Prepping for college starts far before senior year. You child needs to show years of volunteer/ community activities, sports participation, music/ arts, and special interests throughout their high school years. What makes them unique? What will set them apart from every other 3.5 GPA student on the wait list for universities? Here’s a list of things to focus on in high school to allow them to be the prized college applicant.

1. Learn another language: either learn from bilingual parents starting in childhood, or take 2-3 years of foreign language classes.
2. Be involved in a leadership role in your school: join special interest clubs and actually attend their monthly activities, join yearbook club, student council, or prom committee.
3. Volunteer through your church or community: animal rescue center, nursing homes, YMCA, anywhere where there is a need. Not just one weekend per year, but show long term commitment of volunteering of your time and talents to an organization that means something to your teen.
4. Sports/ music/ art: find your passion, be a good team mate, practice hard.
5. Travel: doesn’t have to be far or expensive, but let them experience a part of the world outside of their bubble.
6. Take ACT/ SAT early, and allow for a couple attempts, but don’t go overboard. It’s just one test score. Your child may have severe test anxiety and their score doesn’t accurately reflect their true ability.
7. Tour numerous college campuses, near and far from home. Research which colleges have the programs of interest for your teen and visit them so you get a feel for how the campus and city could support your (almost) adult child.
8. Take AP classes: this will get your teen ready for the fast pace of knowledge about to be thrown at them, and they can acquire college credit when they pass the end of year AP exams.
9. Get a part time job: babysitting, youth sports referee, waiter, anything. Some spending money is the bonus, the important thing is your teen demonstrating their ability to be on time and dependable.

This verification means Cook Children’s has the best possible system in place for surgery in children. From our Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Level II Trauma Center, state of the art equipment and surgery rooms to advanced training in pediatric subspecialties, Cook Children’s has invested everything it takes to make its medical center in downtown Fort Worth, Texas the preeminent place for pediatric surgery.

“This recognition means families can be assured their children are in the best possible hands when they turn to Cook Children’s for surgical care,” said Eric Hubli, M.D., FACS, medical director of Children’s Surgery at Cook Children’s. “We are proud of the incredible surgical staff who work tirelessly to make Cook Children’s the best possible place to heal, and of our leadership team who continuously invests in us because they know every child’s life is sacred.”

To put this recognition in perspective, there are more than 200 children’s hospitals in the United States. Cook Children’s is one of an elite group of 22 that holds the distinction of being a Level I Children’s Surgery Center.

“Kids are not small adults,” said Dr. Hubli. “They have unique diseases and medical issues that can only be treated by specially-trained professionals.”

Cook Children’s has certified physicians and nurses in pediatric surgery and anesthesia available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In addition, Cook Children’s Teddy Bear Transport team is dedicated to getting the most medically fragile children and neonates, often in need of surgery, to our award-winning medical center quickly and safely. All of this is part of the essential criteria that was observed and evaluated by the American College of Surgeons, leading to the verification as a Level I Children’s Surgery Center.

To read Cook Children's press release on the Level I Children’s Surgery Center verification, click here. 

The drink is a deceptively sweet punch, powerfully spiked with alcohol and renders the girl incapacitated.

Unfortunately, this occurs far too often among college campuses across the nation and the above scenario is one favorited by serial rapists. In a 2002 study on “undetected rapists” on a college campus, researchers found that 6 percent of the college men surveyed were serial rapists with an average of six victims, and most began assaulting girls in high school.

In the first year of college, especially the first few weeks, a young female is at greatest risk of being raped or sexually assaulted. Female students ages 18-24 have a high rate of victimization, about 6 per 1,000 assaulted. In 80 percent of cases the offender is known to the victim, usually a “friend” or casual acquaintance.

That’s why rape or sexual assault usually occurs at or near the female college student’s home (38 percent) or a friend or relative (29 percent). Other area of concerns for young women are the parking lot or garage and in open areas or on public transportation.

Here’s what we know about the young men who are responsible for the bulk of rape or sexual assault:

• Men age 21-29 make up 51 percent of offenders.
• The majority (63 percent) are Caucasian.
• Ten percent of offenders used a weapon during a sexual assault.
• In about 47 percent of cases, the offender was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

So why does this keep happening to young women?

Many of the men who commit these atrocious acts are never caught. Rape and sexual assault of female college students goes unreported an astonishing 80 percent of the time.

One important clue for women starting college is to notice how a man and his friends talk about violence against women. Stay away from men who have peer support for objectifying and victimizing women because this is a big risk factor for him to commit sexual assault.

Stay safe with these tips from RAINN:

1. Know the campus so you know safe routes to where you need to go (well-lit walkways with emergency phones). Have the campus security number in your cell phone, and know where the campus health center and police station are.
2. Stay alert when you’re walking around alone (no headphones blocking your hearing). Go with a friend, or ask campus security for an escort.
3. Keep your location private by disabling geolocation services on social media.
4. Trust no one – at least for a while. Get to know people before you let your guard down.
5. Keep your phone fully charged before going out, memorize a couple friend’s (or campus security) numbers in case your phone dies. Memorize the address to your dorm. If you drive, have a spare key hidden, a full tank of gas and emergency supplies (i.e. jumper cables).
6. Lock your door and windows when you’re asleep and when you leave a room. If the main door is propped open, tell security.
7. Watch out for your friends when you're out together.. Never leave anyone stranded..
8. Protect your drink: Watch it being made and poured, and if you have to leave the drink unattended, toss it and get another one. Don’t drink the punch – you didn’t see them make it!
9. Leave any situation where you feel more tired or drunk than you should. Seek medical help immediately because you may have been drugged. 
10. Lie or make up any excuse that will get you to safety. You are the most important person, and if you feel uncomfortable, pressured, or threatened, do whatever you have to do to get out of there.

To speak with someone who is trained to help, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE(4673) or chat online at online.rainn.org.

• Rape and Sexual Assault Victimization Among College-Age Females, 1995-2013, U.S. Department of Justice, Bereau of Justice Statistics, December 2014 
• Repeat Rape and Multiple Offenses Among Undetected Rapists
• Staying Safe On Campus, RAINN