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plan a road trip when your
student
has an idea of where they want to spend their university years, it?s time to plan their
college
visits. ?e importance of these trips cannot be stressed enough. frazier recommends, ?
student
s should not apply to
school
s that they have not visited when classes are in session. a
student
won?t know if the
school
is a good ?fit? if she has never been on campus.? ?
college
visits can begin the summer between sophomore and junior years and should include a range of
school
s, i.e. in-state public, out-of-state public, and private, both large and small, city and smaller city/town. at sophomore level, visits should be about exposure to options rather than making definitive choices. between junior and senior years, the focus should be more on narrowing down the choices,? frazier recommends. ?e role of the parent and the
student
sometimes there can be some confusion as to what the
student
is responsible for and what the parent?s job is during the
college
process. in an effort to assure their child is in the best place possible, parents may overstep their bounds and actually prohibit their child from gaining experience and independence. ??e
student
has to take responsibility and ownership of what they?re interested in. it?s really on them,? frazier explains. ?he should be responsible for researching
school
websites relative to possible majors, visiting with
college
representatives on the high
school
campus and at
college
fairs, discussing plans with a
school
counselor and
college
advisor, and filling out applications.? parents have the role of supervising their
student
?s progress, but not taking the helm. ?sometimes parents who are overly involved take all that ownership away from the
student
so it?s like the
student
is passively applying, and it may be to things they don?t even want. ?e parent should facilitate visits whenever possible, be aware of deadlines, be supportive, but not take over the
student
?s role in the application process,? shares frazier. you can be their cheerleader and expert during the process, but not their employee. you are there to check in and support, not do for your teen. get your finances in order ?parents should make every effort to be realistic about the financial implications on
college
choice as well as avoid pressuring the
student
to follow in the parents? footsteps or attend a
school
that is the parental choice. ?is must be a family decision, based on realistic expectations for travel, housing, tuition expenses, and personal expenses,? frazier emphasizes. take a deep breath because this can be the scary part. ?e cost for
college
has risen exponentially over the last decade. you may have in mind how much it cost when you went to
college
, but your
student
?s tuition will far surpass that, so be sure to research accordingly. bruton contributes, ?parents most definitely can educate themselves early about the cost of
college
. one of the things we find is that the cost of public and private education has increased dramatically, much more than what inflation provides.? forbes recommends that the best way to determine the total price of a
school
is to use a net price calculator on
college
s and universities? websites. ?ese calculators can help you estimate the actual price of attending the
school
after factoring in financial aid and merit awards. despite the overwhelming financial burden of
college
, you do not have to panic. ?rough scholarships, grants, and loans, your family can do it. when it comes to scholarships, understanding the connection between academic performance and merit scholarships is critical. frazier explains, ?while there are hundreds of private scholarships available on a national level, some are quite specific in eligibility, and finding ones that may be worth the application time takes time. ?e application pool is large and the competition for a single scholarship is often nationwide. ?ere is not a giant pot of scholarship money ready for the grabbing! merit scholarships based on strong gpas and act/ sat scores are the most common scholarships, and the money usually increases with greater excellence in those areas.? you may qualify for federal and state financial aid, though, so don?t despair. ?a huge myth regarding financial aid is that the family assumes they will not qualify for any type of aid. ?e fact is that you will never know unless you submit the fafsa. we have seen
student
s who are more or less living on their own thinking that a
college
education is not in the cards for them and then they file a fafsa and qualify for a full pell grant,? says leggio. let ?em spread ?eir wings while this article may provide information, it doesn?t help you let your baby leave the nest. ?is is a step you have to take on your own. supporting your child through this journey can bring you closer together emotionally before she leaves the house. ?is process can be a positive bonding experience for the family. remember that your
student
is establishing new confidence and independence throughout this journey. ?a senior will be a
college
freshman in a very short time and must learn to be assertive, prepared, and independent,? frazier reminds us. ? fafsa fast facts ? ?e louisiana department of education has implemented the financial aid access policy for the class of 2018, and it is now a graduation requirement for every
student
to file the fafsa or opt out by completing one of several forms listed in the policy. ? ?e fafsa should be submitted during the
student
?s senior year after october 1 for the following fall/spring academic year. ? more information on lela, louisiana?s nonprofit resource for fafsa completion and
college
access can be found at asklela.org n o v e m b e r 2 0 1 7 | b r p a r e n t s . c o m 6 7
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