How Early is Too Early To Prepare Your Child for College?

Park Magazine

Late Summer Edition

The college admissions landscape at prestigious schools is no joke—but does that mean that students can’t have fun as they pursue their Ivy League dreams?

Ivy League schools are flooded with more applicants than ever, and over the past five years, acceptance rates have dropped to historic lows. In the cutthroat world of elite admissions, many parents push their children to begin thinking about their college admissions profile as early as elementary school.

“I started shopping for a college admissions consultant when my child was in fourth grade,” said Anna Steltzer, whose son Ian attends a competitive private school in New York City. This is unusually early for students to begin working with a college consultant, but Anna adds, “I knew Ian was destined for great things, but if he was going to achieve his potential, I thought we had to start taking this seriously as early as possible.”

With some difficulty, Steltzer convinced a college consulting firm to work with Ian; however, she quickly found that her motivated and creative child was becoming increasingly burnt out. “I felt like the process wasn’t personal at all,” Steltzer shared. “They had a standardized approach and started pressuring us to get Ian involved in all of these activities and extra study sessions that he just wasn’t excited about. I stopped working with them, because I knew that if I continued, Ian would be completely disinterested in the process by the time he reached middle school.”

Whether working with a consultancy or navigating the process themselves, many parents assume that in order for their child to be taken seriously as an applicant by top colleges, their approach must be serious as well, according to Christopher Rim, Founder and CEO of Command Education, a private college consulting firm. “Parents who think this way turn the process into a chess game in which students make moves that they believe colleges want to see,” says Rim. “Not only does this force students to engage in activities that they aren’t truly interested in, but it also hinders their chances of admission—colleges want to see what students are genuinely passionate and excited about, not what they think colleges might find impressive.”

In order to discover their true passions, students must embrace exploration, experimentation, and curiosity. “The best thing that younger students can do to get admitted to top tier schools is play with their passions without fear of failure,” says Rim. “When students in late elementary, middle school, and freshman year of high school are given permission to try new things and experience some challenges along the way, they build valuable life skills and pave the way to developing their unique passions, which will distinguish them from thousands of other applicants in the college admissions process.”

After discontinuing work with their previous firm and taking a break from college consulting altogether, Rim advised Steltzer that middle school or freshman year of high school would be the ideal time to start the process, emphasizing that the relationship between client and consultant makes up the foundation of students’ success. Ian began working with Command Education Senior Mentor Jasmine Docal when he entered eighth grade. She encouraged and guided him to get involved in a variety of clubs both in and out of school and to connect with a local nonprofit founder to explore his interest in helping others through music. Now an incoming high school freshman, Ian is embarking on his high school career with self-confidence, curiosity, and the professional skills needed to identify and maximize new opportunities.

“Ian’s work with Jasmine showed us that true passion distinguishes highly qualified students applying to top schools,” Steltzer stated. “I now feel confident that Ian won’t just get into his dream school—he will have developed the skills to excel once he gets there too.”