College Counseling for Connecticut Parents: Juniors start now.. and sophomores too….!

“We are in panic mode…” so said yet another parent of a senior.  Her daughter from Madison’s Daniel Hand High School is a strong student, a good kid etc. but she like most was frozen in place due to the pandemic and did not start the college process until senior year began.

The pandemic creates a genuine reason for late starts.  My hope is that no parent – or student – feels badly about starting the college process late this year.  You… understand.  No need to explain.

Historically, however, even our well educated Connecticut clientele includes a bigger than expected group of late starters to the college process.

There are reasons but, unlike the pandemic, none are particularly compelling at least in the context of the magnitude of the life transition (your child is moving away from home!) compared to the first step required (anything from opening up a college guide book to meeting with a college counselor).

If you are a parent of a college junior, the time to start is now.   Planning the very time consuming challenging year ahead should start asap.

Indeed, sophomores, at least those considering competitive colleges should also start the process.

I’ve certainly heard many parents say “I should have started earlier…

So far, I’ve never had a parent complain that they started too soon.