College Parent Facts

Road-Blocks on the Way to Applying to an Elite College ow.ly/ZdD6A #collegeadmissions

Parents in the U.S. are paying a larger percentage of their children’s higher-education expenses, even as costs for college dropped during the pandemic. ow.ly/OKUt50FGZnQ

Many students and their parents are hyper-focused on applications and essays. But an important aspect of applying for colleges is building a college resumé of sorts. ow.ly/B7pc50FGZn7

College savings accounts can help cover tuition costs, but some researchers say their real value is more nuanced. The very act of opening a college account for a young child can motivate that student to excel in school and aim for post-secondary education. ow.ly/cO1H50FGZlS

It’s probably the biggest deciding factor in a student’s choice of where to go to college: the campus visit. And colleges know it too. ow.ly/EuYP50FGZld

If you're drowning in your student's student loans, you can ask for forgiveness. ow.ly/yVFW50FGZkg

For parents, the summer months are also a good time to start figuring out the complicated finances that go along with sending a student to college. ow.ly/VwCJ50FGZjm

An easy thing to do these days is shake your head in amazement at the $1.7 trillion owed for repayment of student loans. It’s a mind-boggling amount of borrowed money for education. ow.ly/X6WB50FGZhD

While there are over 1 million boys playing high school football, there are only about 19,500 college football scholarships. ow.ly/u9zV50FGZgr

The decision most colleges made to go test-optional last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic was the right one to get us through an unprecedented crisis. ow.ly/6nPp50FGZfP

Within the field of health professions, students can find a number of majors and hundreds of related careers. What majors are hot? What careers can make you the most money and how much education is required? ow.ly/RdQl50FGZfi

High school seniors are inundated with questions and information regarding their plans for the future. Everyone has things for them to do, see, and rank. Seniors’ inboxes are filled with lists of important stuff. The poor kids are overwhelmed. ow.ly/cCDi50FGZeC

Commonly thought of as a year off before college or graduate school, gap years are growing in popularity. Even the president’s daughter Malia Obama has recently decided to take a gap year before heading to Harvard in 2017. ow.ly/jFR350FGZe1

“Who am I ?” is the question teens need to answer as they think about where they want to apply to college. ow.ly/HM6150FGZcz

An unusual feature of federal student loans is that most loans taken out by undergraduates are made without any underwriting, an evaluation performed by private lenders to assess the borrower’s ability to repay. ow.ly/ndyl50FGZbx

There is no shortage of lists of dorm-room essentials. Almost every store or website will offer you a myriad of suggestions. And the list can get longer and longer as the summer progresses. ow.ly/MFmf50FGZad

First and foremost, no matter where you go, you will most likely find good friends, extracurricular activities, and interesting experiences that challenge you to grow. ow.ly/5YOE50FGZ9h

Teenagers who have close, secure relationships with their families are more likely to extend empathy to their peers, according to a new study. ow.ly/mDVk50FD8Bw

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math – collectively known as “STEM” have some of the highest paying jobs out of the hundreds of majors you could choose from. However, does majoring in STEM guarantee you a posh lifestyle with a six-figures of income? ow.ly/xDev50FD8AV

The most commonly known organization is the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) because of the BCS Bowl Series for football and the March Madness Tournament for basketball. ow.ly/7jdG50FD8Ar

Many families don’t realize that the financial aid offers their student receives are just that, offers. You have the option to either accept or deny an offer, and you can also contact the school to negotiate something better. ow.ly/oRJv50FD8zL