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Nine out of ten people who ask me what I do for a living have a very similar question once they understand the nature of my business. It is some version of, “where were you when I was in high school” or “where were you when I was trying to help my kids get into college?” These questions have more in common than you realize at first glance. The more important similarity is that all these individuals are looking back at the college preparation and application experience.
I completely understand why a household with two college-educated parents would believe that getting a kid ready for college is no big deal. After all, both parents have been through the process and know the drill. That mindset lasts until around the spring of junior year. Now that the ApplyTexas Application and the Common Application come online a month earlier than in years past, the time between the end of junior year and application season is less than a month in some cases.
My career choice is like any other. When you do something all day, every day the details become second nature. That is why I have resolved not to raise an eyebrow upon discovering misconceptions about preparing for, applying to and successfully completing a college education.
In that well-educated family mentioned above; unless that couple started their family before leaving college, it has been at least 22 years since either mom or dad applied to college. The rules can change drastically from year to year. That is why panic sets in when none of the paperwork looks familiar and several questions require information that is not always readily available. In this scenario, I have given the student the benefit of the doubt by not mentioning indecision concerning a major, a career or the best colleges to prepare them for the adult life they envision. That is a lot to deliver in only a few months.
Consider this. A family sending their child off to college is preparing to invest easily between $100,000 and $200,000 for that education over a four to five-year period. If they invest four or five thousand dollars to shave a semester off that college stay, it would mean a savings of no less than $12,000 – more if that help results in a financial award being given to the student. It’s a no-brainer if you think about it before application season arrives. So, think about it. www.danielsec.com
