Mom, Dad. . . I want to go to college.
When any student gets ready to apply to college, there is a great deal of information about the whole application process. However, what about parents? Not only do students need to know important dates, information about scholarships, etc, etc, but parents should share some of that knowledge, too. This webpage will offer tips to help any student educate his or her parent.
What Not To Say |
And How To Rephrase It |
Mom, college is going to cost you 50k, |
Mom, college can be fiscally taxing, but ultimately rewarding so I can eventually support you in retirement. |
Dad, I'm taking the toaster. |
Dad, we need to negotiate what I can take to college with me. |
Mom, I'm not going to your stupid college. Get over it. |
Mom, I know you really enjoyed your college, but I don't think that it fits my academic interests.
|
Dad, I'm going Greek. TOGA! |
Dad, I found some friends that will help me survive my college years and help supplement the void in my heart from losing you and mom. |
Mom, I'm going to a college on the east coast, I will never see you again. Bye. |
Mom, I think this distance will help our relationship become stronger, and help us grow as individuals. |
Dad, I'm going to art school. |
Dad, even though you might not consider this an honorable proffesion, Van Gogh was successful and I will be too. |
|
|
Some topics that would be worth discussing are:
- College accreditation and academic excellence
- Campus safety and security
- Complaints relating to school
- Price
- Location
- Scholarships, Financial Aid, and Student Loans
- College preparation - SAT's, ACT's, AP Classes, Academic Academies, Service and Volunteer work
- College Visits
- Education, Internships, and Degrees Available
- Are you going to live on campus?
- What about extra-curricular?
- Are you going to have a job?
Be prepared for parents' probing questions:
- What will you study?
- What degree does that get you?
- What can you do with that degree?
- In the long run, what do you plan on doing?
- Where will you live?
- How will you pay? (your parents can't always be expected to pay)
- Food, transportation, electricity?
- Where are you going?
- Are you planning on ever transferring?
- Will we see you again?
- Is this your choice because it's a party school?
For answers and more bountiful information, try these websites:
http://www.collegeboard.com/parents/
Collegeboard.com has information that is useful for both students and parents. It is full of great advice and tips - it even includes advice on how to spot scholarship scams!
http://www.scholarships.com/
This website helps parents and students find scholarships that they are eligible for.
http://www.fastweb.com/
On this website, parents and students can find many scholarships, as well as information about colleges, jobs and internships, financial aid, and student life.
http://www.ed.gov/parents/landing.jhtml
By visiting this website, parents can find information on not just college, but also advice on what a parent should know. This website is full of news that is important for parents to know, as well as checklists and tips, answers to commonly asked questions, and more.
Even the university or college of choice will have information for parents on its personal website.
If any parents are still craving information, seek out Google's infinite knowledge!
*For important dates, scholarships, job opportunities, University and intern information, contact Hanford's Career Center administrator on the Hanford High School website.
Allen, Belen. Personal interview. 4 June 2009.
College Admissions Advice - The Choice Blog - NYTimes.com. Web. 7 June 2009.
Patitucci, Diana. Personal interview. 3 June 2009.
Typing, day one: Chantelle Benicki
Typing, day two: Nicole Dittenhauser
Research: Kylie Spillman
Research: Caitlin Doughty
Year 2 editors
Jack Walter
Haley Whiting
KT Johnson
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Comments (3)
Levi Sanchez said
at 10:55 am on Jun 5, 2009
WOW GREAT JOB GUYS!
Stone Jiang said
at 12:11 pm on Jun 10, 2009
WOW GREAT JOB GALS!
Kristine Popielarczyk said
at 8:33 pm on May 25, 2010
The topics provided are helpful, but perhaps they could be more detailed, such as : Campus safety and security-discuss city and campus police as well as emergency communication. I don't know if that makes sense, but hopefully it helps.
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