. It's a waste of time and money to take basic courses in college that a student should have taken in high school.

And worse yet, a student can become discouraged and drop out. ACT research shows that about about one-third of college students don't return for their second year at their original school and only half graduate from the same four-year college within five years.

Explain to your child that the idea is to get through college, not just into college.

How colleges use ACT scores

Many students view their ACT scores as a key that opens the door to their college of choice. It might be helpful to really know how colleges view the scores.

Colleges view ACT results as one of many valuable pieces of information in admitting and placing new students in their institution. They use the results in a variety of ways:

Admission decisions. ACT test results, high school grades, academic preparation, out-of-class accomplishments, special interests, and future plans—these and other kinds of information help admission officials identify applicants who can benefit most from their programs. Scores alone don't determine whether a student is admitted or not.

Course placement. Colleges usually try to take into account individual strengths and weaknesses as they place students in freshman-year courses. For example, a college may offer three sections of a subject—developmental, regular, and advanced. A student's ACT results, academic background, and high school grades are increasingly used to determine which section would be most appropriate.

Academic advising. College academic advisors may consider ACT results, high school academic program, high school grades, college grade estimates, planned extracurricular activities, areas in which there is a need for help, and part-time employment plans to help a student tailor an appropriate program of study.

Scholarships and loans. Some scholarship and loan agencies may use ACT test scores and grade predictions to identify qualified candidates. However, the agencies may look at more than academic potential. The ACT score report also provides information about a student's educational needs, extracurricular achievements, and educational plans. This information, along with high school grades and test scores, helps agencies evaluate applications for scholarships, loans, and other financial assistance.

If a student takes the ACT Plus Writing, the colleges receiving his or her scores will receive a Writing score and comments along with subject area scores and Composite score. Colleges may choose to review the essay to help make admissions or course placement decisions.

More information on scores is available at www.actstudent.org.

ACT test date reminder

The next national ACT test date is June 14, 2008. The late registration deadline (with an additional fee) is May 10–23. Register online today at actstudent.org.

Nineteen states—Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and West Virginia—will offer the test on September 13. All states will test on October 25. View all 2008–09 ACT test dates.

An optional Writing Test is available in addition to the multiple-choice achievement test. Find out about the Writing Test on the ACT student website, including the colleges that require it.

On the ACT student website, check out the test prep aids. Free sample questions are available along with test-day tips, a list of what to bring, and approved calculators for use on the Math Test.

Preparing for the ACT, a booklet with a complete practice test, scoring key, writing prompt and sample essays, is available to download on the Test Prep section of actstudent.org. The ACT registration packet, available from the counseling office, also contains the booklet. Sign up for ACT Online Prep™, the only test prep program developed exclusively by ACT test development professionals. It is a very inexpensive tool your student can use for a full year.

For all your questions about the ACT test, visit ACT's student website.

See also:

ACT's Information for Parents

The ACT

PLAN

EXPLORE

Financial Aid

College Search

Careers