Category Archives: 2019 Articles

It is almost time for students to pack their bags and head on with life without their parents. While this is exciting for parents and students, it is also a transition that is more difficult for some than others. Parents, it is important for you to learn your new role. So let’s start with a couple of things you may not know.

Did you know that students turn 18, they are considered adults and as a parent, you no longer have automatic access to their medical records or their educational records? That’s right. HIPPA (The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) protects the privacy of medical records even if they are still covered by your insurance. That means you will not be able to participate in conversations about health unless you are invited by the student. Medical personnel will not be able to consult with you without the student’s permission. (Certain situations may warrant an exception).  Your doctor’s office or the college may have a form you can fill out or you can find a simple form at https://www.athenaeum.edu/pdf/free-hipaa-release-form.pdf.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects the educational records of students once they turn 18. That means that parents will no longer have control of transcripts, class schedule, grades, financial information or disciplinary records. If the parent and student discuss this and agree that parents have access, then there is usually a “Student Information Release Authorization” form on the college website. 

There are plenty of other non-concrete tips for parents as their students head off to college. Here are a few for you to consider:

1. Consider their emotions: This is a time when your child is taking a huge step in his/her life. There will be emotions. One minute they will say, “Mommmmmmm! I got this”, and the next moment the will say, “Where were you….?”  Recognize these ambivalent feelings and be patient.

2.  Be available when they need you, but don’t stalk them. Understand that your student may not be as available to you as in the past. You will not know what they are doing or where they are. Don’t hit the panic button when they do not respond to your text or call for several hours. They might be in a Biology lab. 

3. Stay in touch with “Care Packages”. Send some Tylenol, and cough medicine along with cookies and snacks. A gift card is also appreciated.  Of course with today’s technology, it is easy to share pictures of what you and the family are up to.  

4.  Be prepared for them to spread their wings. This sometimes means they will do things that make you cringe. Don’t lecture about their choices, but proactively remind them of consequences of their choices. Some “bad choices” can have life-changing results  particularly if those bad decisions have to do with drugs or alcohol, and especially when those things are combined with driving. 

5. Tell them to make friends. This is easy for some students, but difficult for others. Many students attended school with the same people from kindergarten through 12th grade. They never had to get out of their comfort zone. Encourage them to seek new friends thorough clubs, and campus activities. For some students, getting comfortable with the new life may take a year or more. Don’t let them come home after one semester. Tell them to “give it a year” and then reevaluate. Remember that it is expensive for them to come home.  

6. Final tip: Talk to your son/daughter before they leave. Set expectations for grades, work, behavior, finances, and communication. Agree and understand what is expected from both sides.  Let them go. Be their Coach, not their Boss. Also let them know that if they come home for summer, you still have rules and if they are living with you, they must respect your rules. Don’t be surprised, or offended,  if they don’t want to come home for the summer. 

When you drop off your precious cargo, have a day planned for yourself. Enjoy the moment and tell yourself, “Job well done.”

The prospect of paying for college can be quite  overwhelming.  Because we love our children and want the best for them, sometimes as parents, we are not rational in how we plan to pay. So let’s take a look at a “payment plan”.

Of course every family is different. There are families who cannot afford to contribute any money to the college experience, and others who can write a check. So let’s start with the family who cannot contribute at all.

There are ways a student who has no financial support can go to college without incurring a massive amount of debt. Let’s take a look at the community college. The first community college was founded in 1901, and  was created to provide associate degrees, certificate programs, developmental programs, vocational programs, and liberal arts classes that could transfer to 4 year universities -all at an affordable price. There are nearly 1100 community colleges in America and they cost about $3500 per year to attend.  A student living at home, and working at minimum wage for 20 hours a week could pay this amount. Can’t work 20 hours a week? Student Federal Loans are $5500 for a freshman. This would leave a balance of about $750 per year and even less the sophomore year. Students must be very focused and pay attention to the classes they take in order to be eligible to transfer in two years! 

So at the end of two years, a student can transfer to Fresno State or Cal State Bakersfield and continue to live at home. The state university system is a system that provides local institutions so that students can still live at home and keep college affordable. Fresno State tuition is about $8000 per year. Student loans the junior and senior year are about $7500 per year.  Once again, we see that college is currently accessible to anyone who wants to go to college even if the family cannot contribute any financial support.

Over a 4 year period, if a student chooses not to work, he/she could borrow about $29,000 to get through college. If he/she lives at home and give up Starbucks (tongue-in-cheek), it is possible to get a 4 year degree with no financial support from the family and minimal loan debt.  While I am not a big fan of loans if they are avoidable, a reasonable amount of debt is acceptable when looking at return on investment. The payment on $29,000 would be about $300 for 10 years, or $600 for 5 years-less than some car payments. 

So why do we have a $1.5 trillion debt in this country? The answer is simple. Loans are easy to get. Parents want “the best” for their children and sometimes take on unreasonable debt to be sure that “the best” happens. They are paying for “the college experience”.  So how does a family avoid this? There are several steps.

1. Make a budget and determine how much you can afford to pay for college.

2. Figure out your Expected Family Contribution (EFC-the minimum amount a college will expect you to pay)

3. Find colleges where your student will get the most financial aid-could be need-based aid or merit-based aid.

4. Be sure student is on a 4 year plan. Sometimes it is difficult to finish the public universities in 4 years.

5. Be sure the amount you can afford to pay matches the amount you will be expected to pay! 

This sounds like a logical plan. The problem is that families let emotion creep into the decision.  There are ways to budget for college so that a family does not take on too much debt.  Even if you are one of the lucky families who can pay-as-you-go, wouldn’t it be better to pay less? 

When Fall rolls around, there will be much joy, but also trepidation and even some gloom. Students are headed to college which will serve as their new home for the next 4 or more years. They are excited! Parents feel a plethora of emotions: excitement, fear, sadness, and loss of control. Students are usually ready for this change, but sometimes parents have a hard time dealing with this “loss”. There are some things students and parents can do to help alleviate some of these emotions. Check out these “must do’s”.

Students should meet their roommate and spend some time getting to know him/her/them. Most schools have a system for selecting and meeting the roommate. Attend orientation. Most schools let parents attend, but some do not. Students should also be sure they know the class registration process. Every school has a different process. Classes fill up quickly, so be sure you have carefully planned out what classes to take and have a backup plan in case your preferred class is full. Nor sure which professor? Check out www.ratemyprofessors.com. Try not to be too picky. Typically the 8:00am class is most available!

On many campuses, students can buy books early. This might save you some money.  The bookstore might have lists of what books are required for what classes. However, you might do better by checking out Amazon, Barnes and Noble, eFollett and even book rentals (www.chegg.com, www.campusbookrentals.com and www.bookrenter.com).

A few other things students should learn before packing their bags: How to do laundry, how to make a budget and how to handle money (balance a checkbook), how to use a calendar system; smart phone, day-timer, and how to take notes! A college schedule is much different than high school. You will have time between classes and maybe some days with no class at all. So learn to manage your time. 

Finally, it is important that you are safe. Have a buddy system and be sure someone (your roommate) knows your schedule. If you are having a “first-time” meeting, do it in public. If you are on campus after dark, know where the “blue light” phones are located. Keep your dorm room locked and have the campus security number programmed into your phone. Don’t share your personal information and don’t keep passwords and social security number on a sticky note over your desk. Exercise caution online and above all, be healthy! Pick the right meal plan, and make healthy choices. Do not drink and drive! Parents will need to get “permission” to communicate with the school once the student turns 18. 

Moving in can be a fun time for the family. Go shopping. (If you would like a suggested list of what to bring, send us an email and we will send you a list: 2soar2college@gmail.com) You will not have much room in the dorm so you must prioritize! It might be good to do some of your shopping after you get there so you  don’t have to haul it from home. Definitely bring a good computer (Windows 7 is out as of Jan 20, 2020)

Enjoy your last summer  before college. Spend time with family and friends. Pat yourself on the back for a job well done!!

The SAT and ACT essay can be a confusing topic for many students, after all, it is optional for most colleges. Right? Should I do it? Are they the same for both tests? How much do they count? Well there are a lot of things that are confusing about these essays, so I am going to try to simplify for you.

First of all, the two essays are quite different, but if you know what they are looking for, it is not too difficult to get a decent score. The SAT asks the student to analyze;  show how an author has assembled his argument, and how he supports his perspective. Many times students ” miss the boat” because they are so accustomed to expressing their opinion or summarizing the authors purpose that they fail to show how the author has supported his argument.  When writing the SAT essay, look for evidence (facts) and pay attention when the author uses the word “because.”  If you can critically analyze someone else’s work, the SAT might be a good choice for you. Your opinion is not welcome here. 

Most students find the ACT essay to be a bit less challenging because it asks for the student’s opinion. You will be given three different perspectives, usually on an issue of today. It is your job to choose a perspective and give strong supporting evidence as to why your perspective is the right perspective. This requires the student to have supporting evidence which may come from a familiar book, a movie or other substantiation.  If you are good at convincing others through logic and debate, and you can provide evidence from your knowledge base, the ACT might be a good choice for you. 

IvyWise provides a succinct summary: ” …the SAT essay tests for whether a student understands how an argument works, whereas the ACT essay prompt asks for the student to make an argument. ” 

There are a few other important questions for us to answer about the essays.  Most colleges do not require the essay, with Stanford, Yale, Brown and University of San Diego being some of the most recent to drop the requirement.  There are currently only about 25 colleges that require the essay. For students who plan to apply to the University of California, the essay still lingers. This means that each time a student takes the SAT or ACT, he/she should be including the essay. 

So how important is the essay? This is a more difficult question to address, since its value may vary between schools and between students. For the most part, the essay will be looked at in combination with other writing submitted, and typically will not be nearly as important as the overall SAT or ACT score. It is a separate score and is not averaged into the total test score.  If you are a strong writer, it could give you a little boost if the college will consider the essay.  However, if you really bomb the essay, it may suggest that you are not ready for college work. Advice? If you get an average score or a little above, don’t worry too much about the essay score.

While the value of standardized tests in relation to success in college is often debated, the fact remains that standardized tests are an important variable in the college admission and funding process.  Students I work with often tell me that they were told that their test scores do not matter that much. Well, if you have heard that  “rumor”, let me share the truth! 

While it is true that there are over 1000 colleges that do not “require” standardized tests for admission,  most of those same colleges DO require standardized tests in order to award certain merit-based financial scholarships and awards.  So if cost is not a factor in your college choice ($65,000 a year is ok with you), and your test scores are low, then by all means, choose your college from the test-optional list of schools! But if cost matters to you, then beware when you are told that test scores do not matter!

There are many colleges that offer automatic merit-based scholarships based solely on your grades and test scores. Take Colorado State for example.  A student with  a 3.8 GPA and an ACT of 28 will automatically qualify for an $8000/year scholarship. That is $32,000 over a 4 year period. But wait! If the student can raise that ACT score by 1 point, to a 29, that they will earn an extra $8000 over that same 4 year period for a total of $40,000; all based on grades and test scores. 

There are other colleges that use grades, test score and class rank as a cut off for consideration for certain scholarships. So although the scholarship may not be automatic, if a student is to be considered for certain scholarships, it is necessary for them to submit test scores. For example, Texas A&M states, “To be considered for the scholarships listed…..” and they proceed to give minimum SAT/ACT scores required. 

So how do you find these automatic scholarships?  Since the majority of scholarships given for test scores and GPA are merit scholarships, start by looking for “Merit-Based” or “Academic-Based” scholarships. Most colleges have a page dedicated to merit scholarships. Try searching “[College/University Name] Scholarships” or “[College/University Name] Financial Aid”. Be sure the scholarships you find are for entering freshmen and check for in-state or out-of-state designations. Check to see if there is a separate application required and also if there are specific deadlines. Sometimes the deadlines are the same as the application deadlines. 

Now the most important question is, “How do I raise my SAT or ACT scores?” At Soar College Planning we have a system that includes the following steps: 

1. Choose the right test; SAT vs ACT?. There are various diagnostics to determine which test is best for each student. The colleges do not care which test a student takes! They accept either.

2. Schedule the right test. Once the right test is decided, look at the students’ busy schedules, math level, and test dates to determine a test schedule that allows them the optimum amount of time to study. Students should begin no later than January of the junior year. 

3. Develop a study plan; this includes determining a target score. We offer many different study options for students. Each is tailored to student needs. This includes online prep, Boot Camps, and private tutoring.  Practice is the key to success, and this is impacted by student motivation. 

4. Evaluate scores and determine next steps; continue to study, or decide if that score is good enough! 

So the next time someone tells you that the test scores “don’t matter”, share this article with him/her!

The answer to this question can be confusing, because there are so many moving parts to the college planning process. So let me just say this: It is terribly stressful to start at the beginning of the senior year. With all of the activities going on, students who have not started preparing will find themselves with too little time to show off “their best self” not to mention the stress level!  It is not too early to start having discussions about college in middle school. So let’s make a little timeline of things to do at different grade levels.

Hopefully, before we get to middle school, you have started some kind of college savings program. But then comes middle school and you are thinking, : “No way! This can’t be happening. College planning already”? Yup! Now, one of the most important things you can do as a parent is to encourage reading, reading and more reading.  Make sure your student is getting a firm foundation in the academics. In high school, the academics and test score will be the primary determining factor about where your student will attend college as well as how much merit money he/she will receive. The colleges also like to see a great resume with a variety of activities and community service. Helping middle school students find a “passion” can help them develop a sustainable activity to pursue throughout high school. Middle school students need to know what lies ahead!

So you are thinking, “Okay. So when do we get serious about the actual college stuff”? I think the best time to start thinking specifically about college is the sophomore year. The financial decisions will be based on the family financials on the tax return two years prior to graduation, so financial decisions should be made during the sophomore year. However, it is never too late to make financial decisions that pertain to cash flow and tax advantage scholarships-even once the student is in college! So if you will not qualify for need-based financial aid, don’t be discouraged! There is plenty that can be done to get more money to pay for college. You just have to know how to do it!! Want to know more? Check out the book, Never Pay Retail for College written by my friend, Beth Walker. 

During the sophomore year, the student should start thinking about what kind of college they might like to attend, and what field of study they might be most interested in studying. They should also be taking a rigorous course of study and getting good grades.  By the junior year, students should have their testing schedule in place and know if they will focus on SAT or ACT (colleges will accept either).  They should begin narrowing down their college list and potential majors. By the summer before the senior year the student should be writing their college application and essays, putting together their activity list, and preparing to fill out applications early in the senior year. By this time, their portfolio/resume should be robust and consistent. 

If you start early enough, then Fall of the senior year should simply require fine tuning!