How Will I Ever Make it to College?

Teens are starting back to school this week or next. Many teens express a lot of worries about starting back to school and the worries they have about how they will do in school academically. I am seeing more and more teens who express worries about whether they can make good enough grades and test scores to go to college.

What can you tell your teen who is starting back to high school and who also worries about how he will make it to college? The first thing I would say for any high school student who is not starting his senior year is to focus on his day to day activities at school in order to do his best academically.

For the students entering 9th through 11th grade. I would work with my teen to set reasonable reachable goals for him academically. I would also suggest evaluating his needs in regard to standardized testing - does he need to take a SAT prep course? Does his school offer SAT preparation? And look at his extracurricular activities with him. Help him decide what he is interested in and help him find a way to volunteer in that area. You might consider volunteering with him!

For the students entering 12th grade, much work has already occurred and college applications are now needing to be completed. Help your teen organize the deadlines he has for his applications and assist him with this process. And remind him that there are a number of colleges where he could learn and be happy. Make the process as interesting as you can as a way to aid in removing your teen's anxiety.

Dr. Debra