Asian Fortune Your source for all things Asian American
By Seth Karafin
Do you know how low college acceptance rates were this year? A New York Times article reports that of the 35,023 people who applied to Harvard, only 2,029 were accepted. That’s an acceptance rate of just 5.79%. Or take Stanford, where 38,828 applied and only 2,210 were accepted, an acceptance rate of only 5.69%.
How about at the University of Pennsylvania? The report notes that only 3,785 out of 31,280 applicants were admitted. That’s an acceptance rate of 12.1%.
So why should you care? Simply put, these are the statistics your children are destined to become. They will fall in one of these two columns: Accepted or rejected.
The difference between those two outcomes lies largely in preparation. As parents, your responsibility is to prepare your children for their best possible future. A strong foundation for a good future starts at a good school.
No doubt, good grades and savings are important steps along the Admissions Road. But motivation and knowledge are much more important. They will drive your child to push and strive toward those opportunities you so badly want for them. No amount of money or studying is going to make your child dream of the future.
When we’re young, adulthood just seems too far away. We don’t really have a sense of the future, much less an ability to plan for it. The best thing you can do for your children is to engage them in the process of thinking about and planning for their future early. The 9th and 10th grade are a really good time to start.
College fairs are a great first step on the road to their future. This is where knowledge and motivation can begin.
Attending a college fair is an eye-opening experience. It provides your children with a window to a world they can’t really imagine. It takes them outside their comfort zones and forces them to think through things that are easy to avoid while sitting in front of a computer. You can use such an opportunity to help them to get lost in the excitement of all the endless possibilities and opportunities. After all, there are over 2,000 four-year colleges in the US and countless potential majors.
While all of this can be very exciting, the sad truth is that, in a lot of ways, getting into a good school is a lot like getting a job in today’s economy. There are too many candidates and not nearly enough positions. Consider, too, how fierce competition has become and you have a daunting task at hand. So get started early and stay strong to get ahead of the curve. After all, which column do you want your child to fall in: Accepted or rejected?
How You and Your Child Can Get Started
1. Start a dialogue with your child about their future. Don’t be afraid to give opinions, but avoid forcing guidance upon them. That is one of the quickest ways to sap your child’s excitement and motivation.
2. Research schools together that meet the ideas they have for their future. Google is useful. But there are lots of other good sources out there, too.
a. The U.S. News and World Report is known for its wealth of college knowledge.
b. The Princeton Review is also considered a high quality source of information.
c. Student.collegeboard.org has a wealth of useful and easy to use exploration tools.
3. Research upcoming College Fairs. Attend 2 each year. The DC National College Fair is on November 6th. Almost 200 schools have registered to join this event.
4. Before you go, decide which schools you want to investigate. Make a plan for how you will spend your time. Otherwise, before you know it, the day will have gone by.
5. Decide on your top five questions that will influence your decisions. Common ones are; courses of study, academic culture, housing, campus activities, and study abroad opportunities, but there are lots of others. Choose the five most relevant to you.
6. Have fun together. This is an exciting time. The day your child’s life accelerates.
About the Author
Seth Karafin is an accomplished Career and Resume Accelerator. He specializes in helping people figuring out what they want to do with their professional lives. Then he helps them put together accelerated resumes so they can get hired to do it. He works with people of all ages, and at all stages of life. For more information, visit www.multi-dimensionalcoaching.com. To contact Seth, email him at seth@multi-dimensionalcoaching.com or call 703-679-8149.
