Do you have children that are in middle school or in high school? What preparations are you doing for their college application? In this podcast episode, we sat down with Neha Gupta who is the Founder & CEO of College Shortcuts to talk about the preparing for college in high school. Today's topic will help you discover the five biggest misconceptions and/or mistakes that parents make when they are helping their kids apply to college.

Listen to this episode on our podcast:

Key takeaways about college application mistakes:

• Don't focus on filling your resume with a lot of activities. Instead, find a few things you're passionate about and deep dive into those topics on your student resume
• Starting early is the best option when it comes to the college admissions process
• One of the biggest parts of creating a unique angle is looking at the child from a third-party perspective

1. Start early

The problem is we're all starting too late in the process. The best time to start preparing for college would be in eighth grade before they even touch foot in a high school. For example, if you want to buy a house, you wouldn't buy a house tomorrow. It's something you decide, you look at and you make decisions on. It takes time to make sure all your ducks are in a row. The same investment can be made even in your child's education. Starting early is the best way when it comes to the college admissions process.

2. Build out your portfolio

Teach students to think strategically when creating a portfolio or resume. One of the biggest mistakes we see over and over is students try to stuff their resume. It's not about stuffing the resume with a lot of activities. It's about finding a few things that they're actually passionate about and going deep into those things.

3. Take time to create the angle that makes you unique

What is going to be your unique angle that helps you to get into your dream college or makes you different than other students? This is where parents fumble because they think that what they're getting their kids into makes them unique. One of the biggest parts of creating a unique angle is looking at the child from a third-party perspective. It creates a unique edge to the person that they are not all one thing. They've got different aspects to them and it has to be highlighted in a very certain way in the application.

4. Solid grades and test scores

Students have to have solid grades and solid test scores if they're choosing to go to these types of universities. You have to be ready to have a solid work ethic and motivation. The only way to show that is through your grades and test scores in high school. That's the biggest problem we're seeing "Let me get my kid in." That's not it, "How do we get our kids to stay in?"

5. Get outside help

Why do people work with people like us? It's our energy. That's what people buy. They love the fact that we're a mentor at College Shortcuts. Kids listen to us. It is really important to get an outside consultant. I was on a podcast last night with someone from Singapore. I was talking about how in Asian cultures the concept of a tribe is very important. It's not mommy and daddy managing their child. There are teachers, counselors, and consultants. It takes a lot to raise a kid. How do we find someone who is a few steps ahead and put them in that proximity? Because proximity is power.

‍Resource for parents:The Four Year Plan