The college prep “secret” everyone should know
Everyone has their own ideas on what it takes to get to college. Some say it’s taking AP courses or getting an IB diploma. Others say it’s all about GPA and acing the SAT. Still, there’s community service and leadership to be considered. Oh, and don’t forget the essay! People spend lots of money on special programs and schools in an effort to improve these things, trying to get an edge on college admissions.
I’m going to tell you a secret – the best college prep is free and it starts long before a student ever sets foot in high school. It’s called reading. In my many years in education, it is the one thing I have seen that consistently sets kids apart from their peers.
Yep, it’s that simple. Encourage a child to read and you have handed them the best college prep available. (Even the people at CollegeBoard will tell you that the absolutely best way to prepare for the SAT is to read.) A kid who reads is exposed to new words and ideas. They also have a broader experience of how words can be used, which often translates into improving their writing ability. As a teacher, I could tell which students were avid readers the first time they turned in a written assignment. The same was true in discussions. The readers in the class seemed to take the lead by bringing in new ideas and perspectives. Even now, when a student shows me their standardized test scores, one of the first questions I ask is, “Do you like to read?” I am rarely surprised by their answer.
The truth is students who like to read tend to do better in AP classes and school in general. Perhaps that is because their familiarity with the written word gives them an edge when it comes to gleaning information from reading assignments or putting their own ideas into words. Words on a page are like old, familiar friends to them. Even though they may not love the piece of literature they’ve been assigned to read, they are not intimidated by it.
The great thing about this best of all college prep tools is that it is free! In a world where socioeconomic status can make a huge difference in the opportunities available to a student, reading is the great equalizer. Children who read know they have options; once they know that, all things become possible.
So, if you want to know what to do to make sure your child is prepared for college, take them to the library and teach them that the books there can take them anywhere they want to go – including college.
