Five Things Parents Need to Do to Help Students Prepare for College

Children grow up so fast.  Wasn't it just yesterday they were just learning to walk?  Before you know it, the years slip by and your baby is starting high school.  As they're making this transition into adulthood, what can you do to help them prepare for their future?

1. Help them explore their interests and talents

OK, nobody knows what they want to do for the rest of their life when they're 16.  Well, almost nobody.  And I'm not suggesting you pressure your child to make major life decisions at this time.  But if you thought the Kindergarten through 8th grade years went fast, high school will fly by even faster.  Helping your child think about possible career and education directions during the first few years of high school will really help when it comes time for college applications.

2. Encourage your child to connect with the school's academic counselor

The counselor knows a lot about what options are out there, and how the process works.  Take advantage of his or her expertise to gather all the information you can while considering your child's options.

3. But don't let anyone - including you - pressure your child to make decisions they're not comfortable with

Everybody has advice for high school students, and of course you have your child's best interests in mind.  But remember, this is your child's life - not yours - and although you can provide input and advice, it ultimately needs to be their decision.  Too much pressure on your child can backfire, causing them to completely shut down and make poor decisions, resulting in anger and frustration all around.  Be supportive, state your thoughts and concerns openly, and be clear about what you are willing to do to support your child, but accept that it is ultimately their decision.

4. Be open and honest about your family's financial situation and what financial support you can provide for college

This is a difficult topic for some families to discuss.  As a counselor, I work with many students who tell me they don't have any idea of their family's income because their parents won't talk about it - they just say "don't worry".  Again, I know this comes out of a loving intention, but it makes it very difficult for me to discuss college options with your child if I don't have any idea about the family's financial situation. Students may be eliminating some options as too expensive, even though they would qualify for significant financial aid. In fact, some schools are committed to meeting 100% of a student's demonstrated financial need, meaning that if the family income is very low, the student may get a full scholarship.  There are a lot of factors that affect financial aid, and I can't always determine how much a student will get, but I've had enough experience with this to give a general idea of what students in a given family income bracket can likely expect.  Without a general idea of family income, it severely limits my ability to accurately and effectively advise students.  To get a better idea of what your financial aid picture is likely to be, use the FAFSA4caster and the net price calculators available on all college websites.

5. Start having these financial discussions early

It takes a while to sort out the financial details of getting a college degree, and sticker shock can indeed be quite shocking.  Remember that the majority of students do not pay the full cost of attendance; roughly 2/3 of students receive some sort of financial aid, and over half of that aid is in the form of grants and scholarships rather than loans.  And early planning can help you to think about creative ways to reduce college costs and avoid loans (For more on college costs and financial aid, see these posts from 2013 or this post from 2015). During the course of my career, I have seen far too many students limit their choices because they ran out of time to figure out what was possible.

To sum it all up:

To sum up the advice in this post: start your planning (both academic and financial) early. It takes time to figure this all out, and senior year will be here before you know it.  Research financial aid, using the FAFSA4caster and net price calculators on college websites.  Work with your school counselor to help identify potential college options and to get an idea of how much it will actually cost YOUR family (which is likely different than the published cost of attendance).  And last of all, enjoy the ride, because it will be over before you know it.

Seven Things You Need to Know About Financial Aid

With the rising cost of college, and increasingly dire news about the student loan burden in this country, it's more important than ever to think carefully about financing college.  The following tips can help maximize your chances at getting financial aid:

1. Complete the FAFSA, and do it early!

FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and it is the first step in the process of applying for nearly all forms of financial aid, including some merit-based aid that does not depend on income.  Some types of aid are first come, first served, so the earlier you get your application in, the better.  You need to complete the FAFSA every year. The application is available at fafsa.ed.gov

2. If you are a California resident and meet eligibility requirements, the Cal Grant will pay the full tuition at a UC or CSU school.

And the income limits may be higher than you think.  To qualify for a Cal Grant, you need at least a 3.0 GPA (or 2.0 for the Cal Grant B, for lower income applicants), and a family income under $98,900 for a family of 4.  The Cal Grant will pay the full tuition at a UC or CSU school, and up to $9,000 per year at qualifying private schools in California.  Completing the FAFSA automatically submits an application for the Cal Grant. If you are a resident of another state, check to see if your state offers similar aid programs. More information about the Cal Grant is available from the California Student Aid Commission.

3. The net price of a college may be much less than its "sticker price".

Many colleges that look more expensive on paper actually have generous financial aid policies, making the net price for low and moderate income families much less than other schools that appear less expensive based solely on tuition prices.  Some expensive private schools will meet 100% of demonstrated financial need, meaning low-income students may pay nothing at all.  This financial aid may also cover living expenses like room and board and transportation.

4. Not all loans are created equal.

In general, federal student loans have better terms and better protections than private loans.  There are two types of federal loans: subsidized and unsubsidized.  Both types of loans allow students to wait until 6 months after they are no longer in school to begin making payments. The difference is that interest does not accrue on subsidized loans during the time the student is enrolled at least half time, and during the 6 month grade period after the student is no longer enrolled. Unsubsidized loans, on the other hand, DO accrue interest during this time, and if the interest is not paid, it is added to the principal amount, so the student then needs to pay interest on the interest as well as the principal. If you must take out unsubsidized loans, at least try to make the interest payments while you are in school (even though you are not required to make payments).

5. You should apply to 4 or more colleges.

Different schools have different financial aid policies, and completing a variety of applications increases the chances that one of the colleges will offer a financial aid package that works for you. Aim for a mix of in-state, out-of-state, public, and private colleges, and carefully compare financial aid offers before making your final decision.

6. It is sometimes possible to get more financial aid just by asking.

Seriously.  One student I recently worked with received an admission offer from her dream college, but the financial aid package didn't work for her.  She contacted the college to thank them for the offer but explained that she could not afford to attend.  They increased her financial aid by $10,000. This is more likely to happen at small, private liberal arts colleges than public universities. Of course, it's also more likely if you are an outstanding student or have some particular talent that makes you attractive to the college, but regardless of your circumstances, it never hurts to ask.

7. Even moderate and higher income students may qualify for some aid.

In California, the Middle Class Scholarship offers some aid to students with family income up to $120,000 per year.  Also, your eligibility for need-based aid depends on both your family income and assets AND on the cost of attendance.  So if your income is relatively high, and your Expected Family Contribution is $20,000, but you're applying to a school with a total cost of attendance (including room and board) of $30,000, you may be eligible for financial aid.

Six Great Websites for Your College Search

With over 4,000 colleges and universities in the US alone, the college search process can be overwhelming.  I generally recommend that students start the process of building their "long list" - a list of all colleges and universities they are interested in - as early as possible during their high school experience.  During freshmen, sophomore, and junior years, you should keep a list of all colleges that spark your interest - don't worry about specifics now, you're casting a wide net to capture all possible colleges that could turn out to be your dream school.  Towards the end of your junior year, you'll start sorting and narrowing down to get the list of colleges you will ultimately apply to.

But with so many options, where do you start?  The following tools can be helpful in generating your long list:

College Board: Search nearly 4,000 colleges and universities according to parameters you can set, including location, type of school, majors offered, support services offered, athletic opportunities, cost and average financial need met, and more.  For each college, there is a profile that includes a brief overview, application deadlines, majors and learning environment, campus life, application process, and cost and financial aid information.  I like this site because it's user-friendly and includes a lot of information in a consistent format - the profiles for all colleges are organized in the same way, so information is easy to find.  On each college profile, in the menu bar to the left is also a "see similar colleges" tab, which can help you find new schools you may not have thought of. If you have an account, you can save your college list. The college board website also has a wealth of other resources, including information on majors and a scholarship search.

College Greenlight: You need to sign up for a free account.  After entering some basic information about yourself, you can search colleges based on your interests.  Based on the colleges you choose, the site will suggest similar colleges you may be interested in.  You will also receive messages (within the site, not to your email) from colleges interested in students like you, which can give you some new ideas of colleges you may not have known about. There is a tool to compare colleges, and College Greenlight also provides information about college majors and has a scholarship search tool.

CollegeXpress: Again, you will need to sign up for an account (it's free).  The site offers a college search tool, where you can search based on location, majors, sports and activities, size, etc.  There is also a scholarship search tool.  My favorite thing about this site, however, is the "lists and rankings". These are not your US News and World Report generic rankings, these are lists created based on very specific factors - you can look at lists of the best schools for a certain major, but also by sport, and by factors such as "Colleges for the Independent Learner" or "Colleges for Students Slow to Make Friends".  The lists can be useful in finding colleges of interest, of course, but they can also help you figure out what's important to you in your college experience - including some things you may not have thought about before - like "Schools with Lots of Cooperative Education Options."

And for when you're a little farther along in your search, and are looking to compare colleges based on affordability and college outcomes:

The Chronicle of Higher Education: College Completion: This website allows you to compare colleges based on a variety of factors, including freshman retention and graduation rates (both 4- and 6-year).  This is useful because many websites only give 6-year graduation rates.  The information on this site allows you to see the percentage of students who graduate in 4 years, which is important because graduating in 4 instead of 6 years will obviously save a lot of money - two full years of colleges expenses.

College Scorecard: This site lets you filter by degree type, major, location and other factors, and compares colleges based on average annual cost, graduation rate, and average salary of graduates.  If you click on a particular college, it provides more information, including a breakdown of average cost for different levels of family income, average debt of graduates, and more information about the school.

And to help pay for college:

Raise.me: Sign up for a free account, and earn microscholarships at over 250 participating colleges.  Students document achievements (good grades, extracurricular activities, taking the PSAT or SAT, taking an AP test, community service) to earn microscholarships from participating colleges and universities.  If you end up attending one of those schools, the money earned will be awarded through your financial aid office.

Taking some time during the first three years of high school to research colleges and create a college list will save you a lot of stress and frustration senior year.