There are several things that can make you feel "old". The fact that I have to stretch after I wake up in the morning, the fact that I have more hair on my eyebrows than I do on my head, and the fact that my baby is already looking at colleges to attend! We spent the last summer visiting potential colleges for her to attend, and I must say it was a success. We learned so much on this trip, the most important being that it is never too early to start college research for your kids.
Our trip started with flying down to San Diego to visit some family. Then we drove up the West Coast and visited several college campuses, including the University of San Diego, San Diego State University, University of Southern California, and the University of California campuses in San Diego, Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara. It was easy to set up the tours for each campus online and visiting all of the schools allowed me to have an absolutely incredible bonding experience with my daughter, McKenna. If I were to pass along any advice it would be this.
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Get your son or daughter involved with the process. Have them do the research on colleges and areas they would like to go to school.
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Plan ahead. A lot of times the college tours fill up fast, so register for the tours early.
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Talk to admissions, especially if your son or daughter is planning on attending college out of state. The requirements often vary by state as far as classes and credits your child needs.
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Get the contact information of the regional college adviser for that school. Every school has a designated adviser/admissions counselor for Washington State. Make sure to get that information and have your son or daughter follow up with them after the tour.
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Make your child apply for scholarships! So much money goes unclaimed each year because kids don't bother to apply or put in the effort. FastWeb is a great resource for scholarship opportunities. Click here to check it out!
