Early college preparation should be stress-free


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College is important. If you grow up in a certain demographic, you are taught almost from birth that it is the most important step on the path to success in life.

Last weekend, however, the 2012 College Fair in Irvine attracted Korean families with children as young as 10 years old, begging the question: can you ever be too young to start preparing for college?

No—as long as preparation remains casual in the younger years. Lots of children are exposed to college early. They grow up hearing about it and are exposed to it in the media. Maybe their parents put aside a few dollars a week in a special bank—their “college fund.”

But for most kids, college remains a relatively abstract concept until they hit high school. They know nothing of the rigor and stress associated with getting into a good college; words like SAT, ACT and personal statement simply aren’t in their vocabulary.

And for good reason. College prep might encourage kids to take their studies, ambitions and extracurricular activities seriously from an early age. However, push elementary school kids too hard and you risk not only robbing them of their childhood, but also endangering the goal you are trying to reach.

By the time most of us start applying for college, we are ready—precisely because we have had our fill of relaxation. But someone who has been worrying about college since the age of 10 starts the application process with seven years of built up anxiety. When it comes to crunch time, he or she might just crack completely under the strain.

While some might view the fair in Irvine as a manifestation of the stereotypical Asian American overachiever, such helicopter parenting is a trait that crosses cultural lines. Plenty of non-Asian parents push their kids too hard. But the need to avoid these excesses crosses cultural lines as well.

Visiting a college fair is an innocent step in the college preparation process, but young children shouldn’t be expected to do much beyond this casual exploration of possibilities. Kids should be kids, and college students should be college students.