A Parent's Survival Guide to College Planning
If you’ve got a senior at home, there’s probably nothing more exhilarating for him right now than opening those letters (or those emails) from colleges and reading the word “Congratulations!”
May 1 is National College Decision Day, which is the deadline for students to make their choice as to which college they’ll attend and to send in their deposit. (Although, many students do this much sooner.)
So, after your teen receives acceptance letters, what’s next?
There are dozens of life skills that our teenagers need to learn before heading off to college and being on their own for the first time. The more you teach your teen before heading off for school, the more prepared she’ll be.
Make the transition to college easier for your teen by teaching some basic living-away-from-home skills.
Here’s a short list of essential skills to get you started:
If you know anything about the advice I give for students who are knee deep in trying to decide which colleges are the best fit, you know that I believe that visiting college campuses is one of the most important items on the to-do list.
But, let’s be honest – these trips can get expensive, especially if your teen is gung-ho on attending college in a different state.
So first, download my free College Visit Checklist to be sure your teen’s getting the most from those college visits. Then, check out these simple strategies that will help you keep those costs down.
Now that your teen is ready to take the SAT or ACT exams, I wonder… do your palms get sweaty and does your heart start to race like they did back in high school?
You’re not alone – many parents’ anxiety levels start to climb when their kids are faced with these exams. There’s a heckuva lot riding on them!
But knowledge is power, right? Understanding more about the tests helps to reduce some of that dread.
So, grab a seat and read on. I’ll provide some insight into what many professionals in college admissions know, but many parents don’t, when it comes to taking these college entrance exams.
As the mom of two busy teenagers, I appreciate the kick-in-the-pants that a new year brings to my planning duties. And again this year I’ve resolved to keep on track with all sporting events, school responsibilities and college planning obligations from the very start.
I’ve got my giant annual calendar on the wall and my online Google Calendar primed and ready to mark down important dates and tasks this year.
Check out what you and your high schooler should be thinking about and planning for over the next few months to stay on track with college admissions planning. For an even more in-depth overview for the entire year, download my free College Planning Checklist to know exactly what to do each year in high school.Continue Reading
