Flare

These graduates have been accepted into their dream college programs. That’s no accident.

It took hard work, study, a drive to succeed, & most importantly — a plan.

  1. 1

    Fifth grade is not too soon for you to think about your talents and interests. Knowing your destination helps you navigate your course.

  2. 2

    Ninth grade schedules are determined in February, not August. A solid set of middle school courses will prepare you for high school success.

  3. 3

    Because you planned ahead, twelfth grade won't become a frenzy of decision-making, second-guessing, and regrets of missed opportunities. Here's how.

Educational Planning & Consulting

Have you ever experienced one of those dreams where you are sitting in a classroom while the teacher hands out the final exam, and you feel panic setting in as you realize that you are completely unprepared?

Sadly, this nightmare plays itself out in real life each year when high school juniors suddenly realize they have no idea how to decide upon a college to attend. Furthermore, as they frantically begin their college decision process, they learn that some schools must be eliminated from consideration because of decisions the student made years earlier.

Ms. Roberts comforted and guided me from a teary-eyed freshman to a confident college applicant into a program custom-fit for my interests. Juliann P. Molecular Biology UT DallasPharmacy UT Austin

These students' parents are invariably eager to help and often offer to assist, only to be rebuffed by their teenage children who place parental advice among the least influential. These parents then sit on the sidelines as college decisions are made based on ad hoc advice from friends, friends' siblings, and Google.

When -- if this scenario is to be avoided -- should a parent first bring up college planning to their child? As a teacher and counselor for 26 years, I recommend broaching the topic as early as fifth grade.

Not only does this timing start your child on an early path toward college, fifth graders allow parents into this phase of their development when they are most likely to appreciate parental input. Fifth graders benefit from understanding why behaviors they practice in middle school; time management, making good grades, committing themselves to people and activities, will help them before high school begins. Parents benefit from participating in post-secondary planning with their child.

Hello, I'm Kay Roberts Kane, a teacher and counselor for 31 years. I created Middlebridge Consulting to help students and parents bridge the transitions from elementary to middle school, from middle school to high school and beyond. Put my years of school counseling, college planning, curriculum advising, and continued contact with college students and admissions professionals to work for the students in your life.

Contact me today to arrange for your free initial consultation.

Recommended Books

View all recommendations
    1. The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College
    2. The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College
    3. Jacques Steinberg
    4. This is a book written by an education writer for the New York Times. He had the privilege of shadowing a college admission representative for one year. This is a book filled with insight and surprise that every parent and student should read prior to beginning the college application process.
    1. The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World
    2. The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World
    3. Marti Olsen Laney Psy.D.
    4. A colleague of mine presented this book for a "book study" among educators. The result for me was a better understanding of important people in my personal life and a tool to share with parents with introverted children/young adults. Everyone can learn from this read.

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Whether you are a student, a parent or a group, I would love to hear from you. Please send me your questions, concerns or curiosities about educational planning and I will make every attempt to respond in a timely manner.

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