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You've coached your child through countless decisions in life. Choosing a college might be their biggest decision yet. As a parent or family member, it's tough to know how to help and when to get involved. Below are a few Bethel parent stories and a quick checklist of what you can do to support your student during the college search!
Parent stories
Read Bethel parent stories and hear about the Bethel experience in their own words.
Checklist for supporting your student
High school freshman and sophomore
- Encourage your student to connect with their high school guidance counselor.
- Attend a college fair or informational events about educational and career pathways.
- Begin exploring college options together and make a big list of possibilities and priorities.
- Ask your student to connect with schools they're considering.
- Encourage your student to start a resume of high school involvements. Include athletics, co-curricular activities, and community service.
- Pay attention to what they excel at or enjoy, and talk about college majors and career choices.
High school junior
- Continue researching college options.
- Encourage good study habits.
- Keep praying.
- Help cut the list of schools down to the top 4-5 choices and set up campus visits.
- Spend some time on the campuses of colleges you’re considering. Sometimes informal visits can be incredibly beneficial for determining a good fit.
- Get to know your student's admissions counselor.
- Consider having your student take the ACT or SAT. Bethel is “test-optional,” so this isn’t required. Here are some frequently asked questions about testing at Bethel.
High school senior
- It's time for your student to start applying to their top-choice school(s)!
- Learn more about scholarships and pay special attention application deadlines.
- Include your student in the financial aid application process, and be transparent about what paying for college might look like. One important step is completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Here’s more info.
- Encourage your student to attend a Royal Retreat, after acceptance, or schedule an individual overnight visit.
- When the decision has been made, continue with the next steps for enrolling at Bethel.