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Is your child serious about college? Many kids tell their parents they’re going to college, but are they really taking the steps to get there? And are they putting themselves in a position to earn scholarship money to pay for it?

Most first-generation college applicants don’t have money saved up to go to college. If the students do well academically, that really helps. There are colleges across the country that offer merit-based scholarships to students earning at least a 3.0 grade-point average and an SAT test score of 1,000 or higher. Many students think an athletic scholarship is their best shot at getting money for college. This is a misconception. Many more students get accepted to college and receive scholarships because of their grades than because of their accomplishments in sports.

As for the SAT, to score well on this test – which most four-year colleges require for admission – students need to take the PSAT (a practice test for the SAT) in their 9^th-grade year and should begin taking the SAT their 10^th-grade year. However, many first-generation students wait until their senior year to take the SAT due to a fear of being unprepared or because they don’t make it a priority.

Waiting till senior year is a big mistake. If the students get a low score, they may have no time left to take the SAT again and improve. Also, they may lose confidence and begin to think they’re not college ready.

When students take the SAT in their 10^th-grade year, they may get a low score. But chances are, as they develop more familiarity with the test, the students will improve their scores significantly in their junior and senior years.

One of our FGCB participants earned a 2.5 GPA his 10^th-grade year and got a 840 on his SAT. There are colleges that would accept him with that record. But the great thing is that he now has two more years to improve both his grades and his SAT, so that he can win an academic scholarship and have more college admission options.

It is important to note that the SAT does reflect the student’s academic profile, especially in math and reading. The score reflects the level of math the student has taken – I recommend that students take algebra 2/trigonometry or higher – and whether the student is an avid reader or writer. A website of the University System of Maryland, www.Way2GoMaryland.org, provides good overall information about the type of courses your child should take in high school.

Parents, you can help your children get serious about college. Encourage them to strive for a B average or better. Research with your children the deadlines to register for the SAT, and help them sign up starting in the spring of their 10^th-grade year. You can find the deadlines online at the College Board website, www.collegeboard.com.

Finally, give your child a reality check. Have your child write a letter to the admissions office of one or more colleges. Because of cost, include one or more state colleges when requesting  the schools’ admissions requirements. Or have the child find the requirements on the colleges’ websites. This will reinforce your conversations about college and your child’s attitude about attending college.

Parents, it is important that you stay involved and informed on the college-bound process. Getting into college needs to be a partnership between you and your child. In my next message, I will provide information concerning financial aid.

Joseph Fisher