Parental Guidance Suggested: What Not to Do (and What to Do Instead)
As a parent, you are likely looking for any way that you can help your student through the college application process. While some help is always appreciated, there are also many steps in this process that are meant to give the students more autonomy and strengthen their sense of responsibility. When looking at ways to help your student, here are some examples of what not to do, and what you can do to help instead:
Don’t email admission counselors on behalf of your students.
Instead: empower your students to email their admission counselors on their own when they have questions about the application process. As a reminder, we do not track or consider demonstrated interest at USC.
Don’t assume that the application process is the same for all schools.
Instead: reference the resources we provide to make sure that you and your student have all of the correct information about USC’s application process.
Don’t try to push your students into a path they are not interested in.
Instead: let them take the lead on their interests and let them explore all of the different opportunities they have access to.
Don’t be unclear with your student about finances.
Instead: have honest conversations about what is best for your family and your student and consider the different financial resources available to you through USC’s Financial Aid Office.
Don’t emphasize prestige chasing.
Instead: talk to your student about the qualities that are most important to them in an institution and find the best fits for them.
Don’t ask the questions at an information session or college fair.
Instead: let your student take the lead. They should be the ones engaging with counselors at admission events and seeking out the information they need.
Don’t let your opinions have too much weight in their decisions.
Instead: offer your insights, but understand that this is a big decision for them, and they likely have a lot of great ideas about what they want their future to look like.
Trust that you’ve prepared your student to navigate this process on their own and let them go down the path they are meant to take. They will end up where they are supposed to, so be open-minded when considering different options surrounding their education.
Written by: Lucy Jordan, Assistant Director, USC Office of Admission