Completing college applications is a daunting time for teenagers, but this can extend to their parents and caregivers as well. Seeing your child stress and become anxious isn’t easy, and you want them to succeed. As the parent, you want them to achieve their dreams.

This entire situation can become even tougher when you are toeing the line between being overbearing and being supportive; the former can put a strain on your relationship. Knowing how to support your teenager as they progress through college application season can reduce the amount of stress they experience.

In this post, you will learn three of the best ways to assist your teenager manoeuvre through the college application process.

Ask Your Teenager How to Help Them

How involved your teenager wants you to be can vary. Some students will want their parents’ involvement at every possible stage of the college application process, while others will prefer their parents not to be involved at all. As this can be subjective, the easiest way to figure out how involved you should be is to simply ask your teenager. This doesn’t have to be a big conversation, although it might open deeper communication in some cases.

If a longer conversation does take place, this is usually after the student states they do want help. The best response to this is to begin specifying the type of help they want, as there are many different avenues this could take. They might only want words of encouragement during times of stress or they could ask for assistance in drafting applications and personal statements.

A big part to remember is that your role might change during this process. Just because your teen said they didn’t want help at the start doesn’t mean this will be the case forever; they might change their mind partway through the application process, and that’s okay.

Get Professional Help

After speaking with your teenager about what type of help they want, you can then move ahead with providing that specified help. One of the most effective methods of helping a student through the college application process is by hiring an expert in college admissions. This is especially helpful when your teenager lacks confidence, despite dreaming of attending an Ivy League institution.

Parents can contact experts, like those from Going Ivy, to help their children find the perfect college or university for them. This isn’t a one-size fits all type of assistance; the consultants will get to know your teenager – passions, dreams, grades, etc. – to determine where they should apply. This type of service will also aim to inspire your teenager, practice interviews, and teach about presenting themselves to make an impact.

Professional admissions consulting can help parents, too. The experts will answer questions you might have to ease stress and reduce any friction that might develop between you and your teenager; this is a stressful time, so arguments and disagreements might happen.

Motivate Your Teen and Avoid Dictating

Ordering a teenager around hardly ever works, even more so during times of stress. This is why it is essential to find ways to motivate your teen to put in the work and complete applications on time. If you find your teenager procrastinating, then you should combat this by setting attainable goals and following a previously planned schedule. Parents can assist by asking questions to determine where they are struggling, but remember to let the teen guide the conversation – you do not want to come across as overbearing.

Additionally, you should aim to be vocal in your support for your child. This includes speaking about their strengths and where they have grown throughout their education. You can mention their test scores and grades here, but you should also talk about the methods they use to problem solve and progress. This shows you have been paying attention to them.

By following the advice outlined in this post, you will have a much better experience when assisting your teenager through the college application process.

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.