Your teen might be vaguely aware of the counseling office at his high school, but less aware of what the staff in this office does to help students prepare for the college search and application process.

Summer is around the corner, and if you’ve got a high school student, it’s the perfect time to visit colleges. Whether your teen will be headed into junior year—a pivotal time in the college research journey—or is earlier or later in high school, college tours are eye-opening, insightful and very worthwhile.

There’s nothing wrong with teens going to college without a set-in-stone career game plan, but one thing is certain: students who put thought into possible majors are more likely to minimize wasted time and make a smart decision.

With college around the corner, your teen might feel excited about this big life change. College is indeed a transformative experience and a journey that will change your teen forever, but is she ready for what’s to come?

We all want our children to graduate high school ready to take on the world and succeed in college and beyond. But success in the 21^st century demands much more than mastery of the fundamental academic skills like math, reading and writing. The world today is highly complex and fast moving. Teens need to be prepared.

The last year and a half of high school is pivotal when it comes to the college application process. If you have a high school junior, it’s halfway through the school year—is she staying on top of the important college tasks and deadlines? 

When teens get to junior year and start getting their college applications together, it becomes especially clear that grades are at the top of the list of factors that just about every college and university considers when evaluating applicants. Colleges want to know that the students they accept into their school are well-prepared to succeed. Yes, those SAT and ACT scores are important to colleges, but when evaluated alongside the GPA. Still, on its own, the GPA speaks loud and clear about your teen as a student.