Choosing the right college isn’t a decision that you make all by yourself as a parent. Hopefully you involve the child that will be attending school in the Fall in the decision making process so that they can appreciate the work it will take to be successful in what they do. As a parent, knowing your child well enough to help place them in an environment that will serve them well is a responsibility that many parents do not think about. Here are some tips on choosing the right college for your child.
Is your child mature enough for college? If the answer is yes, then your child should also be mature enough to make this decision for themselves. Make yourself more of a mentor leading your child by the hand to make the wise choices that they will naturally come to if you just help the process along a bit. Send for different college application services so that they can start receiving notification on how to get into college. Most high schools have counselors for their students that are there to help students with the steps in takes to get into college. Use this resource to your advantage and help organize the process in your own mind so that you can help your child along as deadlines approach for applications, tests, etc.
How are your child’s high school grades? What extracurricular activities are they involved with? There are literally millions and millions of dollars in scholarship money just waiting for a qualified student to apply for. Have your child research these opportunities that can pay for their post high school education. No matter what choice they make on college, the reality of the matter is that any of those choices are going to cost a bit of money. Why pay for it all on your own if could qualify for free money? Taking advantage of resources such as these is also attractive to universities and will give your child a boost to get into the school they apply to.
There are thousands of colleges to choose from. Knowing where to start is naturally a hard choice to make. Most students choose according to the things that are most important to them. Is your family religious? Are sports an important pastime? What hobbies do they enjoy the most? Asking yourself these questions can help narrow down a list of schools that can offer you exactly what fits your child’s personality. There are colleges that have great sports programs that many graduates go through and continue on into the professional realm while others have great sports programs that students can participate in for fun. Knowing what your child is serious about as compared to what they just enjoy doing is another way to judge which school is right for them.
Now what do you do if your child is not mature enough for college? There are several options that can help your child become a mature adult who won’t waste the college experience and actually achieve what they hadn’t thought they could do before. Many kids after high school go into service programs, mission trips, or other types of overseas programs. These experiences force these kids to mature and grow so that they can handle the responsibilities required of them. Many students also go into two-year colleges so that they can either stay close to home or just stay home altogether. This choice is definitely a less expensive choice and far less intimidating for a student who doesn’t feel ready for the university experience.
Parenting viewpoints from parents in the trenches, because parenting doesn’t come with a manual. In addition to
You can also check out student review sites like TheUniversityReview.com. While this tool won’t be the only piece of info you’ll need to select a college, it is another helpful input! These are often overlooked, but very useful inputs. Others include StudentsReview.com, and Unigo.com.