As the cost of college continues to rise, parents are becoming more involved in the college admissions process. Colleges are even finding that parents are increasingly involved with their students during college. Many colleges now have a Parent Liaison on campus or active parent networks who are available to prospective families for questions or guidance. Our center, Compass College Advisory Center is offering a 4-week course for parents of college-bound teens. This workshop will provide insight and tools that parents can use to help their teens find the best college for them. If you are located in the Dayton area, please consider attending.
Sign up here for College 101: Parent workshop
This workshop will be particularly beneficial for parents with 9th, 10th, and 11th graders. If you have a high school senior, here are some timely tips to help you in the thick of the process:
Create a Good List of Schools Right Away – The real key here is having a good college list: there are some reaches, there’s some ‘likelies’ that the parent can trust the child to go ahead and start applying because there are some colleges that he or she will get into for sure . . . Now that colleges are required to provide families with a net price calculator . . . it’s also important for parents to help their student go through their list to calculate the expected cost of attendance and ensure that the school is affordable before applying. [See our posting on “Don’t let the College Sticker Price fool you.”] Give Kids Responsibility – Douglas likens the parent’s role in the application process to the producer of a movie—don’t direct, but make sure the movie gets done well, on time and within budget.“Sit down with your kid and come up with a timeline: when are you going to start brainstorming? When are you going to come up with a topic? When are you going to have a first draft written?” he says. “Put dates on them–I suggest formalizing that with a contract.”With all of the application fees and costs for sending in transcripts and test scores, Luse suggests giving students a debit card and give them responsibility to keep up with associated costs. Create Incentives and Reward Progress – While parents shouldn’t pay their child to complete applications or finish essays, Douglas suggests creating a reward system for meeting deadlines and stepping in if they don’t hold up their end of the bargain.“Say, ‘if you [decide on] the essay topic by the weekend, then I’m going to pay for you to go to the movies with your friends or I’m going to make your favorite dinner or you won’t have to do chores for a day,’” he says. “You’re able to help your kids through the process without doing the work and that kind of management makes for a happier relationship and it makes it less stressful for the student.”
via College Application Guidelines for Parents | Fox Business
Please keep us posted on how these tips work for you in the upcoming months!
