Summer’s Almost Here!  Here Are Some Hot Tips To Maximize Your Child’s College Funding

Over The Summer… 

Dear Parent, 

Summer is a relaxing, laid-back time for many families, but that doesn’t mean you should be laid-back about planning for your college-bound student’s higher education, and how to pay for it!  In fact, being the parent of a student who is completing their junior year of high school, and will be a senior this fall, summer is the perfect season to implement several hot tips to help you handle the high cost of college.  If you’ve already completed some of these strategies, good for you!  However, remember that the process of getting your share of the college funding pie is a complicated process that should not slow down just because it’s the “good-old summertime”! 

We have 8 Hot Tips to share with you.  This month we’ll address the first 4 and next month we’ll continue with the final 4.  So, here we go with some hot tips that are perfect for summer.  

Hot Tip #1: Encourage Your Child To Upgrade His or Her Grades

It’s true!  Students with high grades have a much better chance of getting good college funding packages, compared with students whose grades are not quite so great.  And, many more scholarships and grants are available to students who have some extra brainpower.  Colleges and universities are hungry for students with good grades, so anything your student can do to get those higher marks will help.  Best of all, your student doesn’t have to be a straight-A genius; even solid B students can qualify for many of these programs.

Of course, most teenagers would rather spend the whole summer having fun.  But, if your child is highly motivated, he or she may be willing to spend at least a few hours a week in some type of learning situation.  For example, you and your child might consider tutoring, a class to prepare for the ACT or SAT, or a summer-school class to sharpen skills in a weak subject area. 

Hot Tip #2: Get The Information You Need To Make Wise Decisions

If your soon-to-be-high-school-senior hasn’t done so already, he or she needs to be requesting college catalogs, researching colleges and universities on the Internet or in the library and getting down to some serious thinking about what schools to apply to in the fall.  If your child is further along on the decision course, summer may give you the time you need to visit some schools of interest.  By using www.collegeboard.org to find out which schools offer majors that your son/daughter is interested in pursuing, and using www.petersons.com to get the “inside information” on each school, the process becomes much easier. 

Hot Tip #3: Find Out What Private Colleges Have To Offer

As your child narrows down choices of college and universities, your family needs to be visiting the private schools that look like they’ll make your short list.  While summer is not the best time to visit, due to the classes not being in session, it is your last chance to finalize your “short list” of colleges to apply to in late August!  This would be a tremendous missed opportunity by your family, if you are considering a Private College! 

Hot Tip #4: Schedule Important Dates In Your Family Calendar

Be sure to check with the Counseling/Guidance Department of your student’s high school for any important dates you need to be aware of and put them on your calendar now!  They should be able to let you know now, what they have planned and if there are any college fairs scheduled.  While the college fairs are most advantageous for high school juniors, it’s your student’s last chance to get questions answered during the college application process in the fall!

Well, I hope these first 4 hot tips will help you keep the college funding momentum going strong as you begin your summer.  Remember that we are here to help you with your total college funding planning process, as well as your traditional financial planning needs, all year around! Don’t forget to watch for next months issue with the final 4 hot tips!

Best Wishes,

Randy Stoltz, President

Please check out our website www.campusadvisers.com for our upcoming “Free” College Funding Workshops in your area.  Make your friends, neighbors, relatives, and co-workers aware of these opportunities to assist them in their college planning dilemma.  These workshops are “targeted” for parents who will have high school juniors or seniors this coming fall.