Enrollment and Moving Over the Summer

Even though class is not in session, there is a

lot happening at schools over the summer. One of those activities is the

enrollment of new students. When possible, families often make their moves

during the summer months. This is logical for obvious reasons and is something

I recommend for reasons I’ll explain below. Of course, moving schools

inevitably comes with some hardships that you should be prepared for.

         The social piece is one that needs consideration.

I don’t encounter many students who are excited to leave their old friends

behind and start at a new school. Then again, there are cases in which social

reasons are a motivating factor behind a move. Especially, if the student is

moving to a school-based on a digital platform. Regardless, encourage your

student to look at their move as an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to start

with a clean slate and rebuild who they want to be. There is tremendous

potential in that and it’s not an opportunity everyone has. 

         The academics are also crucial here. Summer really

is the best time to move. Schools operate in a very cyclical way and starting

at the beginning of a new school year allows a student to start at the

beginning of that cycle. I know moves are often caused by a change in a

parent’s employment and I have worked with many families where one parent gets

a new job in the middle of the school year and moves on to the new place while

the other parent stays behind with the kids and lets them finish the school

year at their old school. This isn’t always feasible but if it is, it’s worth

considering. 

         Anytime you change schools, especially when you

move across state lines, there are likely to be speed bumps. What I mean is

that policies and requirements can vary. So, a student might be required to

take four sciences at their new school whereas their old school only required

three. Or freshman take US government at the new school but it’s usually a

senior-level course at the out school. Little hiccups like these generally are

nothing major but they are issues that have to be rectified. It’s usually the

job of a counselor, enrollment officer, or administrator to make a plan for

this, but families should understand these possibilities.

         Lastly, if college is in the plan, families need

to familiarize themselves with state colleges and scholarships right away.

These institutions may not make concessions for students who move late in high

school so there might be some catching up to do. If you have a pre-paid plan in

your previous state, you’ll need to investigate what happens in the case of a

move right away. 

         One last point here is that communication is

always key. Reach out to the school you’ll be moving to and your current school

to make sure everything is in place and there are no surprises. Doing this can

save you a lot of headaches and put you in the best position to make the

transfer from one school to the next seamless.