Plan Your Kids College Experience

Play a key role in educational success

by Teresa Sullivan

You know the type-a parent who obsesses about what kindergarten their child will attend because of how it may affect their entrance into college.  This of course is ridiculous, but making sensible plans for getting your child into and through college is one of the wisest things a parent can do.

“When the child hits sophomore or junior year, that’s when the parents start to panic,” says Patty Barron, deputy director for Government Relations at National Military Family Association (NMFA).  Parents see this looming expense on the horizon, and they don’t know how they will pay for it.

A great advantage for military dependents is the savings from in-state tuition.  Since most states offer in-state tuition to dependents of active duty stationed in that state, a dependent usually has the choice of the state where he or she currently lives or the state on their permanent home of record.  Check the NMFA Web site (NMFA.org) under education for a complete listing of which states offer what.  But finding a good tuition rate is only a part of the college search.

DETERMINING THE DESIRED COLLEGE EXPERIENCE

Start to tune into your child early on as to her interests, career aspirations and college goals.  Does she want to be close to home?  Does she want to live on campus?  Would she prefer a big or small college?  Know her goals.  Recently, the son of a Coast Guard family stationed in Ohio declared to his parents that he wanted to attend the Coast Guard Academy.  When asked why, he said, “I want to be near the water.  I want a small school, so that I can play football for them.  When I graduate, I want to work on a boat and live in places like Alaska and Hawaii.”  Not all matches are made in heaven like this one was, but knowing what your child is thinking ahead of time will save a lot of wrong choices and missteps later on.

If your child aspires to attend a highly selective college, you should start moving in the right direction even earlier.  Talk to school’s admissions officers and find out what your child’s high school resume should look like.  Military dependents are often at a disadvantage in that they may attend two or three different high schools in the course of four years.  It’s hard to gain the leadership roles necessary when you are continually the new kid in class.  If this is the case, as a parent, you can guide your child toward leadership roles outside of school, such as sports clubs, church organizations, community service or anything else in which she has the opportunity to excel.