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Richard
W. Riley, U.S. Secretary of Education once said in a speech, “We
have a responsibility to our children. While they represent only 20
percent of our population, children are 100 percent of America’s
future. They are our greatest investment, and it’s up to us to help
them understand the importance of investing in themselves.” Obtaining
a college degree might be one of the most important decisions your
child will ever make, but while many children plan on going to
college, they may not get there without help.
The combined efforts of key individuals including students,
parents and counselors are important.
Planning your child’s future can seem like an overwhelming
project, but becoming familiar with procedures and possibilities can
help ensure their success.
The following guidelines will help you get started: Step 1 – Making the Decision
A two- or four-year
college degree is becoming more and more important for unlocking the
doors to economic and educational opportunity in America today.
Getting a college education requires a lot of time, effort and careful
planning by parents and students, but it provides knowledge and skills
students will use for the rest of their lives to help them succeed in
whatever they undertake. By going to college students:
Students
who are not interested in going to a four-year college or university
for a bachelor’s degree can benefit from the skills and knowledge
that two years of college provide to compete in today’s job market.
These students may want to pursue a technical program in a community,
junior or technical college, which provides the skills and experience
employers look for. Many high schools and some local employers offer
career-focused programs called “tech-prep,” “2+2,”
“school-to-work” or “school-to-career,” which are linked to
community and technical colleges. These programs coordinate high
school course work with course work at local colleges, and in some
cases give students the chance to learn in a real work setting. This
way, the high school material better prepares students for
college-level work, and also starts the student on a clear path toward
a college degree. Students interested
in technical programs will probably want to take some occupational or
technical courses in high school, but they also need to take the
“core” courses in English, math, science, history and geography
that are outlined in step 2. What
Kinds of Jobs Can You Get with a College Education?
One
of the major benefits of acquiring a college education is having more
jobs to choose from. Parents and students should talk about the kind
of work that interests the student, and find out more about the kind
of education that specific jobs require. For instance, some jobs
require graduate degrees beyond the traditional four-year degree, such
as a medical degree or a law degree. As students mature and learn
about different opportunities, they may change their mind several
times about the type of job they want to have. Changing your mind is
nothing to worry about—but not planning ahead is. For more
information on the educational requirements of specific jobs, contact
a guidance counselor or check the Occupational Outlook Handbook in
your library. Step
2 – Getting Ready: Taking the Right Courses for College Starts in
Middle School By
the time a child is in sixth grade, families should start talking
about going to college. Make it clear that you expect your children to
go to college, and together start planning how to get there. Everyone
knows that high school courses and grades count for admission to
college, but many people don’t realize that a college education also
builds on the knowledge and skills acquired in earlier years. Your
child should plan a high school course schedule early, in the sixth or
seventh grade. Challenging
courses help kids get into college Research
shows that students who take algebra and geometry early
(by the end of the eighth and ninth grades) are much more likely to go
on to college than students who do not. In a national sample, only 26
percent of low-income students who did not take geometry went to
college; but 71 percent of low-income students who took geometry went
to college. It is common in other developed countries for students to
have mastered the basics of math, algebra and some geometry by the end
of the eighth grade. By taking algebra early in middle and junior high
school, students can enroll in chemistry, physics and trigonometry. In
addition, students should take three to four years of a foreign
language and as many Advanced Placement courses as they can before
finishing high school. Just as employers
want workers who have certain skills, most colleges want students who
have taken certain courses. Many of these courses can be taken only
after a student has passed other, more basic courses. The most
important thing a student can do to prepare for college is to sign up
for the right courses and work hard to pass them. As parents, you
should get involved in choosing your children’s schedule for the
next year, and make sure that your children can and do take
challenging courses. College-bound middle and junior high school
students should take:
Get
a “Leg Up” on College Preparation and Save on Tuition High
school students can also take courses for credit at many colleges.
These courses— Advanced Placement and Tech-Prep—are available in
the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grades. Middle school and junior high
school students who plan ahead and take algebra, a foreign language
and computer courses by the eighth grade are better prepared for
Advanced Placement and Tech-Prep courses in high school.
Don’t go it
alone: Help for parents Some
parents—especially those who did not go to or finish college
themselves—may worry that they cannot provide their child the
guidance and support needed to get ready for college. But remember,
getting ready for college is more work than anyone can handle on their
own, and you don’t need to have gone to college yourself to help
someone else get ready for college. To provide children extra
opportunities to develop the knowledge and skills they need for
college, many schools offer before- and after-school
programs, where children can learn more about the subjects that
interest them, under the care and guidance of adults. Some schools
also have mentoring programs, where an adult who has studied or worked
in the same field in which a child is interested can provide extra
help and advice about, for example, the challenging math and science
courses college-bound students need to take, and how to plan for a
college and a career connected to their interests. Ask your child’s
teachers or guidance counselor for information about such programs in
your local schools. Ask your child’s principal about opportunities
for teachers or others who have graduated from college to come into
the classroom to talk with students about their experiences and
success. Step 3
– Getting Ready for College Early
Most
people believe that college is much more expensive than it really is.
Although some colleges are expensive, many colleges are within reach.
Even if a student wants to go to a more expensive school, financial
aid (money available from state governments, colleges and the U.S.
Department of Education) can help those students who have planned
ahead and worked hard in school pay for college. The basic costs of
college are tuition, which is the amount of money that colleges
charge for instruction and attendance; fees, which cover other
costs, like athletic activities and special events; and other
expenses, including room and board (the cost of housing and food),
books, supplies and transportation. While costs vary dramatically,
tuition can be as low as a few hundred dollars per year for part-time
students receiving financial aid. How much a college
costs usually depends on whether it is a public or private school. The
majority of students attend state or public colleges,
which receive a portion of their budgets from state or local
governments and can charge lower tuition to students who live in that
state. Students from other states pay higher tuition. Private
institutions tend to be more expensive than public colleges and
charge the same tuition for in-state and out-of-state students. By the time your
child attends college, tuition, fees, room and board, and other
expenses will be higher than the amounts listed here—but remember:
as college costs increase, the amount of money you earn, and thus the
amount you will have available to pay for college, may also rise. No
one can be sure how much costs will change over time—so be cautious
when people tell you a particular amount. To get an idea of how much
expenses are now for major colleges and universities in the United
States, visit www.finaid.org/ on
the World Wide Web, or look at the college guidebooks in your local
library or bookstore. For information on
the costs of college and paying for college, enrollment and types of
programs that are offered in colleges, visit COOL, the National Center
for Education Statistics’ College Opportunities On-line site on the
Internet at www.nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cool/.
The COOL Web site is designed to help students and their parents
understand the different types of colleges and the costs of attending
college. Information about individual colleges is also available on
the COOL site. Step 4
– Paying for College:
The Aid is Available, but Save, Too
Families
are not alone in paying the costs of college: every year millions of
students apply for and receive financial aid and almost half of all
students who go to college receive some kind of financial aid. Because
college represents an investment in our most precious resource—our
children—no child who wants to go to college and is willing to work
hard should be prevented by financial need. Here’s what to do:
Where
Can You Apply for Financial Aid?
A
Quick Word About Student Loans Students
usually do not have to start repaying their loans until after they
finish school, and the interest rate is usually lower than for other
kinds of loans. Many students are hesitant to take out loans, but remember:
college graduates usually make a good deal more money than people who
do not have a college education, so paying a loan after graduation
will be easier than it might seem. Nevertheless, it is important that
both students and parents understand the terms of the loan before
agreeing to them and know when repayment will begin and how much their
payments will be. There are many different education loans, so before
taking out any loan, be sure to find out what the exact conditions of
the loan are. Other
Forms of Aid Include:
More
Information on Federal Aid For the most
up-to-date information about student aid supplied by the U.S.
Department of Education, call the Federal Student Financial Aid
Information Center at the U.S. Department of Education toll-free
at 1-800-4FED-AID. You can also get a copy of the
federal financial aid form, which is required to apply for all federal
financial aid, by calling this number. You can also obtain the guide
to federal financial aid for students, called The Student
Guide, which provides an extensive and annually updated
discussion of all federal student aid programs. You can obtain the Guide
by writing to the following address: Federal Student Aid
Information Center To apply for other
aid in addition to federal aid, you may need additional forms. High
school guidance counselors can tell you more about applying for
financial aid, including where to get forms you might need for state
aid. College financial aid offices can also be of help to you. More
Information on Other Topics Discussed in This Handbook Information on
planning for college early can be found on the Department of
Education’s Think College Early Web site, with special sections for
students, parents and educators, at www.ed.gov/thinkcollege/early/. A
Final Note A
college education is a major ingredient for success in the world
today—and by taking the right courses and working hard your child
can be prepared to go to college. Building a strong foundation of
high-level classes, starting with algebra I and geometry by the eighth
and ninth grades, and continuing to take rigorous courses through high
school will better prepare students for college admissions tests and
college course work. By saving for college and taking advantage of
financial aid from the U.S. Department of Education, colleges and
states, you can change college from a dream into a reality for your
children if they are willing to take the challenge to do their best in
school from the start. Re-printed
with permission from “Getting Ready for College Early, a handbook
for parents of students in the middle and high school years.” This
publication is a product of the U.S. Department of Education.
Visit them at www.ed.gov/index.jsp
for additional information about your child’s education. |
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