Lesson 5: The College Application
Parental Checklist
Is your child applying to a reasonable number of schools? Are they schools which he/she has the qualifications for entrance? Do you feel the family can afford these schools? Are you comfortable with the choices, based on academics, extracurricular activities, distance, location and family values?
Before you spend $25-$100 per application, review the selections with your child. I know of several families who went off the deep end and let the teen apply to 20 schools, at significant cost. Other families let the child select their top 3 choices, and then as a "back-up", a state school with lower tuition.
Take the time to sit down with your teen and discuss why he/she selected each school. Be reasonable if you disagree with the selections, but be sure to point out why you feel each school is a good or poor choice.
Finally, once the family has agreed on the schools chosen for the application process, go over every detail of the application with your teen. Yes, they have to fill it out and you have to give them the necessary family data required, but it always helps to have an additional set of eyes check the spelling, grammar and just the entire flavor or the application.
This is a stressful time for the entire family, but it can also be a time of sharing, heartfelt discussion and a time for bonding. Enjoy!
