My middle daughters is in 10th grade this year – which means it is time for her to start thinking about colleges. She has to start prepping for standardized tests and figuring out what she wants to do. Unfortunately she is finding it hard to come up with a list of possible majors. She can tell you what she doesn’t want to do (science or math), but deciding what she wants to do is harder.
Last semester she took a career planning course, and she did some aptitude testing as part of the class. She was hoping this would help, but it told her that her top ranked career was “housekeeperâ€. I suggested she start practicing for a career as a housekeeper by helping out more around the house, but sadly she disagrees. She was very annoyed all her friends ended up with exciting suggestions, but she ended up with a service job that doesn’t even require a college degree.
Since trying to decide what to study isn’t going well she has to come up with other criteria. At she is 15 she is searching stuff like colleges in miami, or schools with best beaches. Her father and I have only one main criteria – low cost. We just finished filling out the dreaded financial aid FAFSA form for my oldest daughter who is already in college, and we are amazed at our expected family contribution, which is much, much larger than we could actually afford.
Luckily the state schools in New York are relatively cheap, at least with regard to tuition. And there are 64 campuses, so she has a bunch to choose from. We told her she can go to any college she gets admitted to, as long as the tuition is the same or lower than a SUNY school, which basically eliminates all the private schools. Is anyone else searching for colleges? How do you balance your child’s dream schools with financial reality?
I just finished filling out the FAFSA with my son for hopefully the last time! College expensese are unbelievable! My kids have been lucky to get lots of scholarship help, but they won’t escape debt-free.
I have a daughter who is in her final year of college, and another who is a junior in high school.
We find it depressing searching for colleges. The schools my daughter likes are so expensive, and she knows she probably won’t be able to attend them because it’s just not in our budget. She’ll most likely go to a state school (in NJ), or a SUNY school (the tutition for out of state is similar to NJ state college). My older daughter is in a SUNY school and loves it.
My daughter is just entering high school this fall and I am already worried about college!