Mothers with teen daughters – Mother-Daughter Confidence Brunch coming to Columbus, Ohio

In a world filled with pressures and challenges, our teenage girls are facing unique struggles. Recent findings from the CDC have raised concerns about the mental and emotional well-being of teen girls across the nation. Central Ohio is no exception to this crisis, and it’s high time we come together to change their narrative. We want to show all of our girls their beauty and the bright futures that lies ahead of them. That’s why we invite you to join us for

 

The Confidence Mother-Daughter Brunch on October 14th at Mitchell Hall

on the beautiful campus of Columbus State Community College, from 11 am to 2pm

This special one-of-a-kind event aims to bring together teen girls and their moms for a day of bonding, self-discovery, and empowerment.

 

Confidence: A Key to Success

Confidence is the key that unlocks countless opportunities for our teenage girls. When they have confidence, they possess the courage to take risks, think outside the box, and pursue their dreams with unwavering determination. Moreover, confidence equips them with the resilience needed to navigate life’s most challenging obstacles, knowing that they can bounce back from even the most difficult setbacks.

 

The Unbreakable Mother-Daughter Bond

If you’re a mother, you understand that the mother-daughter bond is one of the strongest connections two people can share. This unique relationship is unlike any other within the family. It’s a special connection where disagreements are handled with care, understanding, and love. While teenage years can sometimes introduce rebellion, the foundation of a strong mother-daughter bond established from birth can weather even the stormiest of adolescent phases.

 

Benefits of a Strong Mother-Daughter Bond

The advantages of a strong mother-daughter bond are numerous and far-reaching. Here are a few key benefits that both mother and daughter can enjoy:

 

Great Support: A well-established mother-daughter relationship sets the stage for a lifetime of mutual support. When you invest in your daughter’s growth and development during her formative years, you’re sowing the seeds for a relationship where support flows both ways.

Your daughter is more likely to care for you in your old age, just as you cared for her in her youth.

 

Sincere Relationship: The mother-daughter relationship is often the most sincere of all. It’s free from judgment, allowing both parties to share their thoughts, concerns, and dreams openly. Having someone who unconditionally has your back, regardless of the situation, can bring immense fulfillment and peace.

 

True Friendship: A close mother-daughter relationship fosters true friendship. Daughters who grow up with a strong bond with their mothers learn the qualities of friendship, including loyalty, trustworthiness, empathy, and sharing. This foundational understanding helps them navigate friendships outside the family and make wise choices when it comes to forming lasting bonds.

 

The Confidence Mother-Daughter Brunch

At the Confidence Mother-Daughter Brunch, we are bringing together experts and speakers who understand the significance of this special bond. Our esteemed speakers, including SheKYRA Debree, Celia Anderson, Stephanie Shaw, and Shara Hutchinson, will share their wisdom and experiences to empower both mothers and daughters.

The expected outcome of this event is to enhance mother-daughter connections, fostering a renewed sense of self and illuminating thenvast possibilities that lie ahead. Through laughter, good food, heart-to-heart conversations, and surprises, we aim to create a day filled with precious memories that strengthen the bonds between mothers and daughters.

The Confidence Mother-Daughter Brunch is not just an event; it’s a movement to support and empower our   teen girls and their mothers.

Together, we can change their narratives and show them the beauty and bright futures that await. Join us on October 14th for a day of inspiration, connection, and transformation. Let’s build a future where every teen girl feels confident, supported, and ready to embrace the limitless possibilities ahead. 

 

Ready to buy tickets?

Visit:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-confidence-mother-daughter-brunch-tickets-679646038597

How to find the right summer programs for your college-bound teen in 4 easy steps

The summer is a special time to continue learning and growing and college-bound teens can take advantage of numerous summer programs. The activities resume for college-bound teens who get into their top choice colleges often include meaningful summer experiences. 

In addition to internships, creative projects, and reading in the summer, there are a number of summer programs for students whether they are in grade 9, 10 or 11. However, the right summer program can take time to research and apply.

Here are 4 easy steps to get started with finding the right summer program!

1. Set a Goal

A good way to start with thinking about how to find the best summer program for your college bound teen is starting with a goal. Your teen should set 1-2 goals for the summer, as it will help them to be intentional in considering the best use of their talents and time. Examples of summer goals may include:

  • Meet new friends from around the world
  • Read 5 new books on topics that interest me
  • Take a course not offered at school
  • Learn more about a career in ___?___
  • Get more community service hours
  • Experience living away from home (when and where residential programs are available)
  • . . . . (you name it)

2. Use this guide for summer program criteria

Each year, I encourage my students to apply to 1-2 summer programs. The past couple years, there have been many great virtual summer programs available. This is the guide that I use to recommend programs that can help teens consider the many options available to them once they have a goal in mind:

  • Rising 10th – Explore a new topic
  • Rising 11th – Discover more about a field of study or career interest
  • Rising 12th – Connect with colleges (perhaps consider a summer campus visit as well, where available)

3. Do a narrow Google search

There is no shortage of things to do and programs to pursue. Searching online for a summer program can feel overwhelming and tedious. I suggest that your teen’s internet search for summer programs is very specific. For example, if your teen is interested in pre-engineering and enjoys math, I would suggest using these terms and clicking the search button

“engineering math summer high school programs”

Within seconds, I got over 19,000 results using these search terms term and even better, at the bottom of the first page there are more related search terms to refine the list.

One thing I will add about the summer after 11th grade is that it is not necessary to attend a summer program at a college of interest. Some summer programs may be held on a college campus but are not affiliated with the university, especially not the admissions offices!

4. Determine if the program is worth applying

If the summer program does not require any documents from the student, then I would caution you against applying. The summer programs that I recommend for my students typically require transcript, teacher recommendations, test scores, and essays. The summer program application is, in effect, a mini-college application, which is good experience for your teen and their recommenders.

What is your teen doing this summer? Which summer programs did you find? Please post in comments below.

4 Top Tips to Make The Most of Ninth Grade

Ninth Grade

Ninth grade is a very big deal! It’s a transitional year that can set the tone for the rest of high school and beyond.

While parents may be tempted to “back off” in terms of involvement, it’s really the time to step up your engagement. Granted, your engagement may not be as hands-on as helping in the classroom, your assistance with guiding your teen to make the most of high school is important.

Here are 4 key tips to help your teen navigate ninth grade successfully and launch into a wonderful high school experience:

Practice good organizational and study skills. These are foundational skills that your teen will continue to rely upon each and every year.

Although courses may be a bit more challenging in ninth grade, they will get even more challenging for 10th, 11th and 12th Grade. So ninth grade is a great time to start practicing those good organizational and study skills. If your teen’s skills are weak in these areas, then 9th grade is an ideal time to figure out what works. There are any number of books and/or digital tools/apps that your teen can use to develop these skills.

Get involved with only one or two activities at school. During 9th grade, there’ll be so many new things happening. . . new teachers. . . perhaps new friend groups, and more. It will be all too easy to participate in the same activities as friends. Rather than follow the crown, I would suggest that your teen figures out their own you and focus on participating in only one or two clubs (including sports). Getting involved in too many activities at once may add too much undue stress and slow down their adjustment to high school.

Map courses forward. Courses taken in 9th grade play a role in the course selection for the remainder of high school. So, rather than considering 9th grade only, you can determine the core courses for 10th 11th and 12th grade as well (includes foreign language). This can help your teen see where there may be gaps in their course schedule and plan ahead for creative ways to fill any gaps.

Be intentional about summer. Gone are the days of only “hanging out” in the summer. Having fun and going on family vacations are important. However, there are typically many more other weeks for participating in a summer program, interning, reading several books, even focusing on a creative project. Whatever it is your teen does during the summer, be intentional about it, i.e. have a reason for participating!

Check out my 9th-grade roadmap for more timely tips to navigate each month of this year! (Choose “9th Grade” with the blue button here on this page.)

Preparing for College in the Ninth Grade

9th graders preparing for college early

I have a critical question for high school freshmen: have you started preparing for college life yet?

For ninth graders, college can feel like a lifetime away—many freshmen will not only say they haven’t started preparing for college, but they also thought it was too early to do so!

But we all know life moves fast. Before we know it, high school freshmen become college freshmen.

When the time between ninth grade and college is utilized wisely, we see increased admission rates and a smoother transition to college life.

With that in mind, I’ve compiled five important tips to help ninth graders prepare for college.

I’ve previously shared tips for helping ninth graders get into the best college and what parents should know about getting their ninth grader ready for college.

With these tips, students will not only help themselves get admitted but also make sure they’re prepared for what life is like once they’re in college.

1. Learn a new language.

Ninth grade is an excellent time to start learning a new language.

That way, you’ll have four years of foreign language experience, which many Ivy League or Ivy-equivalent institutions expect.

Foreign language mastery is not only a way to help boost your chances of getting into the college of your choice, but for many schools, it’s a requirement.

Some other schools only expect two or three years of foreign language experience, but starting in grade nine is never a bad idea!

2. Get involved in your school community.

Involvement in your highschool community not only looks great on college applications, but it can also prepare students for college life and being involved in that community.

Find ways to immerse yourself in the school communities that interest you—there’s no need to do activities just because you think they’ll look good on your application.

Instead, you can find activities, groups, or clubs that excite you, and accomplish two goals at once—gaining experience and having fun!

3. Establish good relationships with adults.

Ninth graders should get to know their teachers, guidance counselors, and other adult leaders in their lives.

This is beneficial for two reasons.

  1. When ninth graders begin to establish these relationships early, they’ll feel more comfortable asking for recommendation letters later on in high school, and the recommendation will be well-informed.
  2. It helps students prepare for dealing with professors and other adults they’ll encounter during their college experience.

4. Read every day.

We all know that college will come with a lot of reading, as does high school.

To prevent a rude awakening when you start college, begin to read every day in ninth grade for at least half an hour if possible.

Not only will this help prepare you for all the reading you’ll do in college, but it will help you excel on the reading portions of exams.

5. Learn when to ask for help.

During the high school and college years, there are bound to be times when you could use some help with school and life.

Many students struggle not only with asking for help but knowing when to do so.

When they were younger, your child needed help with things like tying their shoes or getting dressed.

As they get older, they’ll need help with more complex issues or problems, including education guidance.

In some cases, a parent might not be the right place to get this help, which is why your child should learn to reach out for the appropriate support when they need it.

Encourage your ninth-grader to reach out for help, whether it’s with academics or other aspects of their lives.

Learning how and when to ask for help is an essential personal development skill that all students can benefit from. The sooner this skill starts to be developed, the better.

Of course, ninth graders are still kids, and their constant focus doesn’t need to be on preparing for college. But a little bit of work in ninth grade can ultimately make the rest of high school and the start of college go as well as possible!

Need a little more guidance?

For one-on-one support and other resources to help you or your child get into (or pay) for college, click here.

If you’d like to learn more about preparing for college and the college application process, you’ll want to check out these articles too:

7 Ways to Support Your Child During the College Application Process
Get In and Get Money: 5 Tips for College-Bound Juniors
The 5 Key Things Students Should Do The Summer Before Senior Year

Should my teen study for the PSAT?

psat

Each fall, parents with 9th, 10th and 11th graders ask me about the PSAT and whether their teen should study for the PSAT. As with most things in college readiness, it depends.

Let’s start with a general description of the PSAT to make sure we’re all on the same page. It’s considered a preliminary SAT exam and students often take it to get an unofficial look at the SAT. “Unofficial” means that this test is “off the record” for college admissions purposes. It’s rare that students would submit these scores for consideration in college admissions.

PSAT for 9th graders
Most high schools do not offer the option for 9th graders to take the PSAT. Although I have seen it offered at several independent schools.

Typically, I do not recommend that students take the PSAT in 9th grade. It adds too much unnecessary pressure and anxiety. The 9th grade is such a transitional period that the year is better spent acclimating to the new school environment, making friends, and getting to know teachers.


PSAT for 10th graders
Taking the PSAT in 10th grade can be a good idea, if your high school offers that option. 10th graders who take the PSAT can get familiar with the format and determine their own level of comfort with the question types. The results would also closely project SAT scores.

In addition to the PSAT in sophomore year of high school, I would highly recommend that students also consider taking the pre-ACT. The pre-ACT is an unofficial preview of the ACT. Again, taking the pre-ACT would be an opportunity for sophomores to get familiar the ACT format and determine their level of comfort with the question types.

The results of the PSAT and pre-ACT can then be compared, using an SAT-ACT comparison tool to determine if a student should take the SAT or ACT in junior year. It’s a waste of time and money to take both tests, so I highly recommend that students stick with one test . . . either the SAT or ACT!

Sophomore year is an important year for students to discover their interests and further their academic preparation. Spending time to study for the PSAT or pre-ACT is not a good use of their time. Certainly, students may look at practice questions, if they like, but I would not suggest prioritizing PSAT and/or pre-ACT test prep over homework assignments and reading for pleasure.

PSAT for 11th graders
The majority of high schools in the US require that high school juniors take the PSAT. The PSAT is used in junior year as the qualifying exam for National Merit Scholarships. Even when students take the PSAT in junior year, they must still take the SAT or ACT to meet college admissions requirements.

I have recommended that my students study for the PSAT in only a few cases. When I recommended that my students study in junior year, they met these criteria:

1. Had taken the PSAT in sophomore year
2. Had scored in the 99%ile on the PSAT in sophomore year (Each state has their own National Merit Scholarship baseline so be sure to look it up for your state.)

Those students were in striking distance of qualifying for National Merit Scholarship so it made sense for them to study for the PSAT in advance. Their study plan often included completion of two or more practice tests before the test date and thorough reviews of reading, writing, and math.

Rule of thumb: Test prep should never take precedence over maintaining a strong transcript whether a student is 9th, 10th or 11th grader.

Please let me know your thoughts and/or comments on this topic.