| Start Early | | | | investments can add up over theyears. Encourage |
| Planning and financing for college begins well before | | | | grandparents to get involved by giving college money |
| high school. Selecting thecollege to attend. A proper | | | | instead of toys for birthdays, |
| foundation for learning is of utmost importance for | | | | Christmas, etc. |
| college admission andscholarship consideration. | | | | Enroll in Dual Enrollment College Classes |
| Make Appropriate Course Selections | | | | Check with your local high school and colleges to see |
| Selecting the right curriculum in elementary, high school, | | | | if dual enrollment college classes are availableand how |
| and college are linked. Being ready for college while | | | | to meet the requirements. Taking college classes and |
| positioning oneself for scholarship and other financing is | | | | receiving college credit before leavinghigh school can |
| a process. The transition fromelementary, middle | | | | save time and money! |
| school, and high school to college is determined by | | | | Shop Around |
| taking the right classes likeupper-level math and | | | | Consider In-State colleges as opposed to Out of State |
| science, foreign language, honors' classes, and | | | | colleges since tuition is much higher for some |
| Advanced Placement (AP) classes. Boosting the GPA | | | | Out of State colleges. Look at smaller colleges, which |
| with these classes is important in class rank and | | | | may have more scholarships, lower GPAand college |
| college entrance. | | | | entrance test requirements, or other Sports/Fine Arts |
| Talk To Your Child | | | | scholarships. Don't overlook |
| College planning is a family concern. Since a college | | | | 2-year colleges as a less expensive way to reach the |
| degree is essential for students and thecost of a | | | | final four-year degree. Living at home forawhile could |
| college education continues to rise, a collective effort is | | | | also cut college costs. Compromise could be the |
| needed. Waiting until high schoolfor parents to speak to | | | | solution to being in debt. |
| their child about college, actually doesn't make sense. | | | | Loans Should Be the Last Option |
| Without communication, the child may develop the | | | | Students do not need to spend the years following |
| assumption that all is well and that the parents have | | | | college with hundred of thousand of dollars in loans |
| planned to pay for his/her college expenses. Parents | | | | while being in debt the rest of their lives. Parents do |
| may think that they have college expenses covered | | | | not need to borrow from retirement funds and not be |
| and their child may have other colleges in mind with | | | | able to live comfortably for the rest of their lives. If |
| higher price tags or further college goals. Whatever | | | | loans are needed, let the loans be short-term and |
| the situation,parents and their child need to be open | | | | low-interest and shared by parents and the child. If |
| and honest about their feelings and realistic about | | | | parents can't pay loans, then have the child apply for |
| college issues. | | | | the loan, but help the child in other areas for college. |
| Set Up Two College Funding Plans- One College | | | | The years from cradle to college come too fast! |
| Funding Plan for Parents and One for Child | | | | Backing yourselves into a corner and reaching |
| Research various savings plans for you as parents | | | | thecollege years with no available funding are a direct |
| and for your child beginning early to reach yourcollege | | | | result of not planning ahead. |
| funding goals. Don't let it catch you by surprise. Small | | | | |