In 365 days….You will be sending your

son or daughter off to college!

College is preparing your child for adulthood and their future career.

If you think your child is not ready for adulthood, you are correct!

College gives your child the opportunity to grow, develop, individuate and become the adult they will be for the rest of their life.

Going “away” to school is an important element in growing up and learning how to be an adult, while still under the safety-net of an academic environment.

Adulthood is full of responsibility and obligation.

College is the last chance for your child to focus on their own growth and development before they begin their own families and careers.

This opportunity will only come once! Once it is gone, it is gone.

Going to college later in life is much more difficult because you have to juggle work, family and schooling.

Imagine what you would give to have four years of self exploration.

The best way you can support your child in earning their degree is…

NOT money

BUT by fostering a “college culture” at home.

What’s a college culture? Talk about college at home.

Ask your child what colleges they are considering.

Let your child know how important it is for them to graduate from a four-year college, not just attend college.

Let them know that graduating from a four-year college is not an option but an expectation.

Research colleges together.

Be honest if you don’t know about something and find out together.

Individuals with a bachelors degree earn an average of $15,000 A YEAR MORE than those with an associates degree and $22,000 A YEAR MORE than those with only a high school diploma.

Over a lifetime, that’s between $1,000,000.00 and $3,000,000.00 MORE with a college degree than without one!!!!

Over half a MILLION $$$ more with a bachelors degree than with an associates degree.

Why a 4yr college?

College Admissions Timeline Before summer: 2010 taxes and W2s (submit to office) Over the summer:

Research colleges with your child College admissions essay

August-December: College Applications (10 total) October: College admissions essay due January 1st: FAFSA Completion Feb 1st: 2011 Taxes and W2s Due March/April: Verification Month May 1st: College decision

intent to enroll, tuition deposit, housing deposit)

May 15th: Accept financial aid, submit forms to college, register for orientation

Mid May: College Signing Day

Use your child’s college match category as a starting point.

Research school with your child. Do not consider price or location yet! Let your child dream and dream with them!

Research the graduation rates for each school.

Consider what will give your child the greatest chance at earning a bachelors degree and encourage them to pursue that option, even if it a challenge.

Set your expectations high and make sure your child knows them. Your child will be an adult soon, but you will always be their parent and they look to you for guidance (even if they pretend they don’t).

What can I do as a parent?

Researching Colleges Don’t limit your selection because of location or cost!

DO create a diverse list of schools.

DO consider graduation rate!

START where you want to graduate from! Life throws all kinds of challenges at us and planning on transferring is a huge gamble with your son/daughter’s education and career.

Dream big! This is the beginning of your child’s life as an adult. If you want them to be successful start them off somewhere that IS successful!

Don’t say “it’s your choice” when you really mean “I don’t know”. Learn with your child, so you can help guide their decision in a helpful way.

Reputation: The school your child will graduate from will be on their resume’ for the rest of their life. This will distinguish them from their competition and either help them or hold them back.

Cost: There is a point where a school is no longer worth what it costs.

Graduation rate: How much is it worth to go to a school with a better chance of success?

What matters?

Chicago community colleges have some of the lowest graduation rates in all of the nation.

The AVERAGE graduation rate for a community college in Chicago is 10%!!!! That means 90% of the students who attend there will not earn their degree!

Graduation rates matter!!!!

The danger of for-profit schools For profit schools are usually significantly more

expensive than other private or public colleges.

Students of for profit colleges are 5 times more likely not to be able to repay their student loan.

Why?

Higher student loans that mean higher payments.

Not as competitive in finding a job as students who attended a not-for-profit public or private school.

Examples of for-profit schools American Academy of Art

DeVry University

University of Phoenix

Kaplan University

Westwood College

The Art Institutes

ITT Technical Institute

Trade schools

But how can we afford this? It is important to know that college is an investment in

your child’s future, but it is not only for the rich.

Even if you can’t help financially, your child CAN go to a 4yr college, and you can help support them in other important ways.

Even if your child receives NO federal aid, because they are undocumented, there are affordable choices in Chicago.

Paying for college Grants: Free money

Most students will receive between $5,000 and $12,000 a year in federal/state grants. These grants are called Pel, Map and FSEOG. These are based on your financial need.

Scholarships:Most schools (private and public) offer some type of free money based on financial need and merit.

Student Loans:Student loans are an investment in your child’s career, but they are only worth it IF YOUR CHILD GRADUATES! This is why parent support is so important.

The advertised tuition is NOT what you pay.

The federal government and schools offer scholarships and grants that can significantly reduce the amount your child would pay.

Student loans will also cover some of this cost.

The amount that is left over after all scholarships, grants and loans is called “out of pocket”.

SIU EdwardsvilleActual student ACT 18, GPA 2.81

Cost of attendance: $17,500

Free money (grants/scholarships): $10,940

Work Study: $3,000

Loans: $5,500

Out of pocket: NONE! Everything is covered.

Plan: Use work study money for personal expenses and text books.

Lake ForestActual student ACT 21, GPA 3.86

Cost of attendance: $ 50, 652

Free money (grants/scholarships): $ 37,270

Work Study: $ 2,500

Loans: $ 5,500

Out of pocket: $5,382! Over 90% of the costs covered!

Plan: Save $2,500 between now and September. Student or parent contributes $300/mo during the school year.

This one is a bit tougher without parent help, but if you could split the monthly cost and each contribute $150, this becomes

much more doable.

Concerns for undocumented students/parents. If your child IS documented but you are not, your child

IS eligible for financial aid including grants, scholarships and loans. They WILL complete a FAFSA with their social security number, but will enter 000,00,0000 for YOUR social security number.

FAFSA is only concerned with your child’s immigration status NOT yours.

If your child is not documented Your child SHOULD NOT submit a FAFSA! This is

VERY important

Encourage your child to focus on school! Undocumented students ARE eligible for merit grants/scholarships from colleges, but they are dependent on ACT/GPA!

Your child is eligible for thousands of private scholarships that can be researched through various sources such as http://latinocollegedollars.org and www.thesalliemaefund.org .

Begin a college savings plan immediately. Encourage your son/daughter to work over the summer and save as much money as possible.

Seek out resources such as the match-savings program offered by the Heartland Alliance.

Sample FAFSA All students (documented or not) will fill out a sample

FAFSA in class.

There will be MANY questions about the FAFSA. We will address these in the fall at a FAFSA workshop.

Please feel free to contact Ms. Clark and Ms. Martinez

if you have any questions about the college application process. We are here to help!

Thank you!