Later, students have an entire college counseling course that exposes them to majors, different colleges, and potential careers. At Gateway High School, a charter school in San Francisco, all freshmen visit a college on their first day of school.

What to look for in a good college prep schoolДЄt a true college preparatory school, the concept of college is front and center. If the student is planning to attend a community college, which usually have fewer admission requirements than their four-year counterparts, parents should make sure the student takes the right classes before graduating high school, so she doesnвЂ™t have to take remedial courses at college, which adds time and wastes money.

For example, a first-generation college student may need more help from counselors and teachers in preparing applications, writing essays, and researching schools if other family members are not able to help. Parents should also think beyond the curriculum to the level of assistance their child may need to get into college. Still, Jump says every high school should prepare students for post-high school work, whether thatвЂ™s college or trade school. ChristopherвЂ™s School in Richmond, VA., and a past president of the National Association for College Admission Counseling. вЂњYou donвЂ™t want to push kids where they wonвЂ™t be successful,вЂќ says Jim Jump, director of guidance at St. This doesnвЂ™t mean that every student can or should go to college. For example, the median earnings in 2011 for an adult with just a high school diploma was $638 a week, while the median earnings for a person with a bachelorвЂ™s degree was $1,053 a week, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In fact, statistics show the higher the level of education a person attains, the higher the income potential. Today, few people dispute the value of a college education. Most importantly, itвЂ™s up to parents to decide if a college prep school вЂ“ one that genuinely prepares their child for college вЂ“ is the right fit. вЂњThe level of oversight is all over the map.вЂќ ItвЂ™s up to parents to differentiate between a program that actually teaches students what they need to succeed in college and one that merely pays lip service to the task. вЂњIn some states, anyone can hang a shingle and call themselves a college prep high school,вЂќ Nassirian says. A school that makes the assumption that everyone is going to college puts more students on a path to succeed in a competitive global workforce.Дetractors contend that the term college prep is so indiscriminantly used that it doesnвЂ™t mean much. Supporters argue that college degrees lead to higher earnings and better prepare students to excel in a career. With such a range of options - and with so many schools calling themselves college preparatory - parents would do well to look beyond labels and evaluate a schoolвЂ™s actual performance.В Before enrolling your child into any self-proclaimed college prep, it helps to know what advocates, and critics, claim about these types of schools. And while these schools can be selectiveВ - requiring testing and interviews for admissionВ - they could also be open enrollment, accepting anyone who shows up. There are public, private, parochial, and charter schools that call themselves college preparatory. YouвЂ™ll also, unfortunately, find schools that do nothing outside the ordinary to ensure that students go to college, but claim the college preparatory label because they know itвЂ™s what many parents are looking for. YouвЂ™ll also find inner-city charter schools that pledge every graduate will be admitted to a four-year college or university. With a national focus on readying students for college and careers, many schools - even elementary schools - are using the college preparatory title in their names and promotional materials, but what does it actually mean? College prep: elite boarding school or urban charter?ДЄmong the many schools that call themselves college preparatory, youвЂ™ll find elite boarding schools that have sent generations of graduates to the Ivy Leagues and other top universities. In theory, of course, every high school should prepare students for college, but thatвЂ™s not always the case - even for schools that adopt the college preparatory label. College preparatory indicates that a school prepares students for college.

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