As a parent, you are probably hoping that your teenager will go to college. In fact, you might be wondering what you can do to help encourage your son or daughter to get a college education. A few ways that you can help with college preparation for your teen are listed below.
1. Choose a College Prep High School
The high school that your child attends can have a big impact. If possible, consider looking for a college prep high school. College prep high schools typically put more of an effort into preparing students to go to college, which can help give your teen the nudge that he or she needs. Not only can a high school like this help your teen get into a good college, but it might help your teen feel better prepared to go to college, too.
2. Encourage Extracurricular Activities
It's almost always a good idea for teens to participate in school sports, clubs, or other extracurricular activities. Not only can extracurricular activities like these help your teen have fun and make friends, but they can also help him or her prepare for college. In fact, many college applications include questions about whether or not applicants have participated in extracurricular activities.
3. Start Looking Into Options for Paying for College
If your teen has to worry about how he or she is going to pay for college, then he or she might be stressed out at a time when they should be more focused on the future. Therefore, it's important to talk to your teen about how your family is going to pay for his or her college education. If you have been setting aside money for this, then these funds can obviously be quite helpful. Whether or not this is the case, you and your family should talk about options like grants, scholarships, student loans, and more. Looking into all of these options, weighing out the pros and cons of each option, and choosing the right option for your family and budget will go a long way toward both helping with college costs and reducing stress for your son or daughter.
4. Encourage Multiple College Applications
Your son or daughter might have one or two colleges in mind for his or her education, However, applying for just one school is not usually a good idea. Instead, you should encourage your teen to apply for more than one school. Then, he or she will have as many option as possible when it comes to getting into a school for post-college education.
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