How To Help Your Teen Decide About College

High-school seniors have a hard choice to make. At some point, they are going to have to choose whether or not to attend college and, if they do decide to, they then need to make other decisions about which college they should go to, and which subjects they should study. It can be a stressful time, and as parents, if you can help with any of the decision-making, it can be very useful indeed. Here are some tips about how to do just that, if your child wants you to—remember, in the end it needs to be their decision, and they might prefer to think about different aspects of their education by themselves.

Know Your Schools

Before you have any useful impact on the decision-making, you need to carry out some research about the colleges that might be the most suitable. That way, you can be ready to answer any questions if you are asked them, and you’ll already have a good idea of what is going to be best for your child.

The first point to understand is the different college admissions requirements. After that, the courses, the culture, and the campus are going to need to be investigated. If you can, do this with your child so you are both learning about the different options at the same time. This will give them more control at a time when they might feel out of control in their life.

The Money Issue

As a parent, the money issue is always going to be present when your child is choosing which college to attend. You need to know just what financial aid packages are available should you need to use them, and you also need to know what your budget is, whether you’re paying yourself or applying for help to do so.

This can make a big difference to the colleges that your child can apply to, so it is crucial to get this information as soon as possible. That way, you can make sure you only look at colleges that you can definitely afford and reduce any disappointment.

Don’t Push

A truly important point to remember as a parent is not to push your child in any particular direction—and when they ask for advice you should be as impartial as possible. This is such a big decision—one that can affect the rest of your child’s life, and sending them in a direction that just isn’t good for them just because you want them to go to that college, or because you know there is a great degree program there could be a big mistake. Even if the school is a great one, if your child hasn’t truly chosen it themselves, they might feel unhappy there and want to quit early.

The same holds true if your child says they don’t want to attend college at all. It might be that they change their mind at a later date and they can apply to enter as a mature student, or even study online part time if that works better for them. Or, they might never attend college and be perfectly happy with that decision. They need to do what is right for them, and although your guidance is useful, it should only ever be that: guidance.