Transcript Reality Bytes

Reality Bytes for Parents
Getting Ready for College Early
Presented by the
Michigan Student Financial Aid Association
Revised 8/2003
Reality Bytes for Parents
Getting Ready for
College Early
What is “College”?
z Public and private four-year
colleges and universities
z Two-year community or junior colleges
z Business schools
z Proprietary schools (programs such as
truck driving and cosmetology)
z Vocational-technical schools
Keep Your Options Open
z Does that mean your child needs to know
now, what they want to do “when they
grow up”?
Then, why think about college now?
z College can be the key to the kind of life
you want for your child
z It gives your child choices in  The kind of jobs they can choose
 How much money they will make
 Ways they can help others
There’s money if you need it
z Every student can afford to go to college.
z Every student is eligible for some kind of
financial aid.
Steps
to getting you and
your child ready
for college
Step 1: Helping make the decision
z Research career options  Talk to your children about their dreams
 Help your children to
 identify several career options
 find the educational requirements for their career
interests
 talk with people about their interests (job
shadowing)
 find articles about their career interests
Step 1: Helping make the decision
z Importance of college –
 Choose careers based on interests
 More career options
 Increase earning potential
Education Pays….Unemployment rate by education
level for 2011 (from the Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Step 1: Helping to make the decision
z Choose the type of “college” –
 Four-year college (university or college offering a
bachelor’s degree or above)
 Two-year college (community or junior college
offering a training program, certificate, or associate’s
degree)
 Technical schools (skill centers and other schools
offering occupational programs)
Reality Byte:
z You can encourage your child
to research career options.
Changing their mind about
a career choice is okay,
Failing to plan ahead is not.
For More Information:
www.mycareereducation.org
www.mois.org
Step 2: Getting Ready
z You, your children and their school are working together
to prepare them for a good life after graduation.
z Taking the right courses for their future starts NOW!
z Help them get the most out of high school - encourage
challenging courses EACH YEAR.
z Meet with your children and their counselor to help
them plan.
Step 2: Getting Ready
Consider this –
 Research shows that if students take
challenging courses that make them think,
they are more likely to go on to college.
 These courses can also help them get into
college.
Step 2: Getting Ready
z High school graduation requirements
under the Michigan Merit Curriculum
include:
y
y
y
y
y
y
Mathematics – 4 credits
English Language Arts – 4 credits
Science – 3 credits
Social Studies – 3 credits
Health and Physical Education – 1 credit
Visual, Performing and Applied Arts -1 credit
Step 2: Getting Ready
z Many colleges require additional courses
in –
 Foreign Language
 Fine & Performing Arts
 Computer Science
Reality Byte:
z Course selection:
Easy is not always best y Many times a student will choose based on
what is fun and easy.
y It’s up to you to encourage the challenging
choices throughout high school.
Step 2: Getting Ready
z College credit while in high school –
 Advanced Placement (AP) - college level courses
offered by the high school
 Articulation - occupational courses in H.S. or career
centers that “transfer” to some college programs
 Dual Enrollment - taking college courses while in high
school that may apply to both the high school degree
and the college degree
Step 2: Getting Ready
z College entrance exams –
 Encourage your child to take the ACT or SAT
in their Junior or Senior year
 www.actstudent.org
 www.collegeboard.org
Step 3: Planning ahead
z What Does College Cost?
 Costs can vary a lot, depending on the type
of school.
 Parents and students need to begin saving
NOW!
 Tuition, fees and books are only part of the cost.
 Additional expenses include housing,
transportation, food, clothes, entertainment, etc.
Step 3: Planning ahead
z You can start your research on college
costs at the U.S. Department of
Education’s website on college
affordability.
http://collegecost.ed.gov/catc/Default.aspx
Reality Byte:
z Don’t eliminate any college because of
cost Even the most expensive college
may be affordable
after you look at all your
options.
Step 4: Paying for college
z What you and your child can do  Save
 Use Federal income-tax credits
 Use Student Financial Aid
 Gift Aid - grants and scholarships that do not have
to be paid back
 Work Aid - a job during college to earn money
 Loan Aid - money for college that must be paid
back
Step 4: Paying for college
z Other sources  Military service scholarships (full-time and
part-time service)
 Americorps, community service program
 Civic groups and organizations, foundations
and businesses
Step 4: Paying for college
z Cautions –
n Scholarship Scams
n Compiling debt
nExcessive student loans
nCredit cards
Reality Byte:
z It’s all about choices Boat, cars, snowmobiles, pools or….
COLLEGE
for your son or daughter
You make the choices!
Reality Byte - Final
You can change college from
a dream into a reality, so…
Make planning for college part of
your child’s daily life.
Think College Early!