Everything You Need to Prepare Your Child for College

Help Them Plan Ahead


Everyone's educational path should start off by planning in advance. Planning can reduce stress and make it easier to transition from high school to becoming a freshman. Since your child's academic career won't officially start until they're actively enrolled, so both of you have plenty of time to get everything in order. With the right strategy in place, your son or daughter can transition into this new environment a lot easier than they would without. You can get it all started by creating a detailed list of everything that needs to be done. This list can include the obligatory degree choice and its level, the necessary school supplies, purchasing a high-quality laptop, filling out the FAFSA form and making copies of their personal information. There is a lot that needs to be accomplished, so the sooner you start, the easier it will be when the first day finally arrives.


Tackle the Financial Aspect


Everyone who has ever attended college, whether they only got a BA or strived for a Ph.D., knows full-well how stressful the financial aspect can be. In fact, many are still paying their debt off despite graduating years ago. However, it’s important to know the difference between good and bad debt on your report. How much your child must pay for their education depends on their chosen career field and the level of education they want to pursue. It also depends on whether they took higher education courses their senior year, which can be transferred over for credit. Therefore, it's highly recommended you go over the degree options first, so you can get a rough estimate of how much it's going to cost. It should be noted that there are some sectors that are generally more expensive than others. The medical field is a perfect example of this.

In fact, it's one of the most expensive fields anyone can study. The average amount of a medical degree these days runs around $230,000. If your child wants to study something, like business, then they may have around $45,000 for a BA. Should they take the MBA route, you can expect them to pay $80,000 in tuition. It's important to note that these figures are just a ballpark. Where they go to school and whether they apply for scholarships or participate in work study can offset the total cost. Your child will have to do some in-depth research on the field they're interested, so they can come to a logical decision. Either way, you'll need to come up with a way to pay for it. Parents typically have first-hand experience when it comes to paying off student loan debt.

But with how the education system has changed over the years, financing a college degree is nowhere near as difficult. You don't want your child to deal with fluctuating interest rates and struggle to pay the loan back. So, how does one prevent this from happening? You can investigate student loans with a cosigner to help them pay for it. Earnest is a trusted private lending company that helps students get the education they need by offering loans with reduced interest rates. A cosigner is someone who's willing to take on the responsibility of another student's debt in the event they miss a payment. Keep in mind that to be a cosigner, you need to have pretty good credit, stable employment, and be able to demonstrate with financial stability. If you do qualify, you can get considerable tax benefits as well as reducing the interest rates even further.


Make Sure Your Child Takes Care of Themselves


You'd be surprised how many students often over work themselves when they enter their first year. From eating poorly to pulling all-nighters, every student needs to take proper care of themselves. If you notice your child picking up bad habits, talk to them about it. Encourage them to take breaks whenever they need to. Even though the course work can be very difficult, especially during the midterms, they still need to make time to practice self-care and to spend time with friends.

Additionally, you also need to talk to them about feeling overwhelmed or depressed. Depression is, unfortunately, something that's very common among freshmen. With the sudden shift in their lifestyle mixed with some rather high expectations about their performance, it can negatively impact their mental and emotional well-being. If your child is struggling, make sure to show your support in any way you can. Comfort them when they're having tough times and offer your own advice whenever a challenge presents itself. If necessary, let them know that it's okay if they need to step back and restart their education when they feel ready.


Rehearse The Application Process with Them


During the college application process, your child will be asked to write a personal statement to be included with their application. This essay is used by the admissions counselors to get a feel for their personality and what makes them unique. It can also show them how well they can communicate their ideas in writing, which is an important skill for any student to learn before entering college. Once they've created some initial drafts of their own personal statements, they can practice sharing them with you. Afterward, you can give them constructive criticism. When providing constructive criticism, it's important for you to be supportive, but honest. If they need to be more thorough in expressing why they want to attend, give them examples of how to do so. Just be sure that you don't come across negatively, so they don't feel embarrassed or like they don't measure up to your expectations.