As parents, it’s a proud day when your kids go off to college. As well as their academic development, university offers them an opportunity to meet new people, enjoy exciting experiences, and enrich their lives.
It can also be quite a stressful time for your child. Even though they’re adults, the transition from high school to college involves more than choosing classes; there’s often a big move involved, plus the pressure of managing their finances and starting over without friendships already established.
That’s why it’s so important for college-age kids to have the support of their parents. In this article, we’ll look at five key ways that you can help them out.
Image source Wikimedia Commons
Be Involved in the Application Process
Applying for college is a pretty involved procedure. As it’s such an important step of their burgeoning academic career, offer to help your child wherever it’s appropriate. For example, there might be a lot of administration involved in pulling their applications together. Ask them what they need and take on those tasks, leaving your child more time and space to focus on the aspects of applying that need their undivided attention. You’ll also be a helpful source of advice over which course or major they should choose.
Help Them to Pick a Dorm
Make sure to attend all of your child’s visits to prospective colleges, and check out the accommodation while you’re there. When it comes to picking out dorms, help your son or daughter to choose the dorm that offers them the best balance of fun and function. It’s not all about partying, after all!
Travel With Them to Their New Home
The move to college is often an emotional time for the whole family. Your child might not always show it, but they’re going to miss you! The shock of moving away can be dampened simply by going with them as they travel to college. If you’re able to drive there, it also helps on a practical level! But whether they’re moving to the next town or across the country, be by their side.
Offer Financial Support Where You Can
College is expensive. As well as fees and accommodation, your child will need to find the money to purchase books, buy groceries, and pay for extra-curricular activities. Of course, there is an expectation that fending for yourself while away at college presents an opportunity to grow and take on more responsibility, but the reality is that transitioning from the sweet life at home to the conflicting demands of adulthood can be quite the reality check! If you have the means, help your kid out where you can. It’s now easier than ever to simply ping some funds over to their bank account, and they’ll be super grateful for the financial support!
Always be Available by Phone
The most important step is to remind your kid that you’ll always be there for them, even if they’re hundreds or thousands of miles away! Keep the lines of communication open, and maintain an interest in this exciting new chapter of life!
How do you support your child while they’re at college? Let us know in the comments below.
The cost of higher education is on the rise. Anyone that doesn’t think it is on the rise just has to look at the protests from around the world. Whether it is London or New York, students don’t want to pay tuition fees that cripple them in the future. At the minute, that is the prospect you face if you don’t have the cash in your bank balance. Luckily, it doesn’t have to be that way if you follow these tips. The tips below will help you cut the cost of your college education.
Choose A College That Suits Your Needs
No one wants to hear this, but it is worth considering a lesser college if you don’t have the money. Everyone wants to go to Oxford or Harvard, yet it isn’t always possible. For starters, the admission tests are almost impossible. Even worse, you have to pay a lot for the privilege to study at their establishment. After all, they can find ten people to replace you that have the finance. Maybe it is time to look into colleges that don’t charge as much for admission. Then, you won’t need to borrow as much and be in as much debt.
Source of image
Get A Scholarship
The alternative is not to pay a single penny. How do you do that, you ask? It is simple: you get a scholarship. A scholarship is the best way to go to college if you don’t have any money. In laymen’s terms, the college waives your tuition fees because of your academic performance. They want you to go to college so much that they are willing to waive the fee. Now, scholarships aren’t easy to find, and they are competitive. However, if you can show the board that you are a well-rounded person, you have a good chance.
Source of image
Minimize The Length Of Time
One of the main reasons doctors have so much debt is because of the length of their studies. Unlike most students, they spend five to seven years at college. As a result, the extra four years bumps up their student loans. The average student pays a lot less because they don’t spend as much time in the establishment. With that in mind, try and reduce the length of time you spend in college. The quicker you graduate, the less debt you will accrue.
Track What You Owe
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you will have some debt by the time you graduate. It is just an occupational hazard of going to college. What most students do to make it worse is to forget all about their debt. As far as high costs go, that is a suicidal move. Any student needs to use resources like NSLDS to keep their finger on the pulse. If you don’t know how, here are some tips for using the NSLDS. There is no way that you can lower the cost of education if you don’t understand what you owe.
College is expensive. However, it doesn’t have to break the bank if you know a few tricks of the trade.
Duck Dynasty’s Si Robertson says college is “crap”!
“Some parents get all bent out of shape because their kids don’t want to go to college,” Si Robertson writes in his new book, Si-cology: Tales and Wisdom from Duck Dynasty’s Favorite Uncle.
“Look, college isn’t for everyone.”
“To me, college is an endurance test,” Si Robertson continues.
Si Robertson did attend college briefly, at Louisiana Tech, because his parents insisted
“You put up with four or five years of crap just for someone to hand you a piece of paper that says you have some sense. Hey, news flash for all you people: I got sense without the paper! And I didn’t have to endure four or five years of crap for someone to tell me I’m smart!”
Si Robertson, now 65, did attend college briefly, at Louisiana Tech, because his parents insisted.
“While my older brothers were at Louisiana Tech to actually get an education, I went there for three quarters and did nothing but party for two of them,” Si Robertson writes.
“I rarely went to class because I didn’t have much interest in getting a college education. My partner in crime was Miss Kay’s cousin Charles Hollier. We called him Tinker Bell, and he was flunking out of school, too. We pretty much had our own fraternity, Kappa Tappa Kegga … It didn’t take me long to figure out there was always a party somewhere at college if you looked for it, and I usually took the time to find one!”
Si Robertson dropped out before the school year was through.
