Parents' Guide to College Planning for Gifted Kids
In this article, you will find:
What You Look For
Colleges spend huge sums creating idyllic images of campus life. With more than 3,500 colleges all vying for students, how does your child decide where to spend the next four years? When your child learns about colleges, she should: 
Read about, visit, and talk with people from about 10 to 12 colleges.
Narrow down her list to 5 or 6 choices: one long shot, one safety, and four good matches.
Consider her personal values, interests, and needs.
Consider the variety and range of each college's opportunities.
Be realistic about cost and the distance away from home.
Try to determine the method colleges use to select a freshman.
What Colleges Look For
Many gifted teens are drawn to the most competitive schools, those that receive more than 20 applications for every freshman vacancy. The way your teen addresses the application process will be critical. Applications require both objective information (like test scores, biographical data, and academic information) and subjective information (including recommendations, extracurricular activities, an essay, and a personal interview). It's his job to help the college recognize him as a match. They examine:
1. Academic performance: GPA (grade point average) and class rank.
2. Academic rigor: A student who shows superior ability (honors, AP courses, and GT classes).
3. Depth of study in areas like foreign languages and math.
4. Quality: Four or five solid, academic courses taken each year in English, math, science, history, and language.
5. Balance: Evidence that the student studied broadly and intensively.
6. Trends: Do grades improve each year? Recent performance is the most important indicator of ability and motivation. Senior sliding hurts!
7. Consistency: All parts should equal the whole. If a discrepancy appears (a C- in freshman year in physics, for instance) it should be addressed and clarified in an essay or personal statement.
8. Standardized tests: It's helpful to know that many colleges combine test scores (SAT, ACT, SAT IIs) with GPA and class rank. If your child is not a good test-taker, avoid colleges that do this or be sure test scores aren't so low that she'll be out of the running.
9. Extracurricular activities: If two students are equal academically, the highly selective schools make their decisions on the creative presentation of extracurricular activities, leadership, quality recommendations, the essay/personal statement, and the interview.
10. Community service: Colleges look for students who share their time and talents with the community by helping others. Giving to the community tells admissions officers that your child will be an asset to the college and will, more than likely, form a close, long-term attachment there.
11. Recommendations: Teachers writing these all-important letters should be positive and point out the ways your child distinguishes himself from others.
12. The essay: Many gifted students have trouble dealing with open-ended questions. Colleges are looking to see if the prospective student is capable of college-level work. If your child writes beautiful, creative prose, be sure she also documents sources and presents genuine information.
Remember: When those letters of acceptance start rolling in, you should anticipate that your gifted teen may have problems "breaking away." Friendships and relationships have been nurtured through the years -- these kids all know their lives will be changing. However, with planning and a spirit of cooperation, this time can also become a learning experience that will empower your child. Give him the map. Show her the way.
This article was adapted from the book, College Planning for Gifted Students, by Sandra Berger, of The Council for Exceptional Children.