How Your Student Can Be An Overachiever From Home
It may seem like with every Covid-related cancelation and obstacle, your child is out of luck when it comes to building their resume for college. So what can your student do, as soon as today, to make the most of their time virtually?
Self-motivate to complete the basics.
All the time your student isn’t spending traveling to and from school or going to events, is time that should be spent productively. Have they narrowed down their list of schools to apply to? Are they taking at least one SAT or ACT practice test a month? Have them set aside time every day, plus a larger block of time one day a week, to take time to organize, plan, and study, and read our post here for more advice on how to stay test-ready during Covid uncertainty.
Make a list of what can be done from home.
Remote learning doesn’t have to be an obstacle. Has your student reached out to their teachers about letters of recommendation? Have they formed a virtual study group with their peers? Have they written their college application essays, even the optional Covid essay on the Common Application? Your resources, like your child’s teachers, as well as advisors and tutors like the experts at Ivy Link, are still available remotely to assist in almost all facets of the college application, like they would have pre-pandemic.
Discover What’s Left
The New York Times recently published an article on how parents can help their students in these uncertain times, including how to handle your student’s challenge to participate in extracurriculars from home. The verdict? No excuses! “Suggest your child enroll in a college class online,” says Poojha Daryanani, a private college consultant in Bellevue, Washington. “Or aid librarians by transcribing historical documents from home. Parents can talk with their children about what interests them, then encourage them to create a project, like a website or a course for their peers, around that topic.“
It may seem like a daunting amount of pressure for your child to be experiencing, particularly if they’ve already felt especially challenged by being a student during a global health crisis. On the bright side, they’re not alone in this experience, which means there’s an unprecedented, slightly more level playing field this year in the college application arena. That means your child has their work cut out for them, and so do you.
For more guidance on how exactly your student can make the most of their additional time at home, reach out to a member of the Ivy Link team here for a personalized plan as soon as possible.
