For people with younger kids: College Planning

[barkley]

Question about starting the resume in middle school.... Do you really put the stuff your child accomplished in middle school on a college application? Do they really care she was her school's student of the year in 7th or 8th grade going into college? The only reason I ask is because I am an 8th grade teacher and had NO IDEA. My daughter just finished 8th grade and is going into HS. If this is true I better get going and go back and log her stuff! I will also be sure to tell my students this is something they might want to keep track of.

where we saw the difference keeping track of this (and not the student of the year stuff, attendance awards....) was with scholarships. by keeping a simple spiral notebook inside a file folder where we listed all dd's information from 7th grade forward we could pull from it to tailor make individual resumes for different scholarships and document her historical/long term habits/commitments.

it doesn't look bad to be able to list 6 continuous years of honor roll, how early on in middle then high school the staff nominated you for national honor society, that you started out in middle school as a teacher's aide helping the younger kids in the computer lab and continued on culminating in your senior year to becoming the tech assistant to your school's director of technology,

it looks allot better to show from 8th-10th grade a volunteer position vs. a 3 or 6 month stint in just 11th or 12th (with a letter from the coordinator who knows the volunteer in depth over years vs. the competing student who just jumped on the bandwagon volunteering short term in 11th or 12th grade),

it shows individual progress and growth from increasing responsibilities/involvement in an area of participation (from general choir student to being selected for bi-county or state choir, to featured soloist in the same, participating in out of state workshops for skill building, to singing national anthems at community events and then reaching out to high school instrumental teachers to include a vocalist w/one of the performing groups in order to expand the groups appeal for community event performances),

it helped us remember repeated individual volunteer instances within a single commitment which stood out more impressively vs. listing just the general volunteer title.

as an example we could have listed it as-

2008-2012 x church teen outreach program volunteer

OR (because we had it listed and could remember the individual projects and how her responsibilities increased each year)-

2008-2012 x community annual food bank drive volunteer (collections/bagger/distributor)
2008-2012 x community annual cemetery beautification volunteer
2008-2012 x church annual community fall festival volunteer (set up/activities operator/planning and promotions)
2008-2012 x county wide backpack for kidz drive volunteer (collections/filler/distributor)
2008-2012 x county wide coat drive volunteer.


its worked for us-there were kids dd competed against for scholarships that had worked side by side with her for an equal amount of time in some of the same volunteer opportunities, the only difference being that when they applied they didn't detail out what they had done so they didn't look as qualified on paper.



for this process we took a que from when dh and I served on ranking panels for government jobs. there were specific qualifications we had to look for in scoring an applicant but we were restricted to asking certain questions (we couldn't 'pull' more information by asking questions other than were on the approved oral test). the applicants that ranked higher were by and far those that would tell us a position/experience they'd had-and then go into detail about the individual duties/responsibilities. scholarship panels go by the written application/supplemental paperwork (dd only had one that included an oral interview)-they weed out those who don't meet the minimum qualifications, go on to those who do-and whoever's application 'reads' the best for the established criteria tends to get the $$$$$$$$$$.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

I also started her (her brother in 7th grade) taking the SAT/ACT and only have results sent to us. Taking the tests made them more and more comfortable for when it really was counting. Both had scores jump considerably that final time.

We took a different approach to the SATs, ACTs and college visits.

We started college visits during the Spring of DS's junior year. He did a ton of research on his own early in junior year before he decided which school to apply to. We only visited the schools he was pretty sure he'd get into and that he thought he'd like to attend. He didn't visit the super reach or back up schools. If he needed to visit those in order to make his final decision, we were going to visit those after acceptances were in (Spring of senior year). As it was, he got into his 1st choice school - UVA - so we didn't make any additional visits.

DD is 2 years younger than DS (starting her senior year in HS this Fall). She went with us on all DS's college visits. She's also visited several colleges through her high school program. She finally narrowed down her proposed major (BSN), so we have at least 3 more to visit this summer. We scheduled those visits for this Spring, but they got snowed out/cancelled.

SATs/ACTs
DS took each test twice. He took the ACT and SAT during Spring of junior year. He looked at his scores, decided which test he wanted to focus on and studied for that one (the ACT) over the summer. He took the ACT again during Fall of senior year. He also had to take some SAT subject tests for a couple of the colleges he applied to. He got a score he was happy with on the ACT and didn't take it again.

DD took the ACT and SAT once this Spring (junior year). She will take a prep class this summer and take her chosen test again in the Fall. Depending on her score, she may take it twice.

Our reasoning for this is two fold. 1) Some of the math on these tests is not taught until the second half of high school. 2) Testing burn out - these tests are long and brutal.

I say all this so parents know it is ok to wait until junior year to do college visits and take the SATs/ACTs. You can do everything early and do it multiple time, but we have not found that necessary. What is absolutely necessary is to figure out how to pay for it and SAVE for it the minute your child is born!

 

[barkley]

What if my kids are like me and only are interested in going to school at the nearby in-state university? You think all this preplanning is still necessary? My kids are only 12 and 9 right now (older one going into junior high this fall) and I cannot imagine them knowing at this age where they want to go to school or what they want to study.

At twelve, you should know how many years of foreign language your target school requires, if they need fine arts classes, how many years of Science or Math. Do they take AP credits? Start exploring college credit in high school options - does your state/district offer PSEO/CIS.

in addition to the great suggestions from crisi-

annually (at minimum) look to what those state schools (and other schools) are adding to their requirements for applicants. our state schools report each year what they are seeing as deficiencies/greater academic needs on the part of incoming freshman and how they will increase application requirements (or require testing in certain subject matter, failing which mandates new prerequisite classes for students which results in higher costs).

stay aware of upcoming changes in your state's high school graduation requirements so you can help your student plan such that they can spread out challenging coursework of the course of their years in high school (vs. being in the most challenging classes in a mad rush junior and senior years). just as an example-the difference in requirements between the graduating class of 2016's vs. those for grads in 2019 in our district-2 additional years of world language, 1 additional year of science, 1 additional year of art, a senior project that was previously done in a class that counted for a semester's credit-now still required but all done outside of class. to make up for this they've reduced electives such that only a total of 4 can be taken over the course of all of high school (so those kids that use them up freshman and sophomore years are going to be taking nothing but solid academics their last 2 years).


don't skip out on doing freshman high school orientation for the 9 year old when the time comes b/c you've 'been there done that 3 years ago' for the 12 year old. this is when information that pertains to the 9 year old's high school experience/requirements get spelled out (and like with the graduation requirements it may be a whole different world for the newbie freshman's vs. the newbie seniors). I can't count the number of parents w/2 kids at our high school who got all bent out shape when they realized a year or two into the younger kid's schooling that it was entirely different than their recent grad had experienced-but it had all been spelled out at orientation (and was detailed in their student handbooks-which they apparently decided didn't need to be read after the one time when the older kid was a freshman).

if they are going to go for scholarship (or apply at competitive schools)-start looking to volunteer opportunities around age 13 b/c many won't take a kid younger than 14 but if you wait until they are 15/16/17 they are highly coveted, groups get inundated with kids seeking them out and the pickings can be slim (it's part of the senior project requirement here-dd had friends who put it off until their senior year and they came close to not finding slots with enough hours for the minimum let alone what would look good on a college or scholarship application).

 

[crisi]

if they are going to go for scholarship (or apply at competitive schools)-start looking to volunteer opportunities around age 13 b/c many won't take a kid younger than 14 but if you wait until they are 15/16/17 they are highly coveted, groups get inundated with kids seeking them out and the pickings can be slim (it's part of the senior project requirement here-dd had friends who put it off until their senior year and they came close to not finding slots with enough hours for the minimum let alone what would look good on a college or scholarship application).

Especially if they are looking for "leadership opportunities" to feature in a scholarship application or show off in their college essays. You don't show up to something your Junior year and suddenly become the organizations president or get to run a committee.

I think the volunteer hours are an IB requirement - and an NHS requirement for a lot of chapters. You would think volunteer hours are easy - until you are trying to find time and a place that a sixteen year old can work into a busy schedule.

 

[havaneselover]

Especially if they are looking for "leadership opportunities" to feature in a scholarship application or show off in their college essays. You don't show up to something your Junior year and suddenly become the organizations president or get to run a committee.

I think the volunteer hours are an IB requirement - and an NHS requirement for a lot of chapters. You would think volunteer hours are easy - until you are trying to find time and a place that a sixteen year old can work into a busy schedule.

Volunteer hours are an IB requirement. My dd is in IB middle school and has to do 20 hours/ year. That was tough to do when she was 11 but should be a piece of cake next year.

 

[MariMama]

At twelve, you should know how many years of foreign language your target school requires, if they need fine arts classes, how many years of Science or Math. Do they take AP credits? Start exploring college credit in high school options - does your state/district offer PSEO/CIS.

At twelve, it is ok if your kid doesn't have the rest of his/her life planned out. There is really no need to even start looking at colleges or requirements until they are in high school. So those of you that have kids that don't give a second thought to college in 6th grade, don't fret. Your child will be fine.

 

[havaneselover]

At twelve, it is ok if your kid doesn't have the rest of his/her life planned out. There is really no need to even start looking at colleges or requirements until they are in high school. So those of you that have kids that don't give a second thought to college in 6th grade, don't fret. Your child will be fine.

I tend to agree. I think this thread is helpful but also a bit overwhelming. My parents did none of this stuff for me and I got into the University of Pennsylvania based on high SAT scores and a very high GPA. I know times have changed but I think figuring this out when the child enters high school will be fine.

 

[Darcy03231]

All of our kids are out of school (6 kids, four of our own and two fosters). There's been a lot of good information posted here. The only thing I wanted to add is don't fall into the trap of thinking that an in-state college or university is the least expensive option based on the up-front numbers. We live in NH. 5 out of the 6 children ended up going to private schools because the financial aid packages offered made the cost substantially less than the in-state schools. For example for DD #2, who saved the most:

State school was approximately $24,000/year for tuition, room/board, mandatory fees, books, misc.
Private school was approximately $40,000/year for tuition, room/board, mandatory fee, books, misc.

DD applied for and received scholarships through local/state/national organizations which averaged out to about $6,000 a year that she could use at either school.

When the financial aid packages came through the State school only offered loans. Her total for four years would have been $72,000.

The private school offered scholarships, grants and loans. After four years she ended up paying about $32,000 out of pocket.

In her case she saved $40,000 by going to a private school. So while initially the State school looked to be the least expensive option, it wasn't. Wait until you get the financial aid packages before making any firm decisions. They can vary greatly. Its been our experience that private schools have a lot more money to give out.

The one that went to the State college received an athletic scholarship that made the State school a more attractive option (plus he had a lot of friends going there).

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

I tend to agree. I think this thread is helpful but also a bit overwhelming. My parents did none of this stuff for me and I got into the University of Pennsylvania based on high SAT scores and a very high GPA. I know times have changed but I think figuring this out when the child enters high school will be fine.

Times have definitely changed. My parents did none of this for me either, and I'm sure they didn't plan and research and stress over my college options. I didn't have a college coach or take an SAT prep course (and neither has DD, although I wonder if that puts her at a disadvantage.) Although my grades and SAT scores and leadership opportunities were good and would still be competitive, it seems like every kid now has gone on an international mission trip and created their own club and volunteers weekly at five different places. DD has friends who have lobbied the NC State legislature to get laws changed or who have developed their own charitable organizations. It's crazy (but also impressive), and we have seen many top-of-their-class kids get rejected from schools where they would be in the top 10% or 25% of a college's freshman class for class rank and standardized test scores. It seems to be almost like a lottery - there are so many kids who meet qualifications that so many of them get turned down or wait-listed, even though they would almost certainly be successful at that school. I feel like the pendulum has to swing in the other direction eventually - not everyone is creating nuclear fusion in their garage at age 15. But for current high school kids, I think it is tougher to get in than ever before. But that could be a whole 'nother thread.

I do think middle schoolers should just be kids - they unfortunately have four years of stress ahead of them. But nurturing a passion, if they have discovered one, is always a good thing.

 

[crisi]

It depends on what you want for your kids. If you want them to have the option of going to college, discovering that schools want four years of a foreign language is a bad thing to find out when they are registering for their Junior year, although you can certainly find out in eighth grade. But you still need to know in middle school.

The big one is the math progression. If your kid is good at math, but doesn't like it - don't push them. On the other hand, if you have a kid who dreams of being an engineer but is challenged by math, advocate for them and get them help - don't let them get lost in the system and shuttled into a lower math group because its easier. Three years ending with pre-calc is good enough for most schools and most programs - if they aren't going STEM, but two isn't, even if they've finished with pre-calc. That math progression is going to start early - depending on how your district does it, it might be starting in elementary school with leveled math.

The more important thing though is to understand EARLY is the financing and the availability and likelihood of scholarships. Most of us can't come up with an EFC of $25,000 a year if we haven't been saving since they were little. And if you are going to blow off the savings, then the advice on resumes for scholarships and leadership and getting college credit while still in school starts to apply. Because every year on this board people are shocked to learn how expensive college is and how much they will be expected to pay. And too often, in my experience, parents are counting on scholarships - sometimes investing a ton in their kid being a great hockey player - only to not have them get offered anything.

(I was at a college tour with my daughter this fall and one of the parent/student sets on the tour was a kid who was being recruited in by the school for baseball. But its a Div III school, there is no scholarship money attached to the recruitment. His father was shocked to learn that recruited doesn't mean "free ride." They'd sort of counted on their son's baseball ability to pay for college - and he's good enough to get recruited to play in college, which is darn good - but not good enough for a Div I or II school. That's the sort of thing that you should know before you sink a lot of money into traveling ball and summer camps and coaching - which with my son's friends started around third grade - if you are doing that not because you enjoy it and want to put your time and money there - but because its your college savings plan)

 

[HopperFan]

At twelve, it is ok if your kid doesn't have the rest of his/her life planned out. There is really no need to even start looking at colleges or requirements until they are in high school. So those of you that have kids that don't give a second thought to college in 6th grade, don't fret. Your child will be fine.

I do think that depends on your school system. For ours you are required a minimum number of years of language. If you do not take languages through middle school then they will take up high school credits that might be better used for some AP or specialized classes that would help with your application. The same goes for math. If that is your child's strength and you feel they will end up pursuing something that requires high level math courses, you can actually fulfill 3 math credits in middle school so you can take advanced math classes in high school. If you don't then your child is behind the other applicants applying to the same programs.

Completely agree that it's sad that kids can't fully just be kids. But at some schools the competition is so tough, so many colleges are becoming so specialized that you might have to think about transferring mid stream to get in and sometimes you are competing with your best friend. One state school is "the" place to go, beyond me, anyway .... there are so many kids applying with high GPA and APs that by the natural process their freshman index has gone up, not because they are providing an excellent education. SO many applicants they are now date stamped as they arrive and once they hit so many from any particular zip code you are wait listed even if you are 4.0+.

I didn't want my kids feeling so much pressure their junior/senior years during the application process. Preparing, from test taking to taking middle school classes made for a relaxed process, almost fun with the college visits, and neither was disappointed.

 

[HopperFan]

It depends on what you want for your kids. If you want them to have the option of going to college, discovering that schools want four years of a foreign language is a bad thing to find out when they are registering for their Junior year, although you can certainly find out in eighth grade. But you still need to know in middle school.

The big one is the math progression. If your kid is good at math, but doesn't like it - don't push them. On the other hand, if you have a kid who dreams of being an engineer but is challenged by math, advocate for them and get them help - don't let them get lost in the system and shuttled into a lower math group because its easier. Three years ending with pre-calc is good enough for most schools and most programs - if they aren't going STEM, but two isn't, even if they've finished with pre-calc. That math progression is going to start early - depending on how your district does it, it might be starting in elementary school with leveled math.

The more important thing though is to understand EARLY is the financing and the availability and likelihood of scholarships. Most of us can't come up with an EFC of $25,000 a year if we haven't been saving since they were little. And if you are going to blow off the savings, then the advice on resumes for scholarships and leadership and getting college credit while still in school starts to apply. Because every year on this board people are shocked to learn how expensive college is and how much they will be expected to pay. And too often, in my experience, parents are counting on scholarships - sometimes investing a ton in their kid being a great hockey player - only to not have them get offered anything.

(I was at a college tour with my daughter this fall and one of the parent/student sets on the tour was a kid who was being recruited in by the school for baseball. But its a Div III school, there is no scholarship money attached to the recruitment. His father was shocked to learn that recruited doesn't mean "free ride." They'd sort of counted on their son's baseball ability to pay for college - and he's good enough to get recruited to play in college, which is darn good - but not good enough for a Div I or II school. That's the sort of thing that you should know before you sink a lot of money into traveling ball and summer camps and coaching - which with my son's friends started around third grade - if you are doing that not because you enjoy it and want to put your time and money there - but because its your college savings plan)

Haha, I think we posted at the same time the same thoughts on language/middle school!!

And I do work in the area of sports/recruiting/scholarships and it is amazing that even top athletes do not understand the difference between D1-III, NAIA etc. and what it means. How do you play a sports all those years with intent to continue and not educate yourself? They also don't understand the limits on the number of scholarships and once you step away from the three B's most athletes split scholarships. That is where other scholarship money is so important. It is good to look far in advance what scholarship opportunities there are and their requirements, it's too late to go back and become what they are looking for your junior year.

 

[barkley]

And too often, in my experience, parents are counting on scholarships - sometimes investing a ton in their kid being a great hockey player - only to not have them get offered anything.

They'd sort of counted on their son's baseball ability to pay for college - and he's good enough to get recruited to play in college, which is darn good - but not good enough for a Div I or II school. That's the sort of thing that you should know before you sink a lot of money into traveling ball and summer camps and coaching

if you are doing that not because you enjoy it and want to put your time and money there - but because its your college savings plan)

SO TRUE!

I read threads where people speak of the (imho) massive amounts of money that go into this stuff with the mindset that it's an investment towards college scholarships. with the odds of a kid getting recruited to a school where it will pay for their education I view it more as a gamble than an investment strategy-

a 2014 study showed:

Just 3.3 percent of high school seniors playing men's basketball will have roster positions on NCAA teams as freshmen—with or without scholarships, according to NCAA data. For women, the figure is 3.7 percent. The odds are almost as slim in men's soccer, football, and baseball. The chance of getting an athletic scholarship is even smaller, even for students whose parents can devote the hundreds of hours--and thousands of dollars--that high-level youth sports often require.

Put another way, the odds of landing a college scholarship in many major sports are lower than the chances of being admitted to Harvard, Yale, Princeton or Stanford.

Overall, colleges and universities awarded more than $3 billion in athletic scholarships in 2013, but very few of those were full rides. In most sports, coaches are allowed to divvy up scholarships. In 2013, the average amount of money awarded to NCAA Division 1 athletes was $13,821 for men and $14,660 for women. Other divisions offer less, and Division 3 schools offer no athletic scholarships at all.


when you look at the average cost of attendance at a division 1 school that 'average' that's awarded is just a drop in the bucket-it could cost a student more to be a partial scholarship student athlete than a non scholarship non student athlete at a wealth of other colleges.


I'm not a sports fan by any means-but this subject holds personal interest b/c of the exposure I had to it. a former co-worker's son was one of the 'tiny percentage' who got a full ride division 1 school scholarship for football. whenever someone came into the office and found out who her son was they inevitably started fawning over her and speaking of their own 'greatly athletically gifted' child who they were pouring tons of money into for all the travel teams, private coaching, summer programs......and would talk about how they KNEW it would give their child 'that edge' on being in the same position as her son. co-worker would patiently listen and then make the same comment every time- 'do what you want to do with your kid/your money; my son never did any of that stuff though allot of his teammates in high school did, funny thing is none of them were recruited to title 1 schools except him, and none of his teammates on his current team ever did that stuff either' (and oooooh baby she was on his butt for the 3 years he played before being drafted into the nfl-she had raised him to value a college education and to put in the work off the field to take advantage of every class that scholarship paid for. when he left for the nfl he was set up with high grades and credits such he could have come back and graduated with a strong, marketable degree within a year).

 

[runwad]

^ I'm going to chime in on the athletic scholarship stuff...this chart shows the amount of full ride scholarships different division schools can give out per sport
http://www.scholarshipstats.com/ncaalimits.htmlhttp://www.scholarshipstats.com/ncaalimits.html

Our DD was recruited for Track at a D1 school. For track & cross country there are only 18 full ride scholarships that can be given out for both sports combined. There are a heck of a whole lot more than 18 girls on the combined track & cc team. Most kids have partials, or book scholarships. DD got a good academic scholarship so we were fine with what she got for track. After 2 years she was done as the time commitment to a D1 sport was just too much with her engineering classes too.

I was cluless on the whole how much scholarship money was available for each athlete until we went thru this with her.

 

[Darcy03231]

We have a kid that received an athletic scholarship and it definitely was not a full ride. He applied to five schools and the offers varied from 0 to about 60%. He ended up choosing his 1st choice school which was an excellent fit for him and gave him a little less than 50%. The school that offered the most also had a much higher tuition and was much further away from home (would have needed airline tickets to come home), so even with the money it would have been more expensive in the long run.

 

[Jedimom]

"There's nothing wrong with going to tech!" -- that's what I've been drilling into my oldest for years now. He's the only one of my children that, at this time, I can forsee will attend a 4-year college at some point. I promised him I would cover his tuition for two years of technical college, and he could live at home. After that, he'd have to figure out the 4-year college portion (and housing, since we live 1+ hour away from three different UW schools).

I've explained to him that he has many friends who will go to a 4 year college straight out of high school, paid in full by parents, but that I can't afford that and don't want to see him in debt. I explained the rough savings by doing 2 years of tech college. He's a math kid -- he "gets" it, sees my point.

I know that if you do it right, all the credits will transfer to the 4-year. So when the time comes, we'll need to have a rough idea of what 4-year he'll transfer to and some idea of a major, and make sure the courses line up accordingly.

If he gets some scholarships, great! But I highly doubt it would be enough to do a 4-year right off the bat. He's not top of his class, isn't into sports, etc. He's very smart, probably top 10% (as I was) but that isn't enough to get the big money. So we'll make it work.

 

[sk!mom]

I would ask her guidance counselor or the school she is interested in. One of DDs top choices is UVA, and one of the questions during the admissions presentation was about math. The person giving the presentation said they want it as a senior or at UVA. Others, like Duke, specifically said they do not want it taken as dual-enrollment at a community college, which some students do around here, but they want to see math the senior year, whether it is calc or something else. I'm sure it varies by school and even by who is asked. For us, AP Stats was a reasonable option for DD to take as a sophomore - we thought it was important for her to have math each year because she wants to be an engineer.

They can't take everything as a senior, though. DD just finished AP chem as a junior, and I'm sure it would have been better for her to take it closer to college. But she also needs to get her third and fourth years of a language in (actually, she only needs three years but wants to take four) and we were told she should take a language as a senior. There are only so many spots!

DD is a 20 year old rising college junior so we're past the planning and squarely in the middle of doing. I will second this info regarding Dual credit courses in high school. At DD's high school, dual credit, is offered through a CC or the local mid level Uni. Before taking them, students should have some idea of where they will go for college. Many upper tier Universities accept the hours but require the retaking of the class for credit. For that reason, DD stuck with AP over dual credit. Even then, some college (TAMU for one) strongly recommend that students take math and science courses directly related to their major at the University. They advise that those in STEM majors may not have had the courses taught rigorously enough in high school to be really prepared.

I tend to agree. I think this thread is helpful but also a bit overwhelming. My parents did none of this stuff for me and I got into the University of Pennsylvania based on high SAT scores and a very high GPA. I know times have changed but I think figuring this out when the child enters high school will be fine.

The only things that DD kept track of before high school were those things that she had been involved in starting in Middle school and stayed with through high school.

As far as my advice for parents with younger kids and planning, be realistic about the cost of a college education and plan on paying for it all. There seem to be many tales of huge scholarship packages but the reality IMO is very different. Full rides are often- full tuition and room and board is often more than tuition.

My DD was born in 1996, at that time COA at her University was $5500. Currently it is $22,000. (I hope my numbers are accurate- I did a search but COA wasn't listed in 1996 as it is now.) There is no way that we would have predicted that kind of increase so save, save, save.

My DD did get a merit scholarship that pays 75% of her tuition but room and board is a killer at about $1,000 per month. For DD starting at a CC would have been a mistake as she would have missed out on the scholarship. Most aid money goes to incoming freshman.

There are threads every year with people who are stunned by their EFC. The FAFSA assumption is that if you wanted your child to have a college education then you have been saving and planning for that eventuality.

DD only qualifies for unsubsidized loans and Parent Plus. Forgive me, I do not know much about the different types of loans. Two years in and we have been able to refuse all but her scholarships. We have tightened our belts- smaller vacations, no big purchases- so that we can pay in cash from current income and savings while keeping up with our own retirement savings.

As far as the college choice process, make a list of what your child wants and visit. DD wanted a major city with lots of opportunities for internships and fun. She was tired of living in a town where going to the movies was the only entertainment. The visits were key- DD's top three completely changed upon visiting. Her 'maybe' became her top choice after the visit.

 

[Eastern]

There have been two threads recently on college planning, and a mistake a lot of people make is not thinking about this early. So I'm going to start a thread where some of us who have been there - my oldest is a Senior in high school next year, so I'm not quite there, but have been interested in the topic for years - going on eighteen of them - can tell you about what we did early right, or didn't do and wish we had - since you might not even open a thread about college when you are worried about the Kindergarten supply list for next year.

I suggest you search up a FAFSA (that's the government financial aid application) calculator now and put in your anticipated numbers. Its going to give you an expected family contribution. That is just an estimate and it will change, but that represents money you need to come up with, in savings or in loans.

I also suggest you start a resume for your kid starting in middle school. Put on activities, leadership roles, and volunteer activities. Get your kid some leadership experience (don't depend on them being made captain of the volleyball team in high school - look to church/scouts/community leadership opportunities that are usually less competitive) and make sure they volunteer. This isn't necessary, but helpful in getting into a stretch school or getting scholarship money.

Research - read the college issue of financial magazines. Talk to friends/relatives who have already gone through the process

Find out what your school's (elementary through high school) progression is for college bound kids if you want to set the college expectation. This is the one I did poorly on. My elementary/middle and high schools are not well integrated to understand the total progression of a kid. My son wasn't put on a college ready path - despite getting good grades in elementary school - in middle school, and I didn't realize it because I didn't understand the progression. My daughter had the opposite problem - she was accelerated in math - so now she is a Junior with two years of high school math - including pre-Calc. The level of math she has is appropriate for college, but college wants three years, and she doesn't want to take Calculus. She'll take a PSEO (post secondary enrollment) Stats course and a Computer Science course instead, but it would have been so much easier for her had we not done the acceleration. (Its awesome for kids going into a STEM field to have two years of college level/college credit math under them already - for someone going Liberal Arts, it isn't needed)

Finally start saving whatever you can as soon as possible. If your kid doesn't go to college (one of mine won't) you can use it to take a fantastic trip somewhere. Few people end up saving more than they need.

^^^This is all really good advice.

Having those 'resume items' at hand saves a lot of time when you start having to fill out applications.

Also, understanding the progression from elementary to middle school tracked classes is probably the most important piece of advice as it will determine what special programs/advanced classes your child is able to take in high school. That would be my #1 tip as the implications are so far reaching.

One final tip: if your child is struggling in math at any level: get the tutor. Even if your kid is 'very smart'. Sometimes it is just a matter of self-confidence, and a tutor for a few months or a year can make all the difference. My son had a math tutor in 7th grade. He went on to a specialized program in high school and later received a generous college scholarship. It was money well-spent.

 

[Eastern]

Question about starting the resume in middle school.... Do you really put the stuff your child accomplished in middle school on a college application? Do they really care she was her school's student of the year in 7th or 8th grade going into college? The only reason I ask is because I am an 8th grade teacher and had NO IDEA. My daughter just finished 8th grade and is going into HS. If this is true I better get going and go back and log her stuff! I will also be sure to tell my students this is something they might want to keep track of.

Colleges will probably want more recent info, but the middle school stuff would be handy for applications to specialized high school programs. Usually, the program, college, or scholarship will tell you what they want to hear about. Guidance counselors will also be helpful for this.

High school is when students should really use their time wisely, starting as freshmen. Participate. That's what colleges want to see. They don't care what the kid is doing, they just want them to be involved in something that interests them. Doesn't matter whether it is tennis, Pokemon cards, robots, or charity work. They are looking for involvement beyond 1 or two occasions.

 

[MariMama]

"There's nothing wrong with going to tech!" -- that's what I've been drilling into my oldest for years now. He's the only one of my children that, at this time, I can forsee will attend a 4-year college at some point. I promised him I would cover his tuition for two years of technical college, and he could live at home. After that, he'd have to figure out the 4-year college portion (and housing, since we live 1+ hour away from three different UW schools).

I've explained to him that he has many friends who will go to a 4 year college straight out of high school, paid in full by parents, but that I can't afford that and don't want to see him in debt. I explained the rough savings by doing 2 years of tech college. He's a math kid -- he "gets" it, sees my point.

I know that if you do it right, all the credits will transfer to the 4-year. So when the time comes, we'll need to have a rough idea of what 4-year he'll transfer to and some idea of a major, and make sure the courses line up accordingly.

If he gets some scholarships, great! But I highly doubt it would be enough to do a 4-year right off the bat. He's not top of his class, isn't into sports, etc. He's very smart, probably top 10% (as I was) but that isn't enough to get the big money. So we'll make it work.

Don't be so sure all the credits will transfer. They often don't.