The SAT As The Start of the College Conversation

Children have a very different understanding of time than parents.  In 18 months, Connecticut juniors will be off to college.  College represents the most massive life changing experience for most every young person.

Imagine if you knew you had to leave your job, move from Connecticut, and your extended family in 18 months.  Now imagine if you had to do some work to ensure the optimal landing spot to build your new life. I’m fairly certain you would be doing whatever needed to be done to give you the choice of your next life stage.

High school juniors are in the same place. They will be leaving everything in one and a half years.  That’s not a long time – at least from the perspective of a parent.  But teens often view thinking about “next month” as long term planning. Getting them to start focusing on college is an uphill battle for most parents.

Our teachers often lead their test prep discussion by providing context for the SAT (or ACT).  Why are you preparing for the test?  This leads to a discussion of college. We are delighted when parents report that after their child’s first test prep session, the family was able to have its first (calm!) college discussion.