Sounds like your in the same boat as I am, with the junior and sophomore. Look for any larger schools college fair you can tag along to, they give out great info at those.
It’d also be a good idea to suggest they start at a juco and then transfer to a uni after they’ve maxed out classes there first. Saved me thousands, just have to make sure the credits transfer. Most have partner schools like rose state/uco etc that makes it easy. Otherwise, apply for anything and everything they can and talk to counselors at their school. At the end of the day student loans suck but they’re not the worst thing ever. Just a few hundred bucks a month, which for me provided an income I’d never otherwise be able to obtain. Fair trade imo. Too many people making student loans out to be an unbearable monster but that’s not always the case.
i'm going to be as blunt as i can:
unless going into a field where it's *literally* required for certification (like law, medicine, etc), college is an absolute scam. it's a waste of money, time, and resources.
instead of asking kids what they want to learn in college, ask them what job they want. vocational and on the job training can't be beat for anything.
i know lots of people who graduated college. i think i know.....two who are using their degree. most of them could have gotten the job they have out of high school and would actually be a better position with the same company; their degree didn't assist them getting the job in any way.
unless going into a field where it's *literally* required for certification (like law, medicine, etc), college is an absolute scam. it's a waste of money, time, and resources.
instead of asking kids what they want to learn in college, ask them what job they want. vocational and on the job training can't be beat for anything.
i know lots of people who graduated college. i think i know.....two who are using their degree. most of them could have gotten the job they have out of high school and would actually be a better position with the same company; their degree didn't assist them getting the job in any way.
get your kids into one of those "how to take the ACT test classes". have them take the test many many times because they will improve the more times they take it and have the best score sent to as many colleges as they can. have them keep the grades up in school and get them into one or two of those good grade fraternity. go to the schools that send them admission invitations and get them to talk to the college counselor advisers. get them into ffa etc.
My daughter went to a local community college. Got great A's joined a couple of legit Honor Societies that were based on her grades. When she applied to the University, because of her Honor Society membership they waived 50% of her tuition! The paid for half of the remainder (borrowed it all), I covered the other half ( in reality one quarter). She graduated with roughly 20K in student loan debt.
Apply for every scholarship. Be unique, involved.
Seriously consider the trades. Something that can't be outsource overseas. HVAC, plumbing, electrical, welding, trucking, landscaping, lawn care, land clearing, trim carpentry, roofing, etc. Start your own business. My nephew started small, purchased a used dump truck. Cleaned it up. Renting it for $200/day. Purchased a small dozer and is now doing the same thing. Kid just paid cash for a Can-Am sand rail and purchased his first house. He's doing okay for 24 years old.
Apply for every scholarship. Be unique, involved.
Seriously consider the trades. Something that can't be outsource overseas. HVAC, plumbing, electrical, welding, trucking, landscaping, lawn care, land clearing, trim carpentry, roofing, etc. Start your own business. My nephew started small, purchased a used dump truck. Cleaned it up. Renting it for $200/day. Purchased a small dozer and is now doing the same thing. Kid just paid cash for a Can-Am sand rail and purchased his first house. He's doing okay for 24 years old.
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I’ll start with the obvious, but not much fun: the military. Active duty will net a GI bill that will never expire, and if they play their cards right they can get out with a decent starting resume with training and trade experience to fall back on. National guard will pay for them to get equivalent training and paid tuition to state schools, with only having to show up a few weekends a year.
Other places to look: Target, Walmart, Starbucks, and I’ve heard even chipotle offers paid college tuition for employees. A lot of places do, even if they don’t openly advertise it. I don’t know about the retail side, but I have a buddy who works for target in a non retail capacity and they take really good care of him. He actually gets to (workload permitting) spend one day per 5 day work week working on professional classes, job related personal projects, or education. Paid. I have another friend who had a decent portion of her college tuition paid for by Starbucks, while making good money and benefits.
FAFSA is an important place to start, as well as any tribal, ethnic, or income related grants that they may qualify for.
If I remember right there’s a college here in the metro that allows full time employees to take classes for free, but I’ll have to look up who it is because I forgot.
Other places to look: Target, Walmart, Starbucks, and I’ve heard even chipotle offers paid college tuition for employees. A lot of places do, even if they don’t openly advertise it. I don’t know about the retail side, but I have a buddy who works for target in a non retail capacity and they take really good care of him. He actually gets to (workload permitting) spend one day per 5 day work week working on professional classes, job related personal projects, or education. Paid. I have another friend who had a decent portion of her college tuition paid for by Starbucks, while making good money and benefits.
FAFSA is an important place to start, as well as any tribal, ethnic, or income related grants that they may qualify for.
If I remember right there’s a college here in the metro that allows full time employees to take classes for free, but I’ll have to look up who it is because I forgot.
1) My son (sophomore) only has 1 working kidney, so probably out for military; TBH, the way the military gets treated by our .gov nowadays, I can't even make that a possibility (I spent 13 years in, I'm not naive)
2) I understand the whole "college is not necessary" ideas, I wholeheartedly agree with them even...but IMHO, girls/women have a whole lot tougher time making it in the world without picking a decent paying career, which for them usually involves some kind of schooling/degree. The one big thing I've made a point to impress upon them, esp her, is to not rely on ANYONE else for support, i.e. husband, wife, etc!
Thanks for all the input so far, keep it coming!
2) I understand the whole "college is not necessary" ideas, I wholeheartedly agree with them even...but IMHO, girls/women have a whole lot tougher time making it in the world without picking a decent paying career, which for them usually involves some kind of schooling/degree. The one big thing I've made a point to impress upon them, esp her, is to not rely on ANYONE else for support, i.e. husband, wife, etc!
Thanks for all the input so far, keep it coming!
No counselor? How did the school gain certification without a counselor?
Bingo! Best money you can ever spend. From an old educator with 26 yrs as an administrator
There’s always the pay-your-way method. My wife and I were RAs, which paid for room and board. She had a job that she used to pay for tuition and I did ROTC, which covered tuition. Both of us exited college debt free. Going to junior college to get the basic classes out of the way also helps. English and American history are the same at OU as they are at TCC or OCCC.
If she’s a sophomore, there’s still plenty of time for her to work and save up for college as well.
Around 20 years ago, a 31 on your ACTgot a full ride to one of the regional universities in OK (SWOSU, Southeastern, East Central, etc).
Also the OHLAP if you qualify. Oklahoma's Promise
Do they know what they want to do after college? If the answer is no, then college isn’t the right choice. I strongly believe college is over rated and diluted in importance in todays world. Engineers, lawyers, doctors…yes. Much else? Probably don’t need a college degree. Vo-techs are a much cheaper, faster option with a real skill they can use.
If she’s a sophomore, there’s still plenty of time for her to work and save up for college as well.
Around 20 years ago, a 31 on your ACTgot a full ride to one of the regional universities in OK (SWOSU, Southeastern, East Central, etc).
Also the OHLAP if you qualify. Oklahoma's Promise
Do they know what they want to do after college? If the answer is no, then college isn’t the right choice. I strongly believe college is over rated and diluted in importance in todays world. Engineers, lawyers, doctors…yes. Much else? Probably don’t need a college degree. Vo-techs are a much cheaper, faster option with a real skill they can use.
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