College expenses are astronomical. When I look at the student debt that kids are racking up, it breaks my heart. Kids are graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree and anywhere from $80,000 to $100,000 in debt at the tender age of 22. With their fancy degrees in minority studies, gender studies, and that ilk, they are having a difficult time finding a job.
We want our children to go to college. We want them to succeed and do well in life. But, the high cost of college education has many people questioning the merits of a college education.
We have one child in college, and a second going in the fall. I have some lessons learned that I'd like to share with you that we've learned, or our friends have recently learned along the way.
While we're talking about this, I'd like to say that I graduated from college without debt, and I paid my own way through. No help from Mom and Dad for me. Keep in mind, I graduated from college 25 years ago. Granted, college was "cheaper" then, but not when you compare the percentage of your income to the amount of money made. I did learn lessons from my own experience, which has helped our children tremendously.
The Journey Begins in High School.
1) Take advantage of AP Classes. These wonderful classes are offered by most high schools across the nation. Your child is taking a college level class, in high school. At the end of the year, students take the AP exam for that subject. A score of "3" is considered passing. "4" is great, and "5" is the best score. Colleges will look at these scores and many (but not ALL of them) will grant anywhere from 1 - 3 college credits, depending upon the score. Depending upon the college, these credits will either count as elective credits, or they will count for the class in that subject area.
2) Concurrent Enrollment. This is a program that is usually only offered in the Senior year of high school. Students are allowed to take classes at the community college - i.e.- COLLEGE CREDIT - at little or no expense to you. Be wary here. I have heard that if your child fails the class at the community college, YOU will be charged for the tuition for this class. There are many advantages to this program: The community college offers classes that the high schools don't. Again- depending upon the college- the college will accept that credit from the college when your child enters their school. Unlike the AP exam, they will take that full credit. So, where the AP U.S. History Exam with the score of a 5 might get your child a 3 credit elective, or maybe a 3 credit history elective, a 3 credit U.S. History class at the community college WILL give your child 3 college credits in U.S. History upon graduation.
My son's friends have taken advantage of this program by taking classes we can't find in our schools: programming, web design, CALC 3, etc. For these kids, the credits will be transferring directly.
3) Internships. Many high schools now offer internships. These programs offer kids the opportunity to work in their chosen career fields while still in high school. While these programs are not paid, your child finding out that their chosen career field is actually what they want to do BEFORE a fortune is invested in classwork is priceless. Many kids I know have interned for a year, been offered summer jobs from the internship, and then gone to work full-time for this company upon graduation from college. Look into it. I also know kids who discovered part-way into an internship that this field was definitely NOT for them!
4) Project Lead the Way. Do you have a child who wants to be an engineer? Project Lead the Way is offered in many school systems. In our school system, it is a highly competitive program that is offered through the Vo. Tech school. The kids are given a hands-on, project based education in engineering for their last two years of high school. Most colleges and universities will accept these two years of classes as the equivalent of the Engineering Fundamentals classes, and will grant acceptance and credit for students who successfully complete PLTW while in high school. I've heard from kids who did PLTW and those who did not and majored in engineering at the big name engineering schools on the east coast. They all struggled in college with classes (engineering classes are hard), but hands down, the PLTW kids were more prepared and were doing better in classes than their non-PLTW peers.
5) Extra Curricular Activities. National Art Honor Society. Drama Club. Band. Orchestra. Robotics Teams. Each one of these activities has something to say for it. You don't need to be involved in all of them. Pick your passion and stick with it. Enjoy the activity, and be a part of it. Involvement and leadership in the activity that you are passionate about will make a difference when you are applying for scholarships. This includes involvement with scouting, youth groups, and 4-H.
One last thing. I know a lot of people complain about the rigor of AP classes. They say they'd rather get an "A" in an honors class than a "B" in an AP class so that they can keep a straight A average. Here's the weird thing: colleges are looking for rigor. They like to see that your child challenged themselves in high school by taking harder classes.
Just some food for thought...
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