Admissions Insight: College Planning for Middle School Families

As college admissions grow more complicated and competitive, families are getting started with the process earlier than ever before. And with good reason: colleges value the kinds of rigorous classes that often have several years’ worth of prerequisites and the level of extracurricular leadership and impact that require years of commitment, all while asking kids to maintain balance and focus. So middle school certainly isn’t too early to start planning for college, but which efforts will prove valuable come application time, and which risk overwhelming your middle schooler who’s still a kid, after all? Join veteran college admissions expert Joanna Graham to learn the do’s, don’ts, starts, and stops associated with middle school college prep and where and how to create the space to avoid burnout. This interactive session will emphasize actionable takeaways for families to get tactical about their college planning, and leave plenty of time for families to ask the questions that loom large in their minds. **About Joanna** A proud alumna of Georgetown University, Joanna has decades of experience in the college admissions and standardized testing space. She’s a longtime admissions interviewer and current member of the Board of Governors at Georgetown, has worked for standardized test agencies (the Graduate Management Admission Council and HR Certification Institute) and prep companies (Veritas Prep), partnered with a great many admissions offices, and served as a college admissions consultant for hundreds of applicants to elite programs. As a nonprofit marketing executive, she focuses her efforts on educational technology and higher education, and volunteers her spare time at a variety of athletic and military organizations including Dog Tag Bakery, Team Red White & Blue, the Ironman Foundation, and the Pat Tillman Foundation.