Kristen BixbyIn this previous blog post, we outlined some tips for parents dealing with anxious, quiet and avoidant students. As we said before, the college process can bring up some complicated feelings for both students and parents. In this post, we outline two more difficult conversations and tell you how Campus Bound can help.
We can’t afford it
If you’ve looked at the price tag recently you know that college, generally, is not affordable for the average family. Grants, scholarships, loans and work-study can help make up the financial difference to make the cost more reasonable. However, if finances are going to play a big role in where your student ultimately attends, it’s best to have that conversation with them now. It can be really hard for all involved if a student has their heart set on a particular school and at the end of the day it’s just not an option because it’s not affordable. Students who know that cost will play a role can manage expectations accordingly. Campus Bound counselors are trained to take finances into account when working with families and discussing which colleges are a good “fit.” We also have financial strategies experts on staff who can meet with families to help determine how much they can afford and the best ways to make the college price tag more in their ballpark.
The student who is ambivalent
Some students genuinely don’t know what they want to study, where they want to be located for college, or what size school they want. They seemingly could study anything, anywhere and be happy. But generally speaking, these ambivalent students are really just masking their insecurities. Applying to college, and even thinking about leaving home to go to college, can be scary. What if I don’t get accepted anywhere? What if I go and flunk out? What if no one likes me? These are serious concerns, and often result in a student shrugging their shoulders when you’re trying to get an answer out of them. Luckily, Campus Bound counselors are counselors first! That means, we are all trained to be focused on the well-being of our clients. We can help students take career and personality inventories to learn more about themselves. We can tell students what they don’t know. Perhaps they don’t know what size college they want because they can’t conceptualize it. We will point out the pros and cons of big vs small colleges, for example. When we meet with students we are making sure they are ready for college and help them find a place where they can ultimately be successful.
Campus Bound is here to support families with these difficult conversations and any others that might come up. Having a partner in the college admissions process can help alleviate a lot of stress for both parents and students. Be in touch if you think our services can be of help to you.