Research and Organization

Researching colleges can be a big job.  I don’t see why parents shouldn’t help with it, as long as parents aren’t trying to influence the decision that their children are making by only presenting the information that supports the colleges they favor.  I do think that it shouldn’t be only the parents’ job to do this however.   The person who is going to go to the university should be involved in all aspects of the college search, application, and getting financial aid, and the only person involved in some aspects.

There can be a huge number of deadlines to keep track of,  if the student is applying to more than a few universities.  It can be particularly helpful if the parent makes a calendar of these deadlines to keep the student from missing one.  Other organizational tools like notebooks or folders could also benefit the student during this process.  Even making folders on the computer could be helpful.  Perhaps finding information that the student will need for their applications is another organizational task that a parent could do to assist in the process.

Here’s what Shawn Abbott, Director of Admissions of Stanford University, has to say about parent involvement in a YouTube video:

Financial Aid Process

I see no reason why a student shouldn’t be involved in the financial aid process, although some parents may want to keep their financial information private.  Because of that, filling out the FAFSA is probably something that more parents than students do.

The only part of the financial aid process that only the student should do is writing essays for scholarships that are independent of the colleges.  Even here I see no harm in parents reading those essays for grammar, spelling and to see whether the essays convey the points the student is trying to make.

I hope that gives you an idea of what you can do to support your student during the search and application process.

Blessings,

Bonnie

The way I see it, the main job of financial aid officers should be to help the newly accepted and current students find a way to afford to go to their colleges or universities. In some universities and colleges, this is the way it is.

However, there are some colleges that actually plan that some students will not receive financial aid packages that will allow them to enroll.  This is called financial aid leveraging, and it maximizes the amount of money paid by students, while balancing that with the goal of meeting enrollment goals.  Because of this, richer students, who can afford to pay their Cost of Attendance (COA) will get more spots at the college than they would if ability to pay didn’t play a role in who would enroll.  Facts of life, folks.

Why Colleges Leverage Financial Aid

With colleges losing big chunks of their endowments when the stock market tanked, they’ve got to make it up somewhere.  Some cut costs; some raise tuition and fees.  (CNN recently reported that The Board of Regents of The University of California system just raised the undergraduate tuition 32 percent over the next two years.)  Others cut costs AND raise tuition, and some leverage financial aid.  There are even companies that help colleges and universities figure out how to do leverage financial aid  so they will get the tuition income plus enrollment figures they want.  It’s a rough world out there.

Christian College Parents to the Rescue

This is why you need to get reliable information when facing the daunting task of selecting the right college, applying to colleges, and finding financial aid for college.  A woman I met in, of all places, a mammogram waiting room, told me that someone had asked her for $900 to find scholarships for her child.  Totally unnecessary!

Financial Aid Ebooks Coming Soon!

You can get all the information you need on the website and in our upcoming ebooks on financial aid.  And it won’t cost you anywhere near $900!  Actually it will cost you a whole lot less.  Be sure to opt-in to our mailing list to get notified when the ebooks are available.

Blessings,

Bonnie