Monday, September 2, 2013

Which College Should Your Student Attend?

As you and your children research, investigate and visit colleges that may be of interest, you will find that each college has a different look, feel and appeal. Some you will like. Others you won't. That's all part of the process for narrowing the field.
To help ensure that you and your children make clearly focused decisions, you can use the information that follows to rank your choices. Some of you may want to use a five point scale to rate each college on items 4 - 11. In that way, parents and students can more easily compare colleges on individual items and total scores. You can even add items, if that would be helpful. However, the first three items on this list should be fully discussed and agreed upon long before you begin to look at colleges.
1. Evaluate Your Financial Position - How many children do you have? How much money can you afford for each child's college education? Is the student able and willing to obtain a part-time job? What is the likelihood that your student will receive a significant amount of grant and merit scholarship money? Is the student willing to take on one or more student loans? As parents, are you willing to take on one or more loans to help pay for college?
2. Consider Cost Reduction Alternatives - Since money is a concern for most parents, students should consider community colleges and lower cost four year colleges. However, be sure to check out the ratings and reputations of those colleges. It pays to attend a college that has a good reputation. Then, if you obtain good grades, you may be able to transfer to a higher ranked, four year college. Don't ignore the savings that can be gained by attending a local college and living at home. Does the student need a car? Should the student attend college on a part-time, pay as you go basis? Explore the alternatives to determine which one is best for you.
3. Rate Your Student's High School Performance - Be honest. What is the quality of the high school your child has attended? The best colleges will take this into consideration. Carefully evaluate your student's high school performance, including the following: academic achievement, leadership roles, participation and performance in school activities, community involvement and service, part-time work, critical life experiences, obstacles that were overcome and outstanding achievements. In what areas has your student been recognized by others for having achieved excellence? What is the likelihood that your student will excel in college?
4. Financial Aid - First, you should be interested in Grants and Scholarships, not loans. How
much money is each college willing to offer your child? Is there enough difference between the offers to influence the student's college choice? Qualified students should begin to investigate local and national scholarships and grant money early in their junior year of high school. After all possible grants and scholarships have been investigated, look at other options including work-study programs, part-time jobs and loans. Since student loans come in all shapes and sizes, both students and parents should carefully consider each loan option. Obviously, some loans are more repayment friendly than others. Make certain that you fully understand all loan requirements before you commit. Also understand that you may be repaying those college loans for more than twenty years.
5. College Ratings - Most colleges have an international, national, state or local reputation. What are the reputations of the colleges to which your student will be applying? Are any of the colleges known for the field that your student plans to enter? Colleges with a the best reputations can be helpful when it's time to look for a job.
6. Career Services - Does the Career Services office have enough employees to provide personal assistance, classes and training for every student, or do they merely provide information on their web site? Do they provide students with assistance in every aspect of the job search: A Goal, A Plan, Assessment Instruments, Research, Networking, The Resume, Interviewing, References and more? Can they help students with internships, part-time and summer jobs? Can they steer students to alumni who are already working in their field of interest?
7. Job Placement Statistics - Colleges are very clever with the statistics they present. Many colleges state that 95% or more of their students are employed within six months of graduation. However, those numbers don't tell you how many students are working in their field of interest and if they are earning a living wage. Are graduates forced to live at home because they can't afford to live independently and still pay off their college loans? Before selecting a college, students should find out how many employers, in their field of interest, actually come to that campus to recruit students. How many students, in that field, received job offers as the result of campus interviews? What were the titles of the jobs they were offered? How much did they pay? Where were they located? Parents and students have a vested interest in these answers.
8. Campus Safety & Security - Every college has safety and security issues. What are the statistics for the past four years? Ask about Murders, Rapes, Assaults, Stalking, Thefts and Intruders. What prevention measures are in place? With regard to major security events, what is the college's track record and ability to immediately communicate with students about lock downs? How does the college handle Contagious Health Issues - Meningitis, etc.? Are you satisfied with the way each college has handled such problems? Be sure to ask about and investigate dorm security. Talk with current students about these issues.
9. Counseling Services - What counseling services are offered? Which of the counseling services is your student most likely to need? Students often seek counseling for anxiety, depression, eating disorders, drugs, drinking, academic performance and career issues. How comprehensive are these services? How frequently has each service been used by students in past years? What are the success rates?
10. Parent Association - Which colleges have a Parent Association? If they have one, you will be able to talk with other parents about any issues that concern you. Make a judgment whether each college is parent and family friendly. You will find that some are interested in parent opinions, suggestions and involvement, while others are not. Some colleges only want your tuition payments and annual donations.
11. Campus Activities - When students have a special interest, make certain that the colleges under consideration provide the student with an opportunity to participate. Other students may prefer colleges with a broad array of activities, so they can explore their options and test their skills.

Student Loans For College

It seems as though it is easier to get a student loan for college these days. The hard part about how to get a college student loan is "getting a good interest rate." Some people spend years repaying their college student loans. I bet they never imagined how long it would take to to repay their student loans.
Applying for a Student Loan for college
It has become very convenient to apply for a student loan for college. You can be approved for a student loan quickly. Even if you have bad credit you can still get approved for a student loan.
More than likely you may have already received mail or email regarding your pre-approval for a student loan. The catch with these offers is the terms of the student loan. The main objective of the sender is to try and lock you into thinking you qualify for a student loan, without paying much attention to the terms of the loan. Then they hit you with high interest rates and high monthly payments once you graduate.
Repaying a College Student Loan
There is a high number of college students who graduate in debt. They took out a student loan for college and are becoming overwhelmed with monthly payments which results in Student Loan Debt. Fresh out of college a good job plus financial freedom. Exactly that makes it so easy to want to put your payments on student loans "off" so you can buy a car or rent an apartment. This is not good because to avoid student loan debt repaying your student loans has to be a priority once you graduate. Think logically or think "student loan debt."
Some students have graduated and have no clue about their student loan payment options. This happens all of the time because a lot of college graduates do not know where to find information regarding their student loan debt.
Student Loan Debt Relief
Is there a solution for student loan debt? If you need more financial freedom from your student loans your lender won't mind extending your student loan payment time. This is because they will still be paid, just over a longer period of time.
Usually this results in the student paying more money over time with these low monthly long term payments. Student debt relief? Absolutely 15 years later when you finally finishing paying off your loan.
College Student Loan Alternatives
A scholarship is the first thing that should come to mind when you think about college tuition. Contrary to this a student loan should be your absolute resort.