For some students, going to college is a foregone conclusion. As soon as they’re finished high school, they know the exact school they’re going to, the exact classes they’ll take, and perhaps even what social clubs they’ll be active in! In their eagerness though, students and parents often make a simple mistake that costs them a ticket to the school of their dreams.
This one mistake is easily avoidable, yet time and time again college admission boards see this mistake on applications. If you’re reading this, you’re probably wondering: WHAT IS THE MISTAKE SO I CAN AVOID IT!!!???
Here we go:
THE NUMBER 1 MISTAKE STUDENTS AND PARENTS MAKE, THAT OFTEN LEADS TO THEIR CHILD NOT GETTING INTO THE SCHOOL OF THEIR DREAMS IS—
BURNING OUT!!!
Listen, we all want what’s best for our children and their futures. But we need to remember—at the end of the day, they’re just children. There is only so much they can handle between school, work, social activities, tests. Piling on TOO MANY extracurricular activities is a surefire way to burn your child out. When your child burns out—their grades suffer, their social lives suffer, their personalities suffer, THEY suffer.
In the end, if your child is unhappy—they’re unlikely to strive for excellence.
AS A PARENT, IT’S YOUR JOB TO MONITOR THEIR WELLBEING
If you notice your child is exhibiting signs of fatigue, try and have a conversation about it. Often, high schoolers are afraid to admit if they’re overwhelmed or feeling exhausted. Societal pressure driving them to always do MORE can lead them to believe that if they’re feeling burnt out, then they’re weak. They may look at other students, seeing them achieve over and over again and believe that they themselves are underachieving. It’s important to remind your child that you love them, you believe in them—and that at any time, they’re allowed to take a break.
TO OPERATE AT FULL CAPACITY, YOUR CHILD HAS TO FEEL GOOD
An exhausted student is a bad student. When it comes down to it, it’s mostly about grades. If grades suffer due to exhaustion from trying to do too much—it’s completely counterproductive to the cause of getting into the school of their dreams.
Make sure your child takes the time off they need to recover and recharge their batteries. There’s no point in doing tasks that they hate “just for the sake of doing it”. Try and maximize their off time, and minimize their drudgery.
Let your child explore what makes them happy, and ditch what doesn’t. They’ll thank you for it—when they’re enjoying their dream school!
