As many of you know, our oldest son Dylan is a rising junior in high school and we just returned from doing a college tour with him. Here I wanted to share some of my impressions.
First, look outside of your box. Many of the state schools are looking for geographical diversity. They don’t want all students from the namesake state and you may get good scholarship opportunities.
Second, don’t be afraid to ask questions about cost. Big surprise, college costs money. During one meeting with an admissions staff, I asked and she told me that with my son’s GPA and test scores, this particular university would give him a great scholarship and an in-state tuition.
Third, be respectful, and if you think your son/daughter won’t fit in, teach them to move on.
Fourth, sometimes it’s what you don’t say that is best. Do you want to mention to the admissions person that you hate cold weather and tornadoes, when at a later time you find that this particular university has the perfect program for your son/ daughter?
Lastly, be open and always listen. We found out on one tour that one college not on our list has a great aerospace program with Boeing, Airbus, General Dynamics, etc. on campus. All of these companies have major operations in this city and guess what college grads they hire?