by Amy Thomas

Created on: January 02, 2008

Planning for College

As the parent of a high school senior, I am in the midst of many different activities and emotions, all which seem to stagger daily between incredible happiness and pride to total panic and despair. April is generally the month that college bound seniors decide which school they will be attending in the fall, and this can create some household stress along the way.

As if choosing a college were not enough, we then have to figure out HOW TO PAY FOR IT. If you have not had the privilege of checking out college tuition, room and board and books as of yet, you are in for a rude awakening. The biggest piece of advice for any high school junior or senior and/or their parents is to become great friends with your high school guidance department. These wonderful people have a wealth of information and can truly help get you organized and make the whole college search and application process less confusing. Each student generally meets with his or her guidance counselor in the latter part of the junior year to talk about future post graduation plans. If your student has not spoken to you about this, ask them specifically. Also, as a parent you can call and make an appointment yourself. This is very helpful, as the guidance counselor can review grades, activities and interests and community service to pinpoint good matches for your child. Having a beginning list of potential schools makes the search process much easier. This list will also help you research the costs of attending each school. There is such a variance in tuition, and it is important to be mindful of these costs as you move forward in the search process.

If possible, visit some of the schools your student may be interested in attending. Many colleges have open houses on campus on certain dates, which include tours and chances for personal interviews. It is also helpful to speak with some current students and professors, especially those who are involved in the same major your child is interested in.

So, you r student has identified schools that he or she would like to apply to. A suggestion that was made to our family has proven to be worthwhile: apply to at least one "reach" school, one that your student would definitely like to attend, but may be out of his or her range for acceptance, either due to cost or academic requirements. You would be surprised how many students are accepted into their reach school. Apply to a few schools that your student is reasonably assured of acceptance

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