Overwhelmed, where to start?

DadBodThor
Fri, 18 Aug 2023 01:59:37 +0000

Good advice here…

I will echo the importance of establishing an actual budget. Be honest and not aspirational.

After that, you really should let your student take the lead. This will be where they go for the next 4(ish) years, so they need to drive the process. You can help them by asking questions (what do they want to study, what kind of environment do they like, etc).

Establish a safety school or two - a real safety school is one that your student will definitley get into, you can afford AND (this is important) your student will actually be happy to attend. Seriously, this is the most important school on your list. Everything else is just gravy once you have a school you know your student would be happy at and can get in. There are tons of really good schools out there.

To find said schools, spend some time reading threads here. People list some interesting hidden gems. I found out about the Colleges that Change Lives list here. People list great schools that offer merit scholarships.

IWe used Naviance and CollegeVine to help categorize schools as reach, target or safety… but that’s very general guide.

Don’t believe in a “dream school”… it’s great to have a first choice and hope to get into reaches, etc… but there is no one path to success. Encourage your student to have faith in themselves and not the school they go to.

Don’t stress too much. It will almost certainly work out fine. Enjoy this year with your student, make memories. Don’t nag them too much.