No college counseling client has said: “I started too soon…”

By General Education Advice

Start the College Process Early: Guidance for Connecticut Shoreline Families

In more than twenty years of working with families throughout the Connecticut Shoreline, I cannot recall a single parent who regretted starting the college process early. I can, however, think of hundreds who regretted starting too late.

Starting early does not mean touring colleges with your eighth grader. Instead, it means that sometime during tenth grade, parents should begin thinking about the broad themes that will ultimately shape their child’s college strategy. What environment fits your child? What academic strengths or interests are emerging? What steps will help create a smooth transition into the right college?

If your child is already in eleventh grade and you have not started, begin now.

Junior year is the busiest and most stressful year of high school for students in towns such as Old Saybrook, Madison, Guilford, Essex, East Lyme, and the surrounding Shoreline communities. And the biggest time-consuming element of the college process—campus visits—comes with several challenges.

First, high school and college calendars overlap. While it seems ideal to visit schools during the summer or holiday breaks, campuses are quiet then, and students do not get a true sense of the school environment. Second, your child’s schedule becomes increasingly complicated during junior year with classes, sports, work, theater, music, or other commitments limiting weekday availability. Third, your own schedule—work obligations, caring for other children, or supporting aging parents—adds another layer of difficulty.

All of this means that the limited windows for meaningful college visits must be used wisely. Starting early gives your family the time needed to plan, research, and create a manageable schedule.

We can help you clarify your child’s college direction, plan appropriate visits, and reduce the stress that so many Shoreline families experience during this process. Contact us to begin.