Worrying About College: How Early is Too Early?

The urge to avoid that situation, and to stay a few steps ahead of the game, has caused the pendulum to swing far in the other direction. Highly competitive pre-schools now boast their ability to propel toddlers into their intellectual prime (a recent Modern Family episode portrays this hysterically), while sporting clubs claim their track record of turning kindergarteners into future olympic athletes. All in the name of securing a child’s future spot at a top university. But when it comes to thinking about college, how early is too early to start worrying?

Of course there are certain universal truths and necessities. Raising good learners and thinkers will always be important. Better students get into better schools. Academic performance is rewarded. Students who can structure logical arguments will impress their interviewers more.

But according to Rachel Rubin, Co-Founder for college admissions consulting firm Spark Admissions, parents need to realize that colleges are no longer looking for the same things we’ve grown to expect. When it comes to extra-curriculars, the traditional “good-at-sports, good-at-music,” good-at-everything model no longer works, Rubin says. Colleges now seek students who can demonstrate expertise in a particular field of interest. Passion in this area is crucial. Admissions boards want to see a long-term commitment, they want to see a student who has pushed themselves to develop in a specific area.

For parents of very young children, this means that rather than packing schedules with countless activities, more time should be devoted to exploration.

“What makes the most sense is to have kids explore different activities and find their passion,” Rubin says. Because it’s exactly that passion that will become their differentiating factor when it’s time to apply to college.

Rubin recommends that parents have a good sense of their child’s main interests no later than the 8th grade. Students should spend their high school years diving deeply into and acquiring leadership experience in their areas of passion. Of course - if a student wants to demonstrate expertise in something like music or sports - it helps to develop proficiency by the 8th grade.

A common mistake is the tendency to add-on community service towards the end of high school, which Rubin says really irks colleges. “The idea of being a good global citizen is important,” Rubin says. Almost all colleges want to see students giving back. But when students only begin to volunteer in their sophomore year or later, colleges see right through it as a disingenuous attempt to look good on applications.