Is 9th grade too early to plan for college? Yes and no.

I sometimes get inquiries from families whose students just started high school or are entering high school. I understand the anxiety that a student may not be doing the right things to set themselves up for getting into a good college (however one defines it). My take is that 9th grade is when one should figure one’s interests out, besides growing socially at school.

I do not take students until the middle of 10th grade. Here’s part of my standard communication with these families:

One reason I do not take 9th graders is because from experience, 9th graders should pursue their interests and excel in those areas on their own (rather than doing "self-initiated projects" just for college applications). Take as rigorous classes as possible and enjoy high school before the stress comes on in 10th and 11th grades. The most important thing for students in 9th grade would be to just enjoy what they do, and if possible, excel in the two or three areas. This is not what a counselor can do for a child. The main bulk of the "ground work" (foundational work) is upon the students themselves. In 10th grade, there are programs that students can then take part in (since many have age limits), and a clearer plan can then be forged. 

I do want to also add that writing and analytical skills in the humanities are crucial for admissions into some highly selective colleges. So, encourage your child to read a lot.

P.S.

Sharing a couple of profiles of my recent students who were admitted to MANY selective colleges:

Case 1 (Committed to Princeton):

* Loves drawing. Won national prizes in oil painting category

* Loves script writing and making short films (just for fun)

* Volunteers in art museum as docent

* Loves writing, a very good writer (hence strong college essays) but no publication (contrary to all the media hype about having to publish)

Case 2 (Committed to Columbia):

* Plays the piano, won a couple of international competitions

* Very social boy, heavily involved in 4 school clubs 

* Loves economic policies: gave a TedX talk on income disparity in the Bay Area + wrote an essay for an international economics essay competition (only made it to finals, did not win top prizes)

Case 3 (Committed to Carnegie Mellon):

* Plays soccer (school and league)

* Loves engineering ideas, make simple robots with friends for fun

* Very strong in Math and Physics

* Cares about environment, in school's "green team" but no leadership position

A good counselor can step in at the later stage of high school to help a student frame their profiles in the application. Before that, the actual “work” mostly depends on the efforts of the child and the parents.