I’ve read a lot of information lately on parent involvement in the college admissions process. Many of the comments I’ve seen from college admission reps and high school guidance counselors disapprove when parents do all of the work and take over the process.

Below are a few things not to do as a parent of soon-to-be college student

• Do all of the research on colleges yourself and make decisions without your child
• Write your child’s essay
• Ask all of the questions on the campus tour (it won’t give your child a chance to ask what they want, plus you’ll embarrass them)
• Say “we” too much. Your child is the one applying to school. They were the ones who got the grades and took the tests. Even though you have been influential in their lives, do not say things like “We scored very well on the SATs and are now considering several schools.”

Remember, your student needs to make up their own mind about what school they attend. Parent/Guardian involvement is very helpful while going through the admissions process as I have mentioned before, but don’t lay it on too thick. Let your student take the lead on a campus visit and encourage them to be active during the college search. That way they can own their decision once they have decided on a school and they will have you to thank for that!

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