Debunking Common Myths about the College Process for St. Charles Students

St. Charles high school students and their parents often have questions regarding academic achievement, standardized test scores, and affordability.

Elgin Academy is the #8 rated K-12 private school in Illinois.

While preparing for college can be stressful for St. Charles private school students, debunking five common myths about getting into college can help.

ELGIN, IL, USA, April 21, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ — Preparing for a child’s next step in their education can be daunting. St. Charles high school students and their parents often have questions regarding academic achievement, standardized test scores, and affordability. To complicate matters, the college entrance process continues to evolve. While preparing for college can be stressful for St. Charles private school students, debunking the five common myths about getting into college can help.

Myth #1 – It is nearly impossible to get admitted to a “good” college.

The truth is every St. Charles student can get accepted to multiple colleges that are the right fit for them. It’s difficult to define what a ‘good’ college is. Students and parents should not rely on rankings or a list they’ve found in a publication or online. With more than 4,000 colleges in the US, there are a variety of options to consider. The best college is where students will be happy and will be able to achieve their goals.

Myth #2 – Earning high grades is more important than the courses students from private schools take.

The truth is, getting into college is not just about strong grades. Each year high schools near St. Charles provide a profile listing their most challenging courses to colleges where their students apply. Colleges compare that list with the students’ transcripts to see if they challenged themselves. When selecting classes, it may be tempting to take less challenging classes to earn better grades, but colleges prefer students who take challenging courses that interest them.

Myth #3 – A high-performing student must be a strong test-taker to get accepted to college.

At one time the SAT and ACT served as gatekeepers to get into certain colleges. Those days seem to be in the past. Colleges are realizing that a single test taken on a single morning is not an accurate measure of what is going to make students from St. Charles successful. To keep their options open, private school students should take the ACT and SAT, but they may find their preferred schools are ‘test optional’ or ‘test blind,’ no longer requiring test scores to be submitted.

Myth #4 – My child needs a long list of activities on their resume to get accepted into a college.

This myth can be harmful to St. Charles students when they become overinvolved. High school is a time for students from high-performing schools to find out what interests them and delve deep. Students should pick a handful of activities to see what interests them, determine what they enjoy and have time for, and then hone their interests over time. Maybe they will even assume a leadership role. Colleges consider this a stronger activity list.

Myth #5 – College is no longer affordable for most families from St. Charles.

While it’s true that college has gotten very expensive, there are a variety of colleges out there at different price points for students from private high schools. First, don’t look at the ‘sticker price’ on the college’s website for tuition, room and board, and fees. Rather locate the net price calculator available on most college websites to get an estimate of what the actual cost would be. Second, seek out ‘need-based aid,’ determined by a family’s finances and demographics, and ‘merit-based aid,’ offered to students who perform well in the classroom and co-curriculars.

For more information on Elgin Academy, a high performing school near St. Charles, call our Admissions Department at 847.695.0303 or visit our website elginacademy.org.

Bonita Goist
Elgin Academy
+1 847-695-0303
email us here
Visit us on social media:
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Instagram
YouTube