Paying For College For Dummies

Chapter 5

Guiding Your Child

IN THIS CHAPTER

Making decisions jointly with your child

Seeing some colleges firsthand

Utilizing outside help and assistance

It takes time, energy, and patience to work with your kids to come up with a post–high school plan for them. In many families, the expectation is that they’ll pursue a four-year college degree. But there are other attractive options out there, and you should always remember that what you envision for your son or daughter is likely at least a little bit and perhaps a whole lot different than what he or she envisions.

And trust me when I say that older teenagers can be opinionated, stubborn, and oppositional to what seems to you like the right educational path. This process takes time and patience. And more time and patience. Most parents reach points of frustration along the way and wonder what happened to their sweet young little boy or girl who has morphed into a difficult and moody teenager.

You probably know this to be true, but there’s no one right answer. It’s counterproductive to already have a specific preordained conclusion in your mind like expecting/wanting/hoping your offspring to attend your collegiate alma mater. ...