| Original Message |
Sharon (no login)
Posted Jul 26, 2005 2:00 AM
One thing which helped me--and then later helped my first son---choose a college was poring through a book of college profiles (Barron's has one) and seeing which colleges had student bodies whose profiles were like mine/his. SAT scores were an indication of which colleges might be a good fit for students who didn't have a career path already in mind. The book was also a good way to look at big school/small school issues.
But I would say---and it's one of those things which you just don't believe until late in the process!!---that money becomes a huge part of the decision-making process (unless you are independently wealthy, have substantial resources, or have some sort of ethnic minority status).
Do look carefully at the money part of the equation, and figure out how much of the family annual budget can be allocated to paying for college (unless you are ok with a ton of money in loans). I say this having a son who received the highest of academic scholarships available. The cash value will depend on the school a student chooses to attend. If part of the family budget is going to cover college costs, take a good look at that now and figure out what you can afford to pay each year of the total annual cost of attendance.
Check into the money thing early. |
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