College Planning Advice from Amy - Versed

1. DDOSCollege Planning Advice from Amy - Versed w w w . a s k v e r s e d . c o m

2. Versed: When did you start thinking about college for your daughter? Amy: We’ve always lived in urban areas and near many famous universities. I’d point out the schools to my daughter when she was really young, and let her know some interesting tidbit about them (if a relative or famous author went there…). When my daughter reached 8th grade, a few honors classes became available and this led to a conversation that to be eligible for the top colleges, her transcript would have to show that she took the most advanced coursework available. Versed: What did the educational/extracurricular journey look like for your daughter? Amy: My daughter attended the same international/foreign language school from grades 1 - 12. She skipped kindergarten and another grade. At various times she took online English courses through EPGY (Stanford Education Program for Gifted Youth) and CTY (JHU Center for Talented Youth) to supplement her school’s English program. At the end of 10th grade, we decided she’d take a gap year and undo a skip so she wouldn’t be so young during her first year of college.   Although I tried to expose my daughter to as many extracurricular and life opportunities as possible, she was not a child who would try things to test them out.  w w w . a s k v e r s e d . c o m

3. Basically, she would decide that she liked something and she would do it consistently and at a pretty high level until she tired of it. What would become her main interests (singing, fencing, art, fashion) sprang from her imagination, and as long as she chose the activity, she was dedicated to it. When she was small, she really just wanted to play at home using her toys and her imagination, and she was very happy doing that. She’s always been a voracious reader and I made sure she had plenty of books. Versed: How did you determine what was interesting to your daughter? Amy: As another Parent Advisor put it, I saw myself as an opportunity-maker for my daughter. I kept my eyes and ears open for interesting experiences, activities and books, and I’d offer them to her.  My daughter has always had strong opinions about things, so she was always clear about what she did and didn’t like. She would usually come up with her own ideas of what she wanted to do and I’d make them happen. When she was really little, she developed a passion for opera, so I took her to a performance of a pocket opera. I think she saw a flyer somewhere that advertised fencing, and that’s what prompted her to take up fencing. w w w . a s k v e r s e d . c o m

4. Versed: What things did your daughter do in high school to support her interests? Amy: My daughter sang with a private voice teacher and participated in a conservatory-sponsored musical theater program each summer. She fenced with a local private team and competed in national competitions, including the Junior Olympics. She was also the assistant coach for her school’s elementary school fencing club. The summer after 11th grade, she worked for a tech startup doing coding work. During her gap year, she started volunteering for a women’s empowerment organization, and she continued this through her senior year. For pleasure, she also always read and wrote a lot. Versed: What resources were most helpful to your daughter when she was going through the college application process? Amy: She did online test prep and took the ACT multiple times. Her school doesn’t offer APs or study help for any standardized testing, so she self-studied from books for the SAT Subject Tests. Since English is not the primary language of my daughter’s school, I hired a writing tutor who pushed her to examine herself and develop her thoughts so she could convey to the admissions departments who she really was. w w w . a s k v e r s e d . c o m

5. Versed: Can you share with us one of your takeaways from this whole experience? Amy: The college application process is stressful and difficult, but it does provide an opportunity for your child to really figure out who she is and what she wants her future to look like. Contact Us Address: 75 MAIN STREET, SUITE 1151 NORWALK CT 06851 USA w w w . a s k v e r s e d . c o m