Dave Marcus, the author of “Acceptance: A Legendary Guidance Counselor Helps Seven Kids Find the Right Colleges — and Find Themselves,” is a reliable source of measured advice on the college admissions process and on the importance of keeping it in the proper perspective. (Regular readers of The Choice know this first-hand from his posts for us, including one last year about a son who marches to the beat of a different educational drummer, which prompted several hundred comments.)
In an interview posted recently on a blog called Teen Life, Mr. Marcus shared three main pieces of advice that I felt were worth passing on to Choice readers, as a new school year beckons. They are:
“Help your kids live their own dreams. If majoring in economics at Princeton is Mom’s ambition, that’s fine. But if art school is the kid’s dream, help him or her do great work.”
“Kids need to slow down and savor the opportunities of middle and high school — in the classroom, in museums, in clubs. Don’t join a group or take on community service because it looks good on an application; do it to make a difference.”
“Realize that a 16- or 17-year-old is far from formed, and so personalities and goals change.”
In the interview, Mr. Marcus fleshes out each of those ideas a bit further. After you’ve read it, I hope you’ll consider using the comment box below to reflect on his recommendations, and to pass on some advice of your own.
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