First to college Archives

5 reasons your teen should go to college

What to say when your child asks, "Why should I go to college?"

College-students-what-I-wished-I'd-known

What I wish I’d known: Advice for first-to-college freshmen (and their parents)

Is your teen headed to college? These students remember what their first year was like — and have insight to share.

Celebrities who grew up poor and went to college

Famous firsts

Some notable people who’ve influenced our world have another distinction that may surprise you: they were the first in their family to graduate from college.

Learning-foreign-language-builds-tolerance

How learning a foreign language builds tolerance

Learning another language is associated with a host of benefits — including building cultural competence.

Cracking the code on college admissions tests

The secret to improving SAT scores

Did your teen get a low PSAT, SAT, or ACT score? Don’t panic. Everyone can improve their scores. Two experts share their secrets for helping teens learn how to rock these tests.

Understanding college admissions tests

Today’s ACT and SAT look very different from the tests parents remember. Here’s how they have changed.

Living a double life

Struggles many first-generation college students face

As a former first-generation college student who is now a professor, I have experience with the struggles that many first-generation students encounter on campus.

Stepping it up the summer after 10th grade

You may think all of your child’s college prep work happens during the school year, but what your teen does during the summer can be a total game changer.

Planning your teen's summer after 9th grade

How teens spend their time over the summer can be excellent fodder for college essays and applications. Now’s the time to strategically plan your ninth grader’s summer.

Organizations helping teens find the right college (and the money to pay for it, too)

Organizations that want to help first-gen college students find the right school

These groups want to help high-need, low-income, historically underserved, and first-to-college students find the right school — and the funds to finance it.

Doing a January check-in with your 9th grader

Your child is halfway through freshman year. If you don’t already, make a regular practice of sitting down with your teen and talking about how they feel about school, grades, classes, and teachers.

importance-of-report-card-sophomore-year

Doing a January grade check with your 10th grader

Grades count for college. With a new report card in hand, now is a good time to review your child’s grades and classes together.

The first five steps on the road to college

What's the key to getting your kids into college? Start early and stick to a plan.

The question of community college

Community college conundrum

It's cheap, it's easy, but is it a path to higher education? One mother finds out when her dropout son enrolls.

ELL learners Labeled, tracked, and held back

Can the English language learner label do more harm than good?

What you need to know about the ELL label

One checked box can doom a child to low-level classes for years. Here's what you need to know about the ELL label.

The high costs of skipping college

Having less education generally means earning less money. And the loss goes beyond salary.

7 steps to get your child on a path to college

Here's how you can support your child's dream of going to college.

5 resources for kids who are the first in their family to go to college

5 resources for first-gen college students

Being the first in the family to go to college comes with unexpected challenges. These programs can help students overcome obstacles and thrive in college.

Helping your child be the first to go to college

Tips to help your child be the first to go to college

To get your child successfully through high school and into college, here’s what to do, resources you can rely on, and some hurdles to expect.

Don't miss these requirements to get into college

Don't miss the A-G requirements to get into college

California public universities — UCs and CSUs — expect students to have taken some specific classes; be sure to know what those are.