9 minute read
How to Prepare for College
3 STEPS TO HELP YOUR CHILD GET READY
By Michelle Bourg
Attending college has long been a cornerstone of the American dream, and the majority of students hope to do so. But the path to getting there is a winding and long one: educators and college admissions officers recommend that planning for college begins when a child reaches sixth grade. For modern families, the three keys to navigating the path to college successfully are being proactive, organized and communicative.
OFF TO A GOOD START: MIDDLE AND JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
In Georgia, the concept of proactivity has been mandated with the BRIDGE (Building Resourceful Individuals to Develop Georgia’s Economy) Act, which helps students select a focused study plan by providing career counseling and regularly scheduled advisement beginning in sixth grade. (For more information, visit the Georgia Department of Education website at www.gadoe.org).
Students begin by taking the Career Cluster Inventory and creating a YouScience portfolio to track their BRIDGE activities. During the spring of their eighth-grade year, students must select a career area and draft a corresponding course of study called an IGP (Individual
Graduation Plan) in consultation with parents, counselors and teachers.
Parents should communicate with their children about school performance and its impact on a future career by discussing possible career interests and helping them to develop good study habits, identifying academic areas that need improvement. The PSAT 8/9 offers a snapshot of a child’s academic strengths and weaknesses so families can create a plan of action.
STAYING THE COURSE: NINTH AND TENTH GRADES
As high school begins, parents and students should establish a good relationship with the guidance counselor and work with him or her to select prerequisite courses for advanced-level work. If any subjects are giving difficulty, additional help should be sought in order to be up to speed going forward. It’s critical to maintain grades and test performance, as colleges look at a student’s entire high school career.
Sophomore year is when the first standardized placement tests are taken; 10th-graders may take the PSAT 10 or the ACT prerequisite PLAN test. Qualified students should look into the MOWR (Move On When Ready) program, which enables qualified Georgia high school students to take college courses and receive both high school and college credit.
Co-curricular participation is one of the most memorable parts of the high school experience and a key factor in college admissions. Students should try some out now and find one or two they will enjoy long-term. This is also a good time to begin satisfying the community service graduation requirement. Parents should monitor their child’s schedule to ensure that academics and co-curriculars remain in balance.
While the nitty-gritty of financial planning is still in the future, during freshman year families should start to discuss financial aid, scholarships and the student’s responsibilities, if any. A good place to start
is by visiting the website of the Georgia Student Finance Commission (www.gafutures.org) for information.
By the end of the year, Georgia ninth-graders must complete a supervised investigation of at least three potential careers and record them in their Georgia Career Information System (GCIS) portfolio. The summer between ninth and 10th grade is when research into college options should begin, with a file kept on each school to compare later.
Over summer break, students should make a list of desired criteria to guide their college explorations and intensify their research into different schools.
THE HOME STRETCH: 11TH AND 12TH GRADES
In junior year, the pace for college-bound students intensifies dramatically, and life will seem like a non-stop parade of deadlines. Standardized tests begin with the PSAT in October, and it takes discipline to balance studying for tests, keeping up with regular coursework, extracurricular activities and volunteer or employment
responsibilities. Regular family meetings will keep everyone on the same page—making a weekly pizza date to talk things over will also carve out some quality de-stressing time. Using a family organization phone app such as Cozi or even a large-format wall calendar makes keeping track of test dates and application deadlines easier.
Now is the time to begin evaluating colleges in earnest. Under BRIDGE, Georgia students must investigate at least three postsecondary institutions and record the information in their GCIS portfolio by the end of junior year. Using the list of personal criteria and the school information they’ve gathered, students should make a ranked list of potential schools and make appointments to visit several. It’s also a good point to begin requesting letters of recommendation from respected mentors. Meanwhile, parents should begin reviewing the financial picture and making a budget.
The summer between junior and senior year is critical; in addition to working on jobs or internships, students need to finalize their list of schools and visit as many as possible, begin crafting application essays, organize financial aid info and consider applying early decision to the top schools on the list.
As senior year begins, students and their families have to hit the ground running. The SAT (and if applicable, the ACT) must be taken as soon as possible; it’s important to check the SAT subject test schedule, as some tests are only given on select dates. There may be final campus visits to make even as the essay and application process is in full swing, and it’s imperative to maintain grades and class rank, as colleges scrutinize these carefully. As the year progresses, students must track acceptances, and if placed on a waitlist for their top choices, consider applying to schools with later deadlines.
Parents will also be busy, as financial aid applications are time-consuming and must be completed as soon as possible. For information on college scholarships, parents and their children can visit The Scholarship System website (thescholarshipsystem.com) to find out how to properly apply for scholarships. According to its website, the System’s members have won more than $10.5 million in scholarships as of August.
If their son or daughter has applied to both public and private schools, it will be necessary to complete both the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and the CSS (College Scholarship Service) Profile. As acceptances are received, families will need to compare the aid packages offered as they work together toward a final decision.
It’s been a long road, but as the portfolio is finally closed with the entry “College,” at last it’s time to raise a toast at the graduation party and savor the accomplishment. All too soon it will be time to shop for those dorm supplies.
Atlanta Academy
Molding Minds with Creativity and Innovation
By Everett Catts
When you step onto Atlanta Academy’s campus in Roswell, you’ll see a school where creativity, diversity and community are paramount. Those tenets play into the school’s beliefs and mission, which include molding students into innovative thinkers who can adapt as they prepare for the future.
Atlanta Academy was founded in 2000 by seven teachers, and its success can be credited to an educator’s focus.
“I hire well and I train my teachers well and provide ongoing training so that they are always at the top of their game,” Head of School Angela Naples says. “But also, I look to my teachers for a lot of input when choosing curriculum and programs because they’re in the trenches. The teachers are our backbone. It’s worth your time and money to invest in your team, and your whole admin staff as well, not just the classroom teachers.”
Today the K-8 school sits on nine acres and the campus includes two STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) labs, three science labs, two art classrooms, a gymnasium, a greenhouse and a recording studio, with some of those facilities being new. As part of its STEAM program, the school has a chicken coop, used to raise chickens, and an aeroponic garden, where it raises trout before releasing them into the Chattahoochee River. Atlanta Academy also recently expanded its after-school programs and summer camps.
The school has about 375 students enrolled in the 2022-23 school year, with a 60-member faculty and a max class size of 16 students.
Atlanta Academy was honored for its success in 2017, when it was named a National Blue Ribbon School. The award is given by the U.S. Department of Education to public and private elementary, middle and high schools for their “overall academic excellence or their progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups,” according to the department’s website. Naples says the school’s well-rounded program of classes and extracurricular activities, with a mixture of traditional and modern approaches, makes it stand out.
“We’re very forward thinking and we’re very diverse,” she says, adding 37 percent of its students are minorities. “We do a lot of application, not just memorization of knowledge. We believe in exposing the children to everything. … We have strong acceptance rates into the high schools, both the private schools and also the Advanced Placement courses in public schools.”
Naples says the small classroom size, including a 6-to-1 studentto-teacher ratio, helps teachers get to know each student in his or her class, plus his or her family. The parents, in turn, are actively involved with the school, volunteering and attending school events often. Teachers even split their classes into smaller groups.
From start to finish—the day opens with a schoolwide morning prayer and closes with extracurricular activities that include eight sports and a top-notch performing and visual arts program—Atlanta Academy prepares students well for their next step in life. N
Grades: Pre-K (age 2)-8th grade Student/Teacher Ratio: 6:1 Tuition: $12,200-$26,610 Location: Roswell THE SPECIFICS
Contact: 2000 Holcomb Woods Pkwy., Roswell, GA 30076 678-461-6102 Web: atlantaacademy.com
