Where do I start by getting my child into College?

1.  First if you are reading this and your child is already a senior you are way behind.  But that’s okay because we are going to talk about things you can do and I'm going to give you some helpful resources. 

2.  Does your child want to go to college, technical school or straight into the working field?  This is the first thing you and your child need to decide on.

3.  Okay, so your child wants to go to college.  Have they signed up to take the SAT or ACT? Here is a brief description for you regarding what the differences are.  What is the difference between the ACT and SAT?

The ACT is an achievement test, measuring what a student has learned in school. The SAT is more of an aptitude test, testing reasoning and verbal abilities.

The ACT has up to 5 components: English, Mathematics, Reading, Science, and an optional Writing Test. The SAT has only 3 components: Critical Reasoning, Mathematics, and a required Writing Test.

The College Board introduced a new version of the SAT in 2005, with a mandatory writing test. ACT continues to offer its well-established test, plus an optional writing test. You take the ACT Writing Test only if required by the college(s) you're applying to.

The SAT has a correction for guessing. That is, they take off for wrong answers. The ACT is scored based on the number of correct answers with no penalty for guessing.

The ACT has an Interest Inventory that allows students to evaluate their interests in various career options. http://www.actstudent.org/faq/actsat.html  

4.  If your child wants to take the SAT you can go to www.collegeboard.com  for tons of information.  Not just on sat but college preparation as well as other information.

Check back with me and let me know how you’re doing with these resources.  I would love your comments and feedback to help other parents.