The College Board

    With students gearing up to apply to colleges this fall, it struck me that despite minimal guidance — from the types of courses to the exams we should have taken — my four siblings and I all went to college. Yet a lack of guidance about the college-going process often sabotages academic opportunities for many students.

There were 1,000 students in my freshman class in one of Chicago’s biggest high schools. Our counselor had his hands full advising hundreds of kids at one time. It was easy to miss out on critical guidance. I know now that I wasn’t taking the kinds of courses that would have best prepared me for college-level work and the College Board’s SAT college admission exam.

    By my sophomore year, I was unchallenged, disillusioned and straying from fundamental courses. Like most kids, I didn’t know that I should be taking four years of English, and three to four years each of math, science, and history or the social sciences. This core curriculum builds critical thinking and reading skills and lays the foundation for college success.

    By pure luck, I became friendly with some fellow students who were unusually excited about AP courses. I signed up right away, challenging myself with these university-level classes that prepare students to do well on the SAT and in college.  In this group of ambitious kids, peer pressure meant we were all focused on doing well and getting into college.

Where Parents Fit In

    Parents naively think that as long as their kids bring home fairly decent grades and don’t get into trouble, there is no reason to get too involved. That was certainly the case with my parents, who didn’t fully understand whether or not I was getting the best academic preparation to help me get into college and do well once accepted.

    I’m here to tell you, kids shouldn’t fly solo or leave college planning to chance. Although I was lucky, expecting students to navigate the college admission process on their own is a gamble that could adversely affect their whole lives.

Latinos Are the Future

    Latinos are the future leaders of this country; let’s be prepared to take the reins. Parents and students should seek help from school counselors to ensure that kids take the right classes, enroll in advanced courses, study hard and familiarize themselves with the SAT. There’s too much at stake — not just for our families but for our country as well.

Students aspiring to go to college next year should know that now is the time to register for college entrance exams. The College Board’s SAT exam will be administered across the country on Dec. 4. Most universities need to receive applicants’ test scores by January to make admission decisions. Last year, the SAT enabled 1.6 million kids to get on the path to a university education to build a better life for themselves and their families.

Don’t be left out next year.

    Send your questions to mcorral@collegeboard.org.

Side bar:

SAT Exam Resources from the College Board

    · Free study tools on

    · Fee waivers for qualifying students available from counselors

    · Information in Spanish www.collegeboard.com/enespanol under the tab “Exámenes del College Board”

    · A toll-free number for additional support: 866-756-7346.