If you once spent endless hours sourcing effective ways to get your child interested in studying, you may be surprised to hear that they’ve set their sights on higher education. However, there are many benefits associated with getting a degree. For example, it can:
- Help them find their dream job.
- Enhance their earning potential.
- Enable them to try out new experiences and make new friends.
- Allow them to develop personally and professionally.
However, in order for this to be possible, they have to first receive an offer from the school(s) of their choice, which is sometimes easier said than done, especially if they are applying to a prestigious college or university.
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With that in mind, here are some simple tips that you can use to help your teen get into college or university.
- Help them figure out what they want. Your teen should not go to university or college for the sake of it – they should have a clear career goal in mind, or an idea of which industry they want to progress into. This will enable them to make the most of their time and ensure their money is not going to waste. As a result, you should spend some time identifying different career areas for your kid to consider, focusing on their skills, talents and interests.
- Help them identify their skills. Whether they are filling out an online application or attending an interview, your teen must find a way to stand out from the crowd of other applicants applying for a spot on their course. One way in which they can achieve this goal is by being able to talk openly and confidently about their unique skills, and how they will come into play during their studies. For example, if your teen attended military school, they could talk about how their time at the facility taught them to be highly-disciplined, organized and detail-oriented.
- Get a little help. Whether you’ve been out of school a little while, or never had the opportunity to go to college, you may not be in the best position to support your child during the application phase. For example, you may not know exactly what they need to put in their personal statements to win over admissions teams. Thankfully, you can rectify this by reaching out to companies such as GettingIn, who focus on helping students refine their personal statements.
- Encourage them to participate in extracurriculars. The more strings your teen has under their belt, the easier it will be for them to receive an offer from their chosen skill. After all, universities look for more than just grades, they want to take on students who are well-rounded and have the potential to bring something new to the table. Having plenty of extracurricular activities to fall back on, from language classes to participating in sporting competitions, can therefore make their application stand out. It could also be the key to them receiving a scholarship which can save your family thousands in the long-run.