College Planning 101

Regardless of how old your child is, lurking in the back of your mind are thoughts of college. How can I encourage my child to do well in school so he can go? How will we pay for it? How does my child know which college to apply to? Will she get accepted? What major should he study? What kind of job and pay can she possibly get with that major?

College is an exciting and scary subject for both parents and students alike. There are many choices to make, and timelines to operate within. In this year’s annual college guide feature, Eastern Carolina Parent magazine sets out to give you and your family some information to help in making the best choices now or in the future.
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How Do We Save for College?

According to a recent Forbes.com report, four-year private colleges now charge an average of more than $37,000 a year, including tuition, fees and room and board, with expenses at the most elite colleges topping $50,000. Public colleges with four year programs on average cost more than $18,000 per year.

The cost of college expenses has risen nearly 51% in the past decade, notes the College Savings Plans Network (www.CollegesSavings.org), a national non-profit. Required college expenses include more than just tuition, fees and board. Couple in with that books, parking permits, food, and activist. A laptop is now considered a college necessity. Add in extra money for paper and printing for all those term papers and class assignments. Other costs to consider include a car, gas, laundry, and utilities for students living off campus…. You can see where the numbers are going.

Opening up a 529 savings account is a consideration for college planning, even if your family is not able to contribute a large amount each month. These accounts can be opened when children are born (and make great gifts from grandparents and others who want to contribute). A family who contributes $15 a month would have $2,600 saved in ten years on a 529 plan. Each state has differences within 529 programs. To learn more about North Carolina’s 529 savings plan, visit www.cfnc.org.

Contact your personal bank or investor for additional avenues. For example, State Employees Credit Union (SECU) members can open a Coverdell Education Savings Account (CESA) as a way to save for expenses in elementary, middle, high school or college. These accounts can be opened by parents, grandparents, or other individuals, and require as little as $25 to open the account. Contributions grow tax-deferred, and withdrawals for approved education expenses are tax-free.

For a closer look at the costs associated with college, or to project the amount that many be needed in the future, visit the calculator section at www.finaid.org. Another helpful site for overall college planning is www.college.gov.
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Academic Planning

When should students begin academic preparations for college? The answer is now, no matter what the child’s age. Good foundations begin at an early age. While parents shouldn’t push and pressure their children in unhealthy ways, the attitudes (spoken and unspoken) about future educational plans are essential in helping a child decide to strive towards college.

Summer reading for middle and high school students, along with volunteer work and community participation, are highly recommended activities. During the sophomore year of high school, many students take the PSAT as a way to practice and prepare for the SAT. Contact your school for more information on this opportunity.

Students should take the SAT (or ACT) in the fall of their junior year, and again in the spring if they choose to retake the test. The bulk of high school work and preparations for college take place during the junior year. Prepare yourself as a parent to handle their increased bulk of assignments, complete with nights of homework, along with the increased stress that accompanies this. This marks a huge milestone in your child’s transition to handle adult responsibilities and stressors.

During the junior year of high school, students should create a profile on cfnc.org and compile a resume that lists academic work, volunteer activities, awards and jobs. Summer is a great time to start working on essays and statements of intent for college applications. By the beginning of August before senior year begins, start completing college applications and submit them earlier than the due date.
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Choosing a School

Despite what team your family pulls for in college football or basketball, it is important to choose a school that will give your child the best preparation for the future. Some of this is based on the personality of the child, as well as their proposed academic major.
           
For example, if your child attended a small high school, enrolling in a large university may be overwhelming. Some families choose to look as smaller colleges, or students may choose to enroll at a community college before transferring to a larger university. This allows students to adapt to college expectations and transition successfully into early adulthood.

 Tim Woodard, Director of Admissions at Mount Olive College, shares the following tips for preparing for college. First, research schools of interest. This can be done by visiting the college or university’s website, contacting the guidance office at your child’s high school, or by attending college fairs. A nationwide reference is www.collegeboard.com.
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As part of this research process, says Woodard, look into possible academic majors and focus on the majors that are of interest to your child. When looking into the majors, not only look at the courses that are involved with the major (to make sure the information taught matches up to your expectations), but take a closer look at the types of jobs that are available to graduates of that major.

After narrowing down the schools of interest, make appointments to visit and tour the campus. This gives potential students an opportunity to experience the college environment and determine if they can see themselves in that setting. Take time to ask the admissions counselors questions and to tour the part of campus where their intended major is housed. Try to meet with professors, student organizations from that major, and others connected to that program. This initial visit offers students a chance to see what kind of assignments and projects are entailed in the academic programs of their liking.         
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Applying to College

North Carolina has moved to a simple process over the past decade by housing information, applications for financial aid and colleges, along with other helpful facts all in one place: CFNC.org. This comprehensive website enables applicants to create an account, enter information, and apply to multiple colleges without having to re-enter the same information over and over.

For private colleges, consult with each institution’s website for additional information on applying, although a comprehensive guide can be found on cfnc.org that contains deadlines, websites, and other handy information compiled in one ready to use and easy to read chart.

According to Rob Lange in the ECU Admissions department, institutions follow some basic procedures in the admissions process (although individual schools will differ). For example, at ECU, 25% of applicants are admissible, and 25 to 50% are placed on a hold to see their first semester senior year grades. The third group is “waitlisted,” and their applications are reviewed again in February or March. 

The initial decision on admission is based on the weighted class rank, SAT scores, and the student’s unweighted GPA. Letters of recommendation, extracurricular activities, and concurrent enrollment factors don’t play into that process in the way that parents may think. In college, the shift from involvement in multiple extracurricular activities shifts towards focused leadership.

Mr. Lange also notes that it is better for students to complete the interest profiles with selected colleges and to submit applications themselves, rather than letting parents playing a hands-on role in that process.
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Getting Extra Help

For some parents and students, planning and applying for college and financial aid seems like an overwhelming task. Across the country, more and more college planning consultants are popping up to provide dedicated services to parents who want higher education planning advice and assistance suited specifically to their child. Says Cheryl B. Smith of The Pathway to College, a college counseling and admissions advising firm, “Ideally students begin working with a consultant early in their high school years in order to help the student make decisions regarding their curriculum, extra-curricular activities, and summer opportunities that will enhance their high school experience. 

“As the student moves into their junior year, the consultant helps the student in determining the best college ‘fit’ based upon their preferences and the way the student learns.

“The consultant continues to work with the student throughout their junior and senior years to help the student develop a solid admissions strategy that includes: preparing for productive college visits; developing compelling applications that accentuate their strengths; formulating essays that help them stand out; preparing for college interviews; finding and applying for financial aid and/or scholarships; evaluating acceptance offers; and preparing for the transition to college.”
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Financial Aid and Scholarships

 In today’s economy, “full-ride” scholarships are hard to come by, with a possible 50 students out of an incoming freshman class of 4,500 receiving those prestigious awards. Most students use a combination of financial aid (grants and loans), savings, pay from part-time jobs, and some partial scholarships to pay for college. Financial aid can be confusing, and often it can be difficult to talk to someone in the financial aid department at a university, particularly during the times when you need it the most, such as when tuition is due at the beginning of the semester.

Scholarships are funds that have been organized and contributed by individuals or groups, often geared towards a specific program of study. These funds are “stored” in interest generating accounts to ensure that the scholarship can continue to perform for years to come.
           
Due to the economic downturn, many of the scholarship funds are “underwater.” Some have been placed on hold in this current economic climate, and will not be awarded until financial conditions improve. It is best for families to have a back-up plan, and not to rely on their student earning a full-ride scholarship, since they are more limited than ever before.

Apply early for scholarships. For high school seniors, don’t wait until the second semester of your senior year to apply. Also, research local scholarships from community and civic groups, or those geared towards certain students and schools. Your high school guidance counselor will be able to alert you of these possibilities. Also, learn about scholarships that may kick in once you are a declared major. There are many partial scholarships available to students within specific programs.

One local opportunity for scholarships reaches out to young women in almost every country across the country through the Junior Miss program. According to the America’s Junior Miss fact sheet, more than $33 million was awarded last year in scholarship funds for participating young women across the country. This program judges participants in five weighted areas: scholastics (20%), interview (25%), talent (25%), fitness (15%), and self-expression (15%). Over the past 25 years, Pitt County has awarded $120,000 in scholarships to program participants. Participants must be a junior in high school and should contact their high school guidance counselors early in the fall to learn more information about this opportunity.

Mr. Woodard at Mount Olive College suggests discussing the cost with the financial aid office or other designees. Visit websites like fastweb.com, fafsa.gov, collegescholarships.org and cfnc.org to learn more about scholarship offerings in your area and financial aid opportunities. 
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The Adult Learner
Let’s not forget in the conversation on college planning about moms, dads and the many adults who have been out in the real world, but are considering a return to school to get a higher education degree, study in field which will benefit them professionally, or to further their education.  For some, it takes a lot to return to school, but the reward is typically worth the challenges.
           
Says Vaughn Purnell, the Director of Mount Olive College in New Bern, “When working adults decide to go back to college, they have to deal with a hefty batch of questions and obstacles. They must make sure their work and class schedules don’t conflict. 

“They have to figure out how to continue being a parent and get their own homework done.   The laundry and shopping still need to be done. Other activities like church, little league, swim team, and football need to be included in the schedule as well, yet there are still only 24 hours in the day.”

Specific scholarships, and college counselors and advisers can help adults considering a return to school. To research scholarships that are age, career or lifestyle specific, a good starting point is www.collegescholarships.org. Military service members, their spouses, and their children can also benefit from specified scholarships. To research this possibility, a comprehensive place to start is the education section of www.military.com.
           
Purnell continues, “It helps an adult student to remember that millions of students have already done this “going back to school “ thing, and have successfully earned a degree and gone on to better jobs and lives. 

“It helps to remember that the faculty who teach adult learners are equipped to work with this particular population,” says Purnell. “They do it because they love teaching adult learners. The professor is a huge resource and partner for the adult learner because almost all of them were adult learners, too.
           
“Every public and private college in Eastern North Carolina has staff dedicated to helping adult learners succeed.”
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Tammy Whitten, MS, survived the college and graduate school application and admissions process, then went on to teach for three years at ECU. She wishes there was more space to share so much more about this process, along with information about student loans. Submit your questions to her for possible inclusion in future articles and issues  to communitydirector@easterncarolinaparent.com.

A special thanks to the following individuals for sharing information about the college process: Tim Woodard, Director of Admissions at Mount Olive College; Rob Lange, ECU Admissions Office; Jennifer Hemink for information on the Pitt County Junior Miss program; The Oakwood School’s website on Yearly Planning for information on the timeline to complete college applications; Vaughn Purnell, Director of Mount Olive College in New Bern; Cheryl B. Smith, The Pathway to College, New Bern.

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